According to research reports on the definition and terminologies of urban voids, a comprehensive review of the literature was conducted. Various research databases looked at studies relating to regenerative and interventional associations with urban voids. Only peer-reviewed journal articles having full English texts and having strong methodology and descriptive writing were included. The studies examining the relationship between activity and sedentary behavior in densely populated cities were also included (Monica Motomuraa et al., 2022).

Studies found through the search method were first evaluated based on the title and abstract, with the reputed publications moving on to the full-text evaluation. Studies that satisfied the following requirements were reviewed thoroughly.

• Research was carried out only in densely populated urban regions. Rural or suburban studies that had a lot of open spaces were not included.

Within the scope of this research, the objectives are as follows:

• Based on user feedback, assess how effectively the urban open space fulfills the users’ expectations during the utilization stage.

In line with the aforementioned objectives, performance and quality concepts were explained and evaluated in this research.

The identified area for the case study is near Railway Colony in Multan. The selected area is L-shaped and connected with a flyover, which creates a large-scale urban void shown in Figure 2. The spatial methodology, Shown in Figure 3, identified by 1,2 and 3 based on identifying physical conditions and surveys shown in Figure 4, which depends on user ratings, was the foundation of the research methodology. The neighborhood context and urban fabric is strongly associated with the target urban void. The following Figures 2, 4, 5 illustrate the location map of the selected case study:

The site comprises more than one dead piece of land with a variety of voids shown in Figure 6, with an array of potential uses available in the immediate context of the site. The identified area demonstrates a clear scope and opportunity for place-making. The targeted urban voids were creating a gap between the railway community; therefore, it becomes a prospect to bring people together. The study will be concluded to make a happy interactive place out of a dead sad place. It will be a prototype of the urban regeneration concept, generated from the targeted urban void.

After the identification of urban voids, each void was further categorized on the basis of its functional attributes with more potential. The Table 1 illustrates further categorization of the identified urban voids.

The characteristics that were observed about site attributes during the walk-through survey are discussed in the following Table 1.

Parallel research was carried out through a questionnaire survey. Three urban voids were selected for this stage identified in Figure 5 and were scored on a 5-point Likert attitude scale. Users who were identified as stakeholders in the study locations participated in surveys. Surveys with 280 users who live in the Railway Colony region were conducted on weekdays and weekends in order to get accurate results.

The survey’s objectives were to ascertain the space’s performance and quality and to ascertain the users’ happiness or dissatisfaction with the spaces identified. In keeping with this objective, it was intended to identify the relative values of the preferred and unfavorable spaces in the Railway Colony region in terms of the performance standards for technical, functional, and aesthetic factors. The study of Doruk Görkem Özkan et al. (2015) was beneficial in the development of closed-ended questions created for performance value determination. Participants’ agreement with these ideas was graded on a scale of 1–5, with 1 representing “I strongly agree;” 2, “I agree;” 3, “I neither agree nor disagree;” 4, “I disagree,” and 5, “I strongly disagree”. (Five performance levels were determined by descriptive analysis as a consequence of established research analyses, and the classification of these performance levels is provided in the Findings section and discussed in Conclusion).

This component of the study focuses on the well-being and health impact of the urban environment and how urban voids become a tool to facilitate the process of healing of a community. In our urban environment, “no single master plan can anticipate the developing and diversified requirements of a more diverse population or accomplish the durability, responsiveness, and adaptation that shorter-term, experimental initiatives accomplished (Arieff, 2011). In order to close the gap between the perception of a certain durability of physical interventions and the realities outlined in the literature study, we suggest making urban unoccupied space available for temporary (sometimes very short-term) uses and occupations. This will facilitate a gradual urban transformation process and result in contextual, flexible, immediate, and intermediate advantages (Nemeth and Langhorst, 2013). Community gardens on single and multiple lots, small-scale urban agriculture projects, and adaptive reuse of buildings and lots for minor (and frequently alternative/creative) economic operations can all be found on vacant properties. Long-term vacant properties can provide a range of ecological services: deteriorated impervious surfaces and pavement cracks start to let stormwater infiltration; emergent vegetation helps improve air quality and lessen the effects of heat islands; a certain new plant life cleans up contaminated soil; and, aesthetically, such properties can occasionally lessen the appearance of blight. Undeveloped land can present both opportunities and challenges, as Table 1 displays. We are interested in investigating the possibility of uses for vacant land rather than concentrating on how to prevent it despite the fact that this is an important goal. There are three key reasons for this. First of all, empty land offers fantastic prospects for smart growth principles, including infill, brownfield and greyfield redevelopment, and the provision of open and green space in urban cities (Bowman and Pagano, 2014). Second, fully abandoned unoccupied lots accumulate waste and debris and frequently have a detrimental knock-on effect on neighboring properties. For this reason, redevelopment planners should focus on finding opportunities for vacant lots (According and Jhonson, 2000). Third, to resolve perceived negative externalities, unoccupied land might bring together diverse groups, such as homeowners, neighborhood advocates, fire agencies, and realtors (Hou, 2010). Fourth, minority groups are excessively concentrated in neighborhoods with vacant land, a trend that is common in (but not unique to) struggling Rustbelt cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and St. Louis (Nemeth and Langhorst, 2013).

Considering temporary uses as “a manifestation of a more dynamic, flexible, and adaptive urbanism, where the city is becoming more responsive to new needs, demands and preferences of its users,” we not only contend that there are indeed many benefits to a temporary use model but also acknowledge that there are drawbacks that can be significant. Such benefits and drawbacks can be political (administrative and/or procedural), economic, social, and/or ecological. Such categorization itself has its downsides as it tends to ignore the multi-valency, multiple agencies, and potential synergy of temporary uses. In other words, what stands as a benefit in one category might be construed as a drawback in another (Bishop and William, 2012). The graphical illustration in Table 2 the following analysis justifies the aforementioned assessment.

The presented findings demonstrate how the public perceives the political, social, ecological, and economic conditions of the selected site. It also shows that even when their economic situation has gotten worse, the community of the identified urban void maintains its social preferences. It implies that the area is a government-owned cantonment, is subject to political deception, and is overlooked when it comes to preserving ecological harmony.

Urban morphology refers to the study of urban form that focuses on the formation and transformation of urban forms of cities, towns, and villages over time; their spatial patterns at different scales; and physical characteristics to inform appropriate urban interventions to promote sustainable urban development. The research took place in the cantonment area of Multan. The selected area is L-shaped and partially under a flyover shown in Figure 7 and is a high-density urban area of the city. Figure 8 illustrates the building age profile for morphological assessment. Observing the selected site model following the morphological assessment was carried out.

It is evident that abandoned places quickly turn into hotspots for criminal activity. The state of the Railway Colony’s empty places was similar. They were overflowing with trash illustrates in Figure 7. Unwanted items were tossed into these areas, creating an extremely terrible atmosphere. These abandoned railway segments had the worst aesthetic quality. Under the flyover, there were drug addicts who live, eat, and sleep there, creating an extremely negative impact. Both residents and visitors experience an interruption, and as a result, the area is socially degraded and has become dangerous.

Another issue with a vacant property is that when it is left unoccupied for an extended length of time, people move in, squat, and live there shows in Figure 9. The same has occurred in the Railway Colony. The nomads occupied these sites and the territory designated for a railway line (which was never built). The remaining land was leased by the Railway department. As a result, the leased and encroached regions are extremely crowded and unplanned. The current state of affairs did not sit well with the community. The current state of affairs makes the neighborhood vulnerable and the environment unpleasant.

Although the colony is often quite peaceful, there is a significant amount of noise made when the trains arrive. The sound of the train horn alone is quite loud. Although there is not much activity inside the railroad, when a train arrives or departs, the area fills up with automobiles, which creates a lot of noise and pollution. There is a lot of noise in that area of the community due to the heavy traffic at the flyover. Residents in the area in question have adapted to their environment. When a train approaches, every colony building vibrates, posing a threat to these old structures where employees of the railway department are settled.

The colony has a sizable sports field for its residents. Many individuals congregate each day to play. Boys can be seen playing a variety of games on the field in the afternoon, and many people assemble along the field’s edge to watch the happenings. The community is generally unaware of the health, hygiene, and safety standards, resulting in environmental degradation of the neighborhood and its adjacent land. Surveys have revealed that no such maintenance efforts had been conducted for the ground. Water and sanitation issues are prevalent throughout Pakistan, and the Railway Colony is no exception. Streets were clogged with trash and excrement, creating a difficult situation for the local community. On a larger scale, it has contributed to building a negative image of the historic town of Multan.

The majority of the population travel by vehicle and motorcycle. People choose to walk to work because the train office station is close to the residential area. When a train departs or arrives, traffic issues are at their worst. Every day, there are between 22 and 24 trains that arrive and depart from the station during half-hour intervals. The train that is prepared to leave departs at 3 p.m. during the busiest time of the day illustrates in Figure 1 in traffic flow diagram.

The Railway Colony’s structures date back to the British colonial era. Most buildings were completed between 1900 and 1940. After the colonials left, from 1947 till the present, only a relatively small number of buildings were constructed. After the partition, cargo offices and parking spaces near the railroad station were added, and the flyover in question was constructed in 2011. A few mosques were built nearby. Old residences require maintenance in addition to new construction.

The rationale of the research is to transform these under-utilized urban voids into beautiful public spaces, filling these voids with the needs of the users. Table 3 illustrates the existing site area and its vegetation.

The researcher suggests a flexible structure through temporary made columns illustrates in Figure 10 because permanent structures are not permitted beneath flyovers. Timber and nails are used to build the structure demonstrated in Figure 11. It is constructed such that the carters will use the area once the exposition is over. Additionally, any other railroad employee who wishes to run a small business can set up the shop.

There are few arrangements of the stalls. It is designed on a 9ʹ-0″ by 9ʹ-0″ grid, an ideal size of a stall for any kind of display.

There should be a park there, but there was none despite it being marked as such on Google Maps. Some claimed that there was once a park, but it was destroyed during the bridge’s building, while others claimed there never was one. It is a 2-kanal area that is deserted and inhabited by nomads. The locals were not pleased with them. The location has been repeatedly cleared by railway security, but they eventually return.

As a result, a long-term solution was required. Parks could be created such that they are always occupied by people and are no longer merely empty spaces. The community requires a place to mingle, after all, a location where everyone is welcome, regardless of their class, gender, or age. Figure 12 illustrates the sketches of playground elements for kids.

The finest choice when taking into account the third urban void was the design of the porters’ rest area and locker room. The porters were interviewed on the amenities provided to them at the station. The findings indicate that 150 porters were altogether present at the railroad station at any given time when a train arrived or left. The study recommended using a low-cost climate-responsive design.

Compressed earth bricks (CSEBs), which are readily available and reasonably priced regionally, were suggested for the building design. They were made up of Portland cement, non-expansive clay, aggregates, and dry inorganic subsoil. An eco-friendly substitute for clay bricks is a CSEB (compressed stabilized earth block). Figure 13 illustrates compressed earth block sections- construction and material details.

Suggested design interventions is shown and recommended in Figure 14. Design Intervention Master plan. All three identified Voids are shown after design arbitration.