Learn more about my PhD project and engage with the story of decay in Paisley and Renfrewshire!
Welcome
My story
My name is Marlene Zijlstra
I'm a PhD student at the University of the West of Scotland in Paisley, but my journey started in the vibrant streets of Amsterdam. Growing up there, I witnessed my city transform - places I once felt deeply connected to as a child became unfamiliar, even unwelcoming. This sparked my curiosity: how do spaces shape our experiences, emotions, and memories? What makes a place feel like it belongs to us - or that we belong to it?
In 2021, I set out on my PhD journey, originally aiming to explore how we can cultivate a sustainable creative ecology in postindustrial cities. But research has a way of evolving, and so did my focus. Over time, I became captivated by the hidden potential of decaying spaces - abandoned buildings, forgotten structures and neglected corners of the city. These spaces, once symbols of decline, hold an incredible opportunity to be reclaimed, reimagined and revitalised through participatory arts, community engagement and creative interventions.
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This website is a window into my research journey - a space to showcase ideas, discoveries, and inspiration to look at forgotten spaces around you in a new way. Whether you're an artist, researcher, or just someone who loves cities, I hope this platform encourages you to see the unseen and perhaps even take part in reshaping the urban landscape.
Let's discover these spaces - together.
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About the Website
Why Paisley? Why now?
What You'll Find Here
This website is a space to explore and reflect on my PhD research into community agency and urban regeneration in Paisley, Scotland. At its heart, the project asks:
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How do we relate to the decaying spaces around us?
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What possibilities for belonging and agency emerge when we engage with forgotten places?
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Paisley, ​like many post-industrial towns, carries hidden layers of history, transition and potential in its disused buildings and neglected sites. This research journey centers around a project called Hidden Spaces Paisley - a series of workshops, interviews and other engagements in Paisley over the course of this PhD. From this seed, the research grew organically, through dialogue, discovery and collective reflection. ​
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Through this process, I have been able to:
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Map my own encounters with urban decay, while listening to the voices of artists, activists and residents.
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Build a growing archive of photographs and videos of decaying sites, gathered through workshops and cycling explorations around town.
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Design a walking route that threads these spaces together, offering new ways of seeing Paisley's landscape through the Lens of transformation and care.
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The website is more than a record of academic research. Its a living map of engagement, created to:
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Share the creative and collaborative methods that shaped this work.
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Make the hidden visible, highlighting Paisley's unused and decaying spaces.
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Encourage new ways of thinking about regeneration - not as top-down development, but as community-driven renewal.
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Whether you are a local resident, an academic, or simply curious about urban change, I invite you to explore these pages with an open mind and a hopeful eye.
Who knows... You might even feel inspired to reclaim, reimagine or help bring one of Paisley's hidden spaces back to life!