Urban and Growing Landscapes : A Plan for Landskrona Carley Friesen Lund University May 2009 ASBN10 - Sustainable Urban Landscape Theory and Methods Written Assignment
Contents
0 The Reason
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1 The Oresund Region Proposal
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[F0] Kurt Vonnegut_Playboy Interview 1973
[F1] Trip around the Oresund with Lectures_21 Jan 09
2 The Landskrona City Proposal
[F2] Han Xilli - Theory and Practice of Modern Landscape Architecture_09 Mar 09 [F3] Landskrona Kommun_17 Feb 09 [F4] Seminar_02 Feb 09 [F5] Gunilla Lindholm - The Urban Landscape of Landskrona_23 Feb 09 [F6] Eric Sk채rb채ck- Health and Development_16 Feb 09 [F7] Seminar_23 Feb 09 [F8] Seminar - Environmental Footprint_02 Mar 09
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3 Design Strategies - Positive Programming
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4 Design Strategies - Spatial Experiences
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5 Evaluation
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[F9] Amsterdam Study Trip_28 Mar 09 - 2 Apr 09
[F10] Seminar - Inclusion by Design _27 Apr 09 [F11] Hans Monderman - Drachten Intersection [F12] Jenny Eckman - Traffic Engineering - 27 APR 09 and Jenny Eckman - Traffic Tutorial 8 May 09 [F13] Edinburgh Study Trip_28 Mar 09 - 2 Apr 09
[F14] Various Lectures and Tuturials_19 Jan 09 - 18 May 09
[F0] Kurt Vonnegut_Playboy Interview 1973
“A first grader should understand that his or her culture isn't a rational invention; that there are thousands of other cultures and they all work pretty well; that all cultures function on faith rather than truth; that there are lots of alternatives to our own society. Cultural relativity is defensible and attractive. It's also a source of hope. It means we don't have to continue this way if we don't like it.�
1 2 3 4 5 6 The Oresund Region Proposal The Oresund is a region comprising areas in Denmark and Sweden with a body of water named the Oresund laying between. The region technically describes the entire island of Zealand and the entire Swedish region of Skane, however, the group analysis revealed that emphasis has definitely been placed on the specific region encompassing the main Danish cities of Copenhagen at the south and Helsingor to the north, and the Swedish cities of Malmo to the south, Landskrona, and Helsingborg on the north. Historically these countries were only linked by ferry transit across the sound. In 2001 this changed, with the construction of the 12 km long bridge joining Malmo and Copenhagen. The bridge and both regions are accessible by motor vehicle and public transit, in he form of electric train and buses. The region is complex both in geography and legitimacy. Although the small area of the sound separates the two countries, the physical separation of the water has dramatically affected the way that the cities in the region have grown. In regular models we would not find two cities with such close proximity to still have the same degree of autonomy. The content of the region spans two countries, and this inherently makes some conflict with legalities about commuting for work, access of services, taxpaying, etc. Both sides are eager to reach agreements on these issues, as there are benefits to both to have residents and workers commuting across the sound [F1]. The design group first looked at a comparison of other urban regions around Europe to gain a more broad understanding of them, especially with regards to physical form and scale. Regions such as London, The Ranstad, and Paris were compared. A discussion was taken about polycentric and monocentric urban regions. The Randstad was functioning as 4 distinct cities connected with transit, while regions such as London showed cities which had grown together to become one solid urban region The design group then performed a SWOT
analysis to determine the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This was carried out with regards to both Denmark and Sweden, and residents and users. By creating this multi-dimensional analysis we could identity qualities that agreed or contradicted themselves based on the context of the urban actor. Some of the more significant points were as follows. One weakness or challenge facing the region, are the mono-centric pull of Copenhagen, and whether it can act as a bi-national regional capital as well as acting as the capital of Denmark. We found opportunities in the length of coast in both countries, the possibilities for renewable sources of energy, the small scale, safe communities, and the multiculturalism. The main strength we found was the ability of the combination of small strengths as an attraction. This means that the many small communities have the ability to attract people based on their separate identities. Another strength is the desire of the region to be sustainable and ecologically concerned. Threats were the loss of cultural specifics, and the loss of agricultural production. A threat was also identified in the lifestyle that is changing from urban to rural, where physical and mental well-being are strained due to urban pressures such as longdistance and high-speed travel and the challenges of 'office' lifestyles. Using this analysis together with other findings such as history, and physical geography, the design group created a visionary proposal for the region which indicated how the strengths could be exploited while looking out for the best interests of residents and users, and the environment. The proposed plan was also to indicate how the city of Landskrona fit within the region, could benefit from the creation of the urban region, and a plan for its subsequent development based on ideals of the Oresund. This Oresund proposal included an analysis of surrounding towns, such as Haljarp, to see how
[F1] Trip around the Oresund with Lectures_21 Jan 09 The lectures throughout the day of our journey around the oresund spoke a lot about current developments in the region. One of these development is the competition for the ESS centre (a physics testing facility) which the city of Lund is involved in. Eva Kristiannsson said of the project, "There is a greater effect from the indirect spin off effects than from ESS itself, therefore these effects must also be realized and exploited." We heard discussion about transport around and through the sound by Sten Hansen and how people are using the two countries to their advantage (for example, 18 000 ppl per day travel to Denmark form Sweden for work and 1000 from Denmark to Sweden every day.) He also mentioned how a stronger connection between Helsingor and Helsingborg could relive some of the congestion of the work live relationship between Copenhagen and Malmo.
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they have grown to include the natural landscape in connected corridors from the growing areas to the central parts of the town [F3]. The group also examined how public transit played a part in the structure of the town. The proposal for the Oresund and for Landskrona, outlined a spatial plan where the region was allowed to be monocentric on the Danish side, and to strengthen the polycentricity of the Swedish side, in order to respect the small town quality of life. The Oresund proposal also detailed how the open and public coastline in Sweden is a valuable natural and recreational asset and should remain open to the public, with more development occurring outside of an angle of coastline, and leaving vast stretches of natural landscape leading inland from the coast. The proposal shows using the sound as a source of energy, recreation, and meeting for people on both the Danish and Swedish sides. By using the sound as a part of the region, rather than a barrier in the region, the people will feel more connected, and similar uses and activities using the water can lead to an Oresund culture shared by all [F3].
The plan for Landskrona shows the need to in fill empty city lots and densify some areas before moving on to new developments, and how new development would ideally occur within the line of the train tracks, away from the coast, and maintaining a green insert between Landskrona and surrounding towns, so that urban and landscape remain clearly defined between urban centres [F4]. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Landskrona City Proposal Closer analysis of Landskrona city reveals the importance of strengthening the urban qualities of the city, and at the same time creating a new, strong identity for the city that will be known throughout the region. Many of the cities in the region already carry an identity, however, Landskrona must identify its strengths from within, rather than looking at its proximity to other cities as its only strength. The city must take control of its growth, must make demands of developers and companies hoping to reside within its boundaries, and have a clear vision for developers to be a part of. New development in Landskrona must be sustainable both environmentally and socially. When these two
[F2] Han Xilli - Theory and Practice of Modern Landscape Architecture_09 Mar 09 This lecture outline a great deal of the history of landscape architecture, specifically landscapes in the urban area. Large scale urban parks were discussed in terms of form and program within the park, and the urban density required to make such scaled parks successful. Since 1985 there has been more focus on ecology in landscape architecture and multifunctional green ways which connect over a large scale, while containing smaller scale elements. The Boston 'Emerald Necklace' is one example of a connection of green elements within the city. Four main functions of green space were identified as being 1.ecological 2.cultural and historical 3.recreational 4.transit. Using the example of the Emerald Necklace we see how this green urban form contributes to all four of these criteria. It is important to transfer natural processes into landscape architecture whenever possible.
[F3] Landskrona Kommun_17 Feb 09 This lecture was given by two prominent politicians, one of them, the mayor of Landskrona. At this meeting we heard about the plans for development of the DSV centre outside of Landskrona on land previously belonging to Vebulls Agriculture Company. In the past the land has been used for agricultural research. DSV, a shipping company using lorries, intends to build a new headquarters there, amalgamating stations in Malmo and Helsingborg. The city of Landskrona is excited about this opportunity for income, however, must find a solution to connect the DSV to the station and the city, increase available residences in the city, and plan for 'indirect outcomes' of the new industry, such as other industries that could follow. The politicians were particular about the type of people that they would like to see living in Landskrona with statements such as "attract honest, decent, taxpaying people that sleep at night.' They wanted to attract the wealthy, working class to Landskrona. Landskrona has a history of conflict between native Swedish residents and new immigrants. There is segregation in the city, where native Swedish residents are often moving to the outskirts, while the central city has a high immigrant population. The two main ideas they showed for new residential areas (4000 new inhabitants in 6 years) were a landfill area across from the citadel, and the agricultural land between the railway and highway, on the east side of the train station. I was surprised at how disconnected these sites seemed to be from the statistics and issues in Landskrona that they showed in the introduction. It was unclear how the introduction of these sites attempt to heal unemployment and cultural segregation. [F4] Seminar_02 Feb 09 Discussion about the urban fringe reveals the importance of unifying and identifying heterogeneous zones when it comes to urban and rural. Unclear zones blurring urban and rural should be avoided, and edges of the city can maintain a strong density; there is no need for 'gradient' in density as we move to the urban edge.
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THIS IS DEVELOPED LAND.
THIS IS DEVELOPED LAND.
THIS IS DEVELOPED LAND.
Image 1 - Investment in urban landscape and agricultural landscape [F5] [F5] Gunilla Lindholm - The Urban Landscape of Landskrona_23 Feb 09 The plurality of the Landskrona urban landscape was emphasized in this lecture. With a diversity in residence types, buildings from various centuries (all showcasing relative current styles) and a diverse culture, Landskrona has become a city of multiplicity and variability. Lindholm discussed the 'natural' landscape of Skane and it's actual domestication through agriculture, and the planting of trees as infrastructure (ie. windshields). Lindholm made a strong point when she said, 'Good conditions for construction and for agriculture and usually the same,' and this is the dilemma facing Landskrona. There was a discussion about the park areas within Landskrona and the difference between maintenance intensive and maintenance free areas, since most of Landskrona's park require maintenance such as mowing. The green spaces in the city are contributing, in some cases, to segregation, acting as strong borders between two different areas. Most of Landskrona’s green spaces are modular, one block within the city, rather than connecting to a collective green network [F3] The station is a troubled area in Landskrona because of its strange orientation, its low density, and lack of clear communication as to an urban identity. Users, upon landing in Landskrona, cannot trust natural 'street smarts' or urban instincts because of these discontinuities.
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sustainabilities are met, economic sustainability will follow. The Landskrona proposal believes that the needs of current residents, and the improvement of their quality of life through job creation and integration is the most important place to begin. The city should respect current inhabitants before expending energy on attraction through expensive infrastructures [F3] The challenge for this studio was to begin the design process with reading the landscape, and finding a sustainable way to bring the landscape into the city. The landscape around Landskrona has been manipulated throughout history to be suitable for agricultural use. The soil has been protected, tree lines for shelter have been planted, rocks have been removed, etc, and therefor, the landscape surrounding Landskrona has become a cultural landscape, rather than a natural landscape. The question was, how to bring this agricultural landscape into the city. The other dominant landscape in the city is the coastal landscape. In Landskrona it is characterized by shallow waters, sandy beaches, boat harbours, and beautiful reeds growing along the natural edges. The Landskrona overall city plan proposes two links which should be emphasized. One is to the downtown. This link would pass through the area south of the station where development can occur. This link is supposed to maintain views to the landscape, be direct, and have pockets of variable functions along a strong strip. The other proposed link is directly from the station to the coast. Currently there is no direct route to the coast. This link could also have public transit supporting it and can have seasonal service. The Landskrona proposal also shows how a solution must be made for the ring road. The possibility for densification of the city especially along the ring road needs to be considered. The business spaces which are created as part of new development should allow for small scale, locally owned commercial activities. Landskrona
currently has a great deal of large scale chain stores and these stores are creating poor urban environments in many parts of the city. The proposal outlines places in Landskrona where natural corridors can be pulled even further into the city. The deeper the corridors are allowed into the city, the more they will be used and the healthier the ecosystem will be. The next step for this proposal was to find a new location for the proposed DSV. Analysis has revealed that because of the nature of the agricultural research previously carried out on the Weibulls land, the soil remains some of the richest and highest grade soil for agriculture. These responsible practices should not go to waste and, therefor, the land will remain as agricultural in function. The land is also valuable to the cultural landscape, and create a valuable view from the train station. [F6] The new location for the proposed DSV is in the existing industrial area which is in a southern district of Landskrona. The location maintains contact with the E6 highway (a criteria for the proper function of the DSV). This location is seen a strategic for four main reasons. 1. The new location promotes further redevelopment of the industrial area which currently contains many infrastructures which are not functioning. (The location on Weibulls land would inhibit growth around the DSV, when Landskrona attempts to limit sprawl.) 2. The new location provides access to three forms of transportation, motor, water, and train. This is seen as strategic as the future of goods transport using fossil fuels is uncertain. 3. Commuters from Malmo and Helsingborg who continue working for DSV will not notice a difference in transit time from the Landskrona station to the DSV location both locations lie approximately the same distance from the station.
[F6] Eric Sk채rb채ck- Health and Development_16 Feb 09 Humans are naturally adapted to feel calm and secure within and around the natural, growing landscape. The landscape is 'soft info' and it is easy for our senses to process. A successful urban landscape plan should include eight types of natural areas 1.serene 2.wild 3.lush 4.spacious 5.the common 6.pleasure garden 7.festive 8.cultural Many of these types are fulfilled by maintaining agricultural functions within and around Landskrona, given that they are accessible to the public. [F7] Seminar_23 Feb 09 Discussion about transportation between cities and within cities, was undertaken after readings based around a Dutch development strategy. Our discussion group talked about two main points, Transit and Fast Speed, and Green for Health. We found these two points to be extremely connected in discussion of urban landscapes. We discussed how self-powered modes of transit are not as fast as high-speed trains, however, give more benefit to local communities, health, and environmental qualities. Creating green links along transit routes, allows people to move through the city while at the same time reaping the benefits of physical activity and connection with nature.
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Image 2 - The Landskrona Brand
This design proposes both a public transit and a green link leading to the new area [F7]. 4. Residential development on the east side of the tracks creates one more physical barrier for the residents of Landskrona city. This train tracks as a barrier is a problem common in Skane and we are now in a position to ensure this does not become a part of the social segregation in Landskrona. The next step was to find a use for the agricultural land that could benefit current residents while at the same time create a strong personal identity for Landskrona within the region. The proposal is for a municipality owned agricultural cooperative. (This model can be found in agricultural communities in North America). An agricultural Cooperative business would mean that Landskrona residents have the ability to purchase shares within the business. At the end of the agricultural season, shareholders are given percentages of the profit. There are main benefits to this system 1. Community members gain interest in the agricultural community surrounding their city. They begin to take interest in things like seed prices and growing conditions and in turn have a greater connection with the cultural agricultural landscape. 2. Businesses in Landskrona can base themselves around selling or using Landskrona brand products as part of their retail. For example, a restaurant can advertise the use of Landskrona fruit
deserts, a bakery can advertise Landskrona bread, etc [F8]. 3. Jobs will be generated through this new business. Business ownership is a positive job typology for new residents in the city, and jobs surrounding food and food production and processing create skilled workers. The re-siting of the DSV combined with the use of Wiebulls land as an agricultural cooperative will introduce two major points of growth for Landskrona. The agricultural cooperative will result in the need for supportive infrastructure throughout Landskrona. This includes, markets, storehouses, food processors (bakeries, canneries, etc), compost sites, educational facilitates, equipment storage, as well as spin-off infrastructure such as restaurants, and small shops. The proposal also considers development which is sensitive to issues of economic segregation. Landskrona currently has some issues of segregation within the city. Higher-income residents are moving to the suburban edges of the city, while lower income residents are living in the central city apartments. The proposal must be sensitive to the issues of segregation and border in the city. This is a main reason why development on the east side of the tracks is seen as a negative growth strategy for Landskrona. There are many cities in Skane who are currently discussing the problem of the tracks as a barrier in their city and Landskrona still has the opportunity to not allow this physical
[F8] Seminar - Environmental Footprint_02 Mar 09 The culture of an unsustainable lifestyle must change before factors such as ecological footprint will have an impact. This tool must be more careful to consider resources available to a city within close proximity. For example, in some places it is more sustainable to build with wood than in others when wood is a natural resource of a given area. Ecological footprint needs to consider the type of productive land around a city, before judging the type of food or materials that city should use in order to be sustainable.
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1. The S-W path leading from the market to the inner-city area
Image 3 - Agricultural Landscape Features
barrier to become a problem for the residents. Landskrona needs a stronger identity within the Oresund region. Their new development should be something inspiring and coinciding with the views of the region. Other residents should notice the positive examples of growth in Landskrona. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Design Strategies - Positive Programming The design proposal will detail how this new infrastructure, combined with a link to the new DSV, residential growth for 4000+ inhabitants, and a link from the station to the city centre will all be established. The key is that infrastructure can be used to create strong connections between urban growing landscapes, and to create a strong connection between new and existing infrastructures. This project will uses the orientation of the new development (its street patterns) to lead to areas of Landskrona which are believed to be strategic points in Landskrona which require restructuring of the urban landscape and emphasis on small-scale commercial development. The new project, therefore, will not rob from the rest of the city, but rather, lend orientation and emphasis to the existing city. The project makes a feature of the city, rather than becoming a feature in and of itself. This can be seen in three main areas.
2. The pathway leading to an intersection along the highway entrance to Landskrona which requires densification to create a dramatic urban entrance. 3. The creation of new intersections which allow users to travel freely between the new area and the existing neighbourhoods. This project uses branding [Image 2] to create an identity for Landskrona. The brand is a part of the design proposal for the city and can be used to attract visitors, and generate interest around the Oresund region about Landskrona city. By branding the city, current residents can benefit, and new residents will be attracted by resources which are true to the city structure. Infrastructure which relates to the agricultural function which is now a part of the city is another important design quality. A landscape infrastructure will be introduced so that the agricultural process laying outside the city, can be understood from within the urban places. This landscape component will be used to form urban spaces, similar to the use of canals in Amsterdam [F9]. The streets on either side of agricultural inserts remain narrow, while the central feature (in Amsterdam the canal, in landskrona the growing area) actually widens the total street area. This landscape feature [Image 3] is used for learning about agriculture as well. Various types of horticultural plants and crops will be planted here throughout the year, and can be used to teach people more about agriculture, while making the plants accessible to all people with paved streets, signage, etc. (As opposed to having to travel outside the city to the field which may not be possible for some). The option to travel through the agricultural fields is still made possible by the underpass of the train rails to the Weibulls land. People will learn where their food comes from and how it grows [F8]. The design proposal includes a small public meeting and resting point on the agricultural land, which opens up to trails leading through the field to the wider surrounding landscape. The path is
[F9] Amsterdam Study Trip_28 Mar 09 - 2 Apr 09 The canals in Amsterdam are a literal example of the outlying natural landscape penetrating the city. The canals usually are running down the centre of a street, or separating two streets, one on either side. The streets, therefore, have buildings on one side, and the landscape feature of the canals on the other. This also means that the streets are actually much wider than they seem. The street itself may only be about 6 meters, however, when combined with the canal and the street on the other side this width increases, perhaps to around 20 meters. This width is not felt in the same way as with an open, wide-laned road. This is because of the ratio of the height of buildings to the street, the trees lining the canals, and the canals as nature, rather than as car traffic. The canals are also functional, acting as transit routes.
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Image 4 - Amsterdam
minimal to allow the agriculture to be as productive as possible according to the allowances of the natural landscape. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Design Strategies - Spatial Experiences This area hopes to be a showcase of a desirable, yet dense, urban landscape. The design uses both low-rise, dense strip development, in combination with landscape features realized as strips of agricultural land giving space between buildings. The density produced the results of Amsterdam [Image 4] typology on Spacemate calculator with the following variables GSI = 0.54 FSI = 2.19 OSR = 0.20 L= 4.00 The property lines defined in the area allow for multiple building types. Larger apartment buildings, and smaller ownership buildings are both accommodated. There are definitions for heights set in place along with the property lines. These heights have been set to emphasise urban qualities in certain areas, and to minimize the shadow of the more narrow streets. The orientation of the buildings has been chosen as both east-west running blocks, and northsouth running blocks. Both have positive qualities and some experimentation with the mixture of these orientation and the agricultural strips is needed. The buildings which touch the agricultural edge on the east are north-south running, to maximize the amount of spaces with views to the landscape. In some places it is necessary for the buildings
to have one-story setbacks. Along the main street in particular this will be used. These setbacks will help to open the narrow street more to light and air, and provide a greater feeling of the human scale among the 4-5 storey buildings. The experience in the new development of the city focuses on landscape features around the city, climatic influences within the urban form, creating direction and orientation with a strip-style and street hierarchies. This section will describe these elements and their effect on the quality of urban space throughout different times of the day, and different seasons of the year. 4.1 Landscape Features - Agricultural Strips The agricultural strips are seen as being more ecologically and productively functional than a regular green boulevard, and use the historical and cultural existing landscape. They do not add an addition 'landscape' layer, but rather allow the existing landscape to remain exposed despite the addition of urban construction. The land proposed for development is a part of a field. The idea is that the land is already filled up, with the use of the soil for growing as the primary function. This design simply adds two layers; building and street. The agricultural function is allowed to remain, become more publicly accessible, and aids in the creation of a dense urban environment with high-quality environmental conditions. The landscape features, in some cases, run along every second 'street' creating an open area, dedicated to agricultural or horticultural production. This project believes that the other criteria for open space have already been met in Landskrona [F6], and that ecological and productive landscapes as well as landscapes for learning have not been realized within the city parks. Technically the strips range in size with widths of 8 - 20 meters and lengths of around 70 meters. This gives them legitimacy as agricultural areas and not only showcase. There is a 1.5m path on either side of each field. The new landscape features are also very accessible to urban residents. Groups, such as school children, can come to the area and in a relatively short walk, they can experience a variety of plants and growing methods [F10]. The landscape features can be harvested as part of the Landskrona agriculture. They belong
[F10] Seminar - Inclusion by Design _27 Apr 09 The discussion of inclusion by design includes all types of accessibility in the city, with regards to factors such as culture, language, physical and mental abilities and income. When referring to landscape in the city, public outdoor spaces must be made accessible to people of all physical abilities, and should be accessible with basic public transportation. This means that landscapes should have surfaces which a wheelchair can easily ride across, and that plantings can be viewed and touched by both children, the elderly and those in wheelchairs. Landscapes within the city should be safe places, and also provide for learning about ecology and culture.
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Image 5 - Green space contributions
to the agriculture co-op (not to individual property owners) and are maintained by the business's employees. If a building block so desires, they may purchase the land from the business to use for their own growing needs, however, the land is zoned as agricultural and must be maintained responsibly. The purpose is to retain the use of the soil already existing on the site. The agricultural strips, therefor, become more of a visual and learning landscape. There are many green spaces in the city which claim to have relevance beyond the visual but this is often not the case (for example, boulevards of green grass serve solely a visual purpose. Often times, other green features are the same, and there can be controversy as to whether or not the green feature is sustainable as a part of the urban landscape. For example, is it sustainable to allow tracts of grass [Image 5] which spread the city further out, rather than creating a dense urban context, and maintaining productive use of the surrounding landscape?) This project does not believe it is necessary to create a spread out city for the sake of these visual and unproductive landscapes, and has therefor decided that the landscape inside the city must be productive and in this case, it means the landscape is mostly visual and knowledge based. Allotment gardens have been designated to the south of the existing Weibulls road. In this area, greenhouses, and raised beds are already a part of the urban landscape so the addition builds off of this existing infrastructure.
4.2 Orientation at the Station and Climatic
Considerations in the Area With the addition of the proposal, you are now influenced by two main directions upon arriving to the Landskrona station. The first, is an existing directional force, the view of the water tower. This direction is still used, and the view has been maintained, and strengthened by the densificaiton around the central part of the station area. 11
The second direction, is the south-west direction produced by the market infrastructure. The street splits to run along both side of the market, drawing users in both directions along the main building. On passing the market, the main pedestrian way runs almost directly south-west. This means the street has desirable sun conditions and is protected from the strong winds from the east. Stepping off of the main street to the west, the urban actor realizes south-facing facades, which have been emphasized with a wider setbacks, allowing for patios, meeting and resting places. The deeper the actor travels into the street, the more residential in character it becomes, and it ends with a turn-around, defined by vegetation, which cars cannot use to access the ring road, but pedestrians and bicycle traffic may. Stepping off of the main street to the east, the urban actor realizes a north-south direction. This direction provides shelter from the wind blowing across the field. It also provides desirable conditions for sunlight along the entire length of the street and entire length of the agricultural strips. 4.3 Direction of Stip-Style The south-west direction is not only for climatic considerations, but it is also key in creating a connection and emphasis on the existing urban fabric. The south-west direction means the new area will connect with the existing city at one of the strategic points; an area requiring regeneration through increase in inhabitants and small business ownership. The direction cuts into the city directly, bringing the urban actor into the 'thick' of the urban fabric, rather that going around it. This direction is also established in the phasing of the design. The proposal is that the first phase is the market area, and development moves in the south-east direction. This means that the more development occurs, the more connected the existing city becomes. Landskrona is currently a city of many streets. Due to development in many different periods and styles, the city has a high quantity of various streets types. This means, however, that there are multiple routes to choose from within the city, and there is often not one main route which is taken. This multiplicity can be a positive, however, because of the low density of the city, it resists the creation of highly trafficked, and urban feeling areas. With less streets, and with one main street, we can increase activity in one place, and create more eyes on the street.
4.4 Street Hierarchies
All of the new streets are proposed as being shared space streets, meaning they are mostly level, with only changes in pavement types to signify use or space definitions. The main new intersection is proposed as a shared space intersection, as styled by
Image 6 - Drachten Intersection
Image 7 - Edinburgh Close
the Dutch civil engineer, Hans Monderman [F11, Image 6]. These clean and simple intersections allow users to make their own decisions of how to best use the space, and how to best move through the area. The highest in the hierarchy is the main strip street which is also a shared space street. Commercial areas will be most prominent along this street, located in the ends of the blocks. When passing one of the landscape features, the street narrows in order to create a tighter feeling beside the open field strips. There are some neighbourhoods and streets that will be more residential places. These streets are very narrow with centre parking, and perhaps other features such as potted trees, or sandboxes. These streets end in turnarounds, which will be created with lush greenery, and still allow pedestrian and bikes to filter through [F12].
The style of the 'close' [Image 7] is used to create tertiary urban streets, meant solely for pedestrians, and this use is accentuated with their narrow width [F13]. These closes connect the landscape features across buildings. The experience of these streets is one of mystery. In many places they create long, and very narrow views through the development to fields of growing crops. They usually are more narrow on the street side, and become wider as you enter into agricultural landscape. Sometimes, they do the opposite and invite urban actors into a wide streets, which funnels into a narrow passage, and opens into the expanse of the urban field. An Example Story of Passage Through the Area "I get off of the train in Landskrona. I have just finished school for the day, and will now go home for dinner. I live in a flat near Radhustorget. I walk down the stairs and out of the circle plaza. I see that the market is still open.
[F11] Hans Monderman - Drachten Intersection This intersection shows how traffic can be handled without the use of round-abouts, street-lights, crosswalks, or any signage. Perhaps this is one solution for Landskrona, which can maintain the flow of traffic, while emphasizing the pedestrian and cycle priorities. [F12] Jenny Eckman - Traffic Engineering - 27 Apr 09 and Jenny Eckman - Traffic Tutorial 8 May 09 This lecture and tutorial provided some typical sizes and dimensions for common traffic solutions. It was helpful to better understand the flows of traffic, and reasons for certain traffic decisions. This gave me insight especially into the amount of streets in the proposal. The idea to create turn-arounds will intensify desirable residential urban streets, while maintaining a high density. [F13] Edinburgh Study Trip_28 Mar 09 - 2 Apr 09 During the study trip I learned a lot about a special urban street form called a 'close.' There are many closes throughout Edinburgh and within small Scottish towns as well. Generally, a close is used to connect two streets running parallel to each other. The close, however, is different than a cross-street, in that they help to maintain density, by running though the building, rather than creating a full division between two buildings. Often, the close is only accessible to pedestrians, and are not wide enough for car passage (avg. 1.5-2 meters wide). The closes do not always directly line up through the city, but are placed at strategic points, often giving access to courtyards within a building block. The close passageways create mystery and exploration within the city, and help to mark public and private spaces.
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Image 7 - The Landskrona and area landscape Walking towards it, The sun is shining strongly on my face. The market is busy with people. I purchase a few things and continue around the building to the other side. Here, the street becomes a strong path in the direction of my neighbourhood. Walking along the street, I see people sitting on the east face, enjoying the setting sun still letting light into the city. I decide to check if my friend, who lives in this area, is at home. I turn west down one of the residential streets. I see some children playing around on the street, but friends car is not yet parked in the street, so I know she hasn't come home yet. I turn off the street and into a close. The close is very narrow, but widens and I come out on the other side it opens to a beautiful field of green oats. The sun shines brightly across them and the sound of their stalks blowing in the wind relaxes me. I turn back to the main street. At the main intersection the cafe's and bars are especially busy. I see a friend who was crossing on her bike but stopped to talk with her sister who was passing by car. I wave and head across the intersection. I can feel I'm coming into the old part of the city now, with it's typical housing blocks. I go into my house, and begin to fix dinner."
1 2 3 4 5 6 Evaluation This project provides a connection from the train station to the existing city. The hope is that this connection will not create a new centre in Landskrona, and this is achieved with a strip-style main street. The market at the station may draw from the existing centre, and hopefully the two commercial areas will balance out. The project proposes a new urban landscape type. This type is seen as feasible and workable in an urban landscape. 1. There are many landscapes in cities which are used solely for visual purposes. This visual landscape has the added benefit of a highly [F14] Various Lectures and Tuturials_19 Jan 09 - 18 May 09 “Start with the landscape.�
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educational type, and being productive. 2. There are other examples where wide strips of landscape have entered the city, such as Amsterdam. The supporting density allows these spaces without sacrificing an urban condition. 3. The landscape will need to be maintained as with an other urban landscape. This maintenance, however, will be more productive as it leads to a harvest of the landscape. Measures can be taken to also showcase sustainable farming practices. The proposed area provides housing, commercial, and office space. There are suitable areas for large scale apartment and office buildings, small scale commercial business, quiet residential and bustling urban areas. One concern is with the existing ring road and the noise from it. This road however, will be slowed, as the turn-off to the new area begin to be used. The suburban housing will benefit from the new design because it can access the place easily, and can also reach the station area following a more pleasant route than the existing under path. More work can be done on the specifics of building types and the situation to the north of the station. This project focused on finding a way to begin with the landscape [F14], and to honestly and sustainably bring the landscape [Image 7] into the city. The design of the landscape features was the variable that changed and was altered the most along the way, to find a suitable landscape typology, and then create the urban landscape around this foundation.
Urban and Growing Landscapes : A Plan for Landskrona Carley Friesen Lund University May 2009