BORÅS (SE) PROJECT SCALE — XL/L – territory / urban + architecture
SITE PROPOSED BY — City of Borås
LOCATION — Gässlösa, Borås
OWNER OF THE SITE — City of Borås, private sector
POPULATION — 110,000 inhab.
POST-COMPETITION PHASE — Urban studies in collaboration
STRATEGIC SITE — 720 ha / PROJECT SITE — 58 ha
with the City of Borås
City of Borås — 1. WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE SITE MUTATION?
Gässlösa shall be transformed into a varied and vibrant neighbourhood that contributes to the city development in general. Today, Gässlösa is fragmented and the area has a distinctly industrial character. The proximity to the city centre and with the Viskan River running through the area, the underlying conditions can be transformed into future assets of a new modern neighbourhood. The goal is that Gässlösa will be a new urban district with 5000-8000 inhabitants and 1000-2000 job opportunities. A neighbourhood with a character built on the existing values in the area, like the industrial and textile history. Also, the transformation of Gässlösa area shall be sustainable and caring for the green and blue stretches; it shall have a variation among accommodations and hold a role model for future developments in Borås. 2. HOW CAN THE SITE BE INTEGRATED IN THE ISSUES OF PRODUCTIVE CITIES? HOW DO YOU CONSIDER THE PRODUCTIVITY ISSUE?
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The area has traditionally been the centre for the construction sector in Borås. The ambition is that a majority of –if not all– the 100 businesses that exist today can remain in future Gässlösa. The Europan contributions had an inspiring width of interpreting the “productive city”. Their examples of productivity were culture, small businesses, energy, sharing economy, biomass, ecosystem services, etc. With the transformation of Gässlösa we can use this to expand how the area has traditionally been used within productivity. 3. HAVE YOU ALREADY DEFINED A SPECIFIC PROCESS FOR THE URBAN AND/OR ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE AFTER EUROPAN COMPETITION?
The future planning of Gässlösa has some strategic challenges. It is the largest urban development project in 40 years in Borås. Borås wants Gässlösa to be a model for sustainable urban development. The roadmap ahead is to determine a target vision, where the Europan contributions play an important role on how and what we want for the future Gässlösa.
