höganäS (Se

locAtIon counTy oF HÖgAnäs/ skåne populAtIon ciTy 8,553 inHAb. conurbATion 24,900 inHAb. strAtEgIc sItE 180 HA sItE of projEct 24 HA

236

IntErvIEW

of the Site’S repreSentative MIlA slAdIc, heaD of the planning DepartMent

presentation of the site within the context of the city development and in terms of strategy

höganäs has successfully undergone a transformation from fishing village to mining camp, and now to what is today a modern industrial community. a transformation reflected in the slogan “from coal to diamond”. its geographical position in the northern part of the Malmö-copenhagen region also brings in the need to connect it to the regional scale and to establish a profile within the region. both the region and höganäs are growing fast. the chinese, therefore, is to meet housing demand without putting quantity before quality. höganäs needs a plan for future expansion, based on contemporary planning ideals in terms of density, sustainability, public transport, etc. to develop a community that is attractive to live in and able to take advantage of the markets in the region. how can a new neighbourhood achieve organic expansion while at the same time integrating into the existing urban fabric? how can long-term sustainable development help to heal isolated areas? how should an expansion incorporate the existing city centre and historical and cultural qualities?

How can the site be integrated in the issue of the adaptable city and how do you consider this issue?

höganäs has very strong potential for the creation of attractive housing areas close to the sea and nature. it has a dramatic coastline, the most fertile land in Sweden and even an urban beach. this, in combination with a lively city centre, should guarantee steady development for the town and the municipality. because of the town’s small-scale, however, new development will shift its centre of gravity. how will this affect the existing architectural and cultural qualities? how do visitors experience arrival in the town? how should the contemporary community relate to new ways of life, work and movement? how can the new development achieve high density and urban quality without conflicting with the small scale of the existing town and surrounding nature? planning is also about capacity. capacity to implement. We therefore have a comparatively large planning department with young and committed staff. our work reflects the commitment and belief in the future that we find in our citizens and politicians. one of the key questions in höganäs is how to deal with building on agricultural land. is it possible to keep agricultural food production close to housing? is it even possible to create a new type of housing close to locally grown crops? a hedonistic living style with food production beyond the allotment garden?

At the time of sustainable development coupled to an economic crisis, have you already defined a specific strategy for the urban development of the site?

one of the main reasons for participating in europan is to find a concept that can be built and developed in the course of time. We are also trying to avoid reproducing the homogeneous housing projects that are found all over Sweden.

237

arenaS baSabe palacioS, plaza Del corDón 2, 5º izq 28005 MaDriD, Spain t. +34 911427075 eStuDio@arenaSbaSabepalacioS.coM WWW.arenaSbaSabepalacioS.coM

alMuDena cano piñeiro (eS) architect ana iSabel prieto (eS) paula fernánDez (eS) kerStin pluch (at) StuDentS in architecture

238

twinphenomena

team point of view Twinphenomena proposes to generate new settlements in höganäs through reconciling the urban and the rural. the project colonizes the territory by a strategy of densification over time. it also integrates the agricultural landscape into the voids of the urban fabric, always seeking a low-footprint urban development. in order to achieve these goals, we propose a network of public spaces that manage their own constructability and a grid of productive gardens to exploit the agricultural landscape. We define the rules that ensure its proper operation and the guidelines for its subsequent management. a dual linear narrative (urban vector/rural vector) transforms each concept in the intervention towards reconciliation between urbanity and agriculture.

jury point of view the project is an example of how to do urban planning primarily from the perspective of designing a city that is adaptable overtime. it is a time-based proposal, which focuses on processes and relations rather than closed or only formal definition. it is organised in stages and sequences. the system can produce multiple outcomes, as the set of rules can be implemented with variants. the fabric is defined by developing and comparing the twin phenomena of urban quality and agriculture at the same level. every parameter considered is approached from this dual perspective.

239

240

urbedible

team point of view Urbedible has its starting point in the global food situation and the relation between rural and urban. the population is due to double by 2050, when arable land will be insufficient to cover food needs. the project proposes a conscious juxtaposition of urban and rural, to increase food knowledge and re-adapt the city to its surroundings, creating the potential to address future challenges. höganäs is surrounded by 2 kinds of food sources; arable land and the sea. the city faces the sea and backs onto farmland. the site is proposed on some of the best farmland in Sweden. With a global shortage of arable land, a new urban rhythm needs to be injected, a rhythm that involves the most basic source of our existence –the production of food.

jury point of view the project depicts an urban development based on agriculture, farmland and food production. the starting point is a detailed and interesting study of food science, global population problems and isolation from nature. the outcome is a hybridized typology where food production is located at ground level and domesticity above. this, together with other programmes such as business offices, opens up a challenging arena. this co-existence of programmes creates reciprocal benefits in terms of economics, energy, thermodynamics and health.

241

Höganäs, unresolved, reconnected, resilient, urbanity

team point of view We have not designed one sustainable höganäs, but many sustainable höganäs. first, the existing social fabric is interwoven with reinvigorated ecological dynamics. the result is a sustainable urbanity: a social-ecological landscape that restores the balance between urban consumption and production, and grounds all our spatial interventions. Second, we address the resilience of such sustainable urbanity over time. We do not design impositions, but rather spatial opportunities that nurture sustainable routines. We do not design compilations of pretentiously immutable sustainable technologies. We set höganäs in motion on a sustainable trajectory that is not resolved, but is adaptable and resilient.

jury point of view the project works with the connection between humans and environments, within a framework that allows each of the parts to remain essentially “wild” and grow with corresponding intensity. Sustainability here is understood in terms of spatial and temporal inputs and the project focuses on coexistence without domestication. it also works also with a kind of archetype of nature, reminiscent of romanticism.