Contents
Foreword by Amanda Reynolds, iv Acknowledgements, v Contributors’ biographies, vi
Introduction
1
Great Britain
3
Section 1 Europe
13
France
14
Germany
30
Italy
46
The Netherlands
64
Spain
80
Sweden
96
Czech Republic
112
Section 2 Africa and the Middle East
131
Dubai
132
Egypt
146
Morocco
162
South Africa
178
Section 3 Asia
195
China
196
India
218
Section 4 The Americas
237
Argentina
238
Brazil
256
United States
274
Section 5 Oceania
291
Australia
292
New Zealand
308
Conclusion
325
Notes, 337 Bibliogrpahy, 339 Index, 343 Image credits, 346
contents
iii
Detail of the new development areas
charts defining the
In addition, the municipality wanted to develop a
overall planning legislation and the Plan General.
new local centre with public and private services.
In this case, however, the municipality was both the landowner and the developer. All design decisions
Once the Plan General had established the
therefore involved the mayor and his team, and they
framework, the Plan Parcial could develop the
wanted to create a unique urban space, attractive
design for the area. The first step was to define
to young families and professionals and with a
the character of the new neighbourhood. Usually
percentage of housing for students and for seniors.
the municipality manages this process, but the
An additional planning objective was to include as
developers and their consultants are relatively
much landscaping as possible, in order to obliterate
free to decide on the design while respecting the
the neglect of the past.
8
s pa i n   ~   Case study: the youth park in Ponferrada
90
Initial analysis of the SSUD
Image showing the layout, the diversity of typologies and solar efficiency
Initially the urban design concept aimed at
Working in close collaboration with the local
establishing a visual order, connecting the dwellings
planning committee led by the councillor in charge
with the new park and resolving the articulation
of urbanism, the urban design team (architects
between new and existing urban spaces. The
assisted by a firm of civil engineering consultants)
second objective was to generate life at the ground
put forward three alternative proposals, variations
level. Two well-defined public areas were proposed:
on the same theme but with different building
the park and a commercial area along the new
typologies. The objective was to define the local
streets, as an extension of the existing avenue.
constraints and to establish a design concept. After
Case study: the youth park in Ponferrada   ~   s pa i n
91
conceptual masterplanning (DKP), masterplanning
detailed masterplan for the area (excluding the
for the downtown area (Gensler), retail consultancy
downtown); Degla, to provide project management
(Colliers International), landscaping (HJA Design
and engineering services; and New Giza Design
Studio) and golf course design (Thomson, Perret
Studio, for architectural design.
and Lobb). Nevertheless, Al-Gammal has also created Egyptian teams in order to liaise with the
Contrary to the European models that inspired
international agents, including Earth Architecture
Egyptian designers in the past, such new
and Planning (EAP), commissioned to develop the
developments are strongly Americanised. The
Masterplan of the New Giza community by Earth Architecture and Planning for New Giza Real Estate Development Company
e g y p t   ~   Case study: New Giza urban extension
154
Open spaces network at the core of the New Giza masterplan
majority of consultants are either based in the US
of interconnected parks created to enhance the
or are multinationals. Unsurprisingly, they bring to
public enjoyment of each neighbourhood. Many
Egypt the ideas and models they learned in the US.
of these are strategically located in order to
DKP, designers of the New Giza masterplan, have
provide an uninterrupted view from the private
close connections with EAP, whose president, the
terraces of homes, and will be accessible to families
Egyptian architect Ibrahim Mohasseb, trained in
and visitors. The park system also connects the
urban design at the University of Miami and worked
neighbourhoods to adjacent shopping centres,
with DKP for four years before setting up his own
schools, recreation facilities and mixed-use centres.
practice in Egypt. Inspired by the prevalence of the New Urbanism (NU) school of thought in Miami,
EAP’s design intends to accommodate 30,000
New Giza reflects NU principles.
people at low densities with generous setbacks, 30% built-up area and large open spaces and
DKP’s conceptual masterplan proposes eight
streets. New Giza has been conceived as a middle-
neighbourhoods of distinct character based upon
class suburb with very little social mix, as the
their location within the site, their topographic
masterplanners argue that the neighbouring new
features and natural views. Most neighbourhoods
town, 6 October City, provides for all social groups.
will be residential, featuring single-family residences
At least the mixed-use downtown, located adjacent
and town houses, laid out in a system of blocks
to the Cairo–Alexandria motorway, is accessible to
and streets that respond to the natural topography
a wider public. It includes New Giza University, a
of the site. Their design carefully balances the
sports club, a medical centre, two hotels and a mall.
desire for long views with that of privacy and the
The commercial buildings, however, though not
need for a street grid to ensure walkability. An
gated are controlled through front-door access from
important feature of the project is the system
a podium.
Case study: New Giza urban extension ~ e g y p t
155
The large projects in the centre of Casablanca
quality of the public realm. As a new centre for the
existing natural spaces have informed the design;
Casablanca metropolis, Anfa aims to be a symbol
the largest public space is based on the landing
of the city’s transformation. The new district will be
strips of the old airfield and is bookended by two
an intense and attractive service centre including
towers that will be urban landmarks. The major
housing, major urban amenities, universities,
institutions and the high-intensity activities will be
retail units, parks and gardens, and a multimodal
located along this main symbolic axis, around which
transport node with the arrival of a new TGV-style
five neighbourhoods will be created or renewed,
rail line. Its specific geographical character and the
each one with its identity and form. A range of
m o r o c c o ~ Case study: Casablanca, a laboratory of urban design
172
Anfa 03-21 – The Strategic Plan by Reichen et Robert architectes-urbanistes
Anfa 03-21 – The Strategic Plan by Reichen et Robert architectes-urbanistes
typologies adapted to the character of each of the
In summary, the Anfa 03-21 project wants to be part
parts and emphasising the role of open spaces has
of the new image of Casablanca, using international
also been defined. Equally, the building heights
architectural models but adapting them to the
are prescribed according to the area: the lower
local context. It aims to attract a wealthy clientele,
town adjacent to public spaces, 10.5 m; the middle
predominantly from abroad, and is marketed
town, introducing the concept of green roofs, 20 to
accordingly. It hopes to help position Casablanca
25 m; and the taller town with heights of 50 m for
nationally and internationally within the ‘circle’ of
apartments and 150 m for offices.
global metropolises.
Case study: Casablanca, a laboratory of urban design ~ m o r o c c o
173
Chengdu citizens love to take their meals of incredibly spicy local cuisine on the streets or next to the water. The riverfront of the eastern area is therefore the perfect place for the locals to congregate at the various waterfront restaurants and bars. These will undoubtedly attract people at lunchtimes and in the evenings, thereby contributing to the goal of creating a vibrant 24-hour district rather than a monofunctional area that falls dead after office hours.
The island The island in the middle of the Fuhe river is home to the International Financial Forum. Its centrepiece is a very tall hybrid tower with offices, hotel and serviced apartments. At the bottom of the tower, a major conference venue provides its services to the business community. The larger part of the island is otherwise kept as public green space, and is connected to the business areas by several The main street in the eastern part of the site with wide sidewalks, a relatively narrow road space, mixed-use podiums and active ground levels with shops, cafes and restaurants
View of the International Financial Forum from the south-west, with the island and the ‘signature’ tower at the centre
c h i n a ~ Case study 1: Chengdu Financial District (CFD)
208
footbridges and the elevated tram line.
Evaluation What sets this scheme apart from other business
Unfortunately at the end of the second stage, the
districts in China is its distinctive mix of uses with
clients decided to go with a competing scheme
strong leisure, entertainment and residential
which had shown more detailed architectural design
components, as well as the strong connection to
and – more importantly – a taller landmark tower.
existing and proposed public transport options.
This blurring of the lines between urban planning
The sustainable urban planning and design
and urban design on one hand, and architecture on
approach is therefore going well beyond the usual
the other is not uncommon in China, often to the
‘greenwashing’ (showing cliched ‘green’ architecture
detriment of genuine urban design solutions.
and a couple of wind turbines in the background) to
This is not the end of the line though: the plan
tackle sustainability at a fundamental planning level.
will go through (many) further modifications and adjustments, and there will be further competitions for smaller parts of the site.
View from the western side towards the eastern bank of the river, which is lined with restaurants and bars
Case study 1: Chengdu Financial District (CFD) ~ c h i n a
209
View from the pedestrian shopping street, which serves the residential community, towards the new cable-stayed bridge
c h i n a   ~   Case study 2: Yingkou Peninsula
212
An impression of the residential community with internal water landscape, community club house (foreground) and integrated commercial development (background); note that at this point in the design process, the architectural design shown here is purely notional and illustrative
The riverside At the north-eastern edge of the site, a diverse pedestrian-friendly riverfront destination is planned next to the new bridge. This area is highly visible for those arriving in Yingkou by car across the bridge. The design takes this opportunity to create an impressive new skyline along the river. At the same time, a pedestrian riverfront promenade lined with restaurants, cafes and bars offers spectacular views of the illuminated bridge at night-time. A public square surrounded by entertainment uses is at one end of the promenade, while a marina with a commercial complex and landmark twin towers is at the other end of this vibrant waterfront space.
The peninsula Previous planning options treated the entire peninsula as an undefined, potentially privatised space with limited public access and few public facilities. There were also unspecified plans for a golf course, a theme park and gated housing. This created a dilemma: restricted public access would potentially limit the environmental impact on the
Yingkou’s new gateway as seen when crossing the bridge – featuring a continuous pedestrian waterfront promenade lined with restaurants and bars
Case study 2: Yingkou Peninsula ~ c h i n a
213
CASE STUDY Tigre District
T
he Tigre district in the outskirts of Buenos Aires
capital city, and with land adjacent to water, have
has one of highest levels of development and
accelerated the expansion of the area as it responds
the largest concentration of private residential
to the demands of the market.
urbanisations in the country. Its environmental characteristics and landscape are exceptional as
From 1990 onwards, and as a result of public
it is located at the end of the Parana river delta,
investment in motorways and in the public realm,
on lowlands subject to flooding that have been
new developments appeared on the improved
made safe and buildable through major private
land of the so-called ‘new Tigre’. Two companies
investment. The advantage of being near the
operating in this area: Nordelta with 1,600 ha of
Nordelta, general plan
a r g e n t i n a ~ Case study: Tigre district
250
Nordelta, partial aerial view
land, has given its name to a new district; and
The other firm, Eidico, makes clear its requirements
Eidico, which deals with co-ownership schemes.
in choosing the location for such a neighbourhood: •
Large rural parcels of land with few owners willing to convert them into residential
Nordelta is impressive because of its size and
development
location. It includes educational facilities at all levels, retail centres, offices for high-end
•
No informal occupants or subdivision of land
enterprises, marinas and docking facilities on
•
Proximity to other large developments or other
the river Luján, and all amenities needed for a
prestigious gated communities
predicted population of between 80,000 and 120,000 inhabitants. The masterplan for what
This firm claims to ‘recycle’ the concept of
has been called the New City of Nordelta was
cooperative housing by pooling the efforts of small
prepared in 1990 by Ruben Pesci, a well-known
investors in order to convert agricultural land into an
and reputed architect–planner and founder of
equipped urban development. Legally, this is a form
the Centre for Environmental Studies (CEPA),
of trust in which Eidico is the administrator and the
working in partnership with other local architects
investors are the beneficiaries. The trust represents
– Antonio Rossi and Omar Accattoli among them.
the interests of the client from the inception of
The plan proposes the creation of 22 distinct
the scheme until the buildings are delivered. This
neighbourhoods which will be developed and
method of selling attracts a well-off clientele and
occupied in successive phases. At the centre of
guarantees the firm an early return on its capital.
the area, where the lowlands have been filled and
The buyers are attracted by short-term benefits and
raised, the design has entirely modified the local
the possibility of getting access to urbanised land at
environment and the topography.
a reasonable cost.
Case study: Tigre district ~ a r g e n t i n a
251