1-2 3-4
Architectural Diversity
5-6
Gesamtkunstverk Post War Development
7-8 9 - 10
Oil Industry & Economic Prosperity Post Modernism
11 - 12 13 - 14
Fjord City Proposal
15 - 16
Fjord City Today
17 - 18
the future of Norway fremtiden for Norge
Urban Development
Contents
First Settlement Industrialisation
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Urban Development
Almost all of the earliest Norwegian towns are coastal towns. The first ones sprouted up in connection with the fishery exports that followed medieval trade routes.
First Settlement
First settlement in Norway is believed to be around 10,000 BC however the first known towns emerged in Norway around a thousand years ago. The oldest present known Scandinavian city is Tønsberg. Archaeological excavations conducted in 1987 underneath monastery ruins revealed several Viking graves which have served to confirm the age of settlement as 871. Despite this Norway as a country was urbanised relatively late in the game.
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Inland cities with railroad junctions as well as established coastal cities such as Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim all experienced a burst of industrial-based growth.
Urban Development
Rapid growth associated with widespread industrialisation did not come until the end of the 1800’s, based on cheap hydro-power which lead to a rise in new industrial centres.
Industrialisation
Although the first towns emerged a thousand years ago, the country was urbanised relatively late in the game. Fisheries and a substantial shipping industry caused a string of cities to materialise along the coast in the 1700’s and 1800’s.
During this period Oslo, then named Christiana, became Norway’s most important industrial city as well as its Capital.
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1. the Orderly grid streets of Oslo 1840. 2. The westward expansion of the city, including the arrangement of the Palace and the other baroque style national institutions around Karl Johan’s Gate in the 1800’s.
Urban Development
The various historic layers that make up Oslo are found in many Norwegian Cities. These layers reflect the evolution of the citys planning and political ideals that have influenced urban development all over Norway, and have been used as a precedent across the rest of Europe.
Architectural Diversity
Only the capital city of Oslo can truly be classified as a major city in international terms, while most other urban centres are comparatively small, Oslo’s size economic power and cultural influence are unrivaled within Norway, however it is also a typical Norwegian City in terms of its historic layering.
3. The City Hall, with its surrounding streets and open pedestrianized spaces. 4. Oslo's central square with the church of Our Saviour (Var Frelsers kirke 1730) as its focal point.
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Urban Development
Single family houses were becoming popular; to the west and the east alike they fanned out from the rail lines.
Gesamtkunstverk
The compact city was extended to accommodate middle class housing in the west and working class housing to the east. Oslo’s general plan of the 1930’s reflected the planning profession’s strong desire to control growth whilst consolidating the city into a ‘gesamtkunstverk’- a unified mosaic supported by ring roads and radial arteries.
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The city began to adopt a more ambitious planning system similar to most major European cities; based on social democracy and focused on strategies linked to national economic goals. This was reflected in the architecture and aesthetics which were implemented into the building design as well as the planning of the city during this period.
Urban Development
Oslo’s structure was mainly affected by concentric and diffuse growth. This period saw extensions of the subway network and the development of sprawling manufacturing and transport areas.
Post-War Development
Post-war urban growth in Norway was land intensive, resulting in extensive urban spread. The period of 1945 to the 1980’s is particularly associated with the expansion of the Norwegian welfare state.
The post-modern layer in the history of Urban development is characterized by an interest in renewing the diversity, structure and typology of the traditional European City.
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This image shows the proposal for a new city expansion at the abandoned airport of Fornebu by New Urban Nodes 1998.
Urban Development
A new urban geography emerged. Architecturally distinct areas have generated around the city. As the city expanded mobility became key to sustaining its functionality. Ideals were established towards integrating ecological principles and contiguous natural spaces with the urban landscape.
Oil Industry & Economic Prosperity
The Oil Industry boom provided the entirety of Norway with economic prosperity. Oslo in particular was able to assert itself amongst major metropolitan Cities.
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In 1982 a competition was held titled ;The city and the Fjord: Oslo looks at the year 2000’. This competition initiated the development of the Festningstunnelen, or Fortress tunnel under Oslo’s City Hall. Opened in 1990, this created a large variety of environmental improvements including a rehabilitated historic square (Christiania Torg), a City Hall pedestrianized plaza, as well as a renovated waterfront area for sailing ships, antique boats, outdoor restaurants and recreation activities.
Urban Development
The number of privately owned cars sky-rocketed in the decades after WW2, and an extensive motor-way was built in the 1970’s to channel the flow of traffic. This left the city more or less cut off from the Fjord by a triple barrier of railways, motor-ways and cargo ship terminals.
Post Modernism
For several decades it was difficult for Oslo’s inhabitants to reach the central waterfront, however the introduction of the Fjord City Development in 2007 allowed easy access to its beautiful Fjord and it’s incorporated architectural attractions.
The image shows the first plan for Bjorvika’s development in 1980. It is a clear example of early post-modern urban planning in Norway.
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A new image for Norway’s capital looking out on the Fjord. Contiguous Development Access for all Environmentally sensitive urban development Environment friendly transport Preservation of nature City spaces for human meetings and activities Around the clock activity Culture and Identity Knowledge and Expertise Public participation Phased implementation
Urban Development
The goals initially set by the planning commission for the Fjord City
Fjord City Proposal
The re-channeling of mobility flow also lead the way for the introduction of the Fjord City Development in 2000. A strategy was developed where Oslo’s container ship terminals were to be moved out of town to a new regional port, and thus the central port areas were to be redeveloped for residential, business and recreational use.
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The Bjorvika development stands most prominent as a tourist district with Norway’s Opera House nestled on the bank with easy access to central station. It is the largest cultural building to be built in Norway since the construction of the Nidaros Cathedral n Trondheim at the start of the 14th century. In 2012 around 310 000 people attended on of the Ballet’s perfomances and concerts.
Urban Development
Fjord City Today The Fjord City is divided into 13 areas defined by their ownership type, geography and neighbourhood, current usage and other factors. The total area amounts to 225 Hectares and extends approximately 10km from Frognerkilen in the West to Ormsund in the East.
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Urban Development
Bibliography
- A holistic Method of Evaluating Sustainability By Chris Butters - Planning Based on Universal Design by Einar Lund - Building and Urban Development in Norway by Erna Solberg - The Planning Game by Alexander Garvin - Regional Development in Norway by the Norwegian Development Ministry
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the future of Norway fremtiden for Norge
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