Investment development vs. sustainable urbanism in practice
In mid-February Stavebné fórum.sk opened a discussion on shapes, forms and differences in the post-crisis property development. Representatives of self-governing bodies, investors, universities, architects and lawyers agreed on one conclusion then: post-crisis property development will differ vastly and it will function on principles totally different from today´s. Participants of the international conference project analysed this topic in more detail and on a wider international basis last Thursday in May. Again in Košice and again with focus on Development after crisis = time for quality: in architecture and in new economic-legal relations.
The conference, whose principal partner was INVA GROUP a.s. and the main partner was MS architekti s.r.o., was split into three panel discussions.
Eight prerequisites for a sustainable community
At the start of the first panel, Martin
Jerguš from city of Košice Department of City Architect and Planning
(ÚHA) pointed out various viewpoints and approaches to the notion of
sustainable development. Most of them start with the equation: sustainability =
balance with a minimum of deviations. Two main idea trends have been applied in
town development: extreme – for smaller communities à la medieval villages
(ecovillages) and technical – focused on science and research, interconnected
with practice, latest technologies à la developed ancient (Athens) or later
Roman towns.
A shift from the topic was brought about by participants of an informal meeting in Bristol in 2005. They agreed on 8 basic prerequisites for a sustainable community for the entire Europe: good management, good links, good transport accessibility, ecological thinking, prosperity, good design and quality execution of complexes and fairness for all and activity, complexity and security. According to Jerguš, not only ÚHA strive for the application of these “eight“ prerequisites but so does the city of Košice.
Vienna – an example of revitalisation of an old location
When the city-hall of the Austrian capital
proceeded to elaborate on the Vienna city development plan for year 2005 to
2013, they based it on the requirement for an efficient and sustainable
combination of the needs of the city and its inhabitants. Since
2002 Markus Olechowski has been participating significantly as
an architect and a city-planner focusing on the concept and
development plan.
The basic proposal is based on defining 13 locations suitable for application of target programmes. One of them was a 380-hectare area of Erdberger Mais, south-east of the city centre with two motorway routes and an airport nearby. The area is divided into 8 sub-areas, currently in various stages of progress.
There were 4 large gasholders in the sub-area Gasometer. Their operation was stopped in the early 80´s when their original role was replaced by gas supplies from Russia. They slowly turned into residential spaces, hostels, work spaces for companies but also shopping and leisure centres. Over time cinema centres, schools, houses for seniors, administration buildings and logistics premises linked to motorway were gradually constructed in its surroundings.
Another – already partially completed – sub-project is located on 75 hectares in the St.Marx sub-area which is intersected by the A23 motorway. There are considerations for the project to include a biotechnological and a telecommunication centre but with residential space too. The administration and commercial centre “T-Mobile“ has been standing there since the end of 2004. Media Centre with space for journalists and television studios will be created in its near vicinity. It will consist of new as well as suitably integrated original historical buildings. As Olechowski added, the purpose of Campus Vienna Biocenter (a project in which several universities are involved) is to research and treat Alzheimer´s disease. The complex should contain specialised laboratories and space for approximately 1400 scientific workers.
How to use the old green areas suitably
In the currently “greenest“ sub-area of
Aspanggründe, the city authorities plan to create a maximum of 2 000
residential units with “passive“ houses and an administration space for
8 300 employees. In addition they want to revitalize 20 % of the 550 000 m2
and create relaxation centres, a multi-purpose park and other
leisure areas.
The sub-area Arsenal is located near a former railway station. Until the 2nd world war it was the largest residential area in Vienna, today there are residential spaces, a theatre, military museum premises, telecommunication headquarters and other administration buildings. The city plans to re-create the area destroyed during the war into further industrial space but also into expanding the museum space.
Marcus Olechowski emphasised that for a regeneration of an area such as Erdberger Mais, it was necessary to draw up a city development plan for a 30-year period. The regeneration must be robust but also flexible as well as large in order to survive. According to him, “a house without a roof cannot be used whereas a flat without wallpaper can be“. So deviations are acceptable but the principle must remain unchanged.
To build a city on itself
A case study from the Parisian quarter
Paris-Rive-Gauche, located between the railway station Paris- Austerlitz and the
Seine river, had be above motto, presented by Lucie
Doleželová from CzechInvest Praha. The study was based on the
revitalization of the area as another element of sustainable urbanism. The
importance of the art of compromise has been confirmed as the above aims got
into conflict with the previous use of the area.
As plots play a key role in a revitalization of the city territory, problems arise from, for example, two values but one price. The investor sees the price and value differently from the land owner. This is another reason for the importance of co-ordination of the aims of public and private sectors when creating the city development plan and activities.
The study of Paris-Rive-Gauche was initiated upon a resolution of the City council on programmes and aims of revitalizations in 1988. The study had to take into account the fact that it was a strategic area with an important administration centre, companies, flats of all categories, a university, cultural, commercial and leisure facilities. A year later, it was decided to build the National French Library and a new underground line. This was a start which needed to be included in further urbanistic concepts.
In 1991, the property developer SEMAPA entered the activities as a the city´s concessionary in the project preparation and management. A year later planning of development zone (ZAC) was challenged by the court due to an insufficient acreage of public land. Some parts of the project were, however, not stopped: the first was the construction of the underground station Meteor, a year later the first flats by the library, another year later the construction of Avenue de la France and in 1996 the National Library was opened. The construction of first offices followed, an underground line was opened and in 2000 the state signed a contract with the city and region on placing Paris university VII – Denis Diderot (Université Paris 7 Diderot).
“Urban balcony“ as a way of urban area development
The basis of the Paris-Rive-Gauche project was
bridging of the tracks at the Paris-Austerlitz railway station and its use for
other activities. The fact that the French railway company (SNCF) were the
majority owner of the land turned out to be problematic. The city, with their
57 per cent share decided to resolve it by “inviting“ SNCF (20 %) to a
joint venture. The developer owned 10 %, the state and region had 5 %, the rest
were minority owners. Apart from this, the total area under consideration was
gradually diminishing. Only the area of the university was larger compared to
the original plan.
As Doleželová said in the end, the unchangeable base throughout the project of restoration of the entire city district were: project goals, the developer, the development zone plan (ZAC), the regulation plan (PAZ), a balanced budget and a basic goals specification. On the other hand, the project had to be flexible in terms of: its programme, each part of the budget, the sale price, key investors, the technical solution, the urbanistic design of the sectors and the solution of public infrastructure.
Due to the above-standard content and thematic dimension of Košice international conference, we will soon bring you information on its other two panels, dedicated firstly to the link city – investments – development, secondly to the economic and legal aspects of development after the crisis.
Illustrations – J&T Real Estate (1), Magistrat der Stadt Wien (2,3,4), ZAC Paris-Rive-Gauche (5,6)
- Venue of the conference: Hotel Doubletree by Hilton Košice
- Sub-area Vienna – Gasometer: current situation
- Sub-area Vienna – St.Marx: Telecommunication centre “T-Mobile“ and surroundings
- Sub-area Vienna – Arsenal: current situation
- Construction of Parisian Université Paris 7 Diderot
- Project of “balcony roof“ at Parisian quarter Paris-Rive-Gauche
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