Stavanger (NO)

[Indigo]
This is Kanji Mizutani’s “Indigo” photo.
I bring it here to illustrate the transposition between the identity and the existing resources in the conurbation of the Norway’s oil capital.

[Conurbation plan]

Beside this background there is also a strong character landscape bordering the urban grid:

The region is one of the country’s most important agricultural districts, with extensive farmland, which convert the county in a referent as food producer.

It hosts the biggest energy cluster with high technology companies.
Its surrounding astonishing landscape and economic prosperity has turned it in a destination for an increasing number of visitors.

It hosts the University of Stavanger with specialized studies abounding in all the resources of the region.

Therefore some of the identified existing resources in this conurbation are:

Acha Zaballa Arquitectos

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The technology and know-how of the energy companies
>The natural resources
The human force as:

_the workers of the oil and gas sector
_the high qualified employees in management and economics
_the elderly who achieve experience and memory about the region
_the young people who hold on the creative energy and optimist force
_the researches on social sciences
_the families with their priorities
_the farmers who apply modern technology to obtain a sustainable exploitation
_the immigrants who enrich the local cultural baggage

These resources include economic, social and environmental dimension.
Tradition, culture and landscape.
Social resilience and science of sharing.
Technology and innovation.

Forus grid nowdays

Forus hosts 2,500 companies and 37,500 employees
Lan coverage is 20%
There is no mixed use in the functional area of Forus

[Urban sprawl]

Nowadays the urban extension corresponds to a model of urban sprawl with highly specialized areas (residential, industrial, business, big box shopping).
This segregation of uses makes the conurbation of Stavanger highly dependent on car based private transportation.

It is a reality that if urban sprawl keeps expanding, soon there will be no vacant soil for new developments.
At the same time there will be a rising inequality between the last built zones and the obsolete structures and an increasing consumption of energy and resources.

[Activity poles]

Here a new narrative for the region is proposed.
To build a grid of public spaces where promote the “something to do” (either go for a walk, play, play sports or meet with each other) and limit the kilometres of street-roads falsely urbanized that only serve for (car) circulation use.

The nature component introduces a new discourse in the urbanized grid and facilitates the community to recover spaces from where it was excluded by the predominance of the non-human scale.

The proposed strategy for the conurbation of Stavanger is:

Draw back urban sprawl
Retract urbanized surfaces in Forus
Restore natural landscape in the crossing of the municipalities of Sola-Stavanger-Sandnes
Preserve surrounding farmland
Establish partnerships to share resources and facilities in new hybrid models
Preserve local identity

[Bus way 2020 and bike path 2025]

The promotion of public transport will change the mobility conditions and the perception of the conurbation for both the residents and the visitors.

The location of the intermediate nodes helps to organize urban growth. Where the intermediate nodes are located must be defined in conjunction with the growth or the densification strategy to ensure the system’s efficiency.

[The oil rig]

The availability of technology and human resources enables the research on how to apply the knowledge in the recovery and protection of natural areas, how to exploit resources for producing energy efficiently, how to invert in new uses for facilities and in more ecological and durable buildings.

The Stavanger region has a population proud of their work and involved with their future.
The concept one identifies with is valuable and should be preserved.

The oil platform is seen in this proposal as the symbol of identity that deserves to be recycled under a different way, as a hybrid model with compatible uses.
This provocative vision is related with the force of identity.
With the reflection about the possibilities that recycling brings.
With the costs, the return time of investments and the dimension of the ecological footprint buildings can mean.
With the collective intelligence and social resilience capable to adapt to deep changes.

It brings together the identity, the building technology and the logic of stacking up.

[The lost lake]

The old drained lake is taken as a referent of the deep transformation of the urban context.

The workplaces located in Forus are mainly clean offices, which are highly compatible with other uses and facilities. However a very low-density land use has been adopted.

This development seems inconsistent if high cost of soil obtaining, substantial budget required by the deep foundations, and the physical limits of the surface of Forus are put together.

Densify intermediate nodes, create public space scaled to the pedestrian users and restore the nature soil are on the task.

Stavanger has the technical tools and the know-how for new concentrated developments optimizing both deep foundations and consumption of soil.

[The central plant]

Focusing on the site and the central plant:
the main building defenestration is based on its progressive abandon of users.

The estimation of emissions and future waste production of its demolition should be added to the previous costs to valuate the final cost of this 30-year-old building.

The urgency of its replacement is a question to be analysed to assess the affordability of the complete demolition of the plot buildings.

Why not take some time to spend in Forus and discuss about its transformation re-using this vacant facility?

[Place-making]

What is missing in Forus?

A reference in public space and common facilities might be the starting point for the creation of a vibrant place, core of a new district with enriched environment that strengthens interaction, knowledge and motivation.

The starting point is the transformation of the plant into:
An Idea_Faktory.
A Co-creation centre.
A Pop-up spaces container.
An open space to hold events and seminars aimed to generate connections and help to boost the vital pulse, creativity and, as a result, the future of the economy.
A venue for citizen promoted initiatives and pilot projects.

The plot management can start in a cooperation mode between the administration, with the budget it can devote, and the community.

Firstly the collectives with easier initiative are convened (as university groups, social work associations, sports clubs…). They start an inertial forward movement that attract others to join in. The Forus businesses also take part as members of the district improvement platform. The aim is to create a self-organized centre with proactive capacity and DoItTogether philosophy.

[The new Forus Venue axonometrics]

The steps in this transformation are:
1rst step. The temporary occupation
With the aim of minimization and optimization of the investment costs, at the start point programming of one-off events will generate awareness and support to the Forus transformation discussion.
No changes are needed in the plot to carry these events. This phase is inexpensive.
The task is to create emotional connections with the new public space.

2nd step. The progressive slight improvement
The Forus businesses employees can be asked what kind of space would they like to have closed to their work places. The county residents of all ages will opine about what they miss in the conurbation and what can imagine doing themselves at Forus.

The plot open spaces can allocate street furniture and gardening decided by the users to spend their lunchtime, to play sports, or to go with children to play. These activities do not need to be programmed and will activate the place as a referent for many citizens.

The plot facilities can be opened to any citizen initiative.
Very light changes are needed for these new uses and the community can strongly get involved.
The task is to generate popular and political support for a long-term project that will also see improvement in its investment support.

3rd step. The study for the future

The Central Plant occupation will bring the ideas, the community engagement and will refresh the simple concepts that make a city development well oriented to obtain an inclusive and equitable outcome.

Some of the objective parameters that are taken into account on any urban plan are among others:
_Density / vision of the city development and regional planning over time
_Compactness / idea of proximity of the different urban components
_Complexity and diversity of uses
_Accessibility to basic services / related to the quality of life improvement
_Housing affordability
_Green areas per inhabitant / natural spaces integrated in the urban areas / accessible to citizens covering short distances
_Intensity of traffic / pollution control / rational use of vehicles and use of alternative means of transport
_Proximity of public transport / quality and frequency
_Length and proximity of bike lanes
_Pedestrian routes / quality space for pedestrian walkers / leisure areas
_Inclusion versus urban segregation

Inhabited oil ring

The oil rig is not a proposal for a specific project.
This image of the inhabited oil platform, equipped and landscaped is seeking to trigger off the critical mass discussion.

The first step is to spend some time in Forus putting together the tale of what we would like to do today and what we long for the future.

Grids of empathy and solidarity should be established between different partners and social actors to define a common model that inverts in social active engagement.

The Forus workers and county residents are the main voice to commence the definition of this long-term transformation.

The city development takes place in an overlapping manner at fuzzy sets with many scales and over long time. From planning to architectural design from renewal projects to ephemeral interventions, there are many layers that contribute to the improvement of the city.

Economic growth needs innovation. Promoting connectivity and collaboration is the key for the rise of urban innovation. Offering proper physical assets for networking will facilitate the relations and will maximize the potential output of the community.

Creativity implied in innovation has no schedule. A culturally enriched environment will strengthen human interaction. A well designed and programmed urban district should offer numerous opportunities to meet. Residents and workers remaining in the area off hours extend the opportunities of collaboration. Attention must be paid to amenities, housing, retail and cultural activities.

A rigid and deterministic plan based exclusively on economic return would be inconceivable today, as it has been demonstrated the high risk of failure it has in the medium term.

Indigo proposes to use the blue and green elements as tools to strengthen Forus infrastructure.
The narration exposed here is a start point to initiate a discussion between the county citizens, investors and experts seated together to talk about the priorities that the community desires to include in the development.
Indigo stain has started to spread.