Föränderliga stadsrum : flexibilitet, dynamik & interaktivitet

Abstract: The number of inhabitants of the towns and city centers have generelly increased, concurrent as the population in smaller towns has decreased. In Stockholm, the migration is very fast and here is also the most populous place, if one compares with other Sweden. In order to respond to the increasing population and the pressure they put on city spaces has Stockholm's town a town building strategy that says "build inwards". It means that one stem seals the town with spaces and business activities in central locations. The increased population in the towns and the densification of buildings leads however to an increased pressure on parks and public places. More people are forced together in fewer and smaller city spaces and the need of a more intensive management, durable materials and a flexible design become more important. We also see a risk that the densification brings smaller public places or that they sometimes disappears entirely. Concurrent as the inhabitant's different needs can give origins to conflicts when they are forced together on the remaining surfaces. We consider that a strategy is needed in order to maintain the qualities of the urban spaces and the people's needs of out door activity. In this degree project we have tried to find out about if changeability as a concept can increase the quality on city spaces and to do them more interesting and attractive. In the first part, we summarize our search after what a changeable city space is. Studies have been done about public places, people's habits and needs and governing documents in order to get a background to the subject. We have concentrated our study to Stockholm, since it is a good example of a town that densifies and we have also got the opportunity to interview active landscape architects in the town. It has given us a variation of insights in the subject, from established scientific research to contemporary statements. In the project, we describe urban spaces as places that are available for the public and that can be derived from different types: the street, the square, the park and the water. We describe among other things that people's interests are different and that they change over time. As a result we found that the varied use of the urban spaces is depending on person, but that it nevertheless can discern tendencies of different groups. For example groups of: age, sexes, culture, residence and temper. With that in mind a place designed with a single function in mind becomes a short-term solution, when the space instead could have a changeable and adaptational architecture. The second part of the project is built up on the earlier study and it is here we introduce the concept changeability. We discuss what changeable city spaces are and breaks down the concept in smaller parts: flexibility, dynamics and interaction. The chapter also covers a case study where 10 city spaces in Stockholm and Copenhagen are discussed on the basis of the concept of changeability. The discussion chapter is, as the name tells, of more analyzing nature than earlier sections. Here, our own impressions, from excursiones and interviews, are intermixed with arguments from literature. We come to the conclusion that changeability is a complex concept. The opposite is permanent and synonyms are: inconstant, shifting, movable, variable, flexible, varying, convertible, transformable and transmutable. Flexibility, dynamics and interaction are described as different types of changeability. They are concepts that however are not absolute, but can overlap partially. We come to the conclusion that dynamic changes happen passively over time and are not depending on human activity, while flexible and interactive changes are active and only happen with the help of people. When we describe flexibility with our landscape architect eyes, we see two different meanings: multifunction and adaptability. Examples on multifunction could bee furniture that can be used in more than one way or an urban space that can hold several activities. We compare adaptable urban spaces to ageless urban spaces; Places that have looked the same during a long time while others must be torn down and rebuilt in order to better be suited after new needs. Ageless city spaces have a capacity to survive in centuries, despite that the use of the place have changed. With that argument, the ageless city spaces have a flexible design. Examples on flexible streets, parks, squares and hybrides of these are given in the chapter. We describe the concept dynamics to include systems of changes: seasonal variation, day and night rhythm and climates. In the eyes of a landscape architect, the word dynamics is used as synonym to plant dynamics: the plant's change over the time. But in this work we want to develop the concept to include more than that. With interaction in urban spaces we mean landscapedesign where visitors can influence the planning and furniture in order to create change. For example, it can within the landscape architecture be about the dialogue between planners and users, moveable furniture or buttons that set water playing going. It can also be about spatial experiences or the social ensemble between citizens - participate or watch. In the third and last part of the degree project we have tried to concrete the concept changeability through applying it on two proposals for a park in a new densification of building project in Stockholm – Norra Station. The case study also includes a description of the project and analyses of the place. The proposals resulted in a dynamic and a flexible park.