Infrastructura velo si pietonala in Europa si in lume

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Network of Footpaths and Cycling Routes on Cape Santa Pola
A network of paths and bridges for walkers and cyclists has rescued from deterioration and neglect historical sites and natural areas on the rocky massif separating the town of Santa Pola from the Gran Alacant residential area.

Previous state:

With cliffs more than a hundred metres high looking over the sea, Cape Santa Pola is a rocky massif of some twelve square kilometres. This geographic formation, described as a first-order geodesic vertex, is abundant in geological, ecological and anthropic treasures. Since it has one of the Mediterranean's very few coral reefs of biotic origin the Government of Valencia has catalogued it as a Site of Geological Interest. Moreover, it has extensive green areas of pine stands and a considerable variety of flora and fauna, as well as elements of historical and archaeological interest. In the sixteenth century a watchtower was built, taking advantage of the elevated position and, much later, the high land of the cape was used during the Spanish Civil War for emplacements of antiaircraft guns and military quarters cut into the rock by the Republican Army. There is also an eighteenth-century lighthouse as well as several large water tanks from the same period which, until well into the twentieth century, supplied the town of Santa Pola at the foot of the promontory with drinking water.

Between the cliff and the coast there is a road running alongside a series of small coves linking, from south to north, Santa Pola with Gran Alacant and Arenals del Sol, two residential zones which, with the speculation of the last few decades, have been steadily eating into the forested land of the massif. A large number of pensioners spend a good part of the year here, together with summer visitors who enjoy walking and nature sports. However, this has also drawn attention to the fact that, when these activities are large-scale and unregulated, they are harmful for the environment. Until 2013, the only attempts to mitigate the damage took the form of superficial repair of some of the paths and clearing unauthorised rubbish tips and rubble dumps.

Aim of the intervention:

The Santa Pola Town Council then decided to rehabilitate the landscape of the zone in order to regulate and consolidate its access and routes. The intervention, for which more than two hundred thousand euros were allocated, aimed to connect the old centre of Santa Pola with the residential zones on the northern coast by means of a series of cycling routes giving access to different points of interest. Understandably, the strategy for regulating and rehabilitating such a large area of land could not be exhaustive. Rather, it meant a series of subtle projects that would regulate human presence in the anthropic parts of the landscape in order to conserve its biotic parts.

Description:

After consulting several cycling associations and groups working to safeguard the natural environment and protect heritage, a project was drawn up to organise the different uses of the territory, to adapt the new routes and accesses to the pre-existing network of paths, and to respect the small scale of a large number of spots which still conserve crosses and monuments. The network of cycling tracks consists of six itineraries uniting both parts of the municipality. As it passes close by the lighthouse, the route along the coast takes the form of a sinuous cantilever bridge giving a close-up view of the fossil structure of the cliffs. It also acts as a magnificent lookout over the Mediterranean with views of Nova Tabarca Island which lies just over four kilometres off the coast. The Manyo water tank has been restored, as have the three antiaircraft gun emplacements dating from the Civil War. Several information points and signposts indicate the historical value of these and other monuments as well as guiding walkers. Facilities have been installed throughout the zone so that visitors can rest and enjoy the scenery.

Assessment:

The plan to open up a new network of cycling routes on Cape Santa Pola was highly controversial in both the media and social networks. Many people feared that consolidating access points would encourage more visitors and accelerate the ecological deterioration of the zone. Others complained that standardising signposting and marking out routes would tame the wild magic of this once marginal landscape. Others spoke out in favour of the respectful subtlety of the project, which has rehabilitated a large area of land at a relatively low cost. In any case, there can be no doubt that such natural areas adjoining towns and residential areas are constantly under threat. However, when they are opened up to the public with a view to educating citizens about their natural and historical values, people are encouraged to see them as their own, respect them, love them and even defend them in future against further damage caused by aggressive urbanplanning.

Prior to the intervention. Pensioners spend a good part of the year here, together with summer visitors who enjoy walking and nature sports. However, they also draw attention to the fact that, when these activities are large-scale and unregulated, they are harmful for the environment:


When marginal areas are opened up to the public with a view to educating citizens about their natural and historical values, people are encouraged to see them as their own, respect them, love them and even defend them in future against further damage caused by aggressive urban planning:


The footbridge acts as a magnificent lookout over the Mediterranean with views of Nova Tabarca Island which lies just over four kilometres off the coast:


The three antiaircraft gun emplacements from the Civil War have been restored:


Map of Cape Santa Pola and the newly opened network of itineraries:


With cliffs more than a hundred metres high looking over the sea, Cape Santa Pola is a rocky massif of some twelve square kilometres:


Several information points and signposts indicate the historical value of the monuments:


View of the bridge from below:


By means of this intervention, for which more than two hundred thousand euros was allocated, the aim was to connect the old centre of Santa Pola with the residential zones on the northern coast by means of a series of cycling routes giving access to different points of interest:


The cantilever bridge offers close-up views of the fossil structure of the cliffs:


As it passes close by the lighthouse, the route along the coast takes the form of a sinuous cantilever bridge:


Sursa.


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Temporary Bridge over the Charleroi Canal
An non-profit urban festival claims the connection of two districts of uneven social conditions on both sides of the canal by means of an ephemeral bridge made with the standard components of a construction crane.

Previous state:

The Charleroi Canal marks the western side of Pentagone, the formerly walled historic centre of Brussels. For all the centrality of the site, few bridges cross the canal and are located more than seven hundred metres apart. Hence the watercourse of about fifty metres across has become a socio-spatial barrier between two very different cities. A district rich in tourist attractions, monuments, expensive boutiques, pedestrian zones and impressive real estate extends from the south-eastern bank, while the opposite bank marks the municipal boundaries of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek and Laeken, an amalgam of poor, stigmatised neighbourhoods with large immigrant populations and not exempt of social conflict.

For decades, the industries located on this bank have been moving to the larger and distant spaces of the periphery, leaving behind run-down, abandoned factories. In recent years this industrial landscape has been undergoing a process of transformation in which many of the old factory sites have been renovated as venues for new activities. The "Tour & Taxis" complex, which now houses book and antique fairs, a design market and big music festivals, is one example. The regeneration of the sector is encouraging the spread of the cultural and third-sector activities of the old centre across the canal and into spaces of the opposite bank. Nevertheless, the apparent improvement also runs the risk of initiating a process of gentrification. As has happened in other European cities since the 1980s, the increasing number of attractive features in the zone could bring about higher rents and the expulsion of lower-income residents and small-scale businesses.

Aim of the intervention:

Given this danger, the "Platform Kanal" was founded in 2008 as a citizens' non-profit initiative concerned with encouraging reflection and debate about the challenges and opportunities entailed in the transformation of this sector. Starting in 2012, the Platform decided to hold the "Festival Kanal" every two years, in the summer, with a view to filling the area with temporary activities in order to call for a strategy of urban improvement which, apart from forestalling gentrification, would be truly inclusive.

In 2014, the organisers commissioned the architect Gijs Van Vaerenbergh to design the main stage for the second "Festival Kanal". However, Van Vaerenbergh made a counterproposal which, while it may have been less practical, was certainly highly symbolic and in tune with the basic aims of the Festival. His idea was to use the budget set aside for the stage—approximately €50,000—to build a different kind of temporary structure that could connect, even if only for a short time, the two banks of the canal.

Description:

For four days, the transitory footbridge provided pedestrians with an unprecedented connection between the two banks of the Charleroi Canal. Spanning a distance of fifty metres, it consisted of two symmetrical slightly angled sections converging at an obtuse angle with the vertex over the centre of the canal. Apart from making a more resistant structure, this double slope produced sufficient clearance to ensure that the bridge would not obstruct the usual boat traffic along the canal. The middle point also became a lookout with hitherto unseen views along the course of the canal. Moreover, the slope concealed the pedestrians on the other side of the bridge in such a way that it appeared shorter, a visual effect akin to that of the bridges of Venice.

The two identical sections were recycled, reusable elements consisting of rented components of the main tower mast of a typical building-site crane. Framed by lattices of yellow metal bars, the vacant square section of this prismatic tower gave the footbridge resistance, transparency and sufficient width for the movement of people inside the structure. Of the four sides, the two vertical edges served as balustrades, the upper side as an open ceiling and the lower side, covered with a wooden platform, provided the flooring.

Of the whole structure, the only components especially designed for the occasion were the joining pieces. On each side of the canal, a metal structure anchored the two sections to foundations made of piles of prefabricated concrete blocks. In the centre of the bridge, four identical metal pieces fixed the two prismatic sections at an angle. The day the bridge was put in place, a large crane truck on one of the banks lifted the two sections, once joined in the middle, and set the structure in place so that it crossed the canal. At the end of the "Festival Kanal", the bridge was removed as easily as it had been installed, leaving no trace of its existence on the canal-side wharves.

Assessment:

Where the bridge did leave an imprint which lasted much longer than four days, was in the collective consciousness. In fact, the "Festival Kanal" footbridge gave rise to discussion about the need to connect the two banksindefinitely. However, this raised more questions. Would such a connection remedy the marginal status of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek and bring the outsider municipality closer to the centre of Brussels? Or, rather, would gentrification cross the bridge in the other direction? It would not be the first time that the result of a well-intentioned project to improve an urban area was heightening its appeal as real estate, only to end up expelling the residents with lower acquisitive power. Raising these kinds of contradictions is very much in keeping with the theme of gentrification which dominated the "Festival Kanal" debates.

Also in tune with this discussion is the provisional nature of the bridge, which recalls structures deployed by the military in emergencies. The fact is that, in the Old Continent, there is an increasingly alarming phenomenon of historic city centres which are now losing one of their most singular and authentic characteristics, namely the profusion of local residents and small businesses. All around Europe, the tourist industry and the real-estate market are driving the gentrification of urban areas to the point of destroying the social fabric. It is more and more evident that, rather than revamped public space, these neighbourhoods require public policy to produce emergency solutions. Yet this could give rise to a final paradox: in order to deal with the gentrification of a neighbourhood, would it not be better to provide it with a good stock of public housing before dissipating energy and effort on festivals and temporary structures? The answer is no. Culture, as a tool for social transformation, is absolutely essential for consciousness-raising among citizens. And all too often citizens, even when they risk being expelled themselves, oppose the idea of having public housing in their neighbourhoods. Hence the need for symbols denoting emergency.

Prior to the installation of the intervention. The day the bridge was put in place, a large crane truck on one of the banks lifted the two sections, now joined in the middle, and set the structure in place so that it crossed the canal:


Apart from making a more resistant structure, this double slope produced sufficient clearance to ensure that the bridge would not obstruct the usual boat traffic along the canal:


The designer of the footbridge suggested using the budget set aside for the stage—approximately €50,000—to build a different temporary structure that could connect, even if only for a short time, the two banks of the canal:


The slope of the flooring concealed the pedestrians on the other side of the bridge in such a way that it appeared shorter, a visual effect akin to that of the bridges of Venice:


Bottom: Plan of the site. Top: Lateral section of the bridge:


On each side of the canal, a metal structure anchored the prismatic sections to foundations consisting of piles of prefabricated concrete blocks:


Axonometric drawing of the temporary footbridge consisting of two slightly sloping prismatic sections converging in an obtuse angle with the vertex over the centre of the canal:


The empty square section of the bridge gave the footbridge resistance, transparency and sufficient width for the movement of people inside the structure:


The provisional nature of the bridge recalls structures deployed by the military in emergencies:


Of the four sides, the two vertical edges served as balustrades, the upper side as an open ceiling and the lower side, covered with a wooden platform, provided the flooring:


Detail of the underside of the flooring of the bridge:


Over a period of four days, the transitory footbridge provided pedestrians with an unprecedented connection between the two banks of the Charleroi Canal:


The two identical sections were recycled, reusable elements made from rented components of the main tower mast of a typical building-site crane:




Sursa.


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Plimbare prin livadă:
Recovery of the Irrigation System at the Thermal Orchards
The orchards around the town are the focus of an integral project of restoration which restores the old irrigation system of thermal waters, reactivates agricultural activity and opens up a network of pedestrian pathways.


Previous state:

The place name Caldes, which probably originated in the Latin Aquae Calidae (hot waters), is loaded with a sense of antiquity and respect for water. This medium-sized town, located just over twenty-five kilometres from Barcelona, grew around some Roman thermal springs which are among the best-conserved in the Iberian Peninsula. For centuries, its mineral water, which flows from underground at a temperature of 74º C—one of the highest temperatures of all of Europe's hot springs—has attracted outsiders seeking cures and rest. This explains the large number of centuries-old spas in the town and, accordingly, its consolidation as a tourist attraction and summering place.

The waters of Caldes were used not only for medicinal and recreational purposes. From ancient times, the leftover water from the hot springs was piped off for public laundries and, after that, as irrigation water for the Hortes de Baix (Lower Orchards) when the stream was dry. This heritage space, almost four hectares of irrigated land, occupies three tiered terraces at the bottom part of the parish of Santa Maria on the western side of the old town centre. However, one of the mainstays of the irrigation system, a channel with three-metre stone walls, was badly affected by the construction boom at the end of the twentieth century. The Caldes stream was covered over, after which a good part of the town's sewage was tipped into it, whereupon it flowed down to the main irrigation channel where the bad smell testified to this health risk to the orchards which, neglected and now difficult to reach, were soon to become the last ones left in the town. Dispirited, ageing and with no prospects of a new generation to take over, the agriculturalists put down their tools and the community of people who had once worked the irrigated land fell apart.

Aim of the intervention:

The social and environmental decline of the Hortes de Baix dragged on until 2012 when the Municipal Public Space Committee responded to demands for clean water, reactivation of local horticulture, and better connection between the old town and the agrarian heritage of its surrounding lands. The first requirement coincided with the imminent appearance of a European regulation requiring municipalities to ensure that any water being tipped into waterways should be of the same quality as the water originally extracted. It was understood that, once rescued from oblivion and neglect, the old orchards could constitute, besides productive territory, an educational public space which would also offer contact with nature.

Description:

Over a period of two and a half years, some seventy market gardeners took part in a participative process which, from the very beginning, had the effect of uniting and empowering the community of orchardists. Helped by architects, they began to map out their blocks of land and to diagnose the state of the irrigation system. They quickly saw the need to channel off the sewage flowing in from the river in order to put an end to the contamination in the main irrigation canal. Since it was no longer possible to count on rainwater, they had the idea of using waste water from the spas which, though it was suitable for irrigation, had previously been wasted when mixed with sewage.

When the water was clean it still needed to be cooled and its course organised to meet the different peaks of demand of the irrigation system. Hence, a community pond was constructed on the upper terrace with a view to its being shared equally among all the blocks of land with two shifts of irrigation every week. A series of floating pots containing aquatic plants which assimilate organic material constitutes an innovative system of natural water purification, thus guaranteeing the quality of the stagnant water in the pond.

The network of smaller canals watering the blocks of land was repaired. These still operate on the principle of gravity and are fitted with manually operated floodgates without any need for mechanised systems. Based on recycling and constructed by the local people, all the renovation endeavours respect both the material heritage of the orchard and the intangible heritage of managing it, which is the responsibility of the community of orchardists. The spigots of the distribution tanks, the thick ceramic tiles set side by side to form the upper borders of the channels, and the woven wire fencing separating the blocks of land once more give an impression of unpretentiousness that is very much in keeping with a true market garden landscape. In order to make the orchard zone accessible so that everyone can enjoy it, a footbridge has been installed over the main channel, respecting the original stone walls. Besides giving easier access to the orchards it offers views of them from above and connects the church square with the outskirts of the town.

Assessment:

Although it is fruit of simple, subtle operations, the recovery of the Hortes de Baix has benefitted Caldes de Montbui by means of a complex superimposition of different dimensions. At the urban level, it converted a tangle of disjointed properties, which were hidden and tucked away behind the town, into a major public space which makes contact with nature available to everyone. At the productive level, the intervention has breathed new life into barren land and, thanks to a municipal plan for its use, has rescued from unemployment and frustration people who have been strengthened by the values of working together and self-management of the project.

In an increasingly globalised world, conserving this kind of agricultural activity encourages exploration of the possibilities of food sovereignty based on sustainable production and responsible consumption of local, seasonal foodstuffs. At the cultural level, the intervention not only makes it possible to recognise the heritage value of the horticultural landscape. It also contributes by testifying to the intangible wealth of almost lost traditions from which some very useful lessons may be drawn for future generations, for example that of sensible use of water. It should never be forgotten that water is life.

Prior to the intervention. Neglected and difficult to reach, the Hortes de Baix wereeventually becoming the last horticultural gardens in Caldes de Montbui:


So that everyone could enjoy the views across the vegetable gardens and orchards a footbridge, respecting the original stone walls, was built across the main irrigation channel:


At the productive level, the recovery of the Hortes de Baix has breathed new life into barren land and, thanks to a municipal plan for its use, has rescued from unemployment and frustration people who are now strengthened by the values of working together and self-management of the project:


Once rescued from oblivion and neglect, the old orchards constitute, besides productive territory, an educational public space which also offers contact with nature:


The spigots of the distribution tanks, the thick ceramic tiles set side by side to form the upper borders of the channels, and the woven wire fencing once more separating the blocks of land give an impression of unpretentiousness that is very much in keeping with a true market garden landscape:


A series of floating pots containing aquatic plants which assimilate organic material constitutes an innovative system of natural water purification, thus guaranteeing the quality of the stagnant water in the pond:


Based on recycling and self-construction, all the work done in the project respects both the physical heritage of the gardens and orchard and the intangible legacy of their management, which is now the responsibility of the community of gardeners and orchardists:


The new communal pond makes it possible to share the irrigation system equally among all the blocks of land with two shifts every week:


A communal pond was built on the upper terrace in order to cool the leftover spa waters and organise the flow of water in keeping with the levels of demand for irrigation:


Path leading to the Hortes de Baix from the north:


At the urban level, the project of recovering the orchard and vegetable gardens converted a tangle of propertiesthat were disconnected, inaccessible and hidden behind the town into a major public space which makes contact with nature available to everyone:


A footbridge installed over the main channel gives easier access to the gardens, offering views of them from above and connecting the church square with the outskirts of the town:


Over a period of two and a half years, some seventy market gardeners took part in a participative process which, from the very beginning, had the effect of uniting and empowering the community of orchardists:


Diagrams of the process of recovery of the Hortes de Baix. Top (left): The traditional system of clean-water management was sustainable. Top (right): the industrial model contaminated the irrigation system with sewage and wasted the water left over from the spas. Bottom: phases of the project, consisting of (1) channelling off the sewage into a water purifying plant; (2) making good use of the leftover spa water for irrigation; (3) building a pond with a natural purifying system to store and cool the water; (4) drawing up a map of the plots of land in order to optimise the irrigation shifts; and (5) improving accessibility to the gardens by way of a footbridge:


Proiecția axonometrică a recuperării Hortes de Baix, un spațiu de patrimoniu de aproape patru hectare de teren irigat sub formă de trei terase trepte sub biserica parohială Santa Maria de la marginea de vest a centrului vechi al orașului:


O pasarela instalata peste canalul principal ofera acces mai usor in gradini, oferind privelisti ale acestora de sus si facand legatura intre piata bisericii de la marginea orasului.


Sursa.


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Recovering of the right bank of the River Vistula
A footpath and three beaches equipped with games areas, public baths, sports fields and barbecue zones have enabled citizens to reclaim the right bank of the Vistula River, which had been neglected, inaccessible and used as a rubbish dump for years.

Previous state:

The Vistula is Poland's biggest river. Navigable from its upper reaches all the way to its mouth, it was for centuries a crucial means of transport in the country. Nevertheless, after the nineteenth century, its importance in this regard soon dwindled as road and rail transport was increasingly used and, when the river transport of goods and people declined, riverbank cities like Warsaw, Kraków, Gdansk and Toruń turned to face away from it. Warsaw's break with the river took a particular form. The left bank, adjoining the administrative and nerve centre of the city, was eventually filled with motorways and road junctions which interposed a barrier between the urban fabric and the riverfront.

The right bank underwent another kind of separation from the Praga-Południe district, one of the oldest and most densely populated in the city. Until the beginning of the twentieth century the river offered sandy beaches which filled with bathers in the summer but in the following decades, with two world wars, municipal negligence and general indifference, the riverfront lapsed into marginality and oblivion. Owing to ignorance about the area and absence of visitors it was used as an informal tip for rubble from demolitions occurring all around the city. This had the effect of artificially blocking the flow of the water, leading to many floods. Meanwhile, the riverside forest, infested with invasive species, grew wild over the rubble dumped on the bank. Dense foliage and unattended undergrowth made the river even more inaccessible, a deplorable situation given its proximity to such a densely populated area.

Aim of the intervention:

In 2007, the Warsaw City Council decided to take action to rectify this situation. A special unit was created within the structure of the municipal government, the director of which acted as the mayor's proxy in any matter concerning the river. With an early aim of recovering the right bank of the Vistula as a leisure space for citizens, the new entity worked with ecologist groups and other NGOs to draw up a strategy that sought to reconcile a range of different interests. Another concern was to ensure that frequent flooding would not damage any improvements made to the riverbank. Moreover, the plan was to conserve the natural character of the zone while also providing better access to it and revitalising it by offering uses and facilities that would make it appealing to citizens. The project represented an investment of one and a half million euros, 90% of which was to come from the municipal coffers. It also achieved European funding to defray costs associated with attracting tourists and re-establishing the natural habitat of two species of native birds. Moreover, the project was supported by some private investors.

Description:

The first phase of work consisted of cleaning tasks. The riverbed was cleared of rubble in order to improve the flow of water and lessen the risk of flooding. The riverside forest was also cleaned up to offer easier access to the water. Between 2009 and 2011, thirty-seven hectares of forest were cleared of weeds, thicket, fallen tree trunks and invasive species of willows. This opened up a path of eight kilometres along the river. In winter the new track is used for cross-country skiing and, the rest of the year, by cyclists and walkers. It is signposted with information concerning the natural elements along the way and distance markers for runners.

The riverside walk links three sandy beaches equipped with deck chairs, umbrellas, barbecues, public toilets, sports fields, games areas and information points. Saska beach, adjoining a residential area of the Praga-Południe district, is the southernmost one and it begins just after Łazienkowski Bridge. In 2013 a pavilion housing a cafeteria, sanitary infrastructure and a shop hiring sports equipment was constructed here. Downstream, between the Poniatowski and Średnicowy bridges, is Stadium Beach which, as its name suggests, is near the new installations of the Polish national football team, which were opened in 2012. Further north, between the Slasko-Dabrowski and Gdański bridges, is Praga Beach, named after the nearby nineteenth-century Praga Park, home to the Warsaw Zoo. Each of the three beaches has a free ferry service for cyclists and walkers, connecting them with the western bank of the river.

Assessment:

There can be no question about the fact that, since the renovation, the right bank of the Vistula River has recovered its lost popularity. This was confirmed with a municipal survey in 2013, when the work was finished, with the aim of assessing how well the aims of the project had been achieved. It is also demonstrated by its nomination for the "Stolek", an award presented by the editorial board of a well-known Warsaw newspaper. However, the popularity of the place has drawbacks as well. The local press has reported the typical controversy over the impact of large numbers of people on such a fragile natural space.

Intensive use of the beaches has generated large amounts of rubbish, including glass from broken bottles, which has caused some problems. The City Council, working with several NGOs and local businesses, has launched campaigns to educate people about the need to respect and conserve the river's natural character. In any case, the problems of the river when it was an ignored and neglected place were much more serious than they are now, proof that accessibility is the key to making a marginal space known, enjoyed and appreciated by everyone. The best protection a fragile place can have is becoming part of collective consciousness.

Forest zone near Średnicowy Bridge before the intervention. The riverside forest, infested with invasive species, grew wild over the rubble dumped on the bank. Dense foliage and unattended undergrowth made the river even more inaccessible:


The new riverside walk. Background: Średnicowy Bridge:


The three sandy beaches are equipped with deck chairs, umbrellas, barbecues, public baths, sports fields, games areas and information points. Background: Poniatowski Bridge seen from Stadium beach:


In winter the new track is used for cross-country skiing. Background: Swetokrzyski Bridge:


Origami workshop organised on one of the beaches:


Between 2009 and 2011, thirty-seven hectares of forest were cleared of weeds, thicket, fallen tree trunks and invasive species of willows. This opened up a path of eight kilometres along the river:


Each of the three beaches has a free ferry service for cyclists and walkers, connecting them with the western bank of the river:


Stadium beach lies between Poniatowski Bridge (left) and Średnicowy Bridge (right). As its name suggests it is near the new installations of the Polish national football team, which were opened in 2012:


The riverside route is signposted with distance markers for runners. A race is held once a year, organised by the City Council and police force:


In 2013 a pavilion housing a cafeteria, sanitary infrastructure, and a shop hiring sports equipment was constructed near Saska Beach:


The local press has reported the typical controversy over the impact of large numbers of people on such a fragile natural space:


Games area at Saska beach:


Aerial view of the Vistula River as it flows through Warsaw, showing the section of the new riverside walk on the right bank. Foreground: Poniatowski Bridge, followed by Średnicowy Bridge, the two limits of Stadium Beach:


General plan of the intervention, showing the section of the riverside walk and the location of the three new beaches it links. Left (north): Praga Beach, between Gdański and Slasko-Dabrowski bridges; centre: Stadium Beach, between Średnicowy and Poniatowski bridges; right (south): Saska Beach, between Poniatowski and Łazienkowski bridges:


The residents appreciate the natural character of this area:


Sursa.


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"The Braided Valley"
A braided network of paths and footbridges have transformed the bed of the Vinalopó River into a linear park that re-stitches together the neighbourhoods through which it passes, connecting them with natural spaces to the north of the city.

Previous state:

The Vinalopó River is reduced to little more than a trickle when it crosses the city of Elche. Irrigation upstream and very irregular rainfall mean that water only flows in any abundance in autumn, when sudden flooding can occur. This has cut out a riverbed with steep sides, mainly as a result of landslides. In the 1970s, major channelling work prevented further flooding but it also eliminated the network of paths by means of which residents on the right bank could reach the adjoining Palmeral, a vast palm grove which is inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The channelling divided the city into two halves, which were only connected by a few bridges that were too far apart. Relegated to the condition of a peripheral rubbish tip, the watercourse became a forsaken pit from which both sides of the city faced away.

Aim of the intervention:

In 2009, the City Council called for entries in a competition to turn the river bed into a three-kilometre linear park with a surface of sixty hectares. Managing the project was complex since it required agreement between the Council with other branches of the administration that were very different in their nature and scope, for example the Xúquer Hydrographic Federation, different ministries of the Government of Valencia, the Sèquia de Marchena Irrigators' Community and the water company Aigües d'Elx. In the transversal sense, the idea was that the geographic formation, a gully of forty metres deep, should cease to constitute a barrier between the two banks. On the other hand, in the longitudinal sense, the aim was to create a corridor that would offer the inhabitants of Elche the opportunity of moving quickly and easily to the northern end, where they could enjoy some natural settings of very high environmental quality.

Description:

The first phase of the work was completed on the upstream section where the social deterioration of the neighbourhoods and scarcity of bridges made improvement most urgent. A temporary office established next to the river collected data on the areas of movement that were most frequently requested by future users. A network of paths was thus planned and the zone came to be named "El Valle Trenzado" (The Braided Valley) because they criss-cross on both sides of the river, which were also replanted with autochthonous species of vegetation and reinforced against landslides. Before reaching the banks of the watercourse the paths rise up to form two footbridges in a Y-shape. These are constructed in the same concrete with sides that form part of the structure. Resting on clusters of metal pillars which resemble tree trunks, the concrete footbridges give an impression of lightness.

Assessment:

The municipal elections of 2011 left the remaining phases of the project in abeyance. Before completing the first phase, the new city council stopped work on the project it had inherited but did not embrace as its own. "The Braided Valley" has not been officially opened yet, although local residents have spontaneously made it theirs. With similar spontaneity, the riverside paths and bridges disregard the orthogonal nature of the urban layout and anticipate tracks which a pedestrian's common sense might leave on a badly situated parterre or on the ground of a city after a snow storm. It is to be hoped that common sense will prevail and that work on this park, which already stitches together the neighbourhoods through which it passes and connects them with natural spaces to the north of the city of Elche, will soon proceed anew.

Prior to the intervention. The Vinalopó riverbed from south of the railway bridge:


The two footbridges constructed so far in "The Braided Valley", seen from the railway bridge to the south:


Access points on the sides of the canal:


A series of bollards, which can also be used as seats, prevent drivers from taking cars on to the footbridges:


The footbridges rest on clusters of metal pillars which resemble tree trunks and give lightness to the structure. In he background is the railway bridge:


View from the northern footbridge with the Palmeral (Palm Grove) in the background:


View from the southern footbridge, with the Puente del Bimilenario (Bimillenary Bridge) in the background:


The northern footbridge with the Casablanca neighbourhood in the background:


The northern footbridge, with the Puente del Bimilenario (Bimillenary Bridge) in the background:


The slopes of the river Vinalopó have been replanted with native vegetation:


Before reaching the banks of the watercourse and joining to cross the riverbed, the paths of "The Braided Valley" rise up in a Y-shape forming two footbridges:


General plan of the intervention. Above (east), the Palmeral (Palm Grove). Right (south), the railway bridge. Bottom (west), the Casablanca neighbourhood. Left, the natural landscape to the north of Elche:


Sursa.


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[b1]

Rearrangement of Ljubljanica riverbanks
Renovation of the banks of the River Ljubljanica in the section flowing through the old city centre, a collective effort that concentrates resources in a range of specific interventions.

Previous state:

After entering the capital of Slovenia from the south, the River Ljubljanica describes a pronounced loop around the northern slope of Castle Hill, after which it moves away from the city centre in an easterly direction. In the eighteenth century, the Gruber Canal (Grubarjev prekop) was opened up in an attempt to remedy frequent flooding, cutting through the southern end of the promontory and thus confining the old city centre on an island. Exceptionally well preserved, this isolated historic area has accumulated a generous repertoire of architectural styles which, from the Baroque era through to the Vienna Succession, reflect the position of Ljubljana as a cultural and geographic crossroads between the Latin south and the Germanic north. Once the river had been tamed, it was possible to expand northwards thanks to the construction of a considerable number of bridges.

Some of the most remarkable of these bridges, such as the Triple Bridge (Tromostovje, 1932) and the Cobblers' Bridge (Čevljarski most, 1931), are work of the architect Jože Plečnik who, after the 1930s, marked the river's course with a profuse and varied collection of buildings, squares, canals, embankments and riverside parks. Recognising the structural role of the river and endowing it with a welcoming and cultured monumentalism, Plečnik aimed to transform Ljubljana into a new Athens, an enlightened model city. With this objective, he used the archetype of the stoa to organise the right bank by means of the portico of the Tržnica market, and the model of the agora to construct Congress Square (Kongresni trg) on the left bank.

By the beginning of the twenty-first century, however, the river had lost the spirit that Plečnik had managed to give it, to the extent of being divested of its leading role as the city's preeminent public space. Lacking up-to-date infrastructure, the majority of river spaces had been subordinated to vehicular traffic and indiscriminate parking, while very few were exclusively pedestrian. This drastically undermined the appeal of the old centre which was also suffering from the economic effects of a decline in business activities and abandonment by a population that preferred to go and live on the outskirts. The combination of circumstances threatened Ljubljana with all the damaging consequences of urban sprawl.

Aim of the intervention:

After 2004, the Ljubljana City Council, working with a number of municipal enterprises, decided to make an ambitious public investment of more than twenty million euros in order to redress this situation. In a remarkably brief period of time, it coordinated several teams of local professionals who worked on a series of specific, realistic and viable interventions which, however, were organised within one large-scale urban system.

The River Ljubljanica, as the guiding principle of this system, was to resume the role it had been given by Plečnik. It was expected that an improved quality of open-air life in the environs of its waters would foster sociability and stimulate the old city's economic revival. In brief, the aim was to enhance the city centre's power of attraction in order to combat the negative trend towards urban sprawl.

Description:

Covering more than two kilometres of riverbank spaces, the intervention begins upstream at the point where the original course of the River Ljubljanica flows away from the Gruber Canal. A new footbridge (2010) links the Botanic gardens of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia's oldest scientific and educational institution, with the new Špica (City Park, 2010), a green riverbank space that adds a finishing touch to the southern point of the island on which the city centre is located. A landscaping project along the first three hundred metres of the left bank of the canal highlights both its natural character and its accessibility.

The Trnovo embankment has also been renovated (2010) on the left bank of a reach of the river which, seven hundred metres downstream, flows into the Gradaščica River, a branch of the Ljubljanica. The meeting of this smaller river with Barjanska Road, a main thoroughfare providing access to the city, has been resolved by means of a new bridge (2008), which bears the road's name, and a riverbank park (2008), also known as the Špica. The new viaduct is not far from the centrepiece of the Trnovo district, the Trnovo Bridge, which was built by Plečnik.

Downstream on the River Ljubljanica, a short distance from the junction with the Gradaščica River, the banks take on a more urban appearance. At this point, the old Hradecki Bridge has been renovated (2011), as have the Krakovo and Breg embankments (both in 2010) on the left bank. The Breg embankment has steps leading up to the Nova Square (Novi trg), which is also scheduled for renovation. This is one of the city's oldest squares and it adjoins the National and University Library, which was also built by Plečnik.

A hundred and fifty metres further on, in the direction of flow and still on the left bank, are the Hribarjevo embankment and the Dvorni Square, both of which were renovated shortly before this intervention. On the opposite bank and perpendicular to the Cankarjevo embankment is Ključavničarska Street (2009), which leads up to Castle Hill. This street has also been restored. On the left bank, after Triple Bridge, the Petkovškovo embankment has been refurbished with a pavilion built out over the river with projecting steps constructed with the aim of offering a fine view of Castle Hill. The new, exclusively pedestrian Butchers' Bridge (2010) links the centre of the Petkovškovo embankment with the stoa that Plečnik built as the riverfront façade of the Tržnica market. Some four hundred metres downstream, the intervention finishes with the introduction of the new Grain Bridge (2010), which has projecting steps connecting with a floating pier.

Assessment:

The renovation of the riverside areas of the River Ljubljanica as it flows through the old centre of the capital is fruit of a collective effort which, concentrating available resources in specific operations and optimising coordination between different developers and authors, has embraced Plečnik's humanist dream and given it continuity. The banks are wholly accessible, both in the longitudinal sense of their embankments and in the transversal sense that the project establishes with the different types of adjoining urban fabric. A unitary public space and yet, at the same time, one that that is endowed with a profusion of special parts, the river now gives the old city centre sufficient power of attraction to counteract the centrifugal effects of urban sprawl.

Image of Nova Square (Novi trg) prior to the intervention. Most of the river spaces had been subordinated to vehicular traffic and indiscriminate parking while very few were exclusively pedestrian:


Image of Nova Square Nova (Novi trg) after its renovation:


General plan of the intervention. The project brought together and coordinated several teams of local professionals who worked on a series of specific, realistic and viable interventions which, however, were organised within one large-scale urban system:


View of the old Hradecki Bridge after renovation:


Pedestrians on Hradecki Bridge:


Ground plan, elevation and details of the old Hradecki Bridge, which has been renovated:


Night-time view showing the footbridge over the Gruber Canal in profile:


The new Grain Bridge has projecting steps connecting with a floating pier:


Image of the floating pier of Grain Bridge:


People enjoying the new pavilion on the Petkovškovo embankment:


The new pavilion on the Petkovškovo embankment is built out over the river with projecting steps:


The new pavilion on the Petkovškovo embankment offers one of the best views of Castle Hill:


The new pavilion on the Petkovškovo embankment:


New park by the Gradaščica River:


The Breg embankment after renovation:


The new, exclusively pedestrian Butchers' Bridge links the centre of the Petkovškovo embankment with the stoa that Plečnik built as the riverfront façade of the Tržnica market:


Detail of Butcher's Bridge:


Plan of the intervention between Triple Bridge, on the left, and Grain bridge on the right. In the centre is Butcher's Bridge:


Running perpendicular to the Cankarjevo embankment is Ključavničarska Street (2009), which leads up to Castle Hill. This street has also been restored:


New park by the Gradaščica River:


Plan of the intervention near the Gradaščica River, a branch of the Ljubljanica. The meeting of this smaller river with Barjanska Road, a main thoroughfare providing access to the city, has been resolved by means of a new bridge and a riverside park:


Pergola in the Špica (City Park):


The Trnovo embankment after renovation:


Tiered seating in the Špica (City Park):


The new Špica (City Park, 2010), a green riverbank space that completes the project at southernmost point of the island on which the city centre is located:


The Trnovo embankment after renovation:


New riverside walk along the Gruber Canal:


New riverside walk along the Gruber Canal:


Ground plan and elevation of the footbridge over the Gruber Canal:


Aerial view of the footbridge over the Gruber Canal, which links the Botanic Gardens of the University of Ljubljana with the new Špica (City Park, 2010):


Photo of detail from the footbridge over the Gruber Canal:


Transversal section of the new pavilion built on the Petkovškovo embankment:


Sursa.


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[b1]

"Shared Surface" in Exhibition Road
A main road in one of London's cultural districts has been repaved and rid of architectural barriers, while vehicular traffic has been regulated by means of a "shared surface" system that achieves a balance of consensus between traffic and pedestrians.

Previous state:

Owing its name to the Exhibition of 1851, Exhibition Road is a main street of some eight hundred metres in length and approximately twenty-five metres wide in the area of Albertopolis. As the site of many major cultural and educational facilities, for example the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and Imperial College of London, it attracts some eleven million visitors every year. Besides reputable business establishments and some places of worship, it concentrates thousands of residents, among whom students account for a significant proportion.

Since the 1960s, the road had been divided into two lanes for vehicular traffic, two rather narrow footpaths, and three rows of parked vehicles, one on either side and one in the centre. It was difficult to cross owing to a scarcity of pedestrian crossings and, in general, its appearance was cluttered, unattractive and not very worthy of its prestigious institutions.

Aim of the intervention:

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea called for entries in a competition aimed at redressing this situation. It was necessary to guarantee that Exhibition Road met more exigent requirements of accessibility, and it was stipulated that pedestrians should be able stroll there peacefully, while enjoying the monumental facades of its buildings.

Description:

The intervention essentially consisted of the physical unscrambling of the street's surface and traffic. Pedestrians and vehicular traffic now share the space in keeping with a "shared surface" model with a reduced speed limit. The ground has been cleared of footpaths, obstacles and architectural barriers so that pedestrians, people in wheelchairs and with baby buggies can move freely. Black cast-iron drainage channel covers run along both sides of the road, four metres away from the buildings. Edging the covers is a band of rough paving especially designed for the visually impaired.

High quality natural stone was the paving choice with a view to long-term maintenance of the surface, which has been covered in a broad diamond pattern in pale granite on dark. The interlocking paving stones are joined with flexible mortar over a slab of fibre-reinforced concrete. The paving stones are held in place by stainless steel and concrete nubs which prevent movement under the wheels of vehicles. The night-time street lighting is achieved by twenty-six masts of twenty metres in height and set at intervals of twenty-five metres along the centre of the road, with illumination especially designed for the space.

Assessment:

The formal simplicity of the surface design contrasts with the complexity of its possible uses and different kinds of movement. Indeed, the intervention favours versatility over specificity while trusting in a capacity for coexistence between respectful drivers and prudent pedestrians. As a result Exhibition Road serenely accommodates the intensity of movement associated with a main thoroughfare.

Aerial view before work started:


Aerial view when work complete:


The Exhibtion Road project workforce:


Council leaders removing the first kerb:


Hand laying the granite setts:


Testing the delineator:


Specially designed corduroy tactile delineator:


Exhibition Road outside Imperial College:


Exhibition Road outside the Natural History Museum:


Night time lighting in Exhibition Road:


Southern end of Exhibition Road:


Sursa.


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[b1]

Park am Gleisdreieck
Conversion of land once occupied by an old railway crossing into a large urban-scale metropolitan park.

Previous state:

Just over a kilometre south of Potsdamer Platz, near the left bank of the Landwehr Canal, an extensive, triangular-shaped area of waste ground once separated the neighbourhoods of Kreuzberg to the east and Schöneberg to the west. Known as Gleisdreieck, meaning "triangle of rails", it was formed by the intersection of different railway lines that had entered Berlin from the south since the mid-nineteenth century. Railway lines, sheds and warehouses of three old railway stations located in very close proximity ─Dresdner Bahnhof (1875-1882), Potsdamer Bahnhof (1838-1944) and Anhalter Bahnhof (1839-1952)─ accumulated on a raised platform of some twenty hectares at a height of four metres above the city level.

As the infrastructure gradually ceased to be used the whole area became increasingly run down and neglected, to the point of being used as a rubbish tip after 1945. Meanwhile, vegetation took over, turning it into a surprising natural enclave in the middle of built-up territory. The closeness of the Berlin Wall also contributed to the fact that Gleisdreieck was for decades clearly identified as no-man's-land. Only the homonymous U-Bahn station in Berlin's underground railway system testified to its existence through its name. Shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, however, the German Museum of Technology was installed in the north-western third of the sector, attracting large numbers of visitors and giving visibility to the site. Nevertheless, it was the unification of the city that gave the zone more centrality, whereupon finding a destiny for it became an imperative need.

Aim of the intervention:

After 2006, the State of Berlin put forward the proposal of converting Gleisdreieck into a large urban park that would integrate the different urban zones which converged there. The problematic, decades-long disconnectedness imposed by the enclave now presented an opportunity for joining the southern area of Potsdamer Platz with Kreuzberg and Schöneberg. The creation of the park would trigger one of the biggest urban expansions inside Berlin, all within a framework of many uses, tempos and social realities. It was necessary to stimulate the development of sixteen new hectares of productive neighbourhoods that would be capable of integrating different generations and social strata around a model of the sustainable city and in harmony with nature. The need to adapt these goals to preserving the pre-existing railway heritage also appeared following intense discussion with local proprietors and residents.

Description:

Once the terrain of the park had been submitted to a process of clearing away the undergrowth and decontamination, it was then organised by means of a combination of extant and added elements. The project as a whole was planned around a large central meadow, crossed from east to west by a concrete footpath and from north to south by a pair of railway lines. Once a month, a train slowly crosses these lines, travelling from its shed to the German Museum of Technology. The concrete footpath, which is a continuation of one of the main Kreuzberg boulevards, starts in the east, clearing the four metres difference in height of the platform by means of a stairway, and suddenly ends in the west on reaching the U-Bahn lines.

On the northern side of the meadow there is a large concrete slab of rounded edges and sufficiently thick for its perimeter to be used as a place to sit. Well oriented to the south, it functions as a big sunny terrace, full of benches complete with footrests. In the south, the meadow looks over the gap of Yorckstrasse, an underpass crossed by more than fifteen bridges over which the trains once arrived in the nearby stations. On the eastern side of the meadow there is quite a dense forest of pre-existing maples, oaks, birches and lemon trees as well as new trees of these species. At this point, a couple of large metal frames hold two swings. The edges of the park are finished with a collection of distinctive spaces, for example a nursery, sports fields, concave surfaces for skateboards, stages for tango dancing, community gardens or simple areas covered in gravel taken from the place itself.

Assessment:

Not exempt from disagreement between people who were in favour of safeguarding the railway heritage and others who wanted to regenerate the adjacent neighbourhoods, Gleisdreieck Park was opened to the public in September 2011. The heart of Berlin now has a new green lung in which the sensuality of small corners with very different atmospheres fits neatly into a large-scale, wide-ranging, rugged and robust general order. This has been possible precisely because the intervention was not limited to restituting industrial vestiges in order to promote railway history. As if it also wished to bear in mind the six decades of human absence in which nature had its way, the park has been able to conserve to some extent the spirit of the non-place that preceded it.

Image prior to the intervention. Photo map from 1943. The Gleisdreieck railway triangle took shape between the neighbourhoods of Kreuzberg and Schöneberg:


Aerial view of the project zone. The State of Berlin put forward the proposal of converting Gleisdreieck into a large urban park that would integrate the different urban zones which converged there:


Concave surfaces for skateboards:


The project as a whole was planned around a large central meadow, crossed from east to west by a concrete footpath and from north to south by a pair of railway lines:


General plan of the spatial organisation:


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // Within the park frame, paths made of different materials and for different speeds of movement connect the park entrance:


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // View on entrance "Yorckstraße":


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // Large format concrete slabs circuit the wide lawn directly at its edge:


Playground in the forest:


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // View on entrance "Yorckstraße":


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // The four 80 meters long benches on the terraces form a large sculpture that characterizes the site:


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // The contrast between "grown" nature and artificially built vegetative elements is purposely put in scene:


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // View from the entrance "Museum of Technology" on the central lawn "Kreuzberger Wiese":


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // LITTLE BIRCH FOREST The integrated, wild railway "nature" is a another historical relict and witness of the turbulent past of the location:


Park am Gleisdreieck // ACTION FIELDS The location of the playing areas develops from the interaction between the type of utilization and urban context:


A couple of large metal frames hold two swings:


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // POETICAL AND ROBUST Three different playgrounds round up the range of possibilities for leisure activities:


On the northern side of the meadow there is a large concrete slab which, well oriented to the south, functions as a big sunny terrace, full of benches complete with footrests:


On the eastern side of the meadow there is quite a thick forest of pre-existing maples, oaks, birches and lemon trees as well as new trees of these species:


View of the park from the concrete terrace:


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // TRIBUNE AND TANGO The Park am Gleisdreieck facilitates Berlin's creativity and performing arts:


Park am Gleisdreieck - Eastpark // As a true Berlin-Park there is plenty of space for creativity, such as acting, dancing and other performances:


Once a month, a train slowly crosses these lines, travelling from its shed to the German Museum of Technology:


The concrete footpath leads into a dense forest on the western side:


Park am Gleisdreieck // Plan of East Park & West Park:


The transversal concrete footpath starts in the east, clearing the four metres difference in height of the platform by means of a stairway:


The project as a whole was planned around a large central meadow, crossed from east to west by a concrete footpath and from north to south by a pair of railway lines:



Park am Gleisdreieck // ACTION FIELDS The park frame is completed by a variety of playing and sports grounds for all age groups:


Sursa.


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Foarte interesant proiectul din Ljubljana, poate se autosesizeaza si PMB

[b1]

Nu doar în București, ci și în restul orașelor care sunt traversate de cursuri de apă.
Stassfurt Relinquishing the Old Centre
The creation of an artificial lake in the site that was once the medieval centre of Staßfurt commemorates its total collapse due to rash exploitation of its underground salt mines.

Previous state:

Staßfurt arised in the Middle Ages by a ford in the River Bode and reached the height of its economic activity in the latter half of the nineteenth century thanks to systematic exploitation of underground salt beds. Once it was discovered that it was possible to process potassium nitrate to obtain, besides gunpowder, potent fertilisers, the town became one of Germany's main saline producing spots. Far from limiting its activity to the primary extractive sector, the town managed to wrap itself with many chemical plants which produced valuable derivatives from the potash very close to its point of extraction.

However, the town was to pay a very high price for this prosperity. Ignorance as to the composition of the subsoil and its groundwater led to errors in drilling which, given the proximity of the river, had tragic consequences. The water flooded the mine shafts, dissolving saline masses and causing the collapse of many subterranean caverns. The town's medieval centre gradually subsided to the extent that, after some decades, it had dropped more than six metres and was now below the water table. By the 1960s, some eight hundred buildings, including the Town Hall and the church, were so damaged they had to be demolished in order to avoid their sudden collapse.

The area that should have been the heart of Staßfurt was left as a vacant, nondescript space. The instability of the ground and the magnitude of the catastrophe meant that it was not feasible to restore what had been lost. In addition, the mining and chemical industries left the zone and the town lapsed into serious economic and demographic decline. Once the referential and gravitational pull of the old town was gone, the slight subsequent urban growth has been disperse and erratic.

Aim of the intervention:

Over the years it has become evident how necessary the survival of an intact and representative historic centre is for the collective sense of identity of the inhabitants of a city or town. Staßfurt, too, needed a unifying and organising urban nucleus around which any future development might revolve. After 2004, the Town Council embarked on a participative process that brought the town's residents together around a challenge in the form of accepting the physical loss of the old centre but without renouncing the need to preserve it in the collective memory. In brief, something had to be done in order to heal the shocking emptiness that had been left in the old centre.

Description:

Acceptance of the loss began to take shape in 2005 when the groundwater was allowed to flood part of the cone formed by the subsided ground in order to create a lake. The shores were lined with stone-filled banks in allusion to the salt crystals that once brought so much prosperity and calamity to Staßfurt. A new footbridge acts as the continuation of Kottenstraße, a road that was cut with the appearance of the lake. On the other hand, Marktgasse Alley stops at the water just after forming a stairway that doubles as tiered seating which turns into a small lakeside quay. On the opposite shore, some angled steps indicate the point where the alley would emerge from the water to continue on its way.

The lake is circled by a paved path and, on the eastern side, there is a continuous stone bench fitted into the base of a grassy bank. On the south side, the track embraces a rectangular field which, raised a metre and a half above its surrounds, covers the old cemetery and indicates its original level. In the centre of the field, an area delimited by metal sheets, filled with earth and planted with grass, outlines the base of the old bell tower of the church which, famous just before it disappeared for the pronounced angle at which it was leaning, had been the most representative element in Staßfurt's profile for five centuries. A little further to the south, a rectangular esplanade reveals the former location of the town market. This space is bleak, free of any vegetation and only occupied by a semicircular concrete bench.

On the western shore, a reticular plantation of cherry trees has taken over the private grounds of an abandoned factory until some more specific activity is undertaken in the space. In the north, the so-called Potash Garden surrounds the tower of an old salt mining shaft. At some points, inscriptions in the paving indicate with figures how much the ground surface subsided. The few houses left in the centre after being saved from sinking have been reinforced and renovated. Between the lake and Steinstraße, the main shopping street, which is located to the east, some vacant lots left by previous preventive demolition work are now being used for new constructions. Several vacated buildings have been restored and new commercial activities are now starting to appear.

Assessment:

The physical and psychological depression of the medieval town centre have been partially remedied by an emphatic, determined intervention that has enabled Staßfurt to accept its history and raise its head to look towards the future. The old centre is now the former centre, in the form of a representative place that does not restore the past but recognises and remembers it. It does not do so with the paralysing sorrow of a memorial confined to contrition but, rather, with the buoyant optimism of a green zone open to leisure activities and aiming to become a meeting point and an organising nucleus of the town.

Before the intervention. Photograph taken from Marktgasse Alley. The zone consisting of the medieval centre of Staßfurt was now a vacant, irregular space:


Marktgasse Alley is cut off by the water just after it forms a stairway that doubles as tiered seating after which it turns into a small lakeside quay. On the opposite shore, some angled steps indicate the point where the alley would emerge from the water to continue on its way:


Left: the so-called Potash Garden surrounds the old tower of a salt mining shaft to the north of the lake. Right: the reticular plantation of cherry trees which has taken over the private grounds of an abandoned factory on the western shore:


The esplanade where the old market used to be is bleak, free of any vegetation and only occupied by a semicircular concrete bench:


To the south of the cemetery field, a rectangular esplanade reveals the former location of the town market:


In the centre of the cemetery field an area delimited by metal sheets then filled with earth and planted with grass outlines the base of the old bell tower of the church:


On the southern shore there is a rectangular field which, raised a metre and a half above its surrounds, covers the old cemetery and indicates the original level of the burial ground:


Where Kottenstraße meets the eastern shore of the lake. In the background, the field where the cemetery used to be and the esplanade of the old market:


Eastern support of the bridge. The lake is circled by a paved path and, on the eastern side, there is a continuous stone bench fitted into the base of a grassy bank:


Detail of the western shore showing the angled steps of Marktgasse Alley and the footbridge crossing the lake:


View from the south. The shores are lined with stone-filled banks in allusion to the salt crystals that once brought so much prosperity and calamity to Staßfurt:


Aerial view of Staßfurt at the beginning of the twentieth century:


General plan of the intervention. In 2005 the groundwater was allowed to flood part of the cone formed by the subsided ground to form a lake:


A brownfield to the west of the lake has been planted with cherry trees, which could be removed again if the site were to be built upon:


Detail of the small pier where Kottenstraße projects into the lake:


A brownfield to the west of the lake has been planted with cherry trees, which could be removed again if the site were to be built upon:


It is well accepted by the people as a public space. Here you can find children, cyclists, and people out for a stroll:


The former church tower:


A new footbridge gives continuity to Kottenstraße, a road that was cut off with the appearance of the lake:


View of the raised field from the path on the eastern shore:


At some points, inscriptions in the paving indicate with figures how much the ground surface subsided:


The outline of an area, lying slantwise in the grass, marks the former church tower, the so-called leaning tower, that was Staßfurt's symbol for over a 500 years.


Sursa.


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[b1]

Radovi na izgradnji šetališta uz rijeku Moraču i radovi na adaptaciji Njegoševog parka, 20.10.2021 (Translate: Lucrări de construcție a promenadei de-a lungul râului Morača și lucrări de adaptare a Parcului Njegoš):

[b1]

Lucrări de construcție a promenadei râului Morača și a Parcului Njegoš, 30.11.2021:

[b1]

Și pasajele subterane pot arăta bine, să atragă pietonii (și bicicliștii):
Amsterdam: exploring creative illumination for underpasses
Underpasses in the Dutch capital, as in many cities around the world, are not always considered pleasant or safe by pedestrians and cyclists.

That is why the City of Amsterdam is conducting research on what influences people's perception of underpasses (i.e. covered passageways, tunnels and viaducts).

The ability to orient oneself in an underpass is key.:
"We found that the ability to orient oneself in an underpass is key. When entering, you immediately want to clearly see where it ends so that you can continue your journey," explains Hans Akkerman, Senior Advisor Public Lighting in Amsterdam.

The study also found that too much contrast (light, materials, pavement) should be avoided. Since the use of natural light has long been overlooked when designing underpasses, most are illuminated 24/7 with inadequate artificial lighting that creates shadows and dark spaces that decrease the feeling of safety.

Generally sober underpasses can benefit from a more creative form of lighting:
"A good way to improve the situation in existing underpasses is of course through lighting. We find that the generally sober nature of underpasses can benefit from a more creative form of lighting, be it in addition to the existing functional lighting or not," says H. Akkerman.

The city inaugurated two such creative lighting projects in 2018. Contractors had received an open assignment to illuminate selected underpasses in a more attractive way, taking into consideration existing artworks in the underpasses, a modest budget and easy maintenance.

Haringpakkersbrug underpass:
In the Haringpakkersbrug underpass – a low pedestrian passageway that runs alongside a canal near the Central Station – a specially developed ceiling armature utilises the ever-moving water's reflection to create a soothing and appealing visual effect both night and day. It also illuminates the artwork Coming Back Is Not The Same As Staying on the wall opposite the water which was barely visible before.


"The underpass is rather low, with wide columns and empty space behind each pillar that was not properly lit, leading to public urination, waste and fallen bicycles. The new lighting, with a customised armature by Marco de Boer of Primo Exposures, has resulted in effective lighting for the entire underpass including the columns, their surroundings and the ceiling," explains H. Akkerman.


Here Comes The Sun:
Another successful creative lighting project concerns the much-frequented underpass between the Hortus Botanicus/ Artis Zoo and Hermitage Museum in the Plantage district. "Here too, there were unlit spaces and at times it felt eerie," explains H. Akkerman.


A playful lighting effect named Here Comes The Sun by Happy Tunnel Collective reproduces the visual effect of the sun's rays illuminating the tunnel using dynamic lighting software. Linking to the existing artwork by Lou Heldens featuring fantasised hieroglyphs on the walls of the tunnel, the lighting effect creates rays reminiscent of an Egyptian funerary tomb opened after centuries. "In addition to creating a safer and more playful ambience, the new lighting has given the tunnel's artwork an extra dimension," says H. Akkerman.


Sursa.

[b1]

Challenges of building the world's first 3D printed steel bridge

Few would be surprised to hear that building the world's first 3D printed steel bridge presented a series of unique challenges for the team behind the project.

The bridge opened to the public in July. It was printed by robotic arms and equipped with an innovative sensor network, linked to a digital twin computer model that monitors its performance in real-time. Challenges involved in building the bridge in Amsterdam included cost and process and product variability. Imperial College London professor of structural engineering Leroy Gardner told NCE's TechFest conference last week that there are "challenges to overcome" in the development of 3D printing but "that's what makes it exciting".

Cost is one consideration, with the wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) method of metal 3D printing considered best suited to the requirements of the construction industry in terms of scale, speed and cost. Process and product variability provides another challenge, with the approach still a relatively new one. "We've got well-established standards and quality control process for normal steel," Gardner said. "We don't have this for 3D printed material and you need to know this kind of information in order to decide safety factors and so on."

Innovation is also needed to find the best techniques to design the structures. "Geometric freedom is good in a sense but you've got to design it and if you open up Eurocode 3 [Design of steel structures] you're not going to find anything suitable," Gardner said. "We need to think about how to design these structures and it's probably more about sophisticated techniques, finite element modelling, this kind of thing."

Finally, the "over-arching demand" is to ensure the safety of the structures is not compromised, Gardner said. Overall, Gardner said that the ability of 3D printing "to place material in optimal configuration to resist the applied load" and "tailor material properties to meet the particular stress and ductility demands" presents "clear opportunities for reducing material use and waste, as well as increasing automation, in construction". He explained: "For example, high strength steel has lower ductility than normal strength steel and that can lead to problems in things like connections. "If you have the ability to mix your material you can use higher strength in locations where you need it but ductility demands are lower, and lower strength in things like the connections where you need that ductility."

Going forward, the method is likely to complement rather than replace conventional production processes. "The MX3D bridge is a one-off but it shows what can be done and what might be possible in the future," Gardner said. "I think there will be opportunities for wider use of this technology and things like strengthening, connections, stiffeners, increased automation and reduced material use in our sector."

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New study uncovers real reason behind Millennium Bridge wobble



A new study from an international team of engineers and mathematicians, led by Georgia State University and the University of Bristol, has figured out the true cause of London's Millennium Bridge's infamous 'wobble'.

The pedestrian crossing over the Thames River, between Tate Modern and St. Paul's Cathedral, opened in June 2000, with thousands lining up to walk it. Unfortunately, it was forced to shut down two days later as users experienced a troubling sway in the structure as they crossed.

It remained closed for two years while engineers, Arup, investigated unexpected oscillation. It was eventually concluded that the phenomenon could not be stopped, and instead it was decided that the oscillation would be mitigated by retrofitting 37 viscous fluid dampers – 17 chevron dampers under the walkway to control lateral movement, 16 pier dampers to control lateral and torsional movement and four vertical dampers to control lateral and vertical movement.

Experts at the time claimed that the bridge movement was caused by a phenomenon called synchronous lateral excitation ­– when the people on the bridge subconsciously start to walk in sync.

However, the new study, published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, says that this is false.

In their report, experts from Bristol and Georgia explain that they have investigated many other bridges with similar oscillations and have found little to no evidence of synchronicity between walkers.

Instead, they assert that the swaying of the bridge is in fact caused by pedestrians trying not to fall over. The pedestrians walking randomly on the bridge provide 'negative damping' whereby the energy from a person's wobbling is transferred to the bridge.

This conclusion was reached through observational and experimental evidence, new rigorous mathematical analysis and detailed computer simulation.

Large oscillations can occur on a range of bridges. Now, armed with this knowledge, future engineers can avoid unwanted oscillation by ensuring that their bridges' frequencies are not aligned with typical pedestrian pace frequency.

University of Bristol's Department of Civil Engineering professor John Macdonald said: "It wasn't the form of the London Millennium Bridge that caused the problem. These large oscillations can occur on virtually any long bridge when carrying a sufficiently large crowd.

"It turns out that the forces from many random left and right footsteps do not cancel out, but positive feedback leads to the vibrations getting out of hand, a bit like when two or more laptops are too close to each other on a Zoom call, which is ironic because most of this work was conducted over Zoom with our collaborators in Cambridge, Atlanta and Wroklaw."

Bristol's Department of Engineering Mathematics professor Alan Champneys said: "This international, multi-university collaboration has been a long story, but shows the unique power of interdisciplinary collaboration between practical engineers, mathematicians and physicists.

"Sometimes the answer is hiding in plain sight, but the wisdom of the crowd has led for many years to an incorrect explanation of what is a very simple idea."

Georgia State University professor Igor Belykh said: "I have long been fascinated by the mathematical theory of synchronisation, and attempted to apply the theory to bridge instability, but it was only after interaction with colleagues at the University of Bristol, that I realised there was a different story, which has been tremendous fun to finally understand together even if, because of the global pandemic, most of our work has been carried out over Zoom."

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