Strategies for densification of Longyearbyen (original) (raw)

On the feasibility and effectiveness of urban densification in Norway

Urban densification has been widely adopted as a strategy to achieve the sustainable city. There is a wide consensus on the benefits of the compact city in regards to environmental performance. Yet, there are some unanswered questions mainly in connection with implementation challenges and the real gains in attaining sustainable development. This is a particularly relevant discussion in a high-income and sparsely populated country such as Norway. In such a context the strategy appears difficult to implement. The implications of urban densification with regard to the sustainable city are analysed in this paper using the concepts of feasibility and effectiveness. The study was conducted by a combination of exploration of theoretical concepts related to the sustainable city and evaluation of empirical data in four Norwegian cities: Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger. These cases were analysed in relation to densification, dwelling types, and transportation modes. Although densification is proven feasible in most of the studied cities according to the results, this may be happening not solely because of successful planning efforts, but also because of demographic trends. The effectiveness of this strategy with regard to sustainable patterns, particularly in urban mobility, offers, so far, less evident and direct benefits. Densification is only one of the many qualities that the sustainable city requires; however, it is a precondition for the existence of other essential features for urban sustainability.

A Scientific Approach to the Densification Debate in Bergen Centre in Norway

Sustainability, 2020

The municipality of Bergen in Norway aims to densify fifty per cent of new housing within the city’s central parts. The Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation ordered and financed an investigation to be carried out by the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and the consulting firm Asplan Viak to give research-based input to the densification strategy debate in Bergen. This article demonstrates how the Space Syntax method can be applied to urban densification strategies in urban planning and policy making. The Geographical Information System (GIS) is used to obtain, select, and aggregate operational information. First, the spatial attributes that constitute an area’s attractiveness were registered. Then, this analysis was modelled after the Spacescape ® method. Next, the Space Syntax methodology was applied to predict to-movement and through-movement flow potentials. Finally, through weighting the relevant parameters, including impediments such as land ownership, tw...

Revitalisation of Mosterhamn. Spatial strategies for improving and old coastal village in Western Norway

Proceedings of the 13 th Space Syntax Symposium, 2022

This short paper/poster presents how space syntax is used in a strategic planning proposal for improving Mosterhamn, a small traditional port village at the western coast of Norway. Mosterhamn has a high cultural-historical value in Norway. However, the port activities and the population are declining. The place is characterized by a scattered settlement. The aim is to propose a revitalization

Urban Sustainability in Arctic Cities: Challenges and Opportunities of Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals

Urban Planning, 2024

Arctic cities are at the forefront of climate change, experiencing distinctive obstacles in their endeavors to pursue green transitions and attain sustainability objectives. These cities are marked by high energy consumption, primarily driven by activities related to resource extraction and the demanding climate. Moreover, they rely heavily on natural resources for growth, have limited infrastructure, and experience significant external and internal remoteness. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of urban sustainability in Arctic cities, focusing on key themes, trends, and challenges. Through a systematic review of extant literature, this study examines current research on urban sustainability in the Arctic and identifies crucial gaps, delineating a path to sustainability. Using VOSviewer software, six thematic clusters were identified: climate change and environmental adaptation, SDGs and smart urban planning, sustainable development and urban governance, sustainable economic development, social sustainability, and green energy transition. These clusters provide valuable insights into the dominant themes and evolving discourse in Arctic sustainability research. The findings show that the literature focuses predominantly on Russian Arctic cities, signaling an imperative for a more inclusive strategy encompassing a broader spectrum of Arctic cities. Additionally, sustainability is inherently site-specific and necessitates a nuanced understanding that incorporates different stakeholders' perspectives and considers particular regional traits to create a more effective and meaningful approach to measuring and achieving sustainability in Arctic cities. This article contributes to the ongoing discourse on sustainability in Arctic cities by advocating for a comprehensive framework that accommodates unique challenges and opportunities of Arctic urban environments.

Radical (re)localisation to bring the cities and countryside together for sustainable Nordic societies in 2030

Fast Track to Vision 2030, 2023

Nordic populations have become concentrated in a few urban regions. This trend is expected to hold in the foreseeable future [1]. For food, raw materials and energy as well as various public benefits-such as clean air and water, places for recreation and relaxation-people in these cities depend on landscapes beyond the city limits [2]. Commodities and energy from all over the world reach urban homes via intricate and long transportation routes held together by pipelines, lorries, trains, and planes, financed and organised with capital from a few globally operating multinationals [3].

Environmental sustainability and urban densification

The Sustainable City VII, 2012

Densification is generally proposed as the solution to the excessive soil consumption that has characterized the urban development of European cities in the recent decades. Even if the "compact city" can generally be regarded as a preferred urban form over the "dispersed city", the strategy of densification is not applicable to any context, leaving aside the local conditions. Densification operations should consider the state of the environmental and urban context and assess threats and opportunities offered by the specific site. Thus, this paper describes a method for the environmental sustainability analysis of the built urban fabric. It proposes a set of sustainability objectives and preconditions to be evaluated in order to estimate the possibility to increase the urban density without compromising the environment, and it defines implementation measures, declined for the various environmental aspects which are considered to be affected by the densification interventions (water, soil, energy, electromagnetism, seismic, public facilities, waste, mobility, noise, air). The implementation measures are considered as guidelines for the inclusion of new volumes or for the completion of existing ones into the built areas, to be codified in the municipal building rules in order to guarantee the sustainability of the densification. The theme is explored both at the building scale and the urban scale, considering both the environmental aspects dealing with the building, such as the energy and seismic improvement, the urban morphology and the infrastructures capacity at urban scale, such as transport and green networks, water and road traffic flows.