Aalborg

How can the site contribute to the adaptable city?

Vestbyen is one of the oldest boroughs in Aalborg, established as a residential area to house the workers employed by industrial advances between 1900 and 1950. The district has not developed noticeably since it was built. This is in contrast to the rest of the city - especially the centre - which has experienced major change and expansion over the last few years, with investment in large-scale international projects. Along with the neighborhood’s untapped potential, new strategies for Vestbyen can contribute to this development of Aalborg as the small but internationally-oriented city. A new strategy for Vestbyen could highlight the kind of solutions, which when taken out of the pre-existing framework can provide new activities in increasing quality of life for those who live and work in the neighborhood, as well as in tackling climate change and social problems. These overall themes could form the basis for the establishment of new meeting places, a new use of urban space and fresh ideas regarding green and blue areas in the quarter.

City strategy

With a population of 122,000, Aalborg is the largest town in the northernmost region of Denmark. In recent years, the city has undergone an extreme transformation from industrial town to knowledge and experience city. The city has revamped itself as «the city on the fjord», and has over the past 10-15 years made great investments in the regeneration of the central waterfronts and the central Midtbyen district, which has provided the entire city centre with a lift and a new identity. In 1974, a large university was built in the eastern part of Aalborg, which today is hugely influential on the city’s growth and business life. There are plans to extend Aalborg University, as well as to construct a large, internationally-oriented University Hospital, scheduled to open in 2020. 
Aalborg Municipality is currently examining the possibility of constructing a high-classification public transport system in the form of a light railway, which would connect the central city districts to the University Hospital. Work is expected to start on the light railway line in 2020.

Site definition

Vestbyen is part of a string of neighborhoods situated attractively along the Limfjord Strait: it also has close connections to Aalborg Midtby, large green recreational areas west of the neighborhood and large suburban residential districts further south. The neighborhood is characterized by its multiple identities, which are evident in the area’s diverse collection of services, large recreational areas by the fjord and the broad range of housing available. 
A particular characteristic of Vestbyen is that there has always been open access to the Limfjord. The areas next to the fjord are marked by the activities of rowing and sailing clubs, while for the residents, access and proximity to the water is limited. Like the building pattern, the infrastructure is clearly defined by a grid of roads. Kastetvej, which is in focus as a project area, is one of the primary link roads between Midtbyen and Vestbyen, and this is also the location of the planned light railway, which will connect Vestbyen with Midtbyen and the eastern part of Aalborg. 

Adaptability: main elements to take into account

The starting point for the strategy is the establishment of the light railway, which will run on a track along the central link roads in Vestbyen. This provides an ideal opportunity to kick-start a development of the entire area, which today presents a rather boring and worn-out framework for life in the quarter. In order to make Vestbyen an adaptable neighborhood, the strategy must take into consideration not only the development but also the preservation of the quarter’s many, diverse identities. These identities can manifest themselves, for example, in the different qualities of living and visiting the area, special environmentally sustainable supplements or climate change adaptations. A new programming for the neighborhood is sought, which both fits in with Aalborg’s development as a knowledge and experience city and considers the critical mass for a city the size of Aalborg. It could also be considered how a new application of the infrastructure could help bring change to the quarter. New meeting places and better connections are equally important elements that can help to create a more effective coherence in the district. A new strategy and access to using the public space will also be a focus point.