Piteå (SE)

Inhabited milieu's challenges

Piteå is a coastal town in Northern Sweden.The region has a leading position in Europe when it comes to the green industrial transition. This gives positive effects for the economic and population growth, which require new housing and infrastructure. The new railway North Bothnia Line is an important investment made to connect the region’s coastal towns. It will shorten travel times, enable safer transportation and reduce climate impact. Piteå is today a modern commercial and conference city with universities and research institutions. Piteå has a high profile in music and dance activities and education. Investments are made in several sports. Piteå has traditionally been an industrial city, characterized by the wood industries that still leave their mark on the city. The industries are situated close to the historical centre.
At present, areas west and south of Piteå’s city centre are characterized by open spaces that lack urban qualities. Directly adjacent to the urban area lies Piteå railway yard, which is only used for freight traffic. The fact that the land still elevates due to the postglacial rebound, makes the coastline constantly move further out. The city centre is coming further away from the seaside. This distance, together with the track from the freight railway and the road 506,Timmerleden, forms a large barrier that cuts off the city from the park, water and shoreline at Sörfjärden. The suggested corridor for the future railway track passes in this area, between the centre and the water.
The main goal is to increase high-quality urban spaces and provide meeting places for all ages. Sustainable choices in everyday life should be facilitated by adding connections between areas and functions that today are separated. Increasing the presence of the surrounding nature into the city with new green areas, facilitated accessibility and sight lines, is seen as valuable. In the same time the access from the city to the water and its surrounding green areas must be improved and facilitated. This sets the conditions for urbanity and nature to coexist within the project site. Planning and constructing the railway through Piteå should implicate new life and an improvement of the area.

Questions to the competitors

Expand Piteå centre – The proposals shall present an extension of the city centre towards the west to the existing railway yard and create an attractive area where housing, commerce and businesses are mixed. They shall also enable the city centre to grow closer to the shore at Sörfjärden (the South Bay).The development of the area at Västra Kajen (the West Quai) are also included in the competition task. Due to its proximity to the paper mill, this area is not suitable for housing but can be used for culture, sports, offices etc. Remove barriers between central Piteå and the beach area Sörfjärden – It is important to strengthen the city’s connection and contact with the water and to bridge existing barriers such as Timmerleden and the future barrier that the North Botnia Line might entail. The view from the centre over the water is an important quality to consider.
Develop the green area/recreation area at Sörfjärden – The proposals must present how Södra Hamn (the South Port) can be preserved and developed as a green oasis and social meeting place. Contact with the water is an important quality to develop.
A welcoming, traffic-safe and sustainable transportation hub – The location of the transpor- tation hub has not been determined, which means that the participants may come up with their own proposals for placement within the corridor for the North Botnia Line. A challenge is the barriers and the transportation hub will be able to contribute to connections between central Piteå and Sörfjärden.
The competition proposals shall present a well elaborated urban design concept. The proposals must take into account the special conditions that the northern latitudes entail in terms of daylight and snow management. It is important to consider attractive solutions that work in all seasons in the competition proposals. The proposals should reduce barrier effects and create new attractive areas for homes, offices and public functions adjacent to the water and the transportation hub.