The grass is greener: Shining light on the potential held by outdoor environments to support integration processes
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Architecture and planning beyond sustainability (MPDSD), MSc
Publicerad
2023
Författare
Parot, Nina
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
In 2022, Gothenburg was ranked as the
world’s most sustainable city (GDS, 2022). The
municipality prides itself in its effort to become
more sustainable and often communicates
on ecological sustainability (Miljö- Och
Klimatprogrammet, n.d.). This contrasts with
the growing disparities leading the city to be
designated as one of Europe’s most segregated
(Thörn & Thörn, 2017).
The segregation issue in Gothenburg has
existed since its modern development. In
the second half of the 20th century, the city
needed to accommodate the growing number
of inhabitants while facing a housing crisis.
Gothenburg quickly expanded, neighbourhoods
were built beyond existing and continuously
developed large scale infrastructures that
became barriers within the city.
This layout is the source of many social and
structural issues, as these neighbourhoods
remain weakly connected to the urban system
but highly dependent on the city centre.
The most affected districts are the migrant
dominated neighbourhoods located in north
Gothenburg, specifically north-east where the
segregation is spatial and social.
This situation is a hindrance to the incorporation
of its inhabitants. The barriers reduce the access
to opportunities necessary for such a process to
be successful.
Instead of focusing on breaking down these
long standing barriers, maybe the focus could
lie in reducing the dependance of these
neighbourhoods by increasing the opportunities
on a local level.
This thesis focuses on the neighbourhood
of Hjällbo, recuringly affected by the socioeconomical
issues related to segmentation of
the city.
By exploring the transformation of three sites
in the neighbourhood, the goal is to lay the
groundwork for encounters and the emergence
of new programs.
The focus lies on the enhancement of local
qualities and interventions that facilitate the
use of outdoor spaces and support inhabitants’
lifestyles. In doing so, it will promote the
densification of uses and the diversification of
local opportunities.
The three design proposals attempt to support
integration by providing opportunities for
interaction and connection of varying degrees,
therefore enriching one’s social network.
The identification of the sites and the design
strategies are a result of territorial analysis at
different scales, literature studies exploring
urban design and integration theories, crossreferenced
with knowledge acquired through
site visits and studying reference projects.
The design proposal themselves are a result of
iterations incorporating on site observationa
and studies of issues in the neighbourhood.