Commitment 08Read more
City-Port Interface
The City-Port Interface: A Resource for Diverse Development Projects
Developing public spaces and recreational or cultural amenities in City Port interface zones to create an appealing new area.
How to strike a balance between the spatial needs of the port and the city?
Creating buffer zones between existing or future urban areas and port activities facilitates a harmonious coexistence of the city and the port while also serving as living spaces. These buffer areas can take various forms. They may include urban zones with infrastructure compatible with port activities such as offices, small businesses, and cultural facilities. Green buffer zones can also be established, either by preserving predominantly rural areas or by creating new green spaces within the urban fabric. This is the case with the port of Oslo which with their Fjord City project while highlighting their port heritage structures, also reviewed the way such structures are linked in the promenades of the port. The redeveloped areas of Bjørvika, Sjursøya, and Bekkelagsbadet include green and publicly accessible areas for leisure on the waterfront while close to the city centre. These areas could be seen as the intersection for the public to be aware of the port activities while re-centring the city in the port.
This good practice also includes objective 4.5 (Adopting a land management policy that strikes a balance between urban uses and the active port, especially on the waterfront) of the AIVP’s Agenda 2030.
The Oslo City Council and Port Authority of Oslo co-developed a strategy for highlighting heritage structures in developing older port areas into urban spaces while allowing the port to expand. The Fjord City project launched in 2000, entails an urban renewal project concerning the waterfront areas of Oslo. The first plan was drafted in 2000 by the Oslo City Council and the work was initiated by the Oslo port authorities in 2008. The goal of this urban renewal project was to preserve the maritime cultural heritage resulting in a detailed survey of all the elements of heritage, historical or scenic value and promote the transformation of the port to a more sustainable waterfront. While heritage is a big aspect of this urban renewal project is important, the redevelopment of the waterfront goes further than just preserving the heritage structures of the waterfront, by incorporating them in a well-designed interface where the public can easily access and move around.
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