Oslo (Norway): Parks between city and port

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.