Filed under: Industrial Design, Urban Design | Tags: Aalborg, Bologna, branding, city image, creative class, creative spaces, Delft, Den Haag, dissertation, identity, image, Industrial Design, mapping, orientation, recreation, thesis, urban furniture, urban planning, urban spaces
In the following pages of this chapter, research into two cities is extensively presented: Aalborg and Den Haag. Near the end of the chapter, two more cities are mentioned briefly to identify the type of character they promote and to demonstrate how they project their image to themselves and to the outside world.
The section begins with a very brief description of the geographical position and comparable characteristics of the cities, moving from there to their respective histories. Their economic situations will follow and finally their current situation in general, meaning what their current development plans involve. The texts here are taken and modified from the cities’ branding and advertisements to attract people to the city as residents eager to take advantage of the new and exciting ways of life offered to them.
Interviews with members of the municipalities, either currently working on projects or able to provide information on the vision and identity of the city, follow. For this part, substantial research material was gathered towards understanding the cities’ development and their priorities, the competition between cities and their treatment of spaces and inhabitants.
Although the layout is seemingly top-down (beginning with general information and moving into specifics and facts on the ground), this was merely done for the reader’s benefit. Research began from observing the aesthetic result and moved on from there to investigate the reasons for it.
At the end of the chapter, there is a brief reflection, critically analysing the research conducted until that point and focused on extracting the essence of the image and the identity of a city. The location and focus on the importance of diversity and its expression, both intentionally and unintentionally, holds an important place in this project as well. At the same time, urban furniture will be inserted into this critique, evaluating its role and importance as it has been experienced. Continue reading
Filed under: Industrial Design, Urban Design | Tags: case study, community, design, design task, interview, long term strategy, organisation, recreation, revitalisation, Urban Design, urban planning
I had a meeting with an Urban planner from the Kommune, a very nice and kind woman who was more than eager to help and provide information about the recreation Aalborg is going through. She was explaining to me how Aalborg has come to be from an Industrial city, a suburban, relaxed and easy-going environment. The bad thing is that they are stuck with the factories and the concrete platforms all around the harbour area. The recreation is also about shaking off the concrete and replacing it with green from plants and blue from the Limfjord. The recreation will include the building and organisation of facilities and activities for all tastes and for all ages. There will even be swimming platforms, where people can swim in the Limfjord (eewwwww…). Continue reading
Design For Thought 