Activating Architecture in Urban Spaces

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Activating Urban Spaces
The term urban space covers a broad range of large and
small spaces, gaps, corridors, compartments, green
spaces and empty spaces as well as larger connected
urban areas. Ideally, cities should seek to comprise
a wide range of all types of space, each with its own
specific character. The city can no longer be understood
simply as the physical delimitations between indoor and
outdoor functions, but needs to be seen as an arena for
political, social and cultural processes in close interplay.
The city is about the places in which we move, work,
live, exercise and recuperate. When we make our way
through the streets and use the urban space, we sense
and experience it. We interpret it through our use of it,
thus understanding it. The city as a whole can thus be
perceived as a sports facility in itself.
The City Is a Success
Urban space is used for daily commutes, recreation and
physical expression. This combination makes some very
specific demands on city spaces that must be versatile,
accommodate multiple functions and offer a range of
experiences. We use urban space for running, playing
hockey and roller-skating in the parking lot, and we use
it for ball games in the courtyard. Many spontaneous
activities such as basketball, skating and mountain
biking have already become an inherent part of the city,
while others like parkour and street golf may be on their
way. This development ought to be complemented by
elaboration of corresponding planning that can contribute
to securing a broad range of activities and possibilities
for expression integrated in the development of the
fundamental opportunities offered by the city, rather
than, as is currently the case, adding them to an area at a
later time.
In the municipalities, we can find many good examples
and intentions concerning the creation of diverse and
active urban spaces. Architectural competitions also
demonstrate a clearly defined desire to illustrate
and describe the dynamic and diverse city life that
encompasses a variety of social, cultural and sports
activities. It is important that these good visions of public
space are given priority and that they remain integral to
the projects when they are realised.
Diverse and Active Urban Spaces
Every city is unique in composition and organisation. Each
has its own role in regional development and its own
specific identity, capability and development potential.
Every city area and neighbourhood has its own specific
appearance and atmosphere that allows the formation
of individual and personal impressions of the area.
Individual projects must be adapted to the terms of the
city, the site and the assignment, such that different city
scenes maintain their individual character. A trip through
the city should ideally be a colourful strip rather than a
monotonous grey line. This can contribute to creating
the active city. Planning and development can benefit
from a point of departure in regional and local objectives
and strategies, but must be grounded in the identity and
potential of the particular area.
A vibrant city with appealing activities and areas for
sports and movement can be created by establishing
an open, flexible and welcoming setting that takes into
consideration the character and entirety of the space.
Location, choice of function and implementation itself
are all factors that combine to determine the ultimate
success of a project. The conditions for individual
activities and functions should be worked through in
detail, in order to ensure optimal location, design and
implementation.
One of the challenges of planning is to generate
development methods that can yield new urban spaces
capable of accommodating these novel forms of sports
and movement and incorporate the unfolding and
changeable self-organised and organised sports within
the existing urban structure. The more sports and
movement rendered possible at the street level, the more
likely people will be to participate and the more varied
forms of sport and physical activity will arise in the urban
space.