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Navigating urban landscapes— adaptive and specific design approach for the ‘Landschaftszug’ in Dessau

2014; Routledge; Volume: 9; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/18626033.2014.931695

1862-6033

Sigrun Langner,

Land Use and Ecosystem Services

AbstractMany of today's urgent questions concerning the future of urban landscapes, such as tackling the effects of climate change, transformation processes in shrinking regions, or the quality of daily life in large spatial agglomerations,can only be thought about within the scope of long-term planning. Designing for long-term projects requires both adaptable and flexible design concepts that have an orientation towards unforeseeable spatial development. Design concepts need to allow the unpredictability of non-linear processes, which, however, does not mean an arbitrariness of spatial design. The issue, therefore, is how is it possible to developopen ended, and yet locally specific and situationally adapted, design concepts? The article discusses a design approach_including a case study of the landscape belt in Dessau, Germany_that is able to correlate existing interrelations and which advances, in many small and reflexive degrees, work towards a ‘suitable’ solution. Designing within long-term projects can, thereby, be compared to navigating within a reefy sea_it being, simultaneously,a reflexive and open-ended process.Keywords: Dessau landscape beltnavigatingshrinking cities Notes1 This reflexive process of optimization in terms of what is suitable or unsuitable (a good ‘fit’) is never-ending because there is no ultimate solution for a problem. In the end, we can only decide where to break off the design process. This may happen when time or money runs out, or when certain ‘fit’ criteria have been reached (Jonas Citation2006: 66).2 As opposed to approaches to shrinking cities, which are based upon small-scale perforation, and the large-scale reduction from the periphery towards more central areas, the archipelago model places emphasis on the most viable areas, while the areas in-between have been reduced in density to accommodate green open spaces (Reuther Citation2002: 15). The vision of a green urban archipelago was formulated by O. M. Ungers in 1977 for his proposal for the shrinking Berlin (Hertweck & MarotCitation2013).3 The Dessau Landscape Belt Project was part of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Stadtumbau 2010, which attends to the shrinking process in Saxony-Anhalt. The IBA Stadtumbau 2010 considers itself to be a ‘laboratory’ where different urban redevelopment strategies are tested and applied in an exemplary manner (IBA Office 2004).4 The development concept was outlined by Station C23-architects and landscape architects, and the City of Dessau-Roßlau between 2007 and 2010.5 The aspects of ecological diversity, plant use, and soil usage subsequently led to a research project funded by the Deutsche Bundesumweltstiftung (DBU) into vegetation systems and maintenance approaches for ‘urban wastelands’. This project was undertaken as a cooperation between Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Station C23, Büro für Siedlungserneuerung Dessau, and Wildpflanzenvermehrung Stolle.6 Thomas Sieverts in conversation about the messages, implications, and findings of Zwischen Stadt Entwerfen [Designing the Zwischenstadt] by Bormann et al. (2005: 181).Additional informationSigrun Langner is Junior Professor of Landscape Architectureand Landscape Planning at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.She earned her PhD from Leibniz Universität Hannover.Her research interest is in design-oriented cartography for large-scale landscape design. Between 2005 and 2012, she taught at Leibniz Universität Hannover. Langner is a registered landscape architect and has been, since 2003, a partner in the Leipzig-based office of Station C23 – architects and landscape architects.She is a member of the interdisciplinary research and teaching platform, Studio Urbane Landschaften.