Stockholm Royal Seaport: Anchoring the Elements is a group project in Sustainable Urban Development at UCL. In a team of five students, we came up with a comprehensive strategy for the sustainable development and design of an urban area in Stockholm.
Context
The Stockholm Royal Seaport (SRS) site is unique in terms of its geography and its complex political, cultural, and historical frameworks. It is situated on the waterfront between two green preserves, covering 236 hectares of former industrial land, only 5km from central Stockholm. Stockholm, an economically thriving city with high environmental standards, has declared a goal to be fossil fuel free by 2050. Strong policies will be needed to make this ambitious transition possible, and the Seaport development has the potential to be a major step in that direction and a model for future developments.
History
In 1897, the City of Stockholm (‘the City’) purchased the land from Sweden to build the seaport. The port gradually expanded until 1918 to include more piers, train lines and passenger terminals. Ferry service to Finland was opened in 1966 and has since been expanded to further destinations.
Governance and Policies
Swedish cities keep 90% of municipal taxes, giving them power and funds to pursue their own objectives. The City acquired around 134,000 acres of underutilized space between 1904 and 1967 and still owns most of the land, including the Seaport. Previously, the city believed in retaining ownership and control over the land through a leasehold system called ‘new tomtratt’, but this is no longer the case due to shifts in political power (Passow, 1970).
Society
Sweden, especially Stockholm, is expected to see an increase in population and diversity as immigration continues to rise. This poses challenges of social integration and employment in an economy based on high-skilled labour.
Stockholm is known for a highly integrated public transport system. Its roads see a high share of pedestrian and cycle traffic, and on average there is 0.5 parking spaces for every household in the inner city. In 2008, the average number of weekly cyclists surpassed that of private vehicles (55,000 vs. 50,000) (LSE Cities, 2013).
Environment
The City is keen on maintaining its ‘green wedges.’ The Royal National Parks, north and south of the Seaport, provide important ecosystems and biodiversity, such as unique species of salamanders and oak trees, as well as recreational grounds for residents (WSP, 2014). In addition, waterways play an important role in the City’s urban identity (LSE Cities, 2013).
Stockholm values environmental protection and CO¬2 emission reductions. The city’s planning policies (1952 General Plan, 1999 City Plan, 2010 ‘The Walkable City’) focus on reducing and shifting travel demand by intensifying promoting mixed-use and transit-oriented development. Other policies, such as the Environmental Programme 2012-2015 and Action Plan for Climate and Energy 2010-2020, set targets and outline measures for reducing emissions, such as a carbon tax, building performance requirements, or replacing coal at the CHP plant. The Green Economy Report (2013) suggests extending policy instruments to reduce per capita energy and water consumption.
The protection of green space is secured through various policies such as the Green and Living Courtyards Programme and the green area ratio of 0.6 ‘eco-areas’ for new developments (Nelson, 2006; WSP, 2014).
Economy
Sweden, the fourth most productive and competitive economy in the world, is grounded in the knowledge and innovation sectors. As a ‘green economy leader’, Stockholm combines its competitive advantage of innovation and environmental performance with sustainable economic growth (LSE Cities, 2013).
The Ports of Stockholm constitute another important factor for the local economy. The Seaport currently handles large amounts of freight, though a new central freight port is being planned in Norvikudden, 50km south of Stockholm. The modern Frihamnen pier, within the site, will be the city’s main terminal for cruise ships and ferries, with the goal to “classify among the most environmentally friendly ports in the world” (Maroudas-Tsakyrellis, 2011, p.130).
Construction of Norra Länken, a motorway part of European routes E4 and E20, is currently underway near the Seaport. There will be an access point from the Seaport, but the rest will be underground.
Anchoring the Elements
Based on the SWOT analysis of the SRS Vision 2030, interviews with current local residents and insight from other external resources, including lessons learned at Hammarby, a new vision - Anchoring the Elements - was created, that builds upon the strengths of the SRS Vision 2030 and converts weaknesses into opportunities.
Anchoring the Elements aims to create an integrated Seaport with seamless relationships between three elements: water, green space and the human factor.
The three elements will be integrated within the Seaport through four objectives:
Create a Connected Seaport to ensure connections to the surrounding water, natural landscape and city centre, as well as throughout the Seaport through convenient, accessible and sustainable transportation.
Build a Welcoming Seaport to enable residents, visitors and business employees to integrate through community participation mechanisms and a unifying, legible and pleasing urban form.
Ensure a Sustainable Seaport by constructing a building stock and urban form built for long-term environmental sustainability and facilitating personal low carbon lifestyles.
Create an Innovative Seaport by facilitating the community’s integration with the new Innovation Centre, increasing awareness about smart technology, and solidifying Stockholm as the global hub of environmental technology and innovation.
Alla goda ting är tre.
All good things come in threes.
