Action Plan for Increased Public Life in Grønland and Tøyen
Via comprehensive physical analyses and engagement processes, we have developed a concrete 6-year Action Plan for developing two Oslo neighborhoods. The solutions will be carried out by both public and private stakeholders.
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Kjersti Wikstrøm
Managing Director, SLA Norway, Architect, Urbanist
Location
Oslo, Norway
Year
2020 — 2021
Client
Oslo Kommune, Plan- og Bygningsetaten
Role
Lead consultant and landscape architect. For the action program with associated analyses and strategies.
Partners & Collaborators
Fragment, Ragnhild Dahl Wikstrøm, Nabolagshager, PBE
Challenges
Typology
Services
SLA is the lead consultant behind the new Action Plan for Increased Public Life in the central Oslo neighborhoods, Grønland and Tøyen. The plan was politically adopted by the City of Oslo in December 2022. Over a six-year period, it will guide the development of safer, greener, and more well-connected public spaces.
The Action Plan is a municipal tool meant to inspire and motivate efforts to increase public life. It is based on qualitative conversations with business owners, residents, and visitors to the areas. In parallel with analyses of the physical outdoor environment, the discussions have formed the basis for new strategies that will stimulate city life and guide the municipality in budget input, land use plans, and processing of construction measures.
The Action Program unfolds the concept of “public life” as an interaction between urban economics, art and culture, mobility, people, architecture, innovation, and nature. Different parts of Grønland and Tøyen are characterized by different expressions and characteristics related to these factors, and it is important to understand how they affect each other.
Our analysis points out how Grønland’s diverse demographic composition and unique local identity are resources for the area. The green spaces and parks here have great significance and are heavily used by the city’s residents. However, many urban spaces are lacking in natural elements, have many hard, grey surfaces, and aren’t well connected.
There is a particularly pressing need for more good meeting places in Grønland and Tøyen because the population has a lower standard of living and lives more densely than in the rest of Oslo. Many side streets and squares are perceived as unsafe due to a lack of lighting, wear and tear, and poor maintenance. Adding to the feeling of insecurity is that drugs are openly being sold and used in the area.
The Action Plan for Increased Public Life presents concrete and time-specific measures to improve these problems and identifies which authorities are responsible for each. You can find the full document (in Norwegian) here.
