05.07.2022
Our public life experiments in Oslo are now open
Our Public Life Experiments in Oslo are now ready for visits!
From June until October 2022, cars will be banished from the central streets of Oslo to give room for new urban and natural experiences. The experiments take place at two very different sites: Kirkegata and Gata Grønland.
In Kirkegata, it is now possible to walk from Oslo Cathedral and through 450 meters of ‘urban forest’ with heather, hazel, ferns, blueberries, and 4-meter-high pine trees – along with new informal seating and a safe and attractive cycle route.
The goal of the Kirkegata experiment is to investigate how we can add a completely new type of city nature to the center of Oslo that creates new experiences, a better urban life, and strengthens biodiversity – all with very compact design measures.
“Our goal is to create a city that both feels and functions like a forest. And with the public life experiments in Oslo, we are now taking the first step”
— Kjersti Wikstrøm, Managing Director of SLA Norway.
In Gata Grønland, SLA collaborates with local businesses and citizens to investigate how a different type of people-friendly street can be created. The design of Gata Grønland is inspired by the Norwegian lowlands and has a distinct leafy feel and lush flower meadows together with 5-meter-tall birch and rowan trees. Edible and fragrant herbs and berry plants, such as oregano, mint, sage, and blueberries are planted in the meadow.
Here, citizens and users take back their street, while pedestrians, cyclists, and nature are given priority by maximizing green public space and by making room for urban furniture, outdoor seating areas, and new city nature that invites discovery and play.
The project is done in close collaboration with Bymiljøetaten in Oslo Municipality and Fragment.
Photos by Sigrid Bjorbekkmo
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