Havnepromenade som konstruktiv utviklingsstrategi i Svolvær

Abstract

Over the past few years, Vågan municipality has presented an urban plan of Svolvær extending up to 2030. Among the stated objectives of this plan is the desire for a clearer and more coherent city centre. A main strategy of the plan is a waterfront promenade that will extend along the entire city centre and over to Svinøya where much of the old fishing village history is preserved, and all the way out to the pier and Fiskarkona wishing fishermen luck on their journey and welcoming them home. The importance of a coherent urban structure is particularly evident in a small town like Svolvær when looking closely at how features are moved and changed over the past three decades. The development from a dense city centre with one main street with small shops along it to a divided city with major trading areas in the west and mainly dining and cultural activities in the east have gone relatively quickly, and there is now a desire to stop this process. The aim of this thesis exercise is to arrive at a strategy, which is based on the planned waterfront promenade and responds to the objectives of linking the city centre closer together while safeguarding the existing qualities. Through the analysis section I’ve uncovered a number of qualities, opportunities and challenges. These are important to pay attention to, strengthen and find solutions for in the further urban development. Among the city’s qualities, we find the great location within the landscape and the good connections to the rest of the region. The challenges include major structural changes, lack of connections and a high degree of division of functions in the city centre. A discussion of how the city’s constructional elements are represented in Svolvær is followed by an evaluation of different strategic approaches to the waterfront promenade. Finally, the threads are gathered in a proposal for an overall strategy that will contribute to achieving the goals of a united and clear city centre.