Equitable edges : the possibilities for designing just urban waterfronts

Abstract

The urban waterfront has become a focal point for ambitious, costly design interventions, initiated in the name of sustainability. Despite their social and environmental ambitions, urban waterfront redevelopments tend to sustain or reinforce social, environmental, and spatial injustices in the city. This thesis aims to find out how (social) justice can be implemented in the design of urban waterfronts by studying the ongoing Grønlikaia waterfront redevelopment in Oslo.

By analyzing the existing urban landscape of Grønlikaia, its socio-spatial context, and the proposed designs, the research aims to identify the possibilities and challenges for designing a just urban waterfront. Applying a “landscape justice” framework, the research finds that designing just urban waterfronts requires addressing local urban contexts in a multidimensional manner, addressing the site’s social, spatial, environmental, and ecological conditions.

The Grønlikaia project has so far developed promising, innovative solutions for designing a more just urban waterfront. The design proposals show the way for how to work thoroughly and multidimensionally for more just urban landscapes through design. Nevertheless, the possibilities for designing Grønlikaia as a just urban waterfront are clearly restricted by the spatial and financial requirements of the development. There is limited flexibility for impactful justice-oriented design measures because the preconditions for the development are strictly defined in advance by zoning plans, land use plans and financial requirements.