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Lesson1. Treasure Lesson out of Trash
New Trends of Urban Renewal
Like any living organism, cities eventually grow old and tired.
They cannot be left to die. Constant efforts should be made to
breathe life into them. New buildings must be constructed and
old infrastructure repaired or replaced. If not, old city areas will
come to ruin. The importance of urban renewal cannot be
stressed enough, but in fact, most cities find it tricky to deal with
the issue. What to do with the run-down parts of a city
generates heated debates among interested parties. From local
government to private property owners, conservationists to real
estate developers, disused city districts are highly fought over.
A whole new start for the city was once a popular solution. A
lot of run-down urban areas were entirely wiped out in favor of
massive redevelopment that would meet the demands of the
the modern city, for housing, transport, office, or commercial space.
Old buildings were torn down and were soon replaced with
bright, shining buildings. This approach to urban renewal may
have been fast, effective, and profitable, but the true cost was
ignored. The historical traces of the cityscape were forever erased,
and residents with limited means were driven from their homes in
the newly redeveloped neighborhoods. Because of this disregard
for the human aspect, new perspectives to look at urban renewal
are being brought into focus ― more creative, more
community-friendly, and better at preserving a city's architectural
heritage.
Escalators Transform Life in Hillside Neighborhood
A couple of decades ago, Medellin, Colombia's second largest
city, was suffering from violence and poverty. Today the colorful
city is part of an altogether brighter picture, a rising metropolitan
economy in Latin America.
This remarkable redevelopment is the result of inventive city
planning. Comuna 13, a community high up on the city's hillside,
was once a shelter for armed criminals. Steep roads climbing as
high as 28 stories of stairs made it impossible for vehicles to
access this poor neighborhood, leaving the community isolated,
and abandoned by law enforcement.
The city came up with a clever idea to secure access to the area
― a 384-meter-long series of escalators that scales the mountain.
Freely open to the public, the journey takes a total of only six
minutes. The residents cannot speak highly enough of the simple
innovation. It has brought peace, pride, and prosperity to a
community that had long suffered from governmental
abandonment and unchecked crime of all sorts. In recent years
Medellin's crime rate has fallen by more than 80 percent from its
peak and the city has become a global model for successful
transformation. The escalators themselves have become famous;
they are now a symbol of rebirth and have encouraged
international corporations to open new facilities in the area.
Medellin's renewal has attracted planners from cities such as Rio
de Janeiro, Johannesburg, and Washington, D.C. to see how it
was accomplished.
Artistic Inspiration to Build an Ideal Community
Hundertwasser Haus in Vienna, Austria, is another creative
example of urban renewal. Vienna was heavily bombed during
World War II and reconstruction architecture was functional and
featureless, consisting of cheap grey concrete blocks. Friedensreich
Hundertwasser, a globally famous artist who also worked in the
field of environmental protection had long dreamed of
transforming the dull concrete buildings into more welcoming,
eco-friendly spaces, full of vitality and greenery.
In December 1977, the mayor of Vienna offered Hundertwasser
full charge of rebuilding a run-down site in the middle of the
city, allowing him to create a unique community composed of 52
apartments, common playgrounds, and a medical facility. The
trees in the community are treated as regular tenants, just like
the apartment residents. They pay their share of the rent by
providing fresh air and noise reduction. The apartment complex
was designed to function as an integrated eco-friendly system,
where people, plants, and animals live together in complete
harmony. Above all, the best thing about the colorful apartment
site is its overwhelming beauty and incomparable artistic
uniqueness. Composed of colors and curves, the building itself is
a work of art, a wonder to look at. The beautiful, inspiring
complex has now become a major tourist site in the city. Most
significantly, interest in the project has generated similar housing
designs by architects from all over the world.
In this case, an artist's vision has literally changed the entire
view of the city.
Upcycling Outdated Infrastructure into Green Space
Green spaces in densely populated cities are often few and far
between. In particularly populous cities like New York and Seoul,
common space for citizens is never enough. Providing people
with greener spaces that can be enjoyed outside during the usual
working week is something all cities should struggle to
accomplish. Upcycling or creative reuse of outdated infrastructure
can be a great solution.
An innovative plan for New York's old subway line is a
representative example of upcycling urban infrastructure. Originally
built in 1929, the High Line was a 13-mile project that ran high
across the west of Manhattan. Built at an enormous cost, it soon
fell out of favor and began to be closed and brought down. In
1999, Manhattan residents and property owners started an effort
to convert the disused rail line into a public park. The High Line
Park is now a walking bridge, decorated with plants. It runs
through the western part of Manhattan, offering a unique view of
the city. It has revived the run-down area and breathed new life
into the surrounding community.
In Seoul, Seoullo 7017, now open to the public, provides an
example of upcycling outdated infrastructure. The Seoul Station
The overpass, originally designed exclusively for cars, has been
transformed into a garden bridge for walking citizens. The Seoul
Station Overpass was once considered a symbol of the country's
surprisingly fast economic development. Its transformation from a
traffic overpass to a walking bridge marks how the priorities of
one of the world's fastest-transforming cities have been
reordered. It stands for the slower pace of a nation that seeks to
pay greater respect to its history and provide better quality of life
for everyone.
Meeting the Challenges with Creative Solutions
Every city has pockets of underused and underutilized land or
decaying urban areas. These pockets of underused land weaken
the city's image and productivity. Cities from around the world
are struggling to come up with creative urban renewal ideas to
meet the challenges now that everyone is aware of the
importance of urban planning. Creativity, community-friendliness,
and preservation are the three keywords in the current trends of
urban renewal.
Upcycling and Adaptive Reuse
Upcycling is the process through which waste materials or
useless products are transformed into new materials or products
with a higher value, leading to a reduction in production and
consumption. The term was initially used in 1994 by the German
engineer Reiner Pilz, but in recent years has become widely used.
In 2013, architect William McDonough and chemist Michael
Braungart released a book The Upcycle, which cited up cycling as
a practical way to improve the world.
In architecture, a major form of upcycling is adaptive reuse.
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or
building for a purpose different from its original one. Adaptive
reuse deals with the issues of conservation and development and
tries to reach a balance between the two, thus it becomes an
effective way to reduce urban sprawl and environmental impact.
By reusing an existing structure within a site, the energy and
resources required to create these spaces are significantly
lessened, with the added advantage of preserving architectural
history. There are many prominent examples of adaptive reuse
around the globe. For a representative example, the Bankside
Power Station in London was converted for use as the Tate
Modern, a modern branch of the Tate Art Gallery. The once dark
brick structure is now a symbol of rebirth, helping rebuild the old
neighborhood of Southwark. The Tate Modern is estimated to
have created 2,400 jobs and generated at least $80 million annual
income for London.