Building and Urban Development in Norway – a selection of current issues Jens Fredrik Nystad (Editor) The Norwegian State Housing Bank / Husbanken © Husbanken 2004 ISBN 82-90122-18-7 Translation by: Carol B. Eckmann and Walter Gibbs English language revision: Carol B. Eckmann Cover design: Karin Wiwe Design and layout: Brødr. Fossum AS Printed by: PDC Tangen AS Contents Foreword .......................................................................................................................................... 5 PART 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 6 Norway and Norwegian Society .................................................................................................... 8 The City of Oslo ............................................................................................................................... 11 Public Administration in Norway ................................................................................................. 12 Between Master and Synopsis – A Short Tale of Norwegian Planning ................................... 16 PART 2 Planning for Urban Change ................................................................................................... 20 Oslo’s Development – The Fifth Layer .......................................................................................... 22 Oslo: The Fjord City! ....................................................................................................................... 28 Road Tolls in Norway: A Transport Policy Instrument .............................................................. 34 A Holistic Method of Evaluating Sustainability ......................................................................... 38 PART 3 Regional Development and Regional Planning ............................................................. 44 Regional Development and Policy in Norway ............................................................................ 46 Regional Dynamics and Olympic Rhetoric: The Lillehammer Winter Games Ten Years On .............................................................................................................................. 50 Regional Plan for Long-term Urban Development in the Stavanger Region .......................... 54 PART 4 Housing for All? .......................................................................................................................... 58 Housing Policy Challenges in a Country with High Housing Standards and a Market-governed Housing Supply ................................................................................ 60 Housing for Young People – New Concepts and Perspectives .................................................. 66 Curbing Homelessness in Norway .................................................................................................70 Planning Based on Universal Design ............................................................................................ 74 PART 5 New Public-Private Partnerships ........................................................................................ 78 Urban Transformation – An Arena for Partnership and New Models of Cooperation .......... 80 Akerselva Environmental Park and Akerselva Innovation Park: Urban Transformation by Chance and Governance .............................................................. 84 PART 6 The Northern Dimension ......................................................................................................... 88 Woodens Towns – A Nordic Tradition ......................................................................................... 90 Climate-appropriate Construction ................................................................................................. 94 APPENDIX Institutions ................................................................................................................................... 98 Foreword 5 Building and Urban Development in Norway – a selection of current issues This publication has proving existing housing areas and the urban structure is, been prepared in con- for instance, more urgent than new building. nection with the 48th IFHP World Congress The selected topics and presentations are meant to provide in Oslo 2004. Its pur- a reasonably representative overview of the fields of plan- pose is to provide a ning and housing in Norway a few years into the new mil- general impression of lennium. We have chosen to emphasise the variety and the planning and complexity of these issues. The authors have been selected building situation in from leading circles in their respective fields, and present Norway, and describe here their personal views on the issues. As always there are some of the impor- more questions than answers, and there is a need for ongo- tant challenges facing ing refinement of the instruments of analysis and imple- us in the first years of mentation. The tools that we choose and the results that we the 21st century. In produce will profoundly influence the daily lives of a large it, we present part of our increasingly urban population. The ever- descriptions and increasing possibilities of new technology, especially analysis of issues within communications, and the shift of resources that this confronting local and central authorities, property develop- requires will in itself change the everyday life of a large ers and the building industry, as well as the planning com- proportion of the population. munity and the public in general. Instead of trying to cover the whole of this vast field, we The challenges facing Norwegian planning and housing have selected specific topics and questions that we feel will policies have changed over the last few years. One of our be of international interest – and that seem to be generally most important challenges involves finding good, innova- acknowledged as key issues within planning and building. tive approaches to improve cooperation at the local level, There is a continual need to exchange ideas and experi- be it between various levels of government or between pri- ences across national boundaries. It is our hope that this vate and public partners. Another is in the realm of hous- publication will serve as a brief introduction to “the state- ing consumption. Norway has gradually developed a very of-the-art” of some of the topics currently under discussion high standard of housing. At present Norwegians (together in Norway, and dealt with during the congress. with Icelanders) are the world’s largest consumers of hous- ing in terms of area per person. This represents one aspect of the growing environmental challenge that we currently Erna Solberg face on the local, national and global levels. Quality has Minister of Local Government now become more important to us than quantity. Im- and Regional Development Introduction Norway is a modern welfare state. The Norwegian economy is generally characterised as a mixed economy – a market economy with a clear component of state influence. Since the 1970s, the off-shore oil industry has played a dominant role in the Norwegian economy. The politico- administrative system in Norway has three levels; national, regional and municipal. The Norwegian Planning and Building Act institutes a two-tier planning system of county plans and municipal master plans under the control of the elected county and municipal councils, respectively. (Photo: Helge Sunde/Samfoto) 8 Norway and Norwegian Society is roughly the same as that of Great Britain, Italy or Japan. Large areas of Norway consist of forest Tromso and mountains. All along the western coast Russia deep fjords, surrounded by mountains and glaciers, penetrate into the heart of the country. Given Norway’s extreme northern posi- tion, its mainland climate is surprisingly mild. This is due to the Gulf Stream, which brings relatively warm and moist air to coastal areas and ensures ice-free harbours Sweden even in winter. The coastal climate is one of Trondheim mild winters, cool summers and heavy pre- Finland cipitation year-round, while inland areas Norway are drier with colder winters and warmer summers. Bergen OSLO Stavanger The political system Estonia In formal terms, Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democratic system of governance. Both democratic governance and the Denmark Latvia monarchy were established in the Constitu- tion of 1814, still in effect today. Parliamen- Lithuania tarianism was introduced in 1884. The King has little real political power, but fills an important symbolic function as the Head of Germany Belarus State and official representative of Norwe- Poland gian society and industry. State power is formally distributed between three institutions: the Storting (the legislative power), the Government (the exec- Geography and climate utive power) and the courts (the judicial power). In some circles, the public adminis- Norway stretches farther north than any tration, which was designed to serve the other European country except Russia. It is needs of the political bodies, is viewed as a long and narrow, extending almost 1 750 km fourth state power, as it now takes indepen- from north to south. If it were possible to dent action and can exert influence on the swing Norway 180° by its most southernly shaping of policies. There is also a geographi- point, it would reach all the way to the cal distribution of political power into state, Mediterranean. The