VALLGRAVSSTRÅKET HANA HAN Uppsats för avläggande av filosofie kandidatexamen i Kulturvård, Bebyggelseantikvariskt program 15 hp och filosofie magisterexamen i kulturvård 15 hp Institutionen för kulturvård Göteborgs universitet 2010:6 2 VALLGRAVSSTRÅKET Hana Han Handledare: Gabriella Olshammar Kandidatuppsats, 15 hp, Bebyggelseantikvariskt program Magisteruppsats, 15 hp, Kulturvård GÖTEBORGS UNIVERSITET ISSN 1101-3303 Institutionen för kulturvård ISRN GU/KUV—10/6—SE 3 4 Cover picture: Air view of Vallgravsstråket THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG http://www.conservation.se Department of Conservation Tel: +46 31 773 4700 P.O. Box 130 Fax: +46 31 773 4703 S5E-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden Bachelor and Master Programme in Integrated Conservation of Built Environments Graduating Thesis, BA 2010, MSc 2010 Author: Hana Han Supervisor: Gabriella Olshammar Title in Swedish: Vallgravsstråket ABSTRACT The subject of empirical study is Vallgravsstråket, an urban space with squares, parks and open spaces that was created in the place of the Gothenburg’s original fortification in the 19th century. The study can be discerned with two moments. The first part unfolds Vallgravsstråket’s obscure historical legibility by looking into the subject’s conditional processes of creating/producing heritage with focus on Vallgravsstråket’s local identity and place-based memory. The second part of the thesis focuses on the area’s opera- tive practicality by studying the consequences of constructing a footbridge over Vall- gravsstråket with the help of a morphological analysis. A recurring question involves understanding what makes up Vallgravsstråket and why it is important to preserve it and, for whom. Along these lines, it has been interesting to identi- fy an inconsistent gap between how the area is currently represented, what is commonly stated in legally binding documents and, how the local users evaluate the area. The aim of the study is to unveil different perspectives on Vallgravsstråket in order to obtain a better comprehension of the subject’s cultural-historical, legal and morphological dimen- sions. The thesis of this dissertation as such, has an inductive nature and grounds from a holistic approach that is motivated by a pluralistic view of reasoning where knowledge cannot be reasoned from one single particular perspective. The dissertation starts out with an intersubjective field study that introduces the area’s ‘urban walls’, ‘urban rooms’ and ‘urban experience’. The thesis then shifts its focus on Vallgravsstråket’s urban development by outlining the significant changes in the history of Gothenburg and analysing the impact of planning interventions. Vallgravsstråket’s urban elements, that is to say, parks, bridges and canal, are evaluated as thematic chapters. The dissertation then exemplifies a qualitative text analysis of legal documents that concern the named area with the purpose of understanding how or why certain ap- proaches have surfaced in debates and researches. After having assessed an adequate empirical background on Vallgravsstråket, the last and final coordinated academic ef- fort has been to experiment with a morphological analytical method both in theory and practice. Title in original language: Vallgravsstråket Language of text: English Number of pages: 125 Keywords: integrated conservation of built environments, local identity, urban morphology, ISSN 1101-3303 ISRN GU/KUV -10/6—SE The street is the river of the city, the place where we come together, the pathway to the center. - William H. Whyte TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 13 1.1 BACKGROUND 14 1.1.1 Heritage Preservation and Integrated Conservation 14 1.1.2 Challenges 15 1.1.3 Vallgravsstråket 16 1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVE 17 1.3 RESEARCH PROBLEMS 18 1.3.1 Vallgravsstråket - Local Perspective 18 1.3.2 Vallgravsstråket - Binding Documents 19 1.3.3 Vallgravsstråket - Urban Morphological Analysis 20 1.4 DELIMITATIONS AND DEFINITIONS 21 1.4.1 Vallgravsstråket - Conceptual Definition 22 1.5 METHODS AND MATERIAL 24 1.6 DISPOSITION 26 1.7 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 27 1.7.1 Holistic Approach 27 1.7.2 Vallgravsstråket - Some Thoughts 28 1.8 PREVIOUS RESEARCH 30 2. VALLGRAVSSTRÅKET’S URBAN ENVIRONMENT 33 2.1 YTTRE JÄRNVÅGSBRON TO ROSENLUNDSBRON 34 2.2 ROSENLUNDSBRON TO KUNGSPORTSBRON 38 2.3 KUNGSPORTSBRON TO SLUSSBRON 41 2.4 REFLECTIONS 44 2.4.1 Yttre Järnvågsbron to Rosenlundsbron 44 2.4.2 Rosenlundsbron to Kungsportsbron 44 2.4.3 Kungsportsbron to Slussbron 45 2.4.4 Vallgravsstråket’s Urban Qualities 45 2.4.5 Continuity vs. Barriers 47 2.4.6 Historical Legibility 49 3 . THE EVOLUTION OF GOTHENBURG AND VALLGRAVSSTRÅKET 53 3.1 THE FOUNDATION OF GOTHENBURG 54 3.1.1 Gothenburg’s Fortification 55 3.1.2 Mercantilism - New Urban Economy 57 3.2 THE DEMOLITION OF THE ENCLOSED FORTIFICATION TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN OPEN PARK BELT 58 3.2.1 Carl Wilhelm Carlberg’s Town Plan 59 3.2.2 Nolin on Carlberg 60 3.2.3 Green Plots into the Renaissance Checkerboard and the Building Act of 1874 60 3.2.4 Nya Allén 62 3.2.5 Trädgårdsföreningen 63 3.2.6 Kungsparken 64 3.2.7 New Squares and Market Places 64 3.2.8 Freestanding Institutional Buildings 65 3.2.9 The Demolition of Enclosed Fortification and the Construction of an Open Park Belt - International Perspective 65 3.3 COMMERCIAL TOWN TO INDUSTRIALISED CITY 68 3.4 REFLECTIONS 68 3.4.1 The Foundation 70 3.4.2 The Transformation 71 3.4.3 The Traces 71 4. BRIDGES 75 4.1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS, MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE 76 4.2 INTRODUCTION TO BRIDGES OVER VALLGRAVEN 77 4.3 YTTRE JÄRNVÅGSBRON 78 4.4 MASTHAMNSBRON 78 4.5 PUSTERVIKSBRON 78 4.6 KALLES FÄRJA 79 4.7 ROSENLUNDSBRON 79 4.8 VIKTORIABRON 79 4.9 VASABRON 80 4.10 BAZARBRON 81 4.11 KUNGSPORTSBRON 82 4.12 SLUSSBRON 83 4.13 REFLECTIONS 84 5. WATER 85 5.1 HISTORICAL USE 86 5.2 WATER PLAN 88 5.3 CANAL PLAN 89 5.4 REFLECTIONS 90 6. DOCUMENTS 93 6.1 LOCAL DETAILED PLAN 94 6.2 CITYPLAN 95 6.2.1 City S.Rapporten 95 6.2.2 Vallgravsstråket: Grönsakstorget - Kungstorget - Kungsportsplatsen - Bastionsplatsen. Delrapport som underlag för detaljplan 95 6.2.3 Cityplan 95 6.3 CONSERVATION PROGRAMMES 97 6.4 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 98 6.4.1 ÖP99 98 6.4.2 ÖPXX 99 6.5 AREAS OF NATIONAL INTEREST 102 6.5.1 Vallgravsstråket as an Area of National Interest 103 6.6 REFLECTIONS 104 7. URBAN MORPHOLOGY 107 7.1 THE STUDY OF URBAN FORM: AN EPISTEMOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 108 7.1.1 Architecture, Urban Design and Planning 108 7.1.2 Geography 108 7.1.3 ISUF and the Interdisciplinary Venture 109 7.2 THE URBAN MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYTICAL PERSPECTIVE 110 7.2.1 Synchronic Approaches 110 7.2.2 Diachronic Approaches 111 7.3 THE SCHOOLS OF URBAN MORPHOLOGY 112 7.3.1 British Urban Morphology 112 7.3.2 Italian Planning Typology 116 7.3.3 French Morphological Research 118 7.4 MAPPING THE STUDIES OF URBAN FORM 120 7.5 REFLECTIONS 122 8. MORPHOLOGICAL APPROACH ON VALLGRAVSSTRÅKET 8.1 BELT BOULEVARDS 8.2 FRINGE BELTS 8.3 12 1. INTRODUCTION When Gothenburg was founded in the early 1600s it was enclosed with a fortifica- tion wall that protected the town from neighbouring Scandinavian countries that for centuries fought over stabilising the nations’ borders and trading privileges. Two centuries later the town had outgrown its need of a protective barrier system and sought after opening up the town with green areas and freestanding civic institutions, which resulted with the construction of Vallgravsstråket. Geographically, Vallgravsstråket extends from Yttre Järnvågsbron in the west to Slussbron in the east and can be described as a green ring of parks, squares and canals around Gothenburg’s historic core. The area comprises a diverse mixed- use function that creates possibilities for cultural and social exchange, shopping, and recreational promenade. Vallgravsstråket is classified as an area of national interest and portrays a signifi- cant role in Gothenburg’s townscape from a cultural and historical perspective, as much as in a social and environmental perspective. At a closer glance, how- ever, Vallgravsstråket’s representation as an area of national interest implicates mixed meanings in planning terms. I had never reflected on Vallgravsstråket’s symbolic features until I came to study the area in a previous urban analysis as- signment, which in turn, kindled an interest for exploring the subject further in a graduation thesis. Much of this thesis is dedicated in unveiling Vallgravsstråket’s underlying characteristics and discussing the implicit conflicts and potentials in conceptualizing the area’s place-based memory. 1 . 1 B A C K G R O U N D ropean Architectural Heritage Year” took the form of a campaign and spread over three years resulting with 1.1.1 HERITAGE PRESERVATION AND pilot projects in participating countries. INTEGRATED CONSERVATION A direct result of the European Coun- The methodological choices for heri- cil’s efforts can be interpreted as the tage preservation and cultural-histor- adoption of the European Charter of ical valorisation have been a long Architectural Heritage and the Amster- 3 debated matter throughout the history dam Declaration. Both documents of our time. Interests and attitudes in emphasised the need of broadening renovation have shifted and ossified the scope of architectural heritage according to our needs, which in turn with integrated conservation strate- has yielded with different approaches gies and discussed the particular in intervening and adapting with our roles of national, regional and local built environment. In a few words, the authorities in managing architectural conservation department has con- heritage. Improving the preservation stantly debated about issues that con- of our cultural heritage signified a cern what, why and how to renovate. gradual shift from the traditional way of preserving a single artefact to the It was, however, not until the second conservation of the whole context, half of the 20th century that consid- which now embraced the physical, erable achievements were initiated geographical surroundings; the histori- on an international level.