DEGREE PROJECT IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, SECOND CYCLE, 15 CREDITS STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN 2018
Urban movers – elevated railway structures and urban life
HANS VILJOEN
TRITA TRITA-ABE-MBT-18414
KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT www.kth.se urban movERS ELEVATED RAILWAY STRUCTURES AND URBAN LIFE Hans Viljoen
2 3 abstract index
Elevated railway structures (ERS) urban type, an infrastructural type 1. BACKGROUND has for more than a century been and other typologies. 39 types of evolving as an urban archetype. Pre- ERS interventions are described as 2. PROBLEMATISING ERS sent in various forms in cities across the result of a global literary and ex- the globe, to transport the increasing periential search of various instances 3. THEORISING ERS URBAN MOVERS number of citizens, ERS are urban in- of ERS and projects that seek their ELEVATED RAILWAY frastructures that perform a vital role urban integration. It is a search for 4. POTENTIALISING ERS STRUCTURES AND in curbing congestion and pollution the potentials of ERS to contribute URBAN LIFE that plague cities so often. In spite of to urban life and urban form, beyond 5. CONCLUSION their sustainable transport benefits, their main transport function - po- First published in 2018. ERS are often viewed negatively as tentializing ERS. 6. REFERENCES written by Hans Viljoen. noisy, ugly and severing urban form, amongst other problems which will #elevated railway structures, 7. PICTURE CREDITS contact: [email protected] be elaborated on - problematising #elevated transit structures, #urban ERS. A theorisation of these prob- typologies, #urban infrastructures, Final presentation: 07.06.2018 #transport, #railways Examiner: Tigran Haas lems follows, looking at ERS as an Supervisor: Ryan Locke
AG218X Degree Project in Urban Studies, Second Cycle 15.0 credits Master’s Programme in Urbanism Studies, 60.0 credits School of Architecture and the Built Environment KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden Telephone: +46 8 790 60 00
Cover image. ‘Drone views of Long Bien Bridge’, (Phillipe Lé, 2014)
4 5 background
FIELD SKETCH - ARRIVING IN where I am immersed in the reality of The Hanoi Metro is currently URBAN INFRASTRUCTURES ASIA (BANGKOK & HANOI) Bangkok traffic beneath the railway - under construction. Eight routes a fast flow of motorbikes, cars, buses, are planned, of which the first line With the urbanization and den- Having set foot in Asia for the trucks and pedestrians confined to is scheduled to open in November sification of people, comes the infra- first time, my first experience outside narrow sidewalks shared with ven- 2018. (Hanoimetro n.d.) Construc- structures necessary to service them. one of the Bangkok airports, (after dors and parked bikes. The pres- tion on a second line is well un- These infrastructures are often large- a quick encounter with the tropical, ence of the concrete elevated railway derway and this line is scheduled scale centralized, engineered projects humid heat outside one of the exits) structures are overhead are an inte- to open in 2021. The system is an that feed cities with water, power, is the BTS skytrain ride into the city. gral part of the image of Bangkok’s elevated rail system. Most people in transport, treat their waste, etc. Infra- At first perplexed by the queue that urbanity and experience. Hanoi currently get around using structures are often inaccessible and formed at the station, I would later motorcycles. There are around five hidden from view from citizens. Infra- come to understand that the density HANOI METRO million motorcycles on the roads of structures are seldomly ‘made architec- of people in this city requires such Hanoi, causing heavy traffic conges- tural’, like other city-building projects choreography. The air-conditioned It was in Hao Nam (a wide double tion and pollution at times. The de- are. Transport infrastructures permit train is a relief against the heat and street in Dong Da, Hanoi), amidst many partment of transport wants to ban a slightly closer interaction with citi- I am surprised that despite this heat, music instrument shops, the Vietnam motorcycles and scooters by 2030. It zens, since they move along them, on there is no smell of sweat. The name National Academy of Music and the Vi- aims to do so with the introduction foot and in private and public vehicles. Ratchapraprop sounds familiar and etnam National Institute of Culture and of a BRT system and the new Hanoi Streets have been studied extensively in I head there, later doubting my Art Studies, that I first encountered the Metro (Hodal 2017). the urbanism and planning discourse. memory, I got off at a station, I bat- elevated structure of the Hanoi Metro Although the metro system should Elevated railway systems (ERS) have tle myself and my luggage through (Line 2A, near La Thanh station). Large free-up schedules, provide safe, quiet recently become focus features of ur- the densely peopled train. Again the concrete columns rise from rubbled traf- and cool transport to those who can af- ban, architectural and landscape pro- heat and a crowd of people at each fic islands to carry the heavy concrete ford to use the metro, this system also jects, notably the Highline project in point along the platform where the beams, tracks and eventually trains with in a sense restricts movement along New York and similar. However, these train doors will open. I am anxious commuters above. These traffic islands the lines it operates. Together with the projects happened at abandoned sites, about the entry squeeze and real- - post-construction sites - will likely be proposed ban on motorcycles, it will while the discussion is moving towards ize that I might have to wait for the filled with plants. However, especially also impose on Hanoians’ freedom of functional ERS and how these could second train to come. The view from within this arts and cultural context, movement. When considering urban become ‘architectural’ and ‘urban’. the elevated station allows one to could the Hanoi Metro structures not development, land and housing costs, see across this part of the city with become something more? Could the etc. the metro is also likely to inflate plenty trees and tall buildings. After context around the metro lines not in- the cost of owning and renting space a ramped exchange from one station fluence and differentiate the relentless around its stations, as it happened in to another, I get down to the street sameness of these metro structures? other cities like Bangkok.
New elevated railway in Hao Nam, Hanoi, Vietnam. Author 2018.
6 7 problematising elevated railway structures
Within existing research, ERS are problem 2 - Neglected / residual / areas were space is limited. For growth signing viaducts simultaneously with problem 4 - Dividing / segregating Research Question problematized in various modes: land- left-over spaces to take place in the same geographic the spaces beneath them. The authors scapes with a negative effect on the area, activities need to happen at dif- analyse theoretical urban planning Transport systems that use elevated The four-pronged problema- image of the city (Hormigo & Mori- Elevated railway structures by be- ferent heights or at different times. The approaches; they apply the concept of railways are sometimes criticised for tization of elevated railway struc- to 2004), residual or left-over spaces ing separated from the ground, allow infrastructures that perform this dis- mixed-use development to elevated segregating and gentrifying communi- tures could show the way to better (Qamaruz-Zaman, et al 2013; Shi for a free-flow of trains without in- tinction cause functional separations transport infrastructures by defining ties and neighbourhoods. The process urban integration of these struc- 2016), mono-functionality (Gabrielle terruption by traffic on the ground. and spatial interruptions in their sur- criteria for functional diversity and of their construction often require ac- tures. The question becomes - in et al 2016), urban segregation (Jensen They also span across b o u n d a - roundings. Gapspaces interrupt con- apply these criteria to three projects. quisition of land and the landowners what ways can elevated railway 2007; Karis 2017) ries like rivers and valleys or existing tinuity, either spatially, temporally or (Gabrielle et al 2016:2). The criteria: 1) are not necessarily fairly compensated. structures become better inte- roads, rails and highways. The spaces functionally. Gapscapes, in turn, are combining at least two functions at the The cost of using the rail system also grated within urban contexts and problem 1 - Un-architectural infra- beneath these elevated structures are the landscapes consisting of gapspac- same place; 2) physical integration, 3) excludes people without the means to become productive to urban life? structure however often neglected, left-over and es. (Hormigo & Morita 2004:182). functional integration, 4) construction pay regularly for tickets. The Bang- What kind of interventions can residual that could be utilized by citi- The authors construed a typology of according to a coherent masterplan kok Skyrail is one such example that remedy the problems of mono- Infrastructures are often engi- zens. A study of left-over space beneath 16 types along the JR Yamanote line (Gabrielle et all 2016:4-5). They apply was investigated by Jensen (2007) as disciplinary design, residual spac- neered and planned with a purely two flyovers in Kuala Lumpur was in Tokyo. These types considered per- these criteria in a comparative analysis much more than just an infrastructure es, mono-functionality and segre- functional purpose. This limits the po- conducted in 2013 (Qamaruz-Zaman, meability and interactivity between of three ERS renovation projects in project to overcome traffic congestion gation in both existing ERS and tential of urban structures to contrib- et al). The researchers found various gapscapes and the city (Hormigo & Europe (Issy-les-Moulineaux, Zurich and pollution. The skyrail participates the design of new ERS. ute to the positive image of the city and activities occurring here, at different Morita 2004:185-187). A detailed re- and Dramen). They conclude that the in urban segregation, by dividing citi- to support several forms of urban life. times of day. They observe informal view of these typologies will follow in integration of transport infrastructure zens along lines of economic ability. Method Elevated railway structures are usually activities such as food stalls, cafes, the following section. with other urban functions could bring Tourists and the elite tend to use this very visible structures but very seldom- sports and recreational activities (in- economic returns, be of social benefit system, while poor and immigrant 1. search for a variety and multi- ly designed architecturally - to produce cluding chess playing, carom and ping problem 3 - Mono-functionality and improved urban quality. The spac- workers are left behind in the dark and plicity of ways ERS can integrate aesthetic effects. There are exceptions, pong), businesses and services (eg. toys es beneath ERS should be designed polluted ‘tunnels’ beneath the skyrails with urban environments. like the ERS in Vienna and Berlin that and clothes stalls, as well as movers, a Elevated railway structures are simultaneously with infrastructures in (Jensen 2007). The way that elevated were in a sense designed like linear car wash and workshop services), a bi- most often designed for a single pur- order to accommodate diverse func- rail systems segregate is through hav- 2. illustrate with images, descrip- buildings. weekly evening market with fresh food. pose only - for transport. If other ac- tions. With functional diversity, howev- ing expensive fares only payable by tions, case studies, personal ex- Temtem’s article (Temtem 2017) Cultural activities included traditional tivities occur around these structures, er, interested stakeholders multiply and some people, by increasing property periences. aims to decipher the urban design performances with traditional musical these are usually unplanned for, and collaboration is required for successful values around its stations and through strategies that were used in the de- instruments. (Qamaruz-Zaman, et al emergent. projects (Gabrielle et all 2016:6-7). connections to spaces of consumption. 3. from these strategies/concepts sign of the Berlin Stadbahn railway 2013:96-101) A paper delivered at the World emerge of how to improve existing viaduct in Berlin. He sets out to find Hormigo and Morita did a study of Congress on Railway Research, held ERS and how to better design fu- the value that architecture adds to this left-over spaces in Tokyo. They invent- Milan in 2016 (Gabrielle et al 2016) ture ones. ‘building-viaduct’, where the role of ar- ed a term for such spaces. Gapspaces investigates how functional diversity chitects in infrastructural projects are are defined as spaces that emerged from could be incorporated into the design usually obscure. density-increasing processes in urban of elevated transit structures by de-
8 9 theorising elevated railway structures
ARCHITECTURAL / The building-viaduct. Le Corbusier’s first point of URBAN (LANDSCAPE) INFRA- URBAN TYPOLOGIES architecture - freeing the ground, STRUCTURE Temtem’s article aims to decipher ject was conceived to urban theories of for what? Elevated transit structures are an the urban design strategies that were the time that were concerned with the Flowscapes - spaces of flows and urban type, similarly to how streets, used in the design of the Berlin Stad- urban physiognomy. In contrast, the In a conference paper, entitled ‘The spaces of places plazas, parks, etc. are urban types. bahn railway viaduct in Berlin. He sets Chicago elevated railway, with ‘plan- Typological Burden’, Tarsha Finney More specifically they are an infra- out to find the value that architecture ning limited by an engineering vision, cites Kenneth Frampton’s critique of a Nijhuis and Jauslin (2015) puts for- structural type, that sometimes per- adds to this ‘building-viaduct’, where conceiving it as a structural bridge New York housing project built on pi- ward ‘urban landscape infrastructure’ form like other urban typologies - the the role of architects in infrastruc- with nothing below, leaving an unde- lotis. The ‘city on piles’ brought about as a design concept. As a critique of viaduct, the bridge, the city wall, the tural projects are usually obscure. termined space that became residual a ‘typological burden’ - what would engineered infrastructures that are of- portal, the collonade, etc. The ‘building-viaduct’ of the Berlin and useless’ (Temtem 2017:5). the inhabitants have done with all the ten designed for a single purpose, ‘ur- West8’s proposal for the redevelop- Stadbahn is morphologically linear. What the linear building-viaduct space beneath the floating ‘building on ban landscape infrastructures’ have the ment of the Gardiner Expressway and ur- Designed by architect August Orth with its well-ordered facade then piles’. Elevated Railway Structures suf- potential to additionally shape urban ban surrounds, declares that with building and civil engineer, Ernst Dirksen and achieves within its urban setting are fer from a similar ‘typological burden’. landscapes for social and ecological the railway and highway infrastructures, built between 1875 and 1882. An el- unique streets bordered on the one side By virtue of being elevated, they allow benefit. an ‘infrastructural wall’ was built. “Seem- evated structure was selected to avoid with older and more contemporary the continuity of pedestrian and vehic- They propose four approaches to ingly without notice, the city accumulated conflict with existing buildings, while 5-6 floors Berlin buildings, and on the ular flows beneath. However their ‘ty- the design of landscape infrastruc- a thick band of infrastructures that have the sandy soil and high water table of other with the linear archway facade of pological burden’ lies in the question tures: spatial approach - as architectur- cumulatively created a ‘wall’ seperating Berlin made a subway system prob- the railway. The result is a ‘kind of hy- of what these freed-up spaces could al spatio-visual experiences; ecological city and lakefront.” (West8 et al 2013:31) lematic. Apart from linking peripheral brid conduit flanked by chains of built become - how they are used, and how approach - green infrastructures that They trace the historical evolution of the areas with the centre, the project was elements with highly uneven edges…” they form urban space. (Finney 2014) sustain natural resources; technical city wall. With the urbanization of the also the urban addition of an ‘inhabit- On the side you have the infrastructur- approach - civil and agricultural tech- city wall, it has served different purposes ed arcade’. The scenic effects of a ‘well- al model and on the other side the con- niques and social approach - participa- ‘Evolution of the city gate’ (symbolic, ceremonial, defense) and be- ordered facade’ would give a new face tinuity of urban blocks, formed with tory and human-centered design (Ni- (West8 et al 2013:34-35) came hybrid structures. to the public spaces of Berlin. The pro- building facades. (Temtem 2017:10) jhuis and Jauslin 2015:19-20). A theory
10 11 of ‘Flowscapes’ was developed with Gapspaces and gapscapes ELEVATED RAILWAY STATION TU Delft. In addition to the ‘spaces TYPOLOGIES of places’, urban landscapes consist of Hormigo & Morito (2004), in ‘spaces of flows’. Urban landscapes are analyzing Tokyo’s JR Yamanote line, A study by Loukaitou-Sideris et al. complex and dynamic systems with discovered 16 types of spaces beneath (2013:331), looked at a number of dif- various elements and processes in in- the elevated railway line. They ana- ferent station typologies. Elevated rail- teraction. ‘Flowscapes’ are “the formal lyzed spaces beneath according to per- way stations are difficult to physically expression of structures for the (1) pro- meability, accessibility and interactions integrate with their surrounding urban vision of food, energy, and fresh water; and occupations. Broadly four catego- contexts. The study was conducted (2) support for transportation, produc- ries of spaces were identified: spaces along the Green and Gold elevated rail- tion, nutrient recycling; (3) social ser- with restricted physical access, single- way lines in Los Angeles, USA. They vices such as recreation, health, arts; unit permeable or occupied spaces, looked at the 14 elevated railway sta- and (4) regulation of climate, floods wider permeable and interactive spaces tions and came up with challenges and and waste water.” Spaces of flows are and complex plaza-like spaces. remedies for better urban integration of emerging as a new field and design dis- these stations. cipline. (Nijhuis and Jauslin 2015:24) A1 - embankment The extant literature on urban in- A2-B3 - occupation single units tegration of transit stations are mainly Nijhuis and Jauslin considers three A2- one-sided access about street-level stations. This paper potential fields where urban landscape A3- double-sided access however focused on elevated stations. infrastructure could operate: 1) trans- B1-B3 - fencing. visual permeability, Most of strategies that emerged from port landscape infrastructures, 2) green restricted access this study are relevant to not only el- landscape infrastructures and 3) water C1-E3 - wider gapspaces. double or evated stations, but the rest of the el- landscape infrastructures (Nijhuis and multi-functional occupation. arcade-like evated railway lines too. From assess- Jauslin 2015:26-30). Relevant to the thoroughfares. allow for interaction. ing the accessibility of elevated stations present paper, the field of transport D1-E3 - passages around the world, the researchers have landscape infrastructure design in- D1 - tunnel recognised four types of interventions: cludes various modes of transportation, D2-D3 - shops, functional anchor 1) architectural interventions, 2) land- energy, waste and information systems. D4 - narrow alley between shops scape interventions, 3) mobile urban- When these functional infrastructures D3-D5 -small plazas or crossings beneath. isms and 4) perceptual links. Within are viewed as ‘urban landscape infra- E1-E3 - complex combinations of voids each of these four types of interven- structures’ they have the potential to and occupied spaces beneath ERS. tions, specific strategies to integrate sta- integrate technical, aesthetic and social blend with surrounds, urban continuity. tions with their urban fabric emerged. values into multi-use designs that cre- The diagram is a summary of these in- ‘Gapscape typologies’ ate new forms of public space. (Nijhuis terventions. (Horomingo & Morito and Jauslin 2015:26). 20 04:187) 12 13 Up in the Air 321
Table 2. Summary of urban design interventions Advantages Disadvantages Costs Land Required Density
-Access to surrounding -Cost of building -High -High -High uses. development over -Increased density; ‘Elevated existing infrastructure.railway station inter- Increasing ridership.ventions’-Large amountLoukaitou-Sideris et al. -Opportunities for land required. -Noise Full Knot real estate development2013:321) -Access to surrounding -Development offers -High -Medium to High -Medium to High uses. access only from -Increased density; one side. Increasing ridership. -Opportunities for real estate development. Side Access -Opportunities for -Excessive -Low to Medium -Low -Low to Medium real estate development. nolse/vibrations from rail -Access to surrounding Architectural-Height limit interventions: 3) ‘New Paths’ form new, mostly stimulation of the senses (sound, light, project is embedded in New York, it ramps, abutments, off-ramps, etc. uses. (one or two levels) -Variations in scale. 1) Full knot. The station is envel- non-motorized connections between steam) by effects that define and con- will be studied here to get insight into that connect elevated structures with -Low capital needed. oped within a building that houses areas that were divided by transport nect spaces. the methodology used; the universal the ground level. Trestle - the overhead Viaduct Path Above various functions, while different levels infrastructures. (Loukaitou-Sideris et 6) ‘Perceptual Extension’ - archi- typologies that emerged from inven- structures of the elevated railways. Park -Use of station air rights. -Can become expensive -Low to High -Low -Low to Medium Architectural Interventions Architectural are accesssed from within the building. al. 2013:324-326) tectural view-framing to connect dis- torying elevated transit structures and - where the elevated infrastructure run -Less land needed. depending on its knitting -Access to surrounding 2)with Side surrounding access. Similar to the Full Architectural and landscape inter- connected spaces. the urban strategies of improving el- across publicly accessible or less acces- uses. knot, infrastructure.but the building is only on one side ventions require enough land and capi- 7) ‘Inclusive Cover’ - a net of light spaces for public benefit. sible parkland, Highway - that often Viaduct Path Below of the station, requiring less available land. tal in order to realize, there are more and graphics are used to ‘wrap’ urban Typical el-spaces are under juris- form sheltered, dark and physical and 3) Viaduct (path below). Making modest types of interventions that infrastructure. (Loukaitou-Sideris et diction of a whole number of different visual barriers, Cluster - the many -Can span greater -Limited to already -Medium to High -Low to Medium -High distances with less use ofdense the sitespaces area. beneath elevated rail- could be implemented with less land al. 2013:326-329) actors : departments of planning, trans- transit systems converge, creating large land for anchoring. -Access to surroundingways for other activities, outside or in and capital available: portation, parks, environment, etc. footprints that divide neighbourhoods; uses. built structures. UNDER THE ELEVATED - Design Potentials: “ecological and tech- Clover - typical massive highway clo- Bridge 4) Viaduct (path above). Utilizing Mobile urbanisms: Trust for Public Space. New York, nical infrastructure initiatives, new verleafs that leave difficult to access -Access to surroundingthe space-Significant above land needed.elevated-Medium stations,-Medium this to High 1) ‘-MediumRemote urbanism’ fits new USA. 2015 forms of connective public space, stra- landscape patches; Span - bridges uses. -Significant building -Span over wider setstrategy of support doesn’t needed. fully enclose the sta- programs or events into railway car- tegically located recreational areas, and that span across geographic and legal Infrastructure. -Connect various landtion, but wraps above and beside the riages - a mobile museum. A collaboration between the New innovative models of public-private boundaries offer opportunities to link. uses (public space,parks, amenities)- ‘Off-site nodes’ Layered Ground station, requiring less urban land. 2) connect plat- York City Department of Transporta- land use.” (Bauer et al. 2015:33) (Bauer et al. 2015:40-41) 5) Bridge. This type of interven- forms in various ways (foot and bicycle tion and the Design Trust for Public El-space assets: space (the vertical In addition to the seven types, the -Access to surrounding -Noise associated -Low -Low -Low to High uses. tion spans with rail operations.over transport infrastruc- bridges, moving sidewalks, shuttles, Space undertook to study the elevat- dimension ranging from human-scaled Design Trust team also put forward an -Low cost and ture (typically where these are located escalators, etc) to other places. ed highways, elevated railways and to lofty urban), land (physical space and incremental phased approach to trans- maintanance. Underspaces beneath street-level). (Loukaitou-Sid- bridges of New York. The project was ownership), structures (architectural, forming these sites - pop-up > pilot > eris et al. 2013:320-324) Perceptual links: published as a book, entitled ‘Under sheltered space) and locations (a connect- permanent. Low-cost, small, pop-up -Access to surrounding -Noise. -Medium -Low -Low to High uses. 1) ‘Nodal Networks’ use wayfind- the elevated: reclaiming space, con- ed network for alternate travel modes, interventions could initiate discus- Landscape Interventions -Low construction costs. Landscape interventions: ing markers that define paths that link necting communities’ (2015). In New linear public space, and environmental sion and workshops and gather infor- -Versatility in connecting segregated amenities. 1) ‘Layered ground’ accommo- places within a large urban scale. York alone there is about 700 miles of use). (Bauer et al. 2015:38-39) mation. After which short-term pilot New Paths dates landscapes on a new plane con- 2) ‘Priviledged Path’ uses recur- elevated transportation infrastructure An inventory of the 700 miles of el- projects could “test significant spatial, -Flexibility in -Stationary wagon could -Low -Low -Low to High development location.structedblock over main rail transport line. infrastructure. ring markers to show the route to sta- leaving in its shadow ‘dark, noisy and evated transit structures was mapped. programmatic and operational changes -Versatility in serving 2)-Secondary ‘Underspace’ tracks converts spaces be- tions. forbidding’ spaces.(Bauer et al. 2015:6) Typical sections were drawn and seven under elevated infrastructure” before multiple stations. needed for extended neathparking urban periods infrastructures or into land- 3) ‘Urban Narratives’ connect This project explored ways in which distinct formal types emerged from the investments in permanent interven- -Temporary service significant distances from possible.
Mobile Urbanism scapesstation. for recreational or other uses. stations to each other and to their sur- the ‘spaces under the elevated’ - or ‘el inventory: landing, trestle, park, high- tions are made. (Bauer et al. 2015:42). -Low cost for -Maintenance needed. implementation. rounding neighbourhoods, using visu- spaces’ could be developed into multi- way, cluster, clover, span. Case studies ‘Permanent’ improvements could then al graphics or art that ‘tell stories’. functional public places that enrich the were then selected to to represent each be made with evidence-based designs -Versatile in coveringExtract-Potential from misreading ‘Summary of -Lowof urban -Low -Low to High complex urban fabrics. markers as a cohcrent 4) ‘Graphic connections’ - surrounding neighbourhoods. of the el-space types. that are derived from communities and designentity. interventions’ in Loukaitou- -Low cost for 5) ‘Perceptual Stimuli’ or the Although the ‘Under the Elevated’ Landing - The barriers formed by their contexts. implementation. Sideris-Limited et capacityal. 2013) to Perceptual Links promote development.
14 15 potentialising elevated railway structures
ramps, abutments, off-ramps, etc. that ‘Greening the elevated’ - (Green concerns. The strategies that were sug- lin critiqued engineered infrastructures 39 types of elevated railway connect elevated structures with the Stormwater Infrastructure GSI) gested for these sites included: 1) estab- and suggested that thinking in terms of structure interventions are de- ground level. Trestle - the overhead lishing green corridors by linking new ‘urban landscape infrastructures’ would scribed in this section, in the form of ‘things to do about ERS’. The result structures of the elevated railways. Park The elevated transit structures of stormwater infrastructure adjacent to include ecological and social uses too. of a global literary search of various - where the elevated infrastructure run Philadelphia was studied PennDesign the elevated structure to a network of They introduce ‘flowscapes’, or spaces- instances of ERS and projects that across publicly accessible or less acces- City and Regional Planning Studio of rain gardens, street trees and parks; 2) of-flows, as a new design discipline, in seek their urban integration, it is a sible parkland, Highway - that often Fall 2016 (PennDesign 2016:22-31). targeting large landowners and private addition to spaces-of-places. Transport search for the potentials of ERS to form sheltered, dark and physical and The typology was arranged according land-owners to invest in stormwater landscape infrastructures are one type contribute to urban life and urban visual barriers, Cluster - the many to three categories - above, below and retention schemes; 3) educating the of flowscapes that could integrate dif- form, beyond their main transport transit systems converge, creating large beside. “Above refers to the function public about GSI at transit stations ferent functions and produce new kinds function - potentializing ERS. footprints that divide neighbourhoods; of the structure, its width, frequency through public art installations. of public spaces. Hormigo & Morito’s Clover - typical massive highway clo- of use, condition, and other character- gapscapes considered access, permeabil- verleafs that leave difficult to access istics of the activity occurring on the SUMMARY OF THEORIES ity and interaction beneath ERS. They landscape patches; Span - bridges structure. Below includes aspects re- derived a typology of gapspaces in To- that span across geographic and legal lating to the environment underneath Within this section - theorising ERS kyo. In Los Angeles, Loukaitou-Sideris boundaries offer opportunities to link. the structure, including light levels - elevated railway structures was elabo- et al construed a typology of ways to (Bauer et al. 2015:40-41) and passage through. Beside includes rated on as an urban type. These struc- integrate elevated railway stations to In addition to the seven types, the the environment immediately adjacent tures are infrastructures that take part their contexts that are equally useful in Design Trust team also put forward an to the structure, including the land use in urban form, sometimes behaving like thinking about the urban integration of incremental phased approach to trans- and density of structures.” (PennDe- viaducts, city walls or portals. West8 elevated railway structures. The ‘Under forming these sites - pop-up > pilot > sign 2016:25) The study then did an et al have shown the typological evolu- the elevated’ study derived seven for- permanent. Low-cost, small, pop-up analysis of elevated transit structures tion of the city wall from ancient for- mal types of elevated transit structures interventions could initiate discus- based on adjacent land-use, average tification to contemporary hybrid types form New York. Through an incremen- sion and workshops and gather infor- adjacent parcel size and elevated struc- and how elevated transit structures in tal approach they initiated a series of mation. After which short-term pilot ture type. Three sites - one at a high- Toronto embody the city-wall-type. projects at sites that represent each of projects could “test significant spatial, way, one at a freight railway and one at Temtem viewed ERS in Berlin as build- these types. The ‘Greening the elevated’ programmatic and operational changes a passenger railway line - were selected ing-viaducts. These hybrid structures study also devised a typology of ERS, under elevated infrastructure” before in areas of high environmental, eco- were integrated with the urban form but combined this with a mapping of investments in permanent interven- nomic and socio-economic vulnerabil- through facades, while accommodating areas of high environmental, economic tions are made. (Bauer et al. 2015:42). ity (PennDesign 2016:28-37). These additional uses in ‘inhabited arcades’. and socio-economic vulnerability in the ‘Permanent’ improvements could then three elevated transit sites then served Finney exposed the ‘typological burden’ selection of project sites in Philadelphia. be made with evidence-based designs as case studies for proposals to imple- that structures on pilotis cause - what The strategies they suggested were spe- that are derived from communities and ment green stormwater infrastructure, to do with the undetermined spaces cifically focused on Green stormwater their contexts. while also addressing neighbourhood between the columns. Nijhuis & Jaus- infrastructure.
16 17 1 2 3 4 5 Paint it Green it Mirror it Light it up Create urban narratives around it The structures of elevated railways In an effort to put the ‘jungle’ Reflective surfaces reflect their There is no lack of projects that nia, Texas. Designed by Joe O’Connell are great canvases for both organised and backinto the ‘concrete jungle’, there surroundings and as such they could sought to liven up the spaces beneath and Blessing Hancock, the art work is unorganised graffiti-type art. Paint pro- are projects that cover up the concrete have the effect of disappearance. Sean elevated transit structures with the use ‘meant to thrive in the unpredictable The old railway with arches at Gam jects could re-animate neglected spaces structures of elevated transit structures Hogan suggested such a reflective sur- of lighting. (Bill Fitz Gibbons in Bir- elements of the public rather than in- Cao, Long Bien Bridge, Hanoi. Re- and when designed in unison, they could with plants. face to cover the ERS in Melbourne. mingham, Alabama; Herman Kuijers side a sterile gallery”. Chandeliers were cently a project was launched where form graphic connections or tell urban A project like Via Verde in Mexico (Masanauskas & Carmona 2017). did two permanent light installation for made of junk metals and bike parts Vietnamese and Korean artists painted narratives (see numbers 5 and 7). City creates an image of ‘greenness’ Early renderings of the the Davenport two underpases - Marstunnel and Kost- and each were fitted with a bright LED frescoes in seventeen of these arch- The Underground at Ink Block or an ecological imperative by adding Grade Separation in Ontario, Canada verloren - in the Dutch town, Zutpen. light source to throw projections on ways with scenes depicting Hanoi’s project in Boston invited 12 prominent planting around the existing concrete showed reflective surfaces applied to The lights change colour, creating visual the structure of the highway. The lights 1000 years’ history. The artworks were artists to do murals and inaugurate a piers of elevated transit structures.. the sides of noise barriers of new el- movement through the tunnels, while are switched on two hours before sun- opened in February 2018 as part of the Mural Project in 2017. The murals cov- However, at what cost? With the cost evated railways to reflect the surround- pedestrians, cyclists and motorists ‘ex- set and a gradual change of light from Lunar New Year celebrations. The pro- 2 ered around 14 000 m of surface on of one of these green columns, 300 ing context. (Metrolinx 2016). perience the relationship between time natural to artificial happens during ject was a collaboration between the nine walls beneath a highway (Under- trees could have be planted elsewhere. and space’. (Azzarello 2015) this time. The project is a result of a People’s Committee of Hoan Kiem, groundinkblock 2018). (Archdaily 2016). These ‘greening’ Ballroom Luminoso in San Anto- wider public art initiative to mark des- the United Nations Human Settle- projects are perhaps more about the nia, Texas. A public art piece, entitled tinations of neighbourhood or cultur- ments Program (UN-Habitat) and the image of elevated structures in the city, ‘Ballroom Luminoso’ was installed be- al-historical importance. (Moret 2013) Korea Foundation (Hanoitimes 2018). and less about ecological benefit. neath an elevated highway in San Anto-
18 19 7 8 9 10 11 12 Make graphic Use wayfinding Make routes Deliver services Have events beneath it Inflate a bubble connections around it beneath it beneath it
The surfaces of elevated railway The wayfinding strategy for the Elevated railway structures are by A study of left-over space beneath Apart from all the murals done as ‘Das Küchenmonument’ or The structures can become the hosts for Underline project in Miami by James nature linear and they create routes be- two flyovers in Kuala Lumpur was part of the Underground Mural Pro- Kitchen Monument by Raumlabor and graphic works of art. Continuity can Corner Field Operations (2015), is tween places. The spaces beneath ERS conducted in 2013 (Qamaruz-Zaman, ject, the Underground Inkblock in Plastique Fantastique was a travelling be created through graphic consisten- closely tied to the branding and identi- can follow their route or connect to et al). The researchers found various Boston, MA is a space that have hosted inflatable and inhabitable sculpture cy, while differences between environ- ty of the Underline, forming a continu- other routes that connect green spaces, activities occurring here, at different all kind of events. There are regular fit- that were inflated in various locations ments and neighbourhoods can inform ous graphic identity. Wayfinding are for example. These routes are marked times of day. They observe informal ness and yoga classes, dog parades or with various events occuring in it. In variation. designed to encourage walking along using surface treatments or “recurring activities such as food stalls, cafes, doodling days happening. The Octa- Duisburg it was even inflated beneath The Davenport Grade Separation the trail; connect to surrounding trails markers within a continuous infra- sports and recreational activities (in- cofest combined beer, tacos and music a flyover, hosting a public cooking and project have invited artists to submit and neighbourhoods; encourage multi- structure to establish and highlight a cluding chess playing, carom and ping into a festival beneath the overhead dining hall. (Raumlaborberlin 2016) proposals for adorning the elevated modal transport and minimize free- particular route or path...” (Loukaitou- pong), businesses and services (eg. toys structure. (Underground at Inkblock sides. Alex McCleod have won the bid standing signage. The signage provides Sideris et al 2013:328). and clothes stalls, as well as movers, a 2018). After the success of this event, with his project ‘Secret Park Gate’. A information on ‘Where I am’, ‘Which The Atlanta Beltine is an ambitious car wash and workshop services), a bi- a seasonal beer garden was opened by 1.4 km long ‘mural’ - or massive 3D- direction am I facing’, ‘Where can I go project aiming to connect parks, trails, weekly evening market with fresh food. a local brewery. Long tables, weather- rendered image - will depict six scenes from here’ and ‘What is around me’, transit and affordable housing into a Cultural activities included traditional resistant lounge furniture and lawn in response to its urban environment completed with distances. Additional- loop through Atlanta, Georgia. The performances with traditional musical games can accommodate around 400 (Hampton 2018). ly, facts and information on specific ar- project originated with Ryan Gravel’s instruments. (Qamaruz-Zaman, et al people. Food trucks and ‘pop-up shops’ eas and artworks by local Miami artists Master thesis, entitled ‘Beltline - At- 2013:96-101) will also be invited, providing an infor- are included. Signage is mostly applied lanta : design of infrastructure as a re- mal trading platform. (Cain 2018). The directly to ERS (columns and beams) flection of public policy’ (1999). park and event space was a combined and to the bicycle and walking paths effort between MassDOT (Massachu- directly, minimizing the need for addi- setts Department of Transport) and a tional structures. (James Corner Field development company, National De- Operations 2015:158-213) velopment.
20 21 13 14 15 16 17 18 Have a campsite ‘Mobile urbanisms’ Make a public space Make an ice skate rink Make a ‘landskate Build ‘social billboards’ beneath it beneath it beneath it park’ beneath it at intersections
The cover that elevated structures The programming of railway car- Spaces beneath elevated railways Beneath the Bentway in Toronto, Skate parks are popular use of space Kosmos architects, in collaboration provide makes the spaces beneath ideal riages for different purposes - eg. a are ideally suited for public spaces, an ice skating route was installed to under elevated structures (Gardens with Ekaterina Zavyalova, transforms for camping out. During events or fes- mobile museum or mobile classrooms since they are usually closeby railway mark the space beneath the Gardiner station, Cape Town, South Africa; the typology of the billboard with their tivals visitors could be accommodated - or establishing connections between stations and the cover overhead shel- Expressway as a new urban space and Ralambshovsparken, Stockholm, Swe- Queensway Billboards project. Instead here. The ‘Urban Campscape’ was such elevated railway structures and other ters against sun and rain or snow. Of outdoor art gallery. (Hague, 2018) den; Burnside Skate Park, Portland, of advertising products, the billboards a campsite during the Dutch Design places via bridges, ramps, escaltors etc. this variety, example projects include Oregon; Northbank, Melbourne, Aus- make possible vertical circulation with Week 2012. The space beneath a flyo- Loukaitou-Sideris et al (2013:326-329) ‘Under the viaduct’ by Renzo Piano tralia; Hanespark, Stade, Germany; stairs, ramps, lifts, slides, etc. and per- ver in Eindhoven’s Strijp-S district was call these type of measures ‘Mobile Ur- and G124 in Rome; A8erna in Zaan- Heidelberger Bridge Park, Berlin, Ger- form social functions such as elevated converted into a campsite, providing banisms’. Pictured above here are the stad, Netherlands; De Hofbogen in many, etc. an extensive collection is sports, vertical gardens, art spaces, cin- accommodation and cultural programs carriages of the ‘Nomadic Railway City’ Rotterdam; the Crossroads Project in available at www.skateboard.com.au). ema, etc. In the project, a ‘billboard’ such as “guerrilla gardening workshops, by Swedish architects Jagnefalt Milton. Milwaukee, USA; the Bentway in To- Scob Architecture and Landscape structure is located at each of the inter- an exhibition about the Green Corri- ronto. have designed a number of ‘Landskate sections of a portion of the abandoned dor, breakfast with products from the The Minhocão Marquise, a project parks’ in Barcelona. One of these, Skate Queensway railway. (Divisare 2016) Philips Fruit Garden, bicycle tours…” by Triptyque Architects in São Paulo, Park Les Corts, is located beneath an (Knitel 2012) Brasil. A transformation of 3km of the elevated transit structure. The design is Minhocao Viaduct built in the 1970s. conceived to form a continuity between In addition to the plants added and the skatepark elements, the vegetation stormwater retention, the project will and public space - rather than bulky, make public space in the 33m in-be- isolated elements. (Scob 2018) tween spaces between columns. These spaces will be filled with four kinds of programs modules - culture, food, ser- vices and shops. (Triptyque 2017)
22 23 19 20 21 22 Make a park on a Build a park above it Make a park beneath it Attach trees to it disused railway
The High Line project in New York Barcelona didn’t wait for its rail- Rambla de Sants, Barcelona, Spain. The Underline. Miami, USA. 2015. traditional playgrounds; an area of By virtue of their height, ERS, cre- received a lot of press for converting a ways to become derelict before they 2016. Ana Molino Sergi Godia James Corner Field Operations. arts and crafts with outdoor galleries ate the potential for attaching things up disused railway tracks into an elevated added an elevated park space. The The Rambla de Sants project healed The Underline Park in Miami is de- and connections to existing business; in the air. The festive temporary hang- park. It should be noted that Paris ini- Rambla des Sants, designed by Ana a portion of Barcelona that was sev- signed around seven ‘character zones’ - an area for the public to ‘create, dis- ing of flags or lights comes to mind, but tiated this type of urban intervention Molino and Sergi Godia, added a sec- ered by train tracks. The existing train ‘active recreation’, ‘green tech’, ‘art & play and teach crafts that enhances the more permanent suspensions are also with the Promenade Plantée, designed ond deck above a railway line in the tracks were roofed with a new linear craft incubator’, and ‘nature & play’. public realm’; an area that caters for possibile. Diller Scofidio + Renfro de- by architect Philippe Matthieu and Sants neighbourhood. The project park, giving panoramic visual access “The Underline will have character the student population ‘by creating a veloped an interesting way to have trees landscape architect Jacques Vergely in aimed to ‘heal the wound’ between along two routes - a shaded one and a zones that draw from the surround- place to hang out, with social seating, attaching to the sides of elevated struc- 1988 after they won the competition neighbourhoods that the railway tracks sunny one. Between the two paths, an ing neighborhoods and provide a var- food and drink and fun recreational tures. The design was proposed as part for repurposing an abandoned railway severed. The new park deck ranges artificial topography is densely planted ied experience including a number of activities such as roller skating and of the competition entry for the rede- as a greenway. (Heathcot 2013:285). from 4-12 m above the adjacent street with shrubs and trees. Climbing plants unique programmed spaces along the skateboarding’ (JCFO 2015:128); an velopment of the Gardiner Expressway After the High Line, a number of similar levels and is supported on a prefab con- grow along the pre-cast concrete ‘infra- way.” (James Corner FIeld operations area with health and wellbeing themed in Toronto. ‘Suspended root ball trees’ projects were launched in the USA and crete structure that recalls traditional structural facades’ with cable systems 2015:103). Within these character gardens such as butterfly habitats, or would be suspended from the concrete elsewhere: the 606 (Bloomingdale Trail) warren beams associated with railway to guide them (Landezine 2016) zones there will also be half-mile ‘areas healing and aromatic plants; an area structure, as if lifted together with the in Chicago, the RailPark (at Reading structures. (Landezine 2017) of intensity’ that become destinations. for group and individual fitness - out- highway. Trees are planted in round Viaduct) in Philadelphia, the St Thomas These include a play-focused area; an door workouts, soccer, frisbee, running bags that fit in steel ring baskets at- Elevated Park in Ontario, Canada, the area of nature-oriented play beyond and racing. (JCFO 2015:110-139) tached to the concrete structure. Once Goods Line in Sydney, Australia. Al- the trees outgrow their bags they are though these are certainly exciting pro- transplanted to streets. (Diller, Scofid- jects in re-invigorating neighbourhoods io + Renfro 2010:8-9). and cities, the question remains - what to do about elevated railway structures that are still in use?
24 25 23 24 25 26 27 28 Plant trees beneath it Hang a pathway from it Make a bicycle path Park bicycles beneath it Filter rainwater from it Let animals pass be- beneath it neath it
Chieu Lieu trees (Terminalia bel- In some instances the height afford- Radbahn, Berlin. A non-profit or- At the Koiwa station in Tokyo, Stormwater and rainwater (collect, The SGR (Standard Gauge Rail- lirica) or small-leave Bang (Bucida mo- ed by ERS, allow for structures to be ganization, called Paper Planes, formed bicycle parking for about 1500 bikes prevent flooding and filter oil, heavy way) is being built through Nairobi lineti) trees are being planted beneath hung from them. The Marsupial Bridge, by eight Berliners in 2016. They want were built beneath the elevated railway metals and gases) eg. Highway Outfall National Park in Kenya. Initially the Cat Linh - Ha Dong line of the part of the Crossroads project in Mil- to realize a 9 km cycling track beneath tracks. The facility now serves the train Landscape Detention HOLD system planned to run through a rhino breed- Hanoi urban railway. These trees are waukee, Wisconson, USA, is one such the elevated structure of the U1 line station, a local shopping centre and the in Queens (Bauer et al. 2015:33). ing ground, the railway has been di- suitable for planting beneath railways example. A bicycle lane and pedestrian in Berlin. Ancillary spaces like green surrounding neighbourhood. (Ecosta- The ‘Greening the elevated’ pro- verted over grassland. Although the when they are pruned to grow horizon- track is suspended from and ‘hosted’ spaces, recreational spaces and bike tion21 2006) ject by the PennDesign studio of 2016 railway has been raised above ground tally, instead of vertically. (Dat 2016) by the steel railway bridge above. The service stations will line the cycle route. proposed strategies to improve spaces by 7m to 40m to allow animals to bridge provides a close-up experience of (Finger 2017) around elevated transit structures, pass, there are still concerns that the both the water and the steel structure mainly through the implementation 6km railway will affect animal migra- above. It reconnects neighbourhoods of Stormwater Green Infrastructure tion patterns. (Rajab 2018). The Kenya across the river, while also becoming (PennDesign 2016). Railways Company chose this route to an attractive visual centre-piece to the avoid high land compensation costs. Crossroads project and adding an iconic urban infrastructure to Milwaukee (La and Dallman 2009), (King 2010) (Bruner Foundation 2008)
26 27 29 30 31 32 33 34 Build beneath it Build an open air mu- Build modules be- Fill in the viaduct Build an events cage Build an inhabited suem beneath it neath it beneath it bridge
Building beneath elevated railway CAATstudio made a proposal to The serial spatial bays beneath Interior spaces beneath railway via- The Shimokitazawa Cage in To- This urban type is manifested in structures poses limitations, in terms of convert the space beneath the Mirdam- ERS as well as the sensitivity of site ducts are often created by closing-off kyo is a 12m x 16m cage built beneath the well-known medieval bridge,the dimensions and in terms of ownership, ad bridge into an open-air anthropol- - construction would interrupt traf- viaduct arches. Where-ever there is a an ERS. The space in the cage can be Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy. This safety regulations, etc. Despite these ogy museum for pedestrians. By cover- fic - makes modular construction city with viaducts there are likely parts configured to become different kind of type occurs when a bridge, or elevated limitations, various uses could be ac- ing columns an acoustic space could techniques ideal for building interior of these viaducts that have been con- event spaces - theater, movie theatre, structure, includes a building above it. commodated in interior spaces beneath be created. (Santos 2017; CAATstudio spaces beneath ERS. In Tokyo an en- verted into shops, restaurants or other market, round stage, bazaar, ring or Steven Holl designed at least two elevated railway lines. These functions 2017) tire nursery school was built beneath interior spaces. The Promenade Plantee runway. (Keiobridge 2017:18) projects of the ‘inhabited bridge’ type. are a product of the context. MySpace the JR Chuo Line. The ‘Global Kids in Paris, Imviadukt in Zurich, the No- He curated the Pamphlet Architecture Architects in Delhi did a study and Musashi-gakuen’ school was built to lle restaurant in Berlin, the McDonalds #7 issue, which included his project for found that 60% of the spaces beneath fit in a space of 90 x 11.5 metres, fit- in Vienna. a landmark in Melbourne, Australia. the Noida metro line could be devel- ting in-between concrete piers spaced The Melbourne project consisted of oped into functional spaces (Dovey 15m apart. The school looks like a five seven inhabited bridges - or ‘urban 2017), that could include: Start-up car train, with each of the ‘cars’ con- arms’ - that extended streets over a and small scale businesses, co-working taining a classroom. To minimize the railway and connecting these to a river spaces, government offices, community on-site construction time, lightweight - Bridge of Pools and Baths; Cultural centres and night shelters (Rethinking steel construction was used that could Bridge; Bridge of Piazzas; Bridge of the future 2017) be assembled by hand on site. (Ishijima Ancient/Modern Columns; Bridge of Architecture 2014) International Trade; Bridge of Odd Flowers and the Bridge of Houses. The seventh bridge, the Bridge of Houses, was later adapted to a project for the disused Highline in New York - the ‘Bridge of Houses’, 1981. (Hyde 2008).
28 29 35 36 37 38 39 Build a building Build a building Build a building Design the structure Design in Variation around it beside it above it to house other uses
The idea of living in a building with The Siam Paragon shopping mall in Where there is limited space avail- Elevated railway structures are ERS has the potential for a con- The typologies (or things to do a railway running through it, may not Bangkok is directly link with bridges able beside elevated structures, a build- designed to accommodate other uses tinuous variation or differentiation with elevated railway structures) de- sound very appealing. This was the real- and plazas to the Siam Station of the ing could be built on columns or piers above, beneath or beside them. The along its different lines and different fined here are idealised ‘slices’ of ERS. They exist in series along rail- ity for residents of the ‘Durchbrochenes Bangkok Skytrain. In August 2017 right above the elevated railway line. position and spacing of columns have stations. This could pick-up on local way lines and a whole array of these Haus’, in Berlin, until the building a further skywalk bridge was opened The Standard Highline hotel was built a definite effect on how the spaces be- contextual differences, while also aid- types could occur along one railway was bombed during WW1. To this over the Pathum-Wan intersection. on sculptural piers to hover over the neath can be used. Large concrete piers ing way-finding and place-attachment. line. These types are useful in multi- day the U1 line at Dennewitzstraße Case engineers and Urban Architects, abandoned railway line and new linear in the middle, forces movement around Why is that the metro structures look plying the possible ways that ERS can runs through an apartment building. designed a pedestrian link across the High Line park. The hotel challenges them, while if they are placed off-centre the same everywhere? An economy of aid urban integration. The application (secretcitytravel 2014) The Chinese intersection. A plaza-like space, with traditional notions of privacy and the or if two smaller piers are used, move- scale, professional laziness, lack of am- of types in the design of spaces around city of Qhongqing built the Libiza sta- colourful green tiles, umbrella-like transparency of hotel rooms reach from ment can continue along the centre bition? The Metamorphosis paintings ERS are necessarily specific to their tion on the sixth to eighth floors of an structures and comfortable seats, was both inside-out (panoramic views) and line. This aspect is especially important of MC Escher show a gradual evolu- context - it is from here that appropriate apartment building. The sound insula- created that connects to the four cor- outside in (visual proximity of pedestri- where there are roads on either side of tion of a form or pattern. What if the design strategies should stem. tion fitted reduces the sound of trains ner buildings and the Skytrain station. ans on the high line) (Ennead, 2009). the columns. A double or off-centre metro lines gradually transform along to about the noise of a washing ma- These buildings that include shopping column configuration could add a pro- its route through different parts of the chine. This under-exploited typology malls and an arts center are made into tective zone for pedestrians, cyclists, city, mimicking the differences of den- could mean continuity of urban form side-access buildings, connected to the etc. from surrounding vehicular traffic. sities and ages in its surroundings. and facades, despite of railways passing train station (Case 2017; Loukaitou- The height of horizontal elements de- perpendicularly through them. (Mol- Sideris et al 2013). termines what the spaces beneath can loy 2017) be used for - if high enough, two levels The Heron Quays station of the could be added - an open ground plane Docklands Light Railway in Canary with a second enclosed level or double Wharf, London (2012) is another ex- storey enclosures. ample of this type.
30 31 conclusion
ERS ARE TRENDY ERS SHOULD INTEGRATE EARLIER THE BETTER URBAN FABRIC The last two decades have seen Although there are numerous strategies many projects arise that sought to ERS don’t have to sever the urban fab- of integrating elevated railway struc- improve residual urban spaces. The ric. With careful design (and attention to tures within urban contexts, the physi- value of urban land has necessitated ‘gapscapes’) ERS could be designed to in- cal limitations of specific instances, the better use of left-over space around tegrate urban fabric. This could be done often exclude many of these strategies, elevated railway structures. Projects in various ways - graphic and perceptual especially once the structures have al- everywhere have come up with various links, continuity and programming of ready been built. If in the planning and ways to bring urban life to these resid- the urban ground; ‘wrapping’ new build- design of these structures, the prob- ual spaces. These typologies are mostly ings around ERS, accommodating addi- lems of mono-function, residual space also applicable to other elevated urban tional formal and informal uses beneath and division are considered earlier, structures, like highway structures. the structures, The ways to integrate ERS these structures could be better inte- present themselves as types. grated and allow for more open-ended ERS ARE PART OF THE uses around them. URBAN LANDSCAPE ERS ARE HYBRID TYPES ERS IN CONTEXT More disciplines (urbanism, ar- Elevated transport infrastructures chitecture, landscape, events, parks, are hybrid urban types (sometimes act- The danger of a typological ap- recreation) should be involved with its ing as city walls, portals, bridges, etc). proach to design is that it becomes a design - not the exclusive domain of They are also a type of ‘urban land- duplication of static types. The 39 transport departments and engineers. scape infrastructure’ that form ‘flows- types (or concepts) presented in this capes’, performing architectural, land- paper were more to open-up the mul- ERS SHOULD BE scape, urban and ecological functions tiple potentials of ERS to form part of MULTI-FUNCTIONAL in addition to transportation. By pay- urban life. For interventions to be ap- ing attention to the type of ‘gapspaces’ propriate, they necessarily need to be Elevated railway structures should these elevated structures create, urban derived from the context - physical, perform more functions than only accessibility, permeability and interac- social, cultural, historical etc. The con- transportation. They should also con- tion could be ensured. The 39 types of text could also become the informant tribute to the city in one or more of interventions have multiplied the vari- for context-specific concepts to emerge. the following ways : hosting public art, ous potential ways that ERS could be- forming public spaces, forming event come integrated with urban life. spaces, forming landscapes, forming recreational spaces, become integrated with building fabric (beneath, beside or above).
32 33 references
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34 35 picture credits
Rory Hyde, 2008. Metrolinx,.2016. Raumlaborberlin, 2006. Roshan-Afshar, Navid. 2012. Qamaruz-Zaman, Nurulhusna, Lé, Philippe, 2014. ‘RORY HYDE PROJECTS / Metrolinx Davenport Diamond Grade ‘Raumlabor » Das Küchenmonu- It’s Time to Stop Whining About Zalina Nurulhusna, and Nik ‘Drone views of Long Bien Bridge’, in BLOG » Blog Archive » Melbourne Separation. http://www.metrolinx. ment’
36 37 Linders, Jannes, 2015. 12. Canevacci, Marco, 2006. 18. KOSMOS, 2014. 24. John Hill, 2009. www.instagram.com/p/29TOIYgjH6/> Doug, ‘Why Walk to Train? In This The Luminous Installations Are Set Raumlabor » Das Küchenm- Queensway Billboards. A Daily Dose of Architecture: Mar- [accessed 13 May 2018] Building, It Comes to You’, CNN within the Historical Town of Zutphen onument,