The Royal National City Park As a Green Resource for Loudden
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The Royal National City Park as a green resource for Loudden A CRITICAL SYSTEMS ANALYSIS OF RECREATIONAL AND BIODIVERSITY VALUES. 1 2 3 Elizaveta Chashchyna Marais de Vaal David Egholt 4 5 Mizanur Rahman Kristin Röja 1 Currently bachelor student in Geography. 3 Bachelor in Human Geography with Intelligence Analysis for Policy and Business 2 Bachelor in Geography and Bachelor in Law (University of Pretoria). Currently masters’ (Stockholm University). student in Environmental Management and Physical Planning (Stockholm University). 4 Master in Geography (University of Jagannath). 5 Currently bachelor student in Geography. Abstract The Stockholm Royal Seaport (Norra Djurgårdsstaden) is an urban development that aims to transform a former industrial area into a sustainable city area. The aim of this study is to investigate how the planned development of a particular area within the Stockholm Royal Seaport (SRS), called Loudden, will affect the surrounding areas of the Royal National City Park (RNCP), which borders the area of Loudden to the west and south, and also to determine how the development of Loudden can benefit from the services provided by the RNCP. The developers of the SRS view the RNCP as a valuable resource with regard to the ecosystem services it can provide for the residents of Loudden, particularly biodiversity- and recreational ecosystem services. A critical systems perspective will be applied to analyse the predicted effects of the development and to identify possible solutions that can be taken into consideration by the city’s planners in the future planning of the area. 1 Foreword The students alone are responsible for the results and conclusions of This report is the result of a project work within the course this report and it cannot be regarded as the position of Stockholm Environmental Management in Planning at Stockholm University. University. The project supervisor has been Salim Belyazid, Bo The course is a mandatory part of the multidisciplinary Master Eknert, Nadja Stadlinger and Ingrid Stjernquist from the Department programme Environmental Management and Physical Planning at the of Physical Geography. Department of Physical Geography and includes both Swedish and We want to thank all those who have been helpful in providing the international students. The course comprises ten weeks of study students with information and materials as well as having taken time (15EHTC), of which the project part covers five weeks. The aim is to for interviews. Without your help this project could not have been give the students an opportunity to apply their acquired knowledge on realised. environmental management in planning on a realistic and relevant case. Stockholm, March 2019 This time we have chosen to study the Stockholm Royal Seaport Nadja Stadlinger (SRS) and its surroundings. The different project groups have focused Environmental Researcher on remediation and implementation of urban gardening in Loudden Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University (the last area to be developed in SRS), retrofitting of neighboring residential areas as well as The Royal National City Park as a green resource for SRS. 2 Table of contents 2. Background 14 2.1 The Royal National City Park 14 Foreword 2 2.2 The Stockholm Royal Seaport 16 Table of contents 3 2.3 Legislative Framework 17 1. Introduction 5 2.3.1 Background 17 1.1 Project Aim 5 2.3.2 The Environmental Code 18 1.2 Research questions 5 Basic management provisions for land and water areas 18 1.3 Boundaries and limitations 6 Protection of a national urban park 18 1.3.1 Limited evaluation of sustainability 6 Protection of national interests 19 Sustainable development 6 Protection of nature and culture 19 Green resource 7 2.3.3 Cultural Heritage Act 20 Sustainable city area 8 2.3.4 Planning and Building Act 20 1.3.2 Spatial boundary 8 3. Result 21 1.3.3 Temporal boundary 9 3.1 Baseline environment 21 1.4 Methods 9 3.1.1 Biodiversity baseline 21 1.4.1 Literature review 10 3.1.2 Recreation baseline 25 1.4.2 Interviews 10 3.1.3 Accessibility baseline 27 1.4.3 Site research 11 3.1.4 Observed impacts 27 1.4.4 Comparative case studies 11 3.2 Predicted impacts 30 1.4.5 Systems analysis 12 3.2.1 Impacts on biodiversity 30 1.4.6 Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) 3.2.2 Impacts on recreation 32 analysis 14 3.3 Future planning vision for the study area 33 1.4.7 GIS 14 3.3.1 Vision for the Royal National City Park 33 3 3.3.2 Vision for the Stockholm Royal Seaport 36 Accessibility 50 3.3.2.1 Let nature do the work 38 5. Discussion 51 3.3.3 Vision for Stockholm 38 5.1 Measures to improve ecological and recreational value 51 3.4 Study of other urban green areas 39 5.1.1 Improvement of recreational infrastructure 51 3.4.1 Nackareservatet 39 5.1.2 Addition of green spaces 54 3.4.2 Hammarby Sjöstad 40 5.1.3 Improved accessibility 57 3.4.3 Existing development of the Royal Seaport 41 5.1.4 Controlling visitor numbers 59 3.4.4 Gärdesstaden 41 5.2 Authors’ vision for the future development 59 3.4.5 Norra Djurgården 42 5.2.1 Vision for improved recreational infrastructure and accessibility 3.4.6 Södra Djurgården 42 59 3.4.7 Museiparken 43 5.2.2 Vision for additional green spaces and green infrastructure 62 4. Analysis 43 6. Conclusion 67 4.1 A systems perspective on the RNCP as a green resource 43 7. References 68 Biodiversity 45 Habitat 45 Green space 46 Connective pathways 47 Population of Loudden 47 Visitors 48 User conflict 48 Degradation 49 Recreational infrastructure 49 Recreational value 50 4 1. Introduction 1.2 Research questions The project aim will be achieved by answering the following research 1.1 Project Aim questions: The Stockholm Royal Seaport (Norra Djurgårdsstaden) is an urban 1. What kind of ecological values exist within the RNCP and development that aims to transform a former industrial area into a what threats do they face from the development of Loudden? sustainable city area. The particular area within the Stockholm Royal 2. What kind of sociological values exist within the RNCP and Seaport (SRS) that this study is focused on is called Loudden, which what threats do they face from the development of Loudden? is bordered by the Royal National City Park (RNCP) to the west and 3. How can the current planning vision be improved so that south. The SRS does not only consist of Loudden but also ecological and sociological values will be improved? Värtahamnen, Hjorthagen and Frihamnen (Stockholms stad, 2017a). The aim of this study is to take a critical systems perspective: to investigate how the planned development of Loudden will affect the surrounding areas of the RNCP; to investigate how the development of Loudden can benefit from the services provided by the RNCP; and the ultimate goal is to determine how the ecological and sociological values in the area can be increased in order to create a sustainable city area in Loudden. 5 1.3 Boundaries and limitations Sustainable development The most common definition of “sustainable development” is Considering the project’s limited time and resources, it was necessary “development that meets the need of the present without to create appropriate boundaries to limit the scope of the project, but compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own which still allowed the research aim to be achieved. The following needs”, as defined in the World Commission on Environment and boundaries were defined: Development’s Brundtland Report of 1987 (Metzger and Olsson, ❏ A particular demarcation of sustainability aspects that were 2013). This definition was based on the recognition that economic considered; and social development requires the consumption of natural resources, but only a limited supply of non-renewable natural ❏ Spatial boundaries, which means the geographic area that was investigated; and resources is available to support continued growth. Since non- renewable natural resources cannot be replaced, development will ❏ Temporal boundaries, which limited the study to a particular time frame. therefore only be sustainable if economic- and social development does not lead to environmental degradation. The political and 1.3.1 Limited evaluation of sustainability scientific debate about whether economic and social development is possible with minimal environmental impact is ongoing (Metzger and In order to conduct research towards the research aim of determining Olsson, 2013). how the RNCP can be used as a green resource to create a sustainable city area in Loudden, it was necessary to demarcate a specific and clear understanding of numerous key concepts, including “sustainable development”, “green resource” and “sustainable city area”. 6 Against this background, it was decided that this study will only According to Matthews et al., green infrastructure typically refers to investigate ecological and social sustainability aspects, while the an interconnected network of multifunctional green spaces that are economical perspective of sustainability was not considered. strategically planned and managed to provide a range of ecological, Although this approach only allowed for a limited evaluation of the social, and economic benefits (Matthews et al., 2015). The examples sustainability of the study area, it was decided that this approach of green infrastructure provided by Matthews et al. (green roofs, would nevertheless provide valuable insight into the issue, which permeable vegetated surfaces, green alleys and streets, urban forests, could be combined with related research on sustainable urban public parks, community gardens and urban wetlands) show that there development in the future. is some overlap between “urban green space” and “green infrastructure. Therefore, to distinguish the concept of “urban green Green resource space” from “green infrastructure” Matthews et al.