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Good Practice in Urban Development

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Good Practice in Urban Development Riga, Latvia 0. BACKGROUND INFORMATION PROJECT TITLE Maskavas, Krasta and Turgēņeva Street block revitalisation of derelict areas Duration of project October 2010 to December 2013. Duration: 39 months. Initially the project was planned to end in April 2013, but the duration was prolonged by eight months. Member State Latvia, Riga Funding Total budget: €7 033 425 ERDF contribution: €3 628 323 City budget: €3 357 977 Cohesion Policy Convergence Objective Main reason for The case presents the project in relation to the overall development of a derelict Highlighting this area in the very centre of Riga – the so called Spīķeri1 block that is located case between Maskavas, Krasta and Turgēņeva Streets with one part of the block bordering the heavily-trafficked road that runs on the bank of the river Daugava. The project demonstrates integrated urban development through: (1) revitalisation of the territory including improvement of infrastructure and socio-economic development; (2) interweaving of environmental, economic, social and cultural aspects; and (3) effective public-private partnership. The project aims directly at developing infrastructure thus providing the basis for the sustainable and integrated urban development of the derelict area, in line with the integrated development strategies of the City of Riga and the Development Strategy of Spīķeri Block developed by private stakeholders. Reconstruction of the block includes substantial adjustments of the urban environment – making the land and riverbank accessible and safe, and developing a port which can be further used as part of the public water-transport system in the city. By renting out space the block hosts more than 20 organisations – private enterprises and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – operating in the fields of culture, design, entertainment, food and services. In future the block aims to become a centre of creative industries of the Baltic Sea Region. The public partners involved in its development are Riga City Council and the ministries of the Republic of Latvia, while the private partners are mainly owners of the buildings in the block and their tenants – enterprises and NGOs. Both public and private partners have been actively involved in the development of the project idea and Spīķeri Block as such. Key Contact Mr Armands Rabovics, Deputy Head of the International Project Section of the person City Development Department of Riga City Council, tel.: +371 67105565, e-mail: [email protected] 1 Spīķeri means ‘warehouses’. The area has consisted largely of warehouses since the 14th century. The 13 warehouses in the area, now on the UNESCO World Heritage list, were built in the 19th century. 1 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Overall objective / The project aims to revitalise the derelict area between Maskavas, Krasta and goals: Turgēņeva streets in the Maskavas suburb of the city of Riga and the adjoining bank of the river Daugava, by making it into a public area of culture, education and entertainment for inhabitants and guests of the city. During the soviet era it served as a military base for the Soviet Army; it was however not actively used for this purpose and became rather derelict. After Latvia gained its independence in 1991, it became state property and part of it was and still is used by the City of Riga as a night market. At the same time most of the warehouse buildings were privatised and have now been renovated by their private owners. This project focuses on restoring the public part of the infrastructure of the Spīķeri Block. The two specific objectives of the project are to (1) develop the technical design for the area’s improvement and (2) reconstruct the block by demolishing temporary buildings and fences and reconstructing the block – all to contribute to its upgrading into a safe and attractive place. In addition, the project also foresees the reconstruction of the adjacent bank of the river Daugava, improving its accessibility. The project is based on the Development Strategy of the City of Riga up to 2025 in general and the Development Programme of the City of Riga 2010-2013 in particular, contributing to the overall aim of the latter: ‘Riga – City of Opportunities’. The planning documents of the City of Riga mention the project area as being one of the most derelict and at the same time one with the most development potential. Besides the city development plans, the private partners of the Spīķeri Block have elaborated the strategy for further development of the block until 2030, outlining the following objectives: promote international recognition of the Spīķeri Block as a centre of culture and creative industries; develop high-quality public space within the Spīķeri Block and on the bank of the River Daugava; develop a high-quality environment for work, socialising, culture and sport activities, leisure time for children and youth, and recreation; develop tourism activities in the Spīķeri Block. With these overall and specific objectives, the project contributes equally to the successful implementation of both the Development Strategy of the City of Riga up to 2025 and the Development Strategy of the Spīķeri Block up to 2030. Description of The project mainly foresees activities improving the infrastructure of the block. activities: They are divided into two interconnected blocks, i.e. (1) development of the technical aspects required for improvement of the infrastructure; and (2) reconstruction works of the block area. The project has started the first block of work, the development and approval of the technical aspect of the reconstruction work. Based on this, the second block of work will be implemented by demolishing the temporary buildings and fences, and reconstructing the bank of the river Daugava by improving footpaths and cycle paths to give easier and safer access. The selected project activities have been developed on the basis of research and 2 studies carried out previously by public and private stakeholders of the Spīķeri Block. They provide the infrastructural basis for its further socio-economic development in accordance with the planning documents of the City of Riga and the Development Strategy of the Spīķeri Block. The project’s activities supplement other ‘hard’ investments in the improvement of the buildings in the block, mainly carried out by their private owners. These measures are accompanied by ‘soft’ activities which breathe life into the block. These include various one-off and ongoing activities in the field of culture, education, entertainment and services, organised by the existing tenants. They include two museums, three bistros/restaurants, five organisations related to music – concert hall, choir, orchestra, recording studio and info centre, one theatre, etc. Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries of the project are organisations registered and operating in the Spīķeri Block including 60 enterprises with a total of 300 employees as well as NGOs. Indirect beneficiaries of the project are inhabitants of and visitors to the city of Riga. Although the project is not aimed at specific target groups of the population, it considers different specific needs. For example, it will make the Spīķeri Block and the bank of the River Daugava physically accessible for disabled and elderly people, as well as families with small children. The block also hosts the Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum and offers various activities ranging from innovative food to classical music. ‘Tolerance is what we have learnt by our rich history. The strategic approach of the project is only to provide the possibilities.’2 The same target groups will also benefit from other development activities carried out in the block. This will especially concern enterprises operating in the field of creative industries since the Spīķeri Block aims to become its centre. Main results: At the moment of writing this case study, the project has only partly been implemented, achieving the first of its goals: the development of the technical analysis of the Spīķeri Block’s reconstruction. During the development process the architects involved suggested additional possibilities for improvement of the block. This required additional financing for the reconstruction works and this was provided by Riga City Council from its own budget. The reconstruction part of the project – being the main tangible result of this project – intends to produce the following results: 2 908 m3 of temporary buildings and c. 200 m of fencing demolished; The reconstruction of the bank of the River Daugava including an underground tunnel, stairs, wall of 800 m2 along the road with heavy traffic; 7 000 m2 of improved footpaths and cycle paths; The greening of the redeveloped area. Expected impact: It is expected that the project will revitalise the former derelict area of the Spīķeri Block into a modern public space for culture, education and entertainment. In particular, the project will have the following impact: increase the proportion of good quality infrastructure in the block from 30% 2 From the interview with the representative of the company ‘Spīķeri’ company, which owns most of the warehouses (two buildings are owned by the municipality) and of NGO ‘Rīgas Spīķeri’ held in Riga, Maskavas street 4, 9 March 2012 3 to 90%, and investments from €165 628 before the project to € 25.6 million after its implementation; raise the attractiveness and competitiveness of the block, increasing the number of enterprises registered and operating in it from 40 before the
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