A c t i o n p l a n C o n t e n t s 1. COMMON CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 LIVEABLE TOWN CENTER ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 THE ROLE OF NATURE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................................................................................................... 6 1.4 TOGETHERNESS .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 1.5 SHARED GOALS AND MEASURES .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 1.6 THE IDEA- SMALL TOWNLAB ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 1.7 THE METHOD - SMALL TOWNLAB ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 1.8 DESCRIPTION OF SMALL TOWNLAB ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 2. INDICATORS AND METHODS TO MEASURE URBAN QUALITIES AND SUSTAINABILIY ........................................................................................................ 14 3. NEW INDICATORS AND METHODS TO MEASURE URBAN QUALITIES AND SUSTAINABILITY. ............................................................................................. 15 4. SINGLE PROJECT - SMALL TOWNLAB................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 5. PROJECTS IN SMALL TOWNLAB ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 5.1 LEVANGER SMALL TOWNLAB ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 5.2 STEINKJER SMALL TOWNLAB ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21 5.3 VERDAL SMALL TOWNLAB ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 5.4 PORI SMALL TOWNLAB .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 5.5 MOSFELLSBÆR SMALL TOWNLAB...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 5.6 FLJÓTSDALSHÉRAÐ SMALL TOWNLAB ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 6. TIMETABLE WITH MILESTONES ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 31 7. SMALL TOWNLAB - OVERALL BUDGET ................................................................................................................................................................................. 32 Attractive Nordic Towns Group 4 – Action plan – Application May 16th2018 2 1. Common challenges and opportunities Group 4 consists of six towns, Fljótsdalshérað, Mosfellsbær, Pori, Steinkjer, Verdal and Levanger. The size of the towns varies from 3 500 inhabitants in Fljotdalsherad to 85 000 in Pori. Group 4 can see many common challenges and opportunities for the six towns and has chosen three topics to describe them. All the common challenges are important for creating an attractive and sustainable small town in both the short and long-term. It is about creating good and safe living conditions for the citizens today, as well as taking care of our common resources for future generations. Attractive Nordic Towns Group 4 – Action plan – Application May 16th2018 3 1.1 Liveable town center The six towns are struggling to maintain life in their town centers. Shops and businesses close down or move out of the town center. This means that the shops are emptied and the facilities are closed. Fewer inhabitants visit the town and a negative spiral occurs, which makes it difficult for the remaining shops and businesses to survive. When the town center is emptied for activity and people, it influences the experience of the town’s atmosphere and attractiveness. Important questions to turn challenges to opportunites: • How can we achieve a revitalization by bringing people back into the town center? • How can we inspire new thinking and experimentation with activities, services and features for new forms of town use, meeting places, visits and experiences? Attractive Nordic Towns Group 4 – Action plan – Application May 16th2018 4 1.2 Sustainable transport The towns are experiencing major challenges in relation to private car use. The urbanization around the town center is scattered and long distances lead to high private car use. The number of inhabitants is too low to develop a good public tranport. Travel survey in one town shows that about half of the residents who live closer than four km to the town center use the car. In the towns large areas are allocated to parking spaces, both in terms of street parking and parking lots. Important questions to turn challenges to opportunites: • How can we create town centers more for people and less for cars? • How can we make it desirable for people to walk, cycle or use public transport? Attractive Nordic Towns Group 4 – Action plan – Application May 16th2018 5 1.3 The role of nature and cultural heritage in urban development Today's urban development is influenced by different driving forces and the requirement for greater densification is a national target. It is not uncommon for a conflict of interest to arise between those who wish to promote development projects through new constructions and those who wish to preserve most of their original structures. Important questions to turn challenges to opportunites: • How can we preserve natural and cultural heritage as a resource in urban development? • How can we “preserve through use"? Attractive Nordic Towns Group 4 – Action plan – Application May 16th2018 6 1.4 Togetherness Cooperation with citizens We believe increased participation and cooperation between authorities and citizens is important to ensure sustainable urban development. When citizens feel ownership of the processes done and decisions made, this helps to ensure good quality in the implementation. In all the three common challenges, we would therefore like to focus on how to involve and engage our citizens. The cooperation process between the municipality's residents, politicians and administration helps to build mutual trust and contributes to increased satisfaction and a happier population. This development requires collaboration skills with the ability to mobilize and communicate widely. Attractive Nordic Towns Group 4 – Action plan – Application May 16th2018 7 1.5 Shared goals and measures Overall goal: Increased participation and cooperation with citizens for an attractive and sustainable urban development. Developing the Small TownLAB as an appropriate method and meeting places for small and medium-sized municipalities in municipal planning and development work. Developing Small TownLAB give and share LIBRARY for collecting experience, knowledge, ideas and questions and to ensure lasting cooperation to achieve sustainability goals. Subgoals: o Find good methods and