SUSTAINING URBAN HERITAGE: Transforming working-class districts without losing site-bound heritage as an approach to the mixed city

PhD project by Kasper Albrektsen

In recent decades, urban growth and densification of our urban areas has erased parts of our common heritage important to our own understanding and sense of community – a development pushing the social balance of the cities. Therefore, we face a challenge in our planning practices; how do we ensure important heritage and a social and functional mixed city while we continue to develop our cities. This challenge applies to all major cities in Denmark; in particular, many of our former working-class districts, where social diversity and mixed functions have been a condition.

This research project adopt a critical look at current transformation of our existing urban areas. Through the work with Vejle Municipality, the project seeks an increased understanding of the work with strategic urban development and urban transformation, based on intangible and structural values rather than just the physical.

Starting point of the project is to rethink new planning strategies for how to ensure a mixed city as well as a continuum of heritage and narratives embedded in our city districts. The project seeks strategies and a procedural approach to more dynamic planning strategies and a dynamic concept of heritage, as a starting point for a transformation of existing working-class districts. Intention of the project is to gain an increased understanding and insight into working with heritage in urban planning. With a focus on development rather than passive conservation with defensive goals.

The project runs iterative in three parts. Through case studies and theoretical studies, Part A seeks an understanding of opportunities and approaches to the transformation of working-class districts in Denmark and Northern Europe. Part B is action-based research in Vestbyen in Vejle, where the development and transformation of the old working-class district is observed from day one and continuously for 3 years. Here, strategies and approaches is tested and analyzed in the scale 1:1. In Part C, tests and strategies is transformed into planning strategies and tools that can be used elsewhere – the research is operationalized.

The project is an industrialPhD between the Aarhus School of Architecture and Vejle Municipality. The project is funded with 1.1 million by the Innovation Fund.