Anne Mette Boye

Addressing uncertainty: Mapping values and potentials in younger industrial areas in change
Anne Mette Boye
Associate Professor and Ph.D. Fellow, Aarhus School of School of Architecture, Denmark

Only 30-40 years old, younger industrial enclaves in Denmark change character. A mix of vacancies, new investments in high technology and new civic programs are recorded even within the same enclaves. The areas represent a generic typology – a legacy of the functionalistic paradigm shaping parts of the postmodern urban landscape found in many western countries. Their current transformation is rooted in social, political and economic dynamics. Difficult to predict and often shaped on a national or global level, yet with a strong local impact. Today, depending on the areas’ geographic and economic context, two overall reactions can be seen: Either the areas are cleared for redevelopment or ignored.

This lecture argues that both reactions might dismiss the value of their new activities and possible qualities of their morphology. It could close an important opportunity to consider how regenerating these areas can be utilized to shape future sustainable urban communities. First, the lecture suggests that a first step could be a reformulation of their typology. Second, it presents how five objectives from the urban landscape theory: Appropriation, diversity, cohabitation, connections, and porosity can contribute to an open-minded site-specific portrayal making new systems, values, and potentials legible. Finally, the lecture suggests how these readings can inform different transformation strategies initiating a process moving towards more sustainable urban futures.

The Lectures in Planning Series (LiPS) is an initiative of the Urban Planning program at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

All lectures are free and open to the public; refreshments are provided. For more information or to make program suggestions, email lipscolumbiaplanning@gmail.com.