Økt byliv Søndre gate
Nature- and people-friendly solutions test what the streets of tomorrow could look like
TYPE OF PROJECT: Temporary Street Design
LOCATION: Søndre gate, Grünerløkka, Oslo
CLIENT: Bymiljøetaten Oslo Kommune and Bykuben
COLLABORATORS: Agaia
SIZE: 300 meter-street-stretch
TIMEFRAME: 2023
PROJECT STATUS: Completed
Søndre gate is one of the City Environment Agency's temporary street projects aimed at bringing nature into the cityscape. The design alludes to Asbjørnsen and Moe's stories, which inspired the artist Dyre Vaa to create the four bronze sculptures that adorn the Fairy Tale Bridge. The 300-meter-long stretch of street has been carefully planned and designed with various landscape elements. Everything from beds with ornamental shrubs, flowers, and fruit-bearing plants, to self-designed gabions, small trails, stones and exhibition sculptures create a sense of adventure and invite children and adults in for spontaneous play and relaxation.
Søndre gate is one of several projects that temporarily closes or diverts traffic on an Oslo Street to test drive a car-free or diverted solution for the street. Only vehicles that are needed to meet the city's needs are allowed in. The goal is to give back a green and social space to city dwellers.
A broad user participation from neighbors, businesses, public agencies, and other positive responses, form the basis for the design. Businesses were thrilled to be able to extend their outdoor seating into the street with the help of gabion-framed pockets. Others wanted seating zones without the need to pay. These have taken the form of everything from a separate bar solution on Eventyrbrua to several different seating areas and an amphitheater that extends down to the Akerselva river.
«In a fast-growing city like Oslo, it is important to understand which plants and trees that thrive and are suitable in a dense urban environment in order to create coherent green connections. This is a pilot project where we are testing just this with emphasis on biodiversity as a piece of the bigger picture.»
Landscape Architect and Associate Partner at A-lab, Irene Crowo Nielsen
Seasonal variation is an important part of the project. Plants and trees have been selected according to their native qualities for this part of the country in collaboration with landscape gardener Agaia. The aim is to create joy and experiences even during winter when the ice settles. The initiative serves as a test pilot to see how plants, trees and perennials perform through the different seasons in an urban setting.
There has been close collaboration with the antiquarian authorities to ensure that the listed Fairytale Bridge is taken into account in the right way; for example, no plants or elements could protrude over the railing of the bridge.
The design invites pedestrians and cyclists to stop and just enjoy being right here. Children get carried away and jump up and down on rocks and gabion edges, while adults take their coffee outside and let the atmosphere and the view of the beautiful Akerselva river sink in.
