Descriptions of demonstration projects
Schools adopt watercourses
All schools in Bergen are are invited to adopt their own watercourse and surrounding area and to review how they are being used, including; littering, bio-diversity and cultural heritage sites. In the spring of 2004, contact was established with the 'School Laboratory' at the University of Bergen (UiB) and Bergen University College (HIB) with a view to involving primary school children in the planning process. One of the main reasons for this was to get schools to contribute to the collection of data from local watercourses. A data entry tool has been developed on the website www.miljolare.no which helps to provide education in sustainable development. UiB/HiB have organised courses for primary school teachers who wish to make use of the tool to provide information on biodiversity, cultural heritage sites, littering etc. To date some 30 schools have adopted a watercourse.
Securing the 'blue-green' resources of the Nesttun watercourse
The development of a blue-green corridor along the Nesttun water course links environmental improvements with flood risk management objectives. During a four year planning and implementation period, a number of measures will improve the ecological status of the river and its banks and make it into an attractive recreation corridor and learning arena. The first two years (2009 and 2010) will be used for planning and surveying, followed by project implementation between 2010 and 2012. Work on important flood control measures in the watercourse will be carried out at the same time. The City of Bergen has recently bought zoning rights to the two largest lakes in the area and are now able to control the water flow to reduce the risk of flooding. In 2008, the Nesttun watercourse was designated 'Focus Watercourse of the year' by the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE). The watercourse has its own 'friends of the watercourse' association, which has carried out several projects, both on its own initiative and in cooperation with the City of Bergen. The aim of these projects has been to re-establish the pre industrial quality of the watercourse.
The Haukås marshlands
One of the main features of the development plan for the 410-hectare area to the north east of Bergen is to restore the meandering river courses, ponds and pools, and restore landscape zones along the watercourse and at the periphery of the area be developed. The plan aims to safeguard the rich biodiversity and the landscape qualities linked to the Haukås watercourse and adjacent marshlands, and to encourage recreational activities by establishing a local park for that part of the city. Åsane used to have the most extensive marshland complex in the Bergen region. This type of landscape is no longer common, since large bog and marshland areas have disappeared as a result of urban development. Watercourse restoration and re-vegetation alongside the watercourse will not only improve the landscape, it will also contribute to recreating some of the lost green areas. The Haukås marshland park, combined with modern local handling of surface water, will prevent flooding in the planned development areas at Haukås and be aesthetically pleasing.
Bergen’s seafront is undergoing change
The industrial areas in the proximity of Bergen’s seafront are now being transformed into attractive areas with a high proportion of housing. In the City of the Future, Bergen’s seafront will provide new housing and services near to the city centre, and everyone will have access to the seafront. New and better contact between the fjord and the mountains will provide Bergen’s citizens with recreational opportunities and improve the quality of their everyday lives in the heart of the city.
New energy around Damsgårdssundet
In this project, the old industrial areas along the seafront are to be transformed. On the east side of the sound, a business and research area is being developed that will include a new Norwegian School of Management (BI) with an initial intake of around 700 students. On the west side a development with a high proportion of housing underway in which Bergen og Omegn Boligbyggelag is the main contractor. The City of Bergen is collaborating with major developers to give a run-down area of social housing on the mountain side, a physical, social and cultural boost in parallel with the new development along the seafront. A programme for a new harbour promenade built to new common design guidelines is being developed through a joint private and public collaboration. This will provide the city with a new recreational arena along the entire seafront with meeting places, swimming areas and many attractions en route. A new pedestrian/cycling bridge is scheduled to be completed in autumn 2011, which will link new and old areas in the west of Bergen to the city centre.
Water between the Lungegård lakes
The southern part of Bergen city centre is built on the landfill sites surrounding the brackish stretches of fjord, now known as Lille and Store Lungegårdsvann. This landfill has been home to some of the city’s least attractive landscapes including large areas of car and lorry parking. The area around Lille Lungegårdsvann has been improved by a diversity of urban activities and has become the city’s main recreational area with an open events arena and promenades, with high-quality design and landscaping. The lake itself and the bottom of the lake have not yet received the same amount of attention, but are next in line. The problems concerning brackish water have come to an end and the lake is about to be developed into the core of a new urban waterway. Extensive cleaning of sediments and securing an adequate supply of surface water from the urban area through separation of the sewage system are important elements in a long-term waterway plan that aims to establish a fresh, urban waterway with a good biological balance. The reopening of the waterway from Lille Lungegårdsvann to the sea is the next stage of the plan. The remodelling of the rest of the urban area, from a stressed heavily trafficked area into an attractive modern city centre area towards Store Lungegårdsvann, will have water as the most important element. The establishment of a climate-adapted flood route secured against rising sea levels constitutes the core of the environmental upgrading of the city’s main access road and public transport hub. The waterway will be designed as an attractive environmental thread through the new urban spaces. Understanding of the climate, modern urban ecology and the diverse qualities of water will form the basis for the design. A strategic programme for the work on water has been adopted, the area zoning plan is ready to be sent for consultation and a watercourse plan will be launched.
