Abstract
The municipality of Bergen in Norway aims to densify fifty per cent of new housing within the city’s central parts. The Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation ordered and financed an investigation to be carried out by the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and the consulting firm Asplan Viak to give research-based input to the densification strategy debate in Bergen. This article demonstrates how the Space Syntax method can be applied to urban densification strategies in urban planning and policy making. The Geographical Information System (GIS) is used to obtain, select, and aggregate operational information. First, the spatial attributes that constitute an area’s attractiveness were registered. Then, this analysis was modelled after the Spacescape® method. Next, the Space Syntax methodology was applied to predict to-movement and through-movement flow potentials. Finally, through weighting the relevant parameters, including impediments such as land ownership, twelve areas were identified as having major potential for transformation based on their overall score. As it turns out, the spatial structure of the street and road network is the underlying driver for how and where to densify. Now, the challenge is how to apply this knowledge into current planning practice.
Highlights
What kind of scientifically grounded analysis tools can be used for making densification strategies in cities? At present, the municipality of Bergen in Norway has launched a new urban development strategy of densification, that is, fifty per cent of the total needs for new housing should be realised within Bergen’s central parts
The municipality tries to achieve these goals by changing their policies from an urban sprawl strategy to a compact city strategy focusing on the city’s central parts, as shown in Figure 2
We present the results from the Spacescape report and various spatial analyses, i.e., Space Syntax, Spacematrix and function mix (MXI), for Bergen’s central areas
Summary
The municipality of Bergen in Norway has launched a new urban development strategy of densification, that is, fifty per cent of the total needs for new housing should be realised within Bergen’s central parts. This strategy is radically different from previous strategies that facilitated urban sprawl, car dependency and, low socioeconomic interaction and anti-urban neighbourhoods. The municipality tries to achieve these goals by changing their policies from an urban sprawl strategy to a compact city strategy focusing on the city’s central parts, as shown in Figure 2 (left) There are few urban centres outside the historic city core, and the low-density residential neighbourhoods are heavily car dependent
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