Cities are made up of more than just buildings and people. With half of the world’s population now living in urban areas, it is becoming increasingly important to include green spaces in urban planning if we care about the well-being of our cities and their residents.
A new and broader view of parks and public spaces has recently emerged, which highlights benefits related to physical and mental health, community development, tourism, increase in property value, job creation and ecosystem services. Up Gardens focuses not just on adaptive reuse and urban ecology, but on adding value to the local community of Varvsstaden through meaningful and empowering public spaces.
Up Gardens is a demonstration project aimed at showing how the sub-projects in the development plan for Varvsstaden can combine the site’s unique industrial history with the ambition of creating a sustainable district - thus establishing Varvsstaden as a pioneer in sustainable urban development.
The project is based on the experience gained through the analysis and benchmarking of Varvsstaden’s previous development plan. The starting point for the project is an approach towards sustainability that combines the triple bottom line with a strong focus on urban resource management. Particular attention was given to five distinct resource categories - water, materials, biodiversity, energy and social capital.