THE HEART OF VÄSTERÅS - beats through the public places
(2024) ASBM01 20231Department of Architecture and Built Environment
- Abstract
- This thesis starts with an interest to explore how I, as an urban designer, can contribute to make the city centre of my hometown more enjoyable for its citizens and visitors. Growing up in Västerås, the city centre was a place of retail. You walked in the large-scale public realm, looking out for cars when crossing the streets, and visiting the large indoor malls. How can the city centre be improved to create a more vibrant public realm full of activities and meetings?
Västerås city centre is highly imprinted by the modernistic planning and architecture, which is protected as a cultural heritage. The city has a long history, and the growth accelerated with the industrialization during the 19th and 20th centuries. Västerås became a... (More) - This thesis starts with an interest to explore how I, as an urban designer, can contribute to make the city centre of my hometown more enjoyable for its citizens and visitors. Growing up in Västerås, the city centre was a place of retail. You walked in the large-scale public realm, looking out for cars when crossing the streets, and visiting the large indoor malls. How can the city centre be improved to create a more vibrant public realm full of activities and meetings?
Västerås city centre is highly imprinted by the modernistic planning and architecture, which is protected as a cultural heritage. The city has a long history, and the growth accelerated with the industrialization during the 19th and 20th centuries. Västerås became a strong industrial city, which still characterizes it. Large department stores with malls are dominating the cityscape and the streets are wide. Whilst this heritage is a large part of the city centre’s identity, it lacks human-scaled public places for people.
The city centre has throughout history been characterized as a place of retail. This has evolved from city markets to department stores, and now to shopping malls and e-commerce. Therefore, the role of city centres as the commercial heart has weakened. But by enhancing the public realm, such as parks, squares, and streets, adding activities and new functions, other reasons to visit the city centre will be strengthened.
The aim of this thesis is to shows how the city centre can be improved to create a vibrant and thriving public realm full of activities and meetings. This thesis aims to develop the city centre as the heart of the city, which beats through the public places. This project focuses on creating places where people can meet, rest, learn, and play, as well as developing a public realm where citizens, visitors, and businesses feel included and seen, creating a sense of belonging.
To achieve this aim, a multi-based methodology was used. The theoretical framework, based on literature and research, was combined with knowledge from the municipality’s planning office, citizens of Västerås, and a spatial analysis. Further, the toolbox and design strategy were used as a guide throughout the thesis. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9179008
- author
- Bengtsson, Elin LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- ASBM01 20231
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Public place, Public realm, City centre, Sustainable Urban Design
- language
- English
- id
- 9179008
- date added to LUP
- 2024-12-20 14:11:05
- date last changed
- 2024-12-20 14:11:05
@misc{9179008,
abstract = {{This thesis starts with an interest to explore how I, as an urban designer, can contribute to make the city centre of my hometown more enjoyable for its citizens and visitors. Growing up in Västerås, the city centre was a place of retail. You walked in the large-scale public realm, looking out for cars when crossing the streets, and visiting the large indoor malls. How can the city centre be improved to create a more vibrant public realm full of activities and meetings?
Västerås city centre is highly imprinted by the modernistic planning and architecture, which is protected as a cultural heritage. The city has a long history, and the growth accelerated with the industrialization during the 19th and 20th centuries. Västerås became a strong industrial city, which still characterizes it. Large department stores with malls are dominating the cityscape and the streets are wide. Whilst this heritage is a large part of the city centre’s identity, it lacks human-scaled public places for people.
The city centre has throughout history been characterized as a place of retail. This has evolved from city markets to department stores, and now to shopping malls and e-commerce. Therefore, the role of city centres as the commercial heart has weakened. But by enhancing the public realm, such as parks, squares, and streets, adding activities and new functions, other reasons to visit the city centre will be strengthened.
The aim of this thesis is to shows how the city centre can be improved to create a vibrant and thriving public realm full of activities and meetings. This thesis aims to develop the city centre as the heart of the city, which beats through the public places. This project focuses on creating places where people can meet, rest, learn, and play, as well as developing a public realm where citizens, visitors, and businesses feel included and seen, creating a sense of belonging.
To achieve this aim, a multi-based methodology was used. The theoretical framework, based on literature and research, was combined with knowledge from the municipality’s planning office, citizens of Västerås, and a spatial analysis. Further, the toolbox and design strategy were used as a guide throughout the thesis.}},
author = {{Bengtsson, Elin}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{THE HEART OF VÄSTERÅS - beats through the public places}},
year = {{2024}},
}