Oslo Harbour Promenade

Oslo’s harbour is one of Norway’s largest and most popular destination for locals and tourists alike; home to the Nobel Peace Centre, City Hall and the medieval Akershus Castle. The Harbour Promenade project is a set of strategies for Fjordbyen, the city’s most significant urban development project.

Shaping the future of an iconic Norwegian waterfront

The nine kilometre harbour promenade will become one of Oslo’s most significant urban assets; the design solutions implemented today will shape how locals and tourists experience the waterfront in the future. Commissioned by the City of Oslo, a framework was produced that combined short term urban design initiatives with longer term goals. Scenarios were established for the development of two waterfront districts; Akerhusstranda and Frognerstranda; for 2014 and 2030. The promenade links Frognerkilen in the west, with the mouth of River Alna in the east through a continuous public space, fully accessible to all.

Client: Oslo City Planning and Building services
Location: Oslo, Norway
Status: Framework completed 2013
Length: 9km
Visuals: Rodeo, White View

The design solutions implemented today will shape how locals and tourists experience the waterfront in the future.

The goal is to bring the fjord to the people and make this the best waterfront in the fastest growing city in Europe.

Jenny Mäki, Architect

Eight strategies were proposed with the aim of augmenting the links between the city and fjord, improving the quality of the site and creating a promenade filled with memorable experiences. Design principles were developed on the basis of human needs, such as creating movement, activity, play, rest and places to meet; helping to enhance social engagement and experience.

Collaborative process

Oslo Harbour Promenade is a collaborative project between Oslo City Planning and Building services, Urban Development, Real Estate and Urban Regeneration divisions, as well as the port authorities, to guarantee the long-term, sustainable future of the waterfront.

The long-term planning process should be based on the unique qualities of each of the distinct waterfront districts. For this reason, the use of a ‘testbeds’ approach can be adopted for the immediate mobilisation of the harbour promenade project. Testbeds are a platform for the rapid experimentation and evaluation of urban solutions on a particular site, investigating how people use space. They function as a tool for both prototyping and engagement; a co-design initiative intended to empower people to shape the future of their built environment. The city and public can eventually implement and use the resulting design solutions generated by testbed initiatives in a more permanent way.

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