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Islands in the Stream: Bridging Neighbourhoods (2017)
International Summer School “The Big Reset on Neighbourhood Design. Series 4.” Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte.
As defined in the city strategy up the year of 2030, Riga is becoming a city with developed high-quality natural areas, friendly green structures and accessible water areas and waterfronts to preserve ecological diversity and provide recreational availability for inhabitants and guests of the city. Water area is one of the most valuable natural resources in the city occupying in general about 16% of the overall territory of Riga. River Daugava as the main water area together with lakes and smaller watercourses substantially affect the city development and its spatial structure.
Water areas have significantly been affected by the city development in the previous ages, and this still is an ongoing process. Water spaces are significant parts of the territory of Riga having functional, aesthetic and economic potential. Previously widely used for commercial and recreational needs, it is currently not used to its full extent.
River Daugava together with the adjacent water areas have played a significant role in the formation of the nearby neighbourhoods and their spatial identity. Being a wide and not-easy-to-cross body of water until recent decades it has been a more dividing than connecting element of the city. Dependant on seasonality the changing scenery and ways of usage of the river has affected the nearby life.
Within this summer school four case study areas were be thoroughly examined to propose the best ways of using water areas and nearby territories for connecting different parts of the city and creating place and space for diverse public activities.
A terrain vague?? A condition and a process
Lucavsala and Zaķusala islands are abandoned and overgrown sites – where the landscape has gone to seed and been left to its own devices, is in suspended redevelopment and is being furtively inhabited or used otherwise, under the radar of local authorities. Like a Terrain Vague (Ignasi de Solà-Morales (1994) and Mariani, Manuela & Patrick Barron (2013)) those delimited portion of land are vacant and indeterminate and could be characterized by the paradoxical combination of vacancy with freedom, of absence with possibility, of limitlessness with mobility. As an urban wild those areas are ever influx neither clear urban nor rural, and always on the verge of disappearing.
A Latvian rabbit and its backyard in Riga – Roger Rabbit
The Riga Rabbit building is both iconic and the infrastructural and programmatic node of Riga. It claims to be the counter building of the UNESCO protected build historic part, a vertical congestion of heavy urban programs. By hosting functions as the parking and the home depot-like shop now on the island it saves the islands of Lucavsala and Zaķusala. This new monument is situated between the 368 meters tall television tower and the glass mountain of the National library and will join them for eternity in the skyline of Riga.
Roger Rabbit pays
This monstrous bunny-shaped building will be like a climax of urbanity and will allow to create the biggest of contrasts. A climax of urbanity next to “nature sauvage” is a strong metaphor for our concept of maintaining the islands undeveloped without turning our backs to rationality and economic realities in city development. The extreme concentration of programs allows us to see this “motherfucker” as the money cow that finances the preservation of the islands in order to keep this crucial urban areas green, and permanent open to use.
Manifesto
1. Public private cooperation of development.
2. Mentally and physically open.
3. Building nature inclusive flora, fauna.
4. Activities of temporary use.
5. Freedom of legislation.
6. Roger Rabbit pays!
Credits
Posters (18 MB)