(Post)Industiral „Creativescape“

During the 19th century Rijeka has developed into one of the biggest ports and powerful industrial center of Middle Europe mostly because of extraordinary strategic position. Those two key attributes were essential for further development of the city (traffic, culture, structure etc.) as we know it today. Distinctive art and culture with long and continuous tradition became inseparable part of urban identity of the city. After the decentralization and industrial fall, those capital investments left extreme spatial imbalance and barrier such as longitudinal area of port, rail and industrial facilities that enables the access to the coast. This long area that spreads from Mlaka on the West to the Brajdica on the East serves today as challenge for purposeful transformation of inactive factories as valuable industrial heritage they are. Rijeka as we know it today is fully urbanized and has no area or needs to repeat the development of massive industry. After winning the “EPK2020” title, it has the opportunity to use current conditions and point out cultural and historical heritage and dynamic cultural and artistic activities. The “EPK2020” project is valuable not only for culture, but also for development of tourism, science, university , creative industries etc.
The content of this project embodies introductory analysis, knowing the space, dealing with existing conditions and giving proposition for planning and program design of heterogeneous and degraded city. The potential for further development and recovery of “patchwork city” with deurbanized various spaces lies in the built up structure, good strategic position and traffic connection to the wider context. “Rijeka 2020” is already built. Industrial heritage is recognized as the tool for upgrade and achieving connections and organization of the “network system - city”.The industrial heritage of Rijeka is so far observed with great physical and mental distance and negative connotations. The essential change of perception allows access and entrance to the structure of industrial relicts.
This work sets up five “HIGHLIGHTS” - larger spatial units as real potentials and starting points for transformation of the city. Valorization of individual structural elements has not been made and isn´t the subject of this paper. The industrial heritage and industrial landscape become new urban infrastructure that defines new network of the city. Given the “model for revitalization”, it is assumed that the city can heal itself and create new system_LIFESCAPE.
Emanation of each Highlight as featured priority area, revitalization and new “creativescape” which emerges affect the contact area with different experience, use and additional needs that need to be fulfill. Linked together, they form the mentioned connected city.
Also;
1_there is access to the coast that can be used in different ways
2_the traffic inside dense urban tissue is solved by: modernization of current infrastructure - railway, to prevent unnecessary expansion of traffic surfaces at the expense of potential public and green spaces_squares, pedestrian zones etc.; using the sea and creating public sea transport with stations along the whole coastline, in the city and wider surroundings; releasing some areas from traffic and creating new pedestrian and bicycle areas
3_landscape as new infrastructure that connects the whole city, on land and sea, containing pedestrian and bicycle routes, parks and squares, bridges, urban platforms etc.
4_industrial heritage, which enjoys the most attractive strategic position due to historical evolution of Rijeka as industrial city is recognized as suitable mechanism for experimental activities, new creative industry, progress generator,new attraction for tourism development and creating new representative “face of the city”_the transformation process ranges from the smallest segment to the scale of the city in order to achieve balanced system_industry, the main catalyst of the city in the 50s and the 90s can raise the city from the dead point where it stands today by transforming itself to active creative and cultural sector, presenting and active us of material and memorial inheritance etc.