Place: Graz, Austria

Partner: Quantuum consulting, TU Graz, Studio Magic

Year: 2023

In a joint observation walk and workshop with city representatives on potentials, goals, expectations and barriers, guidelines and ideas for Dammallee were developed and essential design elements were identified that could guide the planned redesign of Dammallee. The collaborative workshop was introduced by a public lecture about “Rethinking Public Spaces” and a first analysis of the area.  

Dammallee is a tangential street from the densely built-up Bayreuth city center with a large pedestrian zone. It is already a green axis along the historic city wall – between the dense inner-city Gassenviertel and the heterogeneous, mixed-use surroundings up to the busy ring road. The Dammallee is characterized by the historic city wall running parallel to it, along which closed residential blocks and solitary buildings form pockets of open space of different sizes and uses. Today, Dammallee has a lot of space for cars and very little space for people to meet and hang out. In the near future, the Dammallee will form part of the planned bicycle city ring. It runs along the Sendelbach, which is canalized in this section, and can be a piece of the puzzle and a connecting element between various green spaces.

Year: 2022

Client: Stadt Bayreuth

Public urban spaces in Austrian small and medium-sized towns are still predominantly allocated in favor of motorized individual traffic (driving or parking), resulting in significant social and ecological impacts that require urgent action. The ongoing developments in the transportation system, with a continuously increasing motorization rate outside urban core zones, along with a societal mobility culture that remains heavily reliant on cars, are having a progressively negative influence on opportunities for social participation and gender-equitable usage. Furthermore, there’s a risk of losing the functionality of public spaces for active mobility, and the slow pace of ecological transformation of urban areas in terms of climate change adaptation.

Despite decision-making and planning processes being built on a traditional, negotiated framework, they are notably inflexible and hinder the necessary redistributive efforts in urban spaces. This is where the Tactical Mobilism project comes into play. The project aims to establish time-limited, simple, and cost-effective interventions in the transportation sector, such as new traffic management, reassignment of spaces, additional design elements, and greenery, as well as functional programming. The particularly crucial aspect is the collaborative and participatory develop- ment and testing of such interventions in public spaces within a so-called “real-world laboratory.” This approach opens up new perspectives, prompts the necessary rethinking among stakeholders, and can trigger a transformation in mobility culture.

The spatial intervention mechanisms intentionally implemented in the Tactical Mobilism project are aimed at improving their integration into existing planning and decision-making processes, thereby creating room for inclusive and sustainable mobility and quality of stay. The city of Villach, as a project partner and pilot city, provided the space for the first Tactical Mobilism real-world laboratory within the project. The experiences gained here can serve as a model and example for other cities in Austria and beyond. Drawing from the insights, follower cities can learn, incorporate processes and concepts, and utilize them for their transforma- tion and innovation processes. The physically tangible elements and pro- cedural insights tested in Villach have been summarized in a guide.

Place: Villach, AUT

Partner: TU Graz, TU Wien, queraum, planum

Year: 2021

The B14, an inner-city highway, is now a relic of the past. Stuttgart aims to transform this through-road into a dynamic urban space – one that prioritizes pedestrians, cyclists, green areas, and reduces car traffic. Reimagining the B14 as a river with tributaries, islands, and banks leads to smarter traffic management, with reduced vehicle inflows and park-and-ride options at key points. Rather than pushing cars and people underground, motorized traffic should be reduced, and underpasses replaced with pedestrian crossings at street level, creating open, lively public spaces. Slower speeds can improve both traffic flow and safety. Future mobility hubs – combining public transport, bike-sharing, and micro-mobility – will reduce the need for cars. Climate resilience is also key: planting 2,000 trees by 2050 will help combat climate change. Ultimately, the B14 should evolve from a disruptive highway into a thriving, connected urban space, with intersections becoming vibrant public areas. Lateral thinking literally transforms the B14 from a barrier into a vital connector within the city.

Place: Stuttgart, Germany

Partner: komobile, Iris Chervet Landscape

Year: 2020

Help! The Grotestraat in Almelo was a ‘cacophony’ of different street furniture and all kinds of displays, advertising, and signage. The Grotestraat, therefore, required interventions to be a beautiful shopping street again.

Together with shopkeepers, residents, and visitors to the town, we took the initiative to develop a plan. ‘Cleaning up’ the street’s messy appearance was one of the first design principles. To this, we added recognisable, logical routes towards surrounding attractions.

The outcome is unity in diversity. Bespoke benches, chairs, signs, bins, and lampposts are designed or selected for visual consistency. The street furniture is now literally aligned. Specially designed ‘Almelose rondjes’ (Almelo circles) subtly highlight the zone for displays and terraces. Additionally, these pavement-embedded circles reveal details about the story of the Grotestraat and Almelo.

The side streets’ paving design continues into the Grotestraat. This choice accompanies clear signage and special lighting. These elements naturally attract visitors to and from places of interest around the Grotestraat.

Location: Grotestraat, Almelo, the Netherlands
Client: Municipality of Almelo
Partners: Studio Hoogeveen & van Tilburg, StudioDL
Years: 2013-2016

Park Belle-Vue, situated directly next to the central train station. A regional arterial road is part of the park. After submitting different proposals to an invited competition buy the Flemish Government Architect, former opponents Artgineering and H+N+S were commissioned to develop and execute a design for this park together.

After studying the site, we augmented the assignment by linking the park to two other important parks in the area. Our advice: provide cyclists on the way to school, to work, or home, with an attractive, safe traffic route along the railway embankment and create a crossing under the busy and dangerous Tiensesteenweg.

The proposed, extended park plan closes a missing link in the existing bicycle network around the city of Leuven. It achieves a better connection to two previously under-utilised cycle and pedestrian bridges over the railway. The plan enables safe cycle routes from Leuven station to destinations inside and outside of the city.

The bike route stretches to the Park Abbey, the Heverlee forest, and the Haasrode research park. The city gets a beautiful park and valuable addition to its mobility structure. The route will strengthen the position of the bicycle as a practical and recreational transport alternative.

Place: Leuven, Belgium
Client: City of Leuven
Partners: H+N+S landscape architects / ARA
Years: 2009 – 2019
Costs: 12,5 million euro (excl. tax)
Surface area: 12 ha

The Municipality of Vorst asked what could be done with Sint Antoine Square, which had become an anonymous parking area. Our response was to turn the square back into a place for the neighbourhood.

In our study, we also looked at the neighbouring Orban Square and the connection between these squares and nearby schools.

Cooperation was paramount to win over its users. From the project’s beginning, children, senior citizens, shopkeepers, and other residents took part in the design and implementation process. They wanted limited traffic and a play-, bicycle-, and pedestrian-friendly environment with room for greenery. Together, we tested ideas for the design through the placement of temporary objects.

The effect. The local community felt encouraged to make their own space. The result looks like a neighbourhood square that has naturally evolved over time. The unassuming paving elements, street furniture, and greenery gently articulate the areas within the square. Everyone is welcome. The project was implemented with a very limited budget.

Location: Forest, Brussels, Belgium
Client: Municipality Forest
Partner: Urban Platform
Years: 2010 – 2014

The question: how can Dumon Square again become a central meeting place in the Brussels municipality of Woluwe-St. Pierre? The situation: the square is densely populated on market days, but used as a car park on other days.

Artgineering interprets this urban space as an interaction between meeting and lingering, traffic and commerce. This intervention aims to balance these uses. Strengthening the square’s spatial quality and atmosphere has, therefore, been the most important consideration.

The loop of the tram’s route is what formed the square’s oval shape. A wide, surrounding concrete bench accents Dumon Square’s characteristic form. The square inside the oval is dedicated to diverse public applications. A generous tree plan provides this location’s greening and connects to the neighbourhood’s existing tree planting.

Dumon Square becomes a shared space. Tram, car, and bicycle routes continue around the oval, but pedestrians have priority. Short-stay parking is possible outside the oval; and, during a transition phase, at the request of the square’s shopkeepers within the oval. The redevelopment advocates the varieties of use (lingering, traffic, commerce) are mutually inclusive.

Place: Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Belgium
Client: Municipality of Sint-Pieters-Woluwe
Partners: H+N+S, ECTV, ARA, UTIL
Year: 2013 (implementation 2017)

Location: Municipality of Brussels
Client: Municipality of Brussels
Partner: Urban Platform
Year: 2014