NATURE & CLIMATE
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Because of the expectation of more rainfall and raised sea levels, Aalborg is particularly vulnerable because of the location by the fjord and low level areas. It means that the ground water level will rise. If the sea level rises over 3 meters, it will have direct consequences for the project site. For the municipality, it is important to pay attention to climate change and develop a blue and green city both in a recreational sense with health promotional purposes, and as a functional investment for the built environment (Aalborg kommuneplan, 2013).
(MST) the limit is 58 dB for new residential areas in the city. They also say that it should not be planned for new homes if the level is over 68 dB. As we can see from the registration of noise around Godsbanearealet, most of the area at the site is within the limit. However, the noise increases drastically towards the boundaries, especially against Jyllandsgade, where it is closer to 70 dB.
The area now contains virtually no biological diversity and is a barrier for wildlife in the city, but it has close proximity to Kileparken, Karolinelund and Østre Anlæg. The climate strategy for Aalborg municipality includes planting of more trees, because they can take up CO2 from the atmosphere. Aalborg municipality is planning to open up the Østerå canal though the site. This can work as recreation, be helpful for the rainwater management in the area, as well as emphasize the connection between the inland, the city centre and the fjord. Today the water follows an open canal trough Håndværkerkvarteret and in a closed system from Sønderbro before it runs out in Limfjorden. It is expected that because of the climate change, the water canals will be flooded. This can have consequences for the land, infrastructure, industry and buildings at the site. We can see a correlation between the reopening of Åen in Aarhus, and what the municipality in Aalborg wants to do with the new Østerå canal. In Aarhus they have transformed a street into a river that runs through the centre of the city, and instead created recreational pedestrian areas for new use.
NOISE As we can see on the map (page 25), the site is surrounded by roads and industry. This is a challenge for the noise level at the site and for the risk of negative health effects. According to Miljøministeriet
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PRESENTING
APPEARANCE & IDENTITY Godsbanearealet East is experienced as an open, overgrown, flat area with relatively few and low buildings. Most of the buildings are located in the northern part of the area and are primarily used for business and industry purposes, some of them with a certain conservation value (page 19). Before Godsbanearealet became a fright track area it had a natural landscape with vegetation and lakes. The site is now characterized by the time it served as a freight track area leading into the city, among others because of the existing buildings, railway lines and other elements that shows the history of the site. The railway lines are distinct and form a structure at the site. This history makes you feel you are in a forbidden territory, because it has a special character with elements that create a particular atmosphere you can not find anywhere else in the city. On the other hand, the site has a potential to function as a link between Aalborg city centre and Østerådalen, if the space is made more extroverted and grab on to the surroundings.