In reconstruction project of Tartu’s narrow Oa Street it was taken in consideration that all street factors in landscape architecture determine how people feel in the street. Home streets must be first and foremost be for local residents and to passers-by only in the second order. The premise of this is a street space with a preference for light traffic, where it is pleasant enough to be just like that, so people stay here longer, creating social control.
Local
Estonia
Tartu city
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2021-11-30
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Kino Maastikuarhitektid OÜ Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Ketlin Last name of representative: Veevo Gender: Female Nationality: Estonia Function: office manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Kastani 42 Town: Tartu Postal code: 50410 Country: Estonia Direct Tel:+372 507 2353 E-mail:info@kinoline.ee Website:https://www.facebook.com/kinomaastikuarhitektid
The project area is located in the Supilinna district of Tartu, where year after year the increased traffic load created the need for a new street solution. This significantly improves the movement possibilities for pedestrians and cyclists and calms car traffic so that the growing residential area become more comfortable and safer to navigate. It is partly located in the protection zone of the heritage conservation area of the Old Town of Tartu which sets limits for designing the visual elements of the street space and construction activities in protection zone.
The Supilinna area is first and foremost a collection of home streets to local residents. Passers-by and guests of local institutions come only in the second order.
Home streets are by nature calm, quiet and full of people. The drivers here know how consider all other road users and treat them with equal respect – children, cats, cyclists, skateboarders. Such mutual understanding can only happen in a street space where non-motorised road users are given priority and where it is nice to spend time for longer and this way generate social control. Car traffic only gets the minimum width from the road which with all junctions is signalling the presence and priority of non-motorised road users.
Locality
Community
Biodiversity
Pedestrians
Bicyclists
As Supilinn is located in a fringe area forming a transition from the urban to the more natural, it is essentially a mixture of the two worlds, featuring urban civility alongside wildish proliferation.
The planting in the street consist of a set of stepping stones, that is, small green areas with natural species all together forming a functioning system. In narrower sections with no space for larger green areas, it is important to maintain coherence between the small green patches, for instance, garden edges or tufts of grass between single rocks. Despite some fragmentation, the general impression of the street remains green, with large rocks between the plants generating exitement for people and micro-habitants for other species (insects, lichen).
Narrow and winding, traffic-calming lanes, small buildings with wooden elements and somewhat wild greenery are cosy features of a home street, but they would be just as fitting in thousands of similar peaceful streets. Project had to include some details that would be slightly quirky, yet represent the atmosphere of the district.
This is why the sidewalk extensions that appear from time to time attract attention with a stone parquet laid like a patchwork. In this way, slots with additional functions, such as benches/bike racks or a bus shelter, are more clearly marked in the space. The builder rather rightly called these extensions advertising spots for Estonian paving stone manufacturers. The goal was to place as many different types of stones next to each other in a patchwork-like pattern in a compositionally thought-out way. No matter which paving stone analogue products one were to use, the result would still be distinct.
On Oa street, the small-scale feature ‘Kiva’ has been used as a unique element. Since the historical cobblestone paving could not be used in the design for various reasons, it was decided to expose extra large cobblestones and to adapt them with a rubber coating poured into pre-carved hollows. Haven’t all children been told at some point by their caring mothers not to sit on the rock, as it’s cold? Well, in addition to providing opportunities for climbing, these giant cobblestones also have a sun-
warmed sitting surface. They are unique and practical street elements with a branding value, or ‘beans’, if you like (Oa Street means BeanStreet in Estonian).
The design language of the street is the same controlled chaos as Supilinna multi-layered population with its patchwork spatial structure and tastes.
The design language of the street is the same controlled chaos as Supilinna multi-layered population with its patchwork spatial structure and tastes.
New developments in the last decade have slightly changed, harmonised and sweetened the street scene but restrained mess still lurks in a modern way, the corners of tenement houses
The pavement of one side of Oa street was chosen concrete stones of various shades, shapes and sizes, granite paving and cobblestones. Different materials, patterns and colors of the stone warehouse form a patchwork that is as colourful as area itself. It carries over the apparent disorder of Supilinn, which is actually order. Plain gray concrete stone paved walk roads connect squares of different sizes and character. Order can be also seen at the yard gates, where red coloured concrete stones have been used to increase attention of road users.
The other side of the street is meant for fast and for unhindered street crossing for locals and area visitors.
The bigger speeds need more attention to safety. Based on this, it was decided to use asphalt on this side of the street to ensure ease of movement for cyclists, roller skaters and strollers. The purpose of red roads heading to the yards is to inform all road users: see forward and consider others. When the street is newly renovated, the red entrances can seem too colourful. Over time, the tone fades, but remains still distinguishable.
For local people and visitors, the Oa street now have public space that is spacious, safe with diverse landscaping and plants changing over the seasons.
Street furmiture such as bike racks, benches and rocks that, on one hand, let you sit up straight while also allowing you to climb on the oversized cobblestones with "seat heating".
Motorway has the minimum necessary width and all crossings give notice the presence and importance of a weaker road user. The prerequisite for such mutual understanding is a street space with the preference of light commuters, where it is pleasant enough to be as it is, so that people stay here longer, creating social control.
The landscaping of street space affec the well-being of people and other species. Already a small green patch can redyce the need for artificial infrastructure for rainwater. Biodiverse street landscaping requires a review of prevaling trends- to add more shrub and herb layers to the rows of trees and mowed lawn sections.
In our team, in addition to landscape architects, were also biologist and engineer, sculpture artist and also local people. We covered every question that might rise during the process. People from different fields worked together, enriched easch other with different knowledge. Local people were or connection with the community so we were able to know quite exactly what did locals really do want from the street.
Street has improved the linving environment. Before the project this small scale street had enormous amount of cars passing through the neighbourhood. Street was wide and straight and pedestrians or bicyclists had no place there. Also there was no place for walkers or children to play because cars were driving really fast and no one wanted to be on the street. Because of the project, we have nice local street that is for local people, not for speeding thorugh. People have placese to sit, to play, to walk in peace, cars are slow and pay attention.
Innovative is the approach to the street space: if usually space is divided after cars - first we give space to them and then we'll see, what is left for the pedestrians and bicyclists. But now we first gave space to the poeple and leftover was adjusted for cars. This is the question of priorities. And it starts changing the paradigm.
Our aim was to recreate peaceful local neighbourhood - to solve problems for locals, not so much for whole city or tourists. Staying very local helps create resistant community that in the end will strenghten the city as the whole.
The approach to the project is adaptable everywhere and is strongly recommended: locality and walkability.
Although problems in Tartu are proportionally smaller compared to larger cities, we are similarly concerned about peoples low physical activity, childrens affordances to move around safely by themselves, the growth of motorisation and suburbanisation. Streets still tend to be treated primarily as vehicle traffic zones that allow pedestrians and cyclists to move in the area left over from traffic lanes.
In fact, streets form the most important part of urban public spaces. In reconstruction project of Oa Street it was taken in consideration that all street factors, including the noise, pollution, temperature (urban heat islands) and landscape architecture determine how people feel in the street. People go about their daily business either on foot, by bike or car largely depending on the space where they need to be.
A human-scale urban space is the immediate surroundings perceived by the pedestrian at the restricted distance that is used to classify the perceived surroundings either safely supportive or confining. Inclusive design allows to evaluate how the needs of (more vulnerable) target groups have been considered. Un urban space that is easily accessed by small children and the elderly usually covers also the needs of all interim groups.
For cyclists the paramount aspects where to avoid risks of collision with cars or pedestrians, quality of pavement and clear, uninterrupted route.
