ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE

Senior Expert Kaisa Schmidt-Thomé, Demos Helsinki, Finland

Architect MAA Jens Christian Pasgaard, Pasgaard Arkitektkontor, Denmark

Associate Professor Claus Lassen (chairman), Aalborg University, Denmark

SUPERVISORS

Associate Professor Ditte Bendix Lanng, Aalborg University.

Professor Jesper Raakjær, Aalborg University.

HOST

Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology, Aalborg University, Denmark

INFORMATION

The defense will be conducted in-person.

If you wish to participate in the reception, please sign up via Doodle

QUESTIONS

Questions regarding the PhD defense can be directed to institute secretary:

Kristina Wagner Røjen Phone: +45 99 40 99 26

ABSTRACT

This thesis conducts an urban design case study of the origins, current condi- tions, and future trajectories of a site in eastern Aalborg to inform urban design for the physical development of the urban industrial landscape.

Using a pragmatic case study strategy, this thesis engages with the opportunity to learn offered by an active transition process of development in the eastern port of Aalborg. In the context of prospects for pushing growth of industrial ac- tivities in the Anthropocene epoch, Port of Aalborg questions what the purpose of port organizations is, whether that purpose go beyond the traditional trans- portation and handling of goods to also encompass active engagement with the development of the port’s hinterland. Specifically, the Port of Aalborg envisions a manifold expansion of the industrial territory to attract more businesses and qualified workers as an intermodal node and an attractive center of logistics for the exchange of goods by water, road and rail. The port thus seeks to create a platform for growth, innovation and the clustering of businesses, industry, and knowledge.

Against this background, the thesis uses the case study to investigate which de- liberations are central to understand the industrial landscape, across time and scale, and how this knowledge can inform urban design for the physical devel- opment of the industrial landscape. The thesis presents state-of-the-art litera- ture which informs an urban design frame of mind that works at the conjunction of industry, city, and landscape. Operating on the basis of the interdisciplinary nature of urban design as pragmatic and open-ended allows our attention to be directed towards the varied concepts and notions that capture, explain and question urban industrial landscapes.

A multi-scalar analysis of the case study site was conducted to deduce its origins, current conditions, and future trajectories. Firstly, an analysis was conducted of the origins, historical visions, transformations, and genesis of an “industrial DNA”. This analysis explores the historical evolution of the material manifesta- tions and ideals of industrialization and how this changed the coexistence and discrepancies between the port/industry, the city, and the landscape. Secondly, the thesis dives into the current conditions of the industrial site and its physical development, which is composed of the relations between industry, city and the (semi-)natural landscape. Finally, the thesis analyzes the future trajectories of the physical spatial landscape through reimaginations of the industrial site and the influence of existing tendencies and future narratives.

The thesis concludes by deliberating on the origins, current conditions and fu- ture trajectories of the industrial landscape, and considers the physical devel- opment of the industrial landscape in the context of urban design.