Levanger

Levanger municipality wants to use Europan 16 to explore how its cultural heritage can be a resource for a social, architectural and cultural acceleration into the future. The original town plan from 1846 was founded on ideals of equitable access to common goods such as daylight, air and green spaces. Since then, these qualities have gradually been lost in a car-based shift that has displaced our perception of these timeless qualities.

When the entire town centre of Levanger gained protection as a listed cultural heritage site because of its preserved wooden architecture and city plan, it was not supposed to curb development. Nevertheless, the loss of retailers and activity from the town centre continues, and the main street remains clogged with intense traffic. Can the solution for revitalizing the centre and protecting its heritage be found amongst the ideals of the past?

There is a sense of urgency to find overall strategies to create a climate-friendly, inclusive and vibrant town. The challenge is to find solutions to the town's traffic problems, make interventions that can infuse the centre with new types of activity and to test the tolerance of the protected environment's character while exploring the different possibilities that the new library can offer.

The task is to develop a strategy to revitalize the town centre, and to visualize the chosen strategy with architectural and urban space designs for the park axis and adjoining blocks. A wide range of methodologies and processes can be explored; The park axis and adjoining blocks allow the participants to explore infill, transformations and newbuilds as well as urban programming and street design. The local authority has decided to investigate the scope for a new library in Levanger, and wants to use Europan for ideas on how a new library can sit with the urban development strategy.

The strategy should be built on forward-looking and feasible ideas and invite citizen participation. How can the strategy create a roadmap to add qualities to Levanger over time through both temporary interventions and major investments? The centre of Levanger should be given both new qualities and attractions, and reinforcements of the existing qualities, in a way that make the residents proud of their town.

In short, the participants should:

Develop a strategy for the future town of Levanger, with these four highlighted themes:

1. Conservation and development of a listed cultural heritage site
2. Green and climate-friendly mobility
3. Land use
4. Citizen participation

Visualize and objectify the strategy through urban interventions and experimental architecture in the park axis and central library plots. The solutions must advocate for climate and environmentally friendly infrastructure for ‘humans and non-humans’.