[Oslo 5]

Oslo, as most other cities, has over the years seen many unfulfilled plans for urban development and renewal. I tough I might make a little tread just to show some of them. But first, a map of Oslo as of today.

The architect of the Royal Palace (1823-49) in Oslo (then; Christiania), H.D.F. Linstow (1787-1851), made this plan in 1838 to connect the renaissance town of Christiania and the palace. This plan was only partial carried out.

This is an early plan for Grünerløkka:

One of many proposed solutions on the Oslo East railway terminus, this one from 1878:

Planning Director of Oslo, Harald Hals (1876-1959), (and his staff) made this master plan for Oslo in 1929:

As new urban ideals became prominent, and the merger between Oslo and the surrounding municipality of Aker became more imminent, this new master plan was made already in 1935:

 

[Oslo 5]

More plans

Harald Hals and his Oslo model:

Both according to the 1929 and the 1935 master plans, many major road were to be widened, among them Bogstadveien and Pilestredet. Today these plans have been forsaken because of a whish to reduce thru traffic in the city centre. All over town one might still see traces of these plans.

As in Bogstadveien:

 

[Þróndeimr]

Interesting planns, and welcome to SSC forums Oslo 5!

Do you have any renderings of the masterplann of Karl Johan? As far as i know they proposed to built a few high-rises down the street there!

 

[NorthStar77]

Interesting! The early plan for Grünerløkka looks quite alot like how it is today.

 

[Spearman]

I've heard of a few cancelled highrises in Oslo. Does anyone have any drawings?

 

[Oslo 5]

Thanks

Thanks


The Grünerløkka plan has many similarities with the final result, but there are also many differences, especially around Schaus Bryggeri (brewery) which was located at the intersection at the bottom. Some of the early buildings belonging to the brewery is indicated on the map. For the Norwegian reading audience, there is also the limited area sett aside for Sofienberg kirkegård (graveyard). Later on, under the severe cholera epidemic of the 1870s, all of what now comprises the Sofienbergparken (the largest park on Grünerløkka) was eventually used as graveyard. On upper Grünerløkka, on the top half of the map, most of the blocks became divided in two (in the 1890s) to insure more light and air to every flat.

I have no pictures of the proposed high-rises on Karl Johan, but I have one of an early proposal on redevelopment of Vaterland (Postgirobygget on the left on the model):

 

[Þróndeimr]

^ If im not wrong that should be about where Radisson SAS Plaza Hotel is standing today, right?

 

[Oslo 5]

Grünerløkka

Grünerløkka as of today:

The park 'Birkelunden' and the Sports arena 'Dælenga' was also later addison’s.

Some newer fulfilled renewal plans for Grünerløkka. From the 1930s:

From the 1960s:

Also from the 1960s:

Grünerløkka as it is preserved today (large parts also landmarked):

Autumn on Grünerløkka:

Winter on Grünerløkka:

 

[wolkenkrabber]

^^

be glad that commie redevelopment project never happened!

 

[Oslo 5]

That’s quite right (on the Vaterland project), and yes, I'm glad they never demolisht the old Grünerløkka.

 

[Oslo 5]

I’m not special happy for the map of Grünerløkka as of today, I find it hideous (but than again, I am quite strict when maps are in question). Grünerløkka isn’t borough number 2 eider. The map I first intended to use wasn’t much cooperative. However here is the official map:
http://www.bydel-grunerlokka.oslo.kommune.no/getfile.php/Bydel%

For another old part of Oslo, Vålrenga, the architect group PAGON (Progressive Architects Group, Oslo, Norway), made this proposal sometimes in the 1950s:

The only thing they wanted to preserve, was the church.

 

[NiceGuy]

^^

be glad that commie redevelopment project never happened!

I am not saying this only to provoke, but I honestly think they were right when they made plans for knocking down Grünerløkka from the 1930's to the 1960's and replacing it with something else. For most of the 20th century, Grünerløkka was essentially a very run down part of the city. History has also proven that fixing the run-down houses have cost a lot more then it would have to replace them with something else.

Amazing! That building would have been more than 1 km long!

 

[Þróndeimr]

For another old part of Oslo, Vålrenga, the architect group PAGON (Progressive Architects Group, Oslo, Norway), made this proposal sometimes in the 1950s:

The only thing they wanted to preserve, was the church.

That is huge, and idea how long it is, or the area of the entire building complex?

 

[Spearman]

I’m not special happy for the map of Grünerløkka as of today, I find it hideous (but than again, I am quite strict when maps are in question). Grünerløkka isn’t borough number 2 eider. The map I first intended to use wasn’t much cooperative. However here is the official map:
http://www.bydel-grunerlokka.oslo.kommune.no/getfile.php/Bydel%

For another old part of Oslo, Vålrenga, the architect group PAGON (Progressive Architects Group, Oslo, Norway), made this proposal sometimes in the 1950s:

The only thing they wanted to preserve, was the church.

Wow. Just wow...

 

[Oslo 5]

Oslo was early to get a rail based mass transit system. The first horse drawn trams started to operate in 1875. The first electric trams in Scandinavia, was the ‘blue tram’ in 1894. Oslo had two different tram companies, which was identified mostly by their colour; blue (Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei) and green (Kristiania Sporveiselskap, and from 1899 also the municipality owned brown (Kristiania kommunale sporvei), but they were sold out to the ‘green trams’ already in 1905. The first suburban tram line starts as a separate private company in 1898 (A/S Holmenkollbanen). In 1928 this company starts its traffic true the first Scandinavian subway tunnel between Majorstuen (at what than was the city limits), and Nationaltheateret (the National theatre) downtown. The Oslo municipality’s subway office made lots of plans in the 1950s for to connect the different suburban tram lines together in a new subway network. Some of the lines were eventually built, and some even made longer than first planed, but others were never connected, and are still today operated by ordinary city trams (as Lillakerbanen, Ekebergbanen and Kjelsåsbanen). In 1960, the City of Oslo decided to eventually (over a longer number of years) to disconnect all tram lines and focus only on buses and subways. This politic wasn’t reverse until 1977. During these years this plan, which was published in 1973, was made:

The 1960s also saw some large-scale freeway projects for the central city, here are to illustrations of what only was referred to as the ‘City freeway’ (Bymotorveien):

 

[Svempa99]

I am not saying this only to provoke, but I honestly think they were right when they made plans for knocking down Grünerløkka from the 1930's to the 1960's and replacing it with something else. For most of the 20th century, Grünerløkka was essentially a very run down part of the city. History has also proven that fixing the run-down houses have cost a lot more then it would have to replace them with something else.

Now I haven't been to Grünerløkka but from what I've heard it's quite a vibrant part of the city. I doubt it would have been that if the mega-komplex would have been built. It would most likely have been socially run-down thus a bad use of the initial investment. So I think the extra cost for fixing up run-down houses pays off.

The parts of central Göteborg that was knocked down and rebuild with new housing in the sixties and seventies are pretty dead when it comes to urban vibe. They have only reduced the size of the innercity. The city have lost some of it attractivness because of this and I think there is an economic price for that. When I say 'attractivness' I'm aware that the run-down states of these old areas didn't contribute to any attractivness. I mean what could have been if fixed-up.

In the late seventies and eighties Haga was the last neighbourhood that was renewed as a whole. But now finally the city had learned it's lesson. 25% percent of the houses were renovated and 75% was built from scratch but in more or less the traditional style. The street pattern, building heights etc were kept the same. It could possibly have been done even better but the example in contrast to the previous renewal projects showed that it pays off to keep these neighbourhood's structure and identity.

 

[NorthStar77]

The renovation of Grünerløkka was definitely worth the cost.

Oslo 5, your posts are very informative and interesting, keep up the good work!kay: Do you work in Plan og bygningsetaten?

 

[Oslo 5]

The renovation of Grünerløkka was definitely worth the cost.

Oslo 5, your posts are very informative and interesting, keep up the good work!kay: Do you work in Plan og bygningsetaten?

Again, thanks. No, I don't work at PBE, but I wouldn’t mind to.

 

[Spearman]

Just out of curiosity, where have you found all of those old proposals?

 

[Oslo 5]

Just out of curiosity, where have you found all of those old proposals?

They are from all around, a few are found on the net, but most are scanned from different books and printed reports. The picture of the Vålrenga model is scanned from a 35mm slide which ones belonged to one of the members of PAGON.