REFUGEE CITY RIJEKA  (Croatia)

Together with our partners in Slovenia, Austria and Croatia we developed in June a project  about the possibilities of  the redevelopment of the docklands in Rijeka. The problem of the former habor area in the shrinking city Rijeka is evident and we started the project by implementing creative industry in the abandoned docklands.
During the workshop end of September in Rijeka we were faced with a huge amount of refugees which were, and still are hindered  to enter Schengen territory, thus  blocked at the border between Slovenia and Croatia , 25 km away from Rijeka . All participants of the workshop realized immediately  the enormous  challenge for the shrinking city of Rijeka and want to dwindle the humane catastrophe of the refugees by using the knowledge and the publicity of the workshop to think about Rijeka as a refugee city.

The assignment
The assignment was transformed into the development of an utopian Refugee City in the abandoned harbor area of Rijeka.  These concept should provide short term and temporary shelter as well as a sustainable long term vision of the growth of the city by 200%. So Rijeka could use actual politic situation to develop innovative ideas how future cities could develop in terms of migration and a worldwide growth of population. 
The new type of Refugee City should use the unforeseeable growth  to enhance the quality and the characteristics of the existing city of Rijeka.  The new design strategies for Rijeka should be specific (connected with the spatial qualities of the city) and general (the design of an utopian Refugee City of the future) at the same time.
J. Veldhuis design of clustered village

Results

The results of the project will be used in the future activities planned by the city of Rijeka when applying for European Capital of Culture in 2020. It is similarly expected that the results of the design week 1 will be used in projects that are acquired by Luka Rijeka to improve the integration of ports in the northern Adriatic, their infrastructure and other links.

Final presentation:
Make a urban design of the  Refugee City Rijeka. Make a design for an innovative,  resilient city of the future. Design a utopia by means of stable urban design plans and models on different scale levels.

Schedule

Concept schedule winter term (September – January)
                     September              October                    November                  December                January
week 1       introduction                                                 design                         designportfolio assessment portfolio assessment              
week 2      portfolio                     concept                    design                         design                      portfolio ass.
week 3      research                                                        design week 2           final presentation
week 4      design week 1           design                       design                       

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Period:
2015 winter term

Work load:
40 hours per week

Costs
€ 4800.-
design week

Design weeks

The first design week ( 20 September – 26 September) is on the project site in the Rijeka.  You will get lectures by professionals on site and you develop a vision and a strategic approach in a workshop. In the workshop you will work in interdisciplinary mixed groups.
In the second design week we will research reference developments in the Netherlands. We will visit transformed harbor areas in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. You will analyze and work on the Stadshavens 2035 project locations in Rotterdam. This research you could use to develop a design strategy for the Rijeka harbor area.

Partners

Saxion University of Applied Sciences, department of urban design
University of Ljubljana Faculty of Architecture
Prof. Dr. Lucija Ažman Momirski, architect, Ljubljana
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Architecture
Prof. Dr. Sanja Filep, architect, Zagreb
DAR Association of architects Rijeka
design week / worshop at DAR

Course contents

Competences:
In this Urban Nomads program you will develop  6 professional competences: Concept, Urban Design, Analysis, Urban Research, Urban Strategy, Being aware of surroundings.
During 1 semester you will work continuously and integrally on these competences. You work individual and you will get weekly feedback in classes on your products. This project includes 2 design weeks and a final presentation.

Feedback on products:
Once a week (see schedule) you get individual feedback on the design products in the studio of Urban Nomads in Deventer.

Final presentation:
At the end of the course you will present your project to professionals.

Portfolio:
After the final presentation your portfolio will be accessed by certificated assessors on the 6 competences. You will receive a certificate