‘Kulkransporet’ as Transformed Infrastructure

When a piece of infrastructure grows out of age (retires) and is being transformed into a spatial backbone in new developments, its ‘raison d’etré'-based relation between form and function is challenged. Suppose the infrastructure is understood and approached as an urban public space. In that case, it can be analyzed and discussed with the parameters of site-construction, placemaking, or how the transformation programmatically and design-wise stimulates new users and usages for the space.
Reusing, reprogramming, double usage, etc., of infrastructure to establish urban life is a field with several examples, handling the topic in multiple scales and several degrees.
This article discusses the case of the redesigning and reprogramming of the old high line for coal transportation, “Kulkransporet“ (KKS), in the Southern Harbour in Aarhus, Denmark.
It discusses the programming and activation of the project from three perspectives or three known concepts within the field of urban design for establishing socially vibrant urban life. The three concepts are: Rem Koolhaas’ / Soviet Constructivists’ ‘Social Condenser’, Haijer & Reijndorp’s ‘Public Domain’/’collective spaces’, and the activation conceptions or strategies of William H. Whyte’s ‘Triangulation’ in order to investigate how infra-structure can be transformed and reconfigured into a new role in its urban surroundings, and how it is used strategically to establish new urban situations.
KKS has been selected as a case since it is one of the most socially and ambitious programmatic projects in a Danish Context in recent years. The project has not been realized yet, and the article discusses how the elements of programming / social engineering can be explained from the three models.
Finally, the three models are discussed generally, focusing on their strengths and weaknesses regarding using them in the development of creating infrastructures with added dimensions of urban life.