Case Study Tartu 1

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Name	name of project
Location	location
Country	country
Office	office or planner/designer
Client	please enter the client here
Completion	Please enter the date of completion
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Core Question 1: In how far does this project reveal your concept of future landscapes?

The future of landscapes is closely connected to history. Over 100 years of mining activity have left scars on landscape, ecology and local society. The project deals with industrial landscapes that have important place in local history, economy and identity. As the idea of renewing industrial landscapes is quite new to our society, this project illustrates well how the problem can be solved. It is very important to design new projects that would be sustainable in the future, but it is as important as the latter to think about already existing elements in our landscape. We often use landscape for our benefits without thinking about the possible consequences. We use our land to extract goods like coal, oil, stone and metal, but little do we think about how the landscape looks after. Our case study works on landscape restoration after the mining process to give the site new function and purpose. More specifically we deal with renewal of the waste from oil shale industry, so called "ash hill".

Landscape and/or urban context

History of the area starts with coal mining in 1922, when the town Kiviõli (Oilshale) was founded. Town with almost 7000 people is almost entirely known by its ash mountains – results of oil shale mining. As the oil shale gives 90% of Estonian energy, the mindless mining has always somehow been silently approved. Nowadays the two artificial mountains (96m and 116m) are strongly pressed into people’s memory as identity carriers, monuments to mining, ´´troublechilds´´ of environmentalists, playground for children and tourist attractions. Being part of the local industrial heritage and identity the mountains have already their place in history and landscape. But in that way they represent the darker part of mining. In future the idea is to keep the technical landscape heritage and at the same time combine it with new functions.

Cultural/social/political context

The town itself - Kiviõli - is an industrial town in Ida-Viru County in Estonia with a population of 7000, mostly Russians. The region itself is known most of all as an industrial site. Industrial activity in the region is still active; oil shale is excavated to its full capacity. But nowadays there are strict regulations about environmental impacts. In the last years there have been thought about the enormous ash hills that are now so characteristic and usual in East-Northern part of Estonia. During a survey amongst local population, many found that ash hills are part of the region’s history and serve as interesting landmarks. But maybe these ´´hills´´ could serve as something more than just hills. There have been thought in redeveloping the slopes for example for skiing and snowboarding as Estonians are a true winter sportsmen and are in need for more means for those activities. Thus there are made regulations that instead of just piling up ash waste into one huge hill, it could be placed according to a plan made already before the depositing takes place, so afterwards it won’t be so difficult to model the future landform.

Spatial analysis of area/project/plan

The development works began already in 2001 and the destination was to change ex- industrial area into nature and human friendly hill. Developing Kiviõli Adventure Tourism Center has besides international competition also a sport and wider social meaning- center which offers the quality health-, adventure- and extreme sport activity. The wish is to create from ex ash hill one of the biggest tourism magnets in Viru County, also why not in hole Estonia, and through that help Ida- Virumaa to progress. The second important destination is the wish to develop local life- environment and make the ex- industrial heritage active again. Longest down skiing slopes and snowpark, motocross track, all-year free opportunity to make health-sport and skiing, 2,5km long track for mountain bikes will be evolved. It is also planned to build many adventure attractions such as playcar track, adventure park, ATV tracks. The building work is still going on right now, it is planned to open in 2012.

Analysis of program/function

The main functional characteristics is to change totally use of the area. The area will become a totally new function- from industrial area into recreational park. As the idea is to transform former tehnogenic wasteland into usable area with hints to its former function- disfunction, the design, the equipment and plan for the future expresses very easily the main aim and the purpose of this project.

Analysis of design/planning process

• How was the area/project/plan formulated and implemented?
• Were there any important consultations/collaborations?

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Analysis of use/users

• How is the area/project/plan used and by whom?
• Is the use changing? Are there any issues?

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes

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