City Development
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Urban development Karolinska/Norra Station Area
Summary
The planning of the development of the Norra Station area has begun in earnest. Stockholm City and Solna Municipality have jointly, with other stakeholders, established a proposal for an Extended Master Plan for the area.
Vasastaden’s street network unites Stockholm inner city with Karolinska, at the same time as the route into Solna Centrum and other parts of Solna will be strengthened.
The highways Norra länken/E4/E20 and Värtabanan will be decked over and mixed urban construction will take place in the Station Area.
At Karolinska Institutet, the inner campus environment will be preserved while new construction is planned on the outer areas, including towards Solnavägen.
A new, highly specialised hospital, to the east of Solnavägen will be connected to the KI area.
The eastern KS area will be transformed into an urban environment with mixed content, well integrated with the inner city by prolonging existing roads into the area.
Coordination is underway with the extension of the Norra länken bypass which has just started and with the prolongation of the Citybanan (commuter train) and a tube branch line from Odenplan.
The east-west connections between Stockholm Science City and Stockholm University, KTH and the Albano area will be strengthened through development.
Health care, research and education within life sciences will contribute, together with a considerable element of housing, culture and public life, to a vivacious urban environment.
The urban development area contains several parks and squares.
New pedestrian and cycle paths will be established into surrounding park areas such as Hagaparken and Karlbergs Slottspark.
Background
The Stockholm City by-pass road Norra länken/E4/E20, Värtabanan (trains) and the previous shunting yard area at Norra Station form a barrier and a source of interruption in the urban landscape. Several planning initiatives have occurred in Stockholm aimed at utilising this area better, without any success. Eight years ago a project was initiated that has culminated in the current situation and plans for the future. This initiative came from two directions, from the landowner and construction companies and from Karolinska Institutet.
Below some of the most important events are recounted:
1999
An interest group consisting of several construction companies carried out a pre-study in cooperation with the then landowners Stockholm City and Jernhusen AB concerning the viability of decking over and developing the station and road area.
Professor John Skår of Karolinska Institutet (KI) developed, with the support of the then President Hans Wigzell, a concept of Stockholm BioScience; the creation of a linked area for life science research in an attractive environment. The Stockholm BioScience concept was presented to the then Prime Minister, Göran Persson, who encouraged further development, as well as to a number of other stakeholders.
2000 – 2001
Planning initiated and a Start-up Memo is presented to the City Planning Board for Stockholm City.
KI, KTH and SU take a joint decision to, together with TBSS, finance development and operate Stockholm BioScience in project form for the period 2001 to 2004. The Stockholm BioScience Vision is made public.
Stockholm County Council initiate a study on Stockholm’s New University Hospital (SNUS).
2002
The landowners Stockholm City, Jernhusen AB, the group of construction companies and Karolinska Institutet agree to jointly study the preconditions for, and to make efforts to realise, the development of the Norra Station area.
A Reference Council for Stockholm BioScience consisting of scientific names from KI, KS, KTH and SU is established, as well as a Secretariat. The Vision was further developed – link to info brochure (in Swedish).
Stockholm County Council (SLL) works with a property development plan for Karolinska Hospital. A pre-study concerning the construction of a new university hospital in the region was initiated when it proved to be difficult to adapt existing premises to the requirements of modern, efficient health care.
2003
The original group (landowner, construction companies and Karolinska Institutet) present a Situation Report. The area concerned had then been expanded to include the land around Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska Hospital. SLL had joined the group as a stakeholder for the development activities. An informal cooperating organisation with a Steering Committee consisting of leading politicians and a Management Team of municipal, County Council/Locum and KI/Akademiska Hus employees, is established. There is now political agreement across both municipal and party borders concerning the development of this area.
The Norra Station Project agrees its premier Vision for the new district that is totally in line with the Vision for Stockholm BioScience: “A part of the city – a meeting place for people,
culture and science where premises for research, living and enterprise are all mixed together”. This new concept for Stockholm Science City is presented to the City of Stockholm’s Economic Development Committee. Stockholm City management expresses its support for the development of Stockholm BioScience within the Norra Station area
SLL takes a decision to continue development of a new university hospital to be located within the KS area.
2004
Stockholm City purchases Jernhusen’s land within the Norra Station area. Consequently all the land within the geographical area in question is now owned by public actors (Stockholm City, Stockholm County Council and Government (through Akademiska hus). The report entitled “Norra Stations, KI and KS area. Urban development on the borders between Stockholm and Solna.” is published.
The article entitled “A knowledge city for innovation – A new approach to the development of a life science cluster” is published in BIOForum Europa. Link to article.
Stockholm County Council publishes “3S Study – The New University Hospital and the Future Emergency Hospital Structure”.
2005 and 2006
During this period, renewal ambitions for the area have been clarified and made more concrete. The report entitled “Norra Station, KI and KS area. Urban development on the borders between Stockholm and Solna” forms the joint planning conditions (GPF) and primary document in the joint consultations on the programme for the Detail Plans to be established by Stockholm City and Solna Municipality. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and BioVitrum have joined the KI Campus. Parallel with the city planners, the Swedish Road Administration initiates activities on a pre-study for the decking over of the Norra länken/E4/E20 Stockholm By-pass road and Stockholm Transport have carried out a viability study for a new tube line to Karolinska.
The Stockholm BioScience Project is concluded in 2005 and its final report presented. Link to report.
From February 2006, Stockholm BioScience’s operations are part of Stockholm Science City/Vetenskapsstaden. Vision activities jointly with Stockholm City are initiated as are other inputs within concept development and programmes for support to multi-disciplinary research in Stockholm.
The County Council/Locum implements its 3S Study and continues with its plans for a new university hospital with a design competition. Intensive efforts are made to develop material on which to base a decision using the results from the design competition that is underway.
2007
In April the Stockholm City planning authorities took the all-important decision to continue development of the part of the area located in their municipality. During the spring, consultations will be held on Karolinska and Norra station – the Master Plan will be developed in more detail and an environmental impact study will be carried out. The planning authorities in Solna and Stockholm have established this proposal jointly.
Link: Solna or Stockholm
Vision and aim*
“This new urban area around Norra Station will, in a unique environment, unite the advantages of the city with leading edge research, enterprise and housing in Europe’s most exciting growth region”
The Extended Master Plan for Karolinska – Norra Station covers a common urban development area that crosses municipal boundaries. The aim is to describe and solve issues that affect both municipalities. This is a generally applicable, strategic plan intended to work as a programme for the Detail Plans to be established in each municipality.
The aims of this Extended Master Plan for Karolinska and Norra Station are to:
Create the preconditions for an integrated urban environment including housing, offices, commerce, research and a new university hospital.
Strengthen the physical connections between Stockholm inner city - Karolinska – Solna Centre.
Strengthen the physical connections between Karolinska Hospital and Karolinska Institutet.
Improve the preconditions for east-west transport connections between Science City 3 to KTH, Stockholm University, Stockholm School of Economics and Haga-Brunnsviken and Karlberg. Also to improve public transport between this urban development area and Stockholm and Solna.
Report on how national interests and culturally/historically important values are to be fulfilled.
Provide background information for an assessment of the viability of the decking over of Norra länken/E4/E20 and Värtabanan as concerns the economic, technical and environmental aspects of the entire urban structure.
*Extension of two master plans KAROLINSKA - NORRA STATION: Consultation documentation, concept 2007-04-23
This document is, in its totality, a summary established by Stockholm Science City. For further information please visit www.ssci.se or contact Ola Björkman on +46 702 45 74 97.