AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.03.2004, Blaðsíða 14

Cities and urban societies are com-
ing to grips with their role in a con-
stantly changing world. It is only nat-
ural for people to ask if a small city
like Reykjavík can ever become as
big as other contemporary cities of
the world. Of course this question is
raised, because the present day and
age does not ask about place or
time - distances are not measured in
kilometers, but in minutes.
Metropolitan character is not meas-
ured by the number of inhabitants or
the length of roads but in the ambi-
tion and creative thought which is
fermenting there. It should be possi-
ble in Reykjavík for an international
and multi-cultural society to develop
where external currents find a certain
place in city life, in the sciences, art,
employment and human life. Then
one can speak of the Reykjavík
Metropolis.
The city of Reykjavík has, during
recent years, been formulating and
developing its policy and future
vision. There one tries to seek
answers as to how the city should
develop and the question has been
asked: How will we make a living?
This question about the likely pillars
of employment in the near future is
asked because of the rapid interna-
tional development of information
science, fields of knowledge and the
knowledge sector.
In Reykjavík, emphasis is put on
competitiveness and the information
industry. It is clear that it is interest-
ing for the capital area, and for
lceland as a whole, if we succeed in
developing an international knowl-
edge sector in the capital area. It is
important in itself for lcelanders to be
eventually at the forefront of welfare
societies in the world, but also
because the growth of fields of
knowledge will be important for
lceland, which is traditionally
dependent on fishing; a rather one-
sided and changeable workbase. We
intend also to resurrect the centre of
Reykjavík on an lcelandic foundation
but with an international contribution
and, in that way, strengthen its com-
petitiveness for the future.
In a newly approved development
plan for Reykjavík, which is one of
the important instruments that the
city authorities have to carry out their
policies and future vision, there are
goals about Reykjavík as an interna-
tional city, an ecological city and a
capital city. These goals are of
course interconnected and all of this
is a question of the city s competi-
tiveness. The city has to be interna-
tional because it is in competition
with other cities and urban areas for
people, knowledge, capital and com-
panies. In the policies for Reykjavík,
much is done to further the competi-
tiveness of the city:
- Planning with emphasis on quality
of life and the information industry,
higher densities, better public trans-
portation etc.
- Collaboration of all the local author-
ities in the capital area in planning,
transportation, various fíelds of envi-
ronmental matters, common issues
in employment and other urban
issues.
- Collaboration with local authorities
north of Hvalfjörður in harbour devel-
opment, underlining that the employ-
ment area of the capital also grows
in that direction, opening up new
possibilities in the redevelopment of
former harbour and industrial areas.
- Introduction of new ideas about
redevelopment in the central city
intended to strengthen it as a centre
of culture and urban life.
- Emphasis is put on a good connec-
tion between the University of
lceland, the City Hospital
(Landspítali-Háskólasjúkrahús), the
knowledge sector, and a new city
centre in Vatnsmýri.
- Clean energy and a healthy lifestyle
that emphasises an ecological city.
- The same is true about the intro-
duction of hydrogen as a fuel, which
has aroused international interest.
- A multicultural policy has been
formed to reflect the increased
movement of people between coun-
tries.
- The Höfuðborgarstofa is in charge
of the Information Centre, general
travel and information for Reykjavík,
in addition to being responslible for
the planning and execution of various
key happenings in the city.
- Preparatory work is underway for a
music- and conference centre in the
centre of Reykjavík which will
increase even more the competitive-
ness of Reykjavík as a „conference
centre“.
Each country has to have one or
more urban areas. This has never
been more important, as these cities
or urban areas are a basic unit in
present day economic life. A strong
urban area is the premise for a
dynamic economic and employment
situation in every modern society.
Public policymaking in the matters of
the capital area has, on the other
hand, never taken place and tradi-
tional development policy only
touched upon the other half of
national development. It should be
remembered that neither can thrive
without the other; the urban areas
need a powerful upland. But the
country and the whole of lceland
also needs a dynamic and strong
urban area; this is of common impor-
tance in a new century. ■
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