AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.06.2005, Page 31

Environmental Landscape
Ellý K. Guömundsdóttir, Director of the Department of the Environment, City of Reykjavík
For me, the environmental
landscape is a sensation, what
we see and what we want to see.
The environmental landscape is
created in conjunction with society.
We create the environment and it
creates us. This is particularly true
about the environmental landscape
in a city like Reykjavík. I grew up in
Reykjavík as a child in the sixties.
The mountain Esja was in its place
and the sea as well forming a
constantly changing and impressive
frame that became part of oneself.
The road, Miklabraut, was a
major river on the other side of the
fence. It was always cosy to sit by
the window talking and watching
the cars drift by. Nobody mentioned
the noise from the traffic. It was
often difficult to cross the river.
Particularly when the snow formed
mountains along the way. But there
was a reward. The ice-cream shop
was on the other side along with
the Hermann Ragnar dance school.
At times there was a bad smell
that filled the city. This was called"
the money odour". The plover was
not the only herald of spring. The
money odour told us that spring
was in the air. Life was fairly good.
I could not complain on my piece
of turf. I occasionally wandered off
into the fields that were over-grown
with garden dock. This is how I
experienced the environmental
landscape in Reykjavík during
this time. Many people of course
remember a different landscape
from the same time. Chíldren
experience what they see. They
are discovering the world. Then we
grow up and develop growing pains.
Cities too. We learn some and then
want to become something more.
We make demands on the city for
increased quality of life. We want
to live in a beautiful city. A city with
clean air and clean water. A city full
of life but not too noisy. A city with
beautiful green areas where we
glide about in our cars without any
traffic, with empty parking
spaces awaiting us. All
the necessary services
should be close by and
our next neighbours at
a proper distance. The
environmental landscape
of Reykjavík today is
largely man-made to meet
these wishes. Green areas
have been formed and
woods cultivated. Nature
in the city is man-made.
This man-made nature
will probably not receive
the place of honour on
the Nature Preservation
Register but nonetheless
serves as a valuable
recreation area. This man-
made nature is prominent
in the environmental landscape
that meets young people today. I
now live at the bottom of Öskjuhlíð
hill. There is a wood that is typical
of this nature. Part of it borders
Hlíðaskóli and the children there
write poems about their wood.
The geothermally heated beach is
not far away and prominent in the
environmental landscape of the city.
The wood and the beach are part
of a frame that has been created so
that the citizens can enjoy healthy
outdoor activities. Children not
only experience the proximity of
the sea but also jump right into it.
Transportation structures
have a marked influence on
the environmental landscape. A
web of bicycle paths has been
woven which is important in the
environmental landscape. The
paths enable us to see the city
from a different point of view at the
same time as we enjoy outdoor
recreation and movement. There
are a lot of bridges for pedestrians
and cars. The cars take up a lot of
space. They need roads, sometimes
multi-storey interchanges, and
expansive areas for parking.
Many things have changed in
Reykjavík during the last decades.
The garden dock fields of my youth
have become Reykjavík during these
decades. The garden dock country
of my youth is a shopping centre.
A pedestrian bridge crosses over
Miklabraut. The city smells better
and I find it both charming and
beautiful. Mt. Esja delights us still
with its presence and the closeness
to the sea has been made more
pleasant. Increased knowledge
has taught us that pollution can
have harmful effects on our health
and environment. It can also have
negative influence on the quality
of life of our children and their
descendants. Exhaust fumes pollute.
Foul ordors and too much noise
are also pollutants. This knowledge
makes further demands, not only
for convenience today but also for
our collaboration in making a city
in harmony with the environment.
This is what Agenda 21 is about.
To achieve a balance by combining
different interests for the future and
create wholesome environment.
The solution is not always to do
something; it may be better to
simply think differently, to take
care of what we already have. ■
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