Introduction

DUS is pleased to publish our project BRNO a model for a productive city. The project was part of an international competition for the Future of Brno Centre. Described by the Mayor as being the most important competition that the City of Brno has undertaken in 20 years, it provides a unique opportunity to reconnect & revitalise a 200 ha former industrial site on the back of the new central train station. The new district should house over 18,000 new residents and provide over 1.5 million sqm work-live floor area.

 

Approach

Building on the existing qualities of the city we aim to create an urban environment that fosters creativity, innovation and productivity. A new urban community where young families can settle, prosper and grow through all stages of life. We believe it is essential that the elderly and young families with children should again be placed at the heart of the city centre of Brno. Key to this approach is our Productive City Block strategy, this neighbourhood development approach should allow for an innovative and creative urban environment to flourish, providing the basis for The Productive City.

 

The Resilient City

The new urban district is developed along the two banks of the river Svratka which has a high risk of flooding. Part of the master plan strategy is to create a dyke defence system integrated with a new urban boulevard. The new city blocks also have rainwater collection integrated into the design of the public realm. Each new urban block has a rainwater collection square which provides the ability to absorb rainwater from all the surrounding buildings & roads and filter this water for re-use for communal greenhouses or workshops.  

 

The Productive City

In many European cities there is a spatial and social mismatch between living, education and working areas. This mismatch generates many problems with regard to the economy, mobility and society. Through changes in manufacturing & food production methods it is now possible to integrate small scale urban production within the context of urban centres. In addition there is a steady increase in people working from home requiring a new approach to the work-live relationship and indeed in housing typologies. Parallel to this there is a cultural change in how we approach people that need assisted care, increasingly we come to the conclusion that they benefit from each other and from being integrated in society. So instead of separating social groups we aim to provide a Flexible block development strategy that allows for different social groups to integrate and mutually support each other.

 

The Adaptable City

Central to our approach are large pedestrian orientated urban blocks that allow for a diversity of housing typologies, social spaces and workplaces to be developed. Every urban block acts as a collective community with climate adaptive strategies integrated in the public space. The concept allows for a flexible and adaptable development process combining self-build projects with social housing, work home units and social hubs, bringing together individuals, collectives, investors and small-scale developers. The future of Brno is destined to set a new benchmark in sustainable urban planning and create the first model for a productive urban environment.