I commend this paper for its insightful analysis of how to activate communities around old railways through three exemplary case studies. The Driebergen-Zeist railway station renewal project in the Netherlands highlights the importance of a three-dimensional transportation system and the integration of local history and culture, successfully revitalizing the area with both functional and aesthetic improvements. The Ordener-Poissonniers project in Paris demonstrates the value of preserving industrial heritage while creating a mixed-use, eco-friendly urban neighborhood. This approach not only conserves historical elements but also fosters social sustainability and environmental resilience. Similarly, the Camden HighLine project in London excels in promoting urban biodiversity and connecting green spaces, which enhances regional ecological sustainability and provides significant economic and employment opportunities. The paper effectively illustrates how thoughtful design and planning can transform neglected railway areas into vibrant, sustainable communities. Emphasizing regional sustainable development, the incorporation of green spaces, and respect for local history are crucial strategies that can yield substantial economic and social benefits. CONCLUSION:
1. Sustainable Development Focus: Railway renewal projects should prioritize regional sustainable development by incorporating green spaces, nature-based solutions, and carbon-neutral architecture, enhancing both environmental sustainability and community livability.
2. Cultural and Historical Integration: Preserving and integrating local history and cultural elements into the design of renewal projects can create meaningful and attractive urban landscapes that foster community pride and engagement.
3. Economic and Social Benefits: These projects can stimulate regional economic growth by creating employment and internship opportunities, fostering local businesses, and promoting a vibrant mixed-use environment.
4. Holistic Design Approach: A successful revitalization strategy should balance functionality, aesthetic appeal, and environmental conservation, transforming neglected railway areas into dynamic, sustainable, and economically active urban spaces.
How to activate communities around old railways
After centuries of development, numerous areas surrounding the railway lines have abandoned which cannot satisfy people’s requirements for a higher quality of life. Therefore, I chose three typical railway surrounding renovation cases to analyze how to activate communities around old railways.
1. The Driebergen-Zeist railway station renewal project
The project was located in the Netherlands. Arcadis design group chose to introduce a three-dimensional transportation system to alleviate traffic pressure on the ground. And at the same time, they also use the artistic techniques to integrate the local history and culture into the project which not only adds a beautiful scenery to the city, but also injects new vitality into the railway station.
（Source from：https://www.landscape-architects.nl/en/projects/stationsomgeving-driebergen-zeist）
2. The Ordener-Poissonniers project
The project is aims to transform the old Paris Central Station into a new urban development area oriented to social sustainable development.
（Source from：https://www.archdaily.com/924482/old-central-railway-transformed-into-socially-sustainable-urban-development-in-paris）
Actually, the designers’ approach consists of preserving the industrial heritage of the area and conceiving a mixed-use ecosystem neighborhood through the addition of green, nature-based public spaces and carbon-neutral architecture. At the same time, designers also try to protect and reconstruct the existing railway and industrial heritage on the site wich could provide a complex activity space for multiple fields and promote the sustainable development of this region.
3. The Camden HighLine project
During the construction process, the project considered to provide the wildlife habitat to protect the urban biodiversity and used linear railway to connect the main green nodes so that it could promote the regional sustainable development at the same time.
（Source from：https://www.camdenhighline.com/home#community）
Apart from this, the project could provide a large number of employment and internship opportunities for residents and tourists while creating a well urban landscape environment to stimulate the regional economic development in the end.
Conclusion：
Most of the reconstruction projects around the railway are designed with regional sustainable development, aiming to mitigate the railway noise pollution and promote regional ecological conservation by increasing green spaces. Additionally, respecting the local historically background, considering area spatial characteristics, using artistic techniques to create open spaces are also the good ways to attract people to pay attention on the railway surrounding community and bring new economic benefits.
References:
- Harrouk, C. (2019) Old Central Railway Transformed into Socially Sustainable Urban Development in Paris, ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/924482/old-central-railway-transformed-into-socially-sustainable-urban-development-in-paris.
- Lindner, C., Rosa, B., Baker, T., Brash, J., Birge-Liberman, P., Corner, J., Larson, S., Loughran, K., Millington, N. & Patrick, D. (2017) ‘INTRODUCTION: From Elevated Railway to Urban Park’, in Deconstructing the High Line. [Online]. United States: Rutgers University Press. pp. 1–20.
- Veeger, L., Eulderink, J., Neven, K., Linden, L. and Smolenaers, H. (2020) Driebergen-Zeist.
I commend this paper for its insightful analysis of how to activate communities around old railways through three exemplary case studies. The Driebergen-Zeist railway station renewal project in the Netherlands highlights the importance of a three-dimensional transportation system and the integration of local history and culture, successfully revitalizing the area with both functional and aesthetic improvements. The Ordener-Poissonniers project in Paris demonstrates the value of preserving industrial heritage while creating a mixed-use, eco-friendly urban neighborhood. This approach not only conserves historical elements but also fosters social sustainability and environmental resilience. Similarly, the Camden HighLine project in London excels in promoting urban biodiversity and connecting green spaces, which enhances regional ecological sustainability and provides significant economic and employment opportunities. The paper effectively illustrates how thoughtful design and planning can transform neglected railway areas into vibrant, sustainable communities. Emphasizing regional sustainable development, the incorporation of green spaces, and respect for local history are crucial strategies that can yield substantial economic and social benefits. CONCLUSION:
1. Sustainable Development Focus: Railway renewal projects should prioritize regional sustainable development by incorporating green spaces, nature-based solutions, and carbon-neutral architecture, enhancing both environmental sustainability and community livability.
2. Cultural and Historical Integration: Preserving and integrating local history and cultural elements into the design of renewal projects can create meaningful and attractive urban landscapes that foster community pride and engagement.
3. Economic and Social Benefits: These projects can stimulate regional economic growth by creating employment and internship opportunities, fostering local businesses, and promoting a vibrant mixed-use environment.
4. Holistic Design Approach: A successful revitalization strategy should balance functionality, aesthetic appeal, and environmental conservation, transforming neglected railway areas into dynamic, sustainable, and economically active urban spaces.