5 about the rivercity to Morten Lund, Professor at Chalmers University

1. Why do you thin that there is an international workshop on the future development of Gothenburg harbor next week?

There is made a political decision on focusing on reprogramming the inner harbour and an organization named Centrale Ãlvstranden is established to facilitate the process.

Gøta River is not being used today, an area which is the same size as Ørestaden in Copenhagen but located right in the middle of Gothenburg. If you take a tourist boat harbor of Gothenburg you get associations to Manila or Bangkok, it's really worn down and the area is characterized asks industry and shipyards which have just been quiet since a mid-80s.

Gothenburg is Scandinavia's Motown, it's the private car city. The car is essential to succeed in Gothenburg. The whole city is spread out as a consequence of infrastructure, therefore it is important that the urban happen to be central and compact city, one of the successes at Ørestaden is precisely the focus on public transport.
It is a problem that society in Gothenburg is not consistent; it must be more inclusive and socially sustainable. So far, the problem of segregation is attempted solved by ‘starwars’ solutions on an ideological level and often slightly naive,

2. Do you feel like you are a part of Gothenburg Harbor?

People in Gothenburg have low thresholds and are unpretentious, proximity of patent leather shoes and oil on your hands and you easily get into conversation with people you meet.

3. Could you point out recent initiatives that have been good for the Harbor?

There are some good grips in the North side of the harbor where they have attempted to establish physical contact with the water.

The covered traffic tunnel, which has created a new center formation in the central city.

 
The ancient port strokes as follows the canal, it is wonderful and here there is a completely different scale because the city has a different typology in the form of moats and canals. Here you get a sense of ‘Nyhavn’ and ‘Christianshavn’ in the center of Copenhagen.

4. Could you point out initiatives that would make you use the Harbor more?

I want to be able to access the water, kayaking and swimming in the water, Now it's just something you look at, it's like the big green lawns of modernist residential areas, green one looks at the Gothenburg harbor the green is just blue.

5. What if Gothenburg city should start all over, what is the essentialism learning from the past?

Central ãlvstaden covers the same area as the core of Gothenburg and there is much to learn from the way the Dutch originally built the city, there was much more water then. Eastern/Western dock canal which is now Eastern/Western streets, water played a major role in the city at that time.

Citizens of Gothenburg are unpretentious and super professional businessmen, I really feel at home in Gothenburg.