City of Vanadzor Redevelopment Proposal

Masterplanning

Our concept design of the City of Vanadzor is influenced by the progressing fields of urban development and transportation planning to generate the region’s tourism industry.

PHILOSOPHY

Lean City

Lean thinking is a business methodology that aims to provide a new way to think about how to organize human activities to deliver more benefits to society and value to individuals while eliminating waste.

The concept of Lean manufacturing started in the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota with its well known TPS (Toyota Production System), and is defined as creating maximum value for the customer with minimum waste, in terms of wasted time unnecessary transportation, overproduction, defects. If we extrapolate this concept to cities, we can talk about a powerful philosophy that helps to build smart cities, which we could call Lean Cities.

Lean Cityis a sustainability concept that aims to reduce human waste and carbon footprint of the area, while becoming more environmentally conscious during the entire life-cycle of the building. Human activities, as well as buildings, will be constructed in an efficient manner that will provide social, cultural, and health benefits.

The first step of our Lean City plan is to identify forms of waste (energy as well as material) present at the City of Vanadzor. After a quantitative and qualitative analyses of waste are conducted, more specific steps will be outlined to follow the initiative of the Lean City.

POLYCENTRIC STRATEGY

The Polycentric Strategy aims to engage the entire municipality in the development of social partners. This strategy is based on widespread presence of decentralized commercial activities in the area. We will replace the monocentric industries and streetscapes with diversified, local, and vibrant industry and urban design.

The Polycentric Strategy is based on three main fronts: mobility, urban design, and architectural development. Urban design includes projects such as Taterakan Square the Bakery District redevelopment, construction ofthe Concert Hall, and development of the Sports Area, etc. Architectural development includes the regeneration of the central market building, hotels, factories, and the redevelopment of the Railway Central Station, among others. The mobility front is discussed within the concept of complete streets.

Our initial approach on Urban Quality and the Polycentric Strategy for mobility began in 2017 through the redevelopment designs of the City of Artashat, Ararat Region, Armenia. Currently, the same group of partners working with Arwest Architects is analysing strategic plans for the City of Vanadzor.

COMPLETE STREETS

Our redevelopment plan will heavily focus on the concept of completeand shared streets. This idea incorporates active methods of transportation (walking, cycling, public transportation) that are equally represented and are accessible alongside private modes of transportation. Pedestrians, cyclers, and public transportation users will be able to safely and confidently share the streets with private vehicles by infrastructure designed to promote complete streets.

The plan to develop public infrastructure and the public transportation sector is mainly due to the City of Vanadzor currently lacking those systems. Although there is widespread use of bicycles, current infrastructure is not designed to support cycling as a safe mode of transportation. Efforts to design shared streetswill decrease social gaps and create a sense of inclusion in the area.

Using the idea of complete streets, we will also incorporate another missing element in the city: public spaces. To promote safe, family environments, public spaces and new buildings will be designed with CPTED principles in mind, acting as guidelines in efforts to prevent misdemeanor and encourage active street use during all times of the day.

CITY OF CHILDREN

Our plan will largely incorporate the idea of “The City of Children” to develop youth recreation camps and a family-oriented environment, to create unique environment for an exciting adventure in the most comfortable conditions. If Vanadzor returns to be the summer camp of Armenian children and parents, it will soon become Lean City’s efficiency and reduction of wasteful practices that will attract foreign and domestic tourism.

The goal of this camp is to promote and progress the artistic potential of children and youth, as well as create a safe network of socialization: this will help with the early stages of child and youth development. Youth will have an opportunity to safely participate in recreational, educational, and artistic programs throughout their visit.

There are several vital buildings that will be present at the camp. Creative Factories include dance, theater, music, as well as science facilities to encourage holistic learning. The central reception building and a communal food court will allow youth to continuously socialize throughout their stay. Lastly, among other facilities, an easily accessible Medical Headquarters building will be present and readily available for any health emergencies.

“The City of Children” is designed as a safe, comfortable space for children and youth to develop their artistic and technical skills using various educational facilities. We want to promote the idea of holistic health through smart urban planning techniques. The camp plan is designed to advocate for physical and mental health by integrating recreational and shared space into the its landscape. Lastly, a valued component of socializing children and youth is the idea of community involvement. The camp will be partially upkept and regulated by its attendees, allowing young people to develop their sense of leadership, environmental consciousness, and community responsibility as they grow into adults.