Development of Kaliningrad's historical center

Our proposal offers Kaliningrad a roadmap to a new sustainable city, not a blueprint of a static future cityscape. This process of change takes time and is therefore in need of strong basic strategies of development, allowing flexibility within that firm framework for the generations to come.

Even though the future is uncertain to predict, we know the development of cities will be affected by two major challenges: environmental threats and the continuous growth of the city population. Cities with a compact, flexible and ecological system will be the ones that will sustain over time. We have been searching for this system for future Kaliningrad and have found a framework that will allow the city to grow with a variety of lifestyles and functions, within a sustainable transport system and ecological city structure, leading to the vibrant sustainable city of Kaliningrad.

Every city is unique and needs to deal with these urban challenges in a specific way. Kaliningrad’s uniqueness lies in its multi-layered history and its dynamic future. The legacy of the Königsberg period combined with the modernistic architectural layers of the Soviet period sets an interesting starting point for the transformation of the city. The introduction of the 2018 Football World Cup in Kaliningrad kick-starts the dynamic transformation of the center in the immediate future and sets part of the major challenges for transportation and program. Our project provides a transformation strategy that incorporates the different historic layers and at the same time makes use of the dynamic forces that influence the central area of Kaliningrad. This roadmap offers a delicate balance between all the assets that Kaliningrad possesses and will turn it into the sustainable compact city of the future.

The 6 development strategies

1. Mobility strategy
At the scale of the city a transformation process to balance the main transport systems will be started up. The first steps have already been made by the introduction of the outer and inner ring road, concentrating main car traffic around the city and not in the center. The ring systems allow for the transformation of the central car dominant streets into walkable avenues. At the same time a more dense public transport system of (trolley) buses and trams can be introduced within the profile of these city avenues, connecting the different activity centers of Kaliningrad in a more sustainable way. A network of underground parking in and near the city center allows at the same time for several necessary underground car connections and parking.

2. Sustainable Green-Blue strategy
At the same city scale we reinforce the green and blue structures within a long term strategy. This strategy will allow the city to grow more compactly but at the same time allowing a strong green and blue framework to form a sustainable base for that development. The green-blue framework is formed by central waterfront areas, the old defense park structures parallel to the inner ring and the transformed inner city car roads into pedestrian friendly green avenues.

3. City Block strategy
In the times of Königsberg, Kaliningrad had a clear city center structure of urban blocks and city streets with a density that allowed for a compact structure and a mix of functions. In the Soviet time this structure was replaced by an open structure with iconic buildings and low density. In our city block strategy we make use of the benefits of the historic grid and connections, without losing touch with the heritage of the Soviet period. The blocks have an average of 5-6 levels, allowing for the introduction of green architecture and a sustainable street and inner court structure, in good relation to green, water and sun conditions. The flexibility of the block structure also allows for a higher or lower density in relation to more positive or negative growth scenarios.

4. Public space strategy
Connected to the green-blue strategy on the city scale, we introduce a public space strategy for the inner city. The framework of the public space is formed by several main elements. The central public space elements are formed by the distortion of the historic grid near the heritage elements of the Königsberg and the Soviet period. They form the central city squares and main connections to the other main public space elements, such as the Lower Pond Park, the Football World Cup Promenade, the Kant Island, the City Avenues and the Waterfront Boulevards.

5. Open network strategy
To ensure the inner center area does not become an isolated structure, the city block strategy is continued in all directions. This way also the rest of the city benefits from the transformation process of the city center. To achieve this, we introduce the open network strategy. The strategy creates a better connected and walkable city structure by transforming mega block structures into smaller ones, and by creating an open public network through this newly densified system.

6. Mixed functions strategy
The city block strategy not only creates a strong structure for development, but also allows for a flexible infill. Instead of the prevailing large single-use zoning, the strategy aims at a high concentration of a mix of functions in the center near the main public spaces and avenues. Within the scale of the center different thematic functional emphases and priorities will be given to the several sub-areas, such as tourism, shopping, culture, food and recreation, leading to a rich variety of functions in the city center.