JIHLAVA from Silver to Green

FAST VUT - Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Department of Architecture

Project idea

This project deals with the urban design of the city of Jihlava. It is divided into two parts.The first part deals with the city as a whole. The second part solves a selected problematic area of the city.

I tried to make the design as realistic as possible. Although 75 years seems a lot, it is not so much after all. I focused on enviromental elements in urban planning, movement in the city and problems in individual districts. I made an extensive survey, of which only a part is shown in graphic materials.

The design of selected area was created as an idea of gradual transformation of this part of Jihlava, which is located south of the historical centre. It is divided into 3 functional areas that can be implemented independently of each other, although they influence each other.
The aim was to give the place a clear order and meaning. To connect and use the semi-used areas. To integrate it sensitively into the existing buildings with minimum interference to the existing ones. Old building can be further used and gradually transformed.

Project description

Jihlava is a regional town of the Vysočina Region. It is located on the border of Bohemia and Moravia. It has over 50 000 inhabitantsand an area of 87.86 km².



I have divided the conceptual plan for the future Jihlava for the year 2100 into 4 parts. Development of areas, roads and transport,pedestrian movement in the city and the concept of possible waste treatment.


From a traffic point of view, it is proposed to complete the outer ring road, mainly to divert traffic from the centre and to calm it down. It will be connected to the D1 motorway and will facilitate the transport of products from industry. Furthermore, the inner city ring road and the interconnections should be completed. Completing the missing links in the city, relieving the traffic in the city centre and providing more opportunities to move through Jihlava.
Another traffic improvement, but this is more for pedestrians, is to connect with bridges and footbridges hard to reach places in connection with existing designs or existing structures.

For cycling and pedestrians a green circuit is proposed. This will link existing and proposed green spaces, calming the road and making them more accommodating to people in particular. The newly proposed green spaces are intended to develop selected areas, add missing features or elevate the potential of the site.
Most important are the green links connecting the residential zones. They are intended to ensure sustainable growth with sufficient population density and green space.

The concept for the improvement of the different areas in the city is divided into different types.
„space renewal“, where what already exists is worked on, not working parts are removed, what works is renewed.
„Creating a centre“ - the place lacks a clear order and hierarchy, there is a need to add a centre
„Restructuring“ - the place is chaotic, a concept needs to be devised.
„Transformation to another function/structure“ - the current operation does not match the quality of the site.
„Residential development“ space for residential sprawl
„Mixed use development“
„Development of experimental area - agriculture + housing + research + industry“, sprawl of new type of mixed development, local agriculture + parks, housing and complementary functions such as linking with health facilities.
„Development and transformation of industrial areas“.

A recycling centre and a mechanical-biological waste treatment plant are proposed on the site of the Pístov barracks (brownfield).
The current landfill in Henčov could be extended with a biogas plant.
Waste that could not be treated in the previous two ways would be treated in a plasma incinerator that could serve the whole region.
An interesting option would be the local purification of black and grey water drains by root filters, whereby the water would be pumped to the surface in „root purifiers“ in unused green areas, for example in the green belt between roads. this way, the surroundings would be irrigated, the purified water would be absorbed and the surrounding environment would be cooled. At the same time, the main WWTP would have a smaller load.



The area selected for the comprehensive design is located to the south of the historic centre. The area is bounded by the historic walls and a multi-lane road, and further to the east by Cytipark, which is conceptually proposed for appropriate modifications but is not further addressed in this proposal. From the south-east, the boundary of the area is the main north-south road. On the south side, the area is defined by the Jihlavan building, for which only certain conceptual changes and transformations are also proposed. The western side is bounded by a fault in the terrain and more compact existing buildings, which are largely left untouched.


The selected area is divided into 3 zones, which can be dealt with separately, although they are related and should ideally be connected.


The first zone is primarily designed for traffic in relation to the emerging urban block and the current problematic traffic situation, where the intersection behind the walls is heavily congested during the day. For these reasons and to make better use of the parterre and the whole line along the walls, traffic calming is proposed: narrowing by one lane, adding a green belt and widening the pavement, separating the cycle path from the road (due to the space it is one-way, one direction on each side of the road. Reference examples can be found for example in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The whole traffic solution is created, among other things, because of the new buildings along the road. These should include smaller workshops, business premises, rental units and other functions suitable for busier roads. The upper floors towards the south contain housing.
Another problematic section was the „unused gap“ between Cytipark and the bridge. This space should be covered over and pedestrians allowed to pass over it. Underneath it would be found spaces to re-use (re-purpose) the center.

The second recreational and residential zone includes the valley around the Kozelužský brook with new greenery and water treatment, the addition of buildings and the solution of the space under the bridge.
Nowadays there is mostly residential development combined with unorganised park areas. A road bridge is inserted across the valley area, followed immediately by the „wall“ of the Cytipark building. This creates a dark, purposeless environment below and between these two buildings. Therefore, it is mainly proposed to create a better connection to the first zone, to improve the surfaces, to cultivate the greenery (leaving as much of the existing part as possible) and to create meanders on the Koželužské brook, where the flood zone is located. A habitat pond is to be created in the bridge foreground at the lowest level. Along the edges are residential staircases for the inhabitants of Jihlava. Instead of a reinforced concrete bridge in the form of a roadway over the channel, a lightweight wooden bridge is proposed. In the section between the Cytipark and the bridge there is a re-use centre. Here it would be possible to collect, for example, children‘s toys and equipment, smaller old furniture and equipment, gift wrappings... It would also be a place to disseminate information about these things, recycling, processing, organization of various events.

In the third zone, a new urban district is proposed on the site of the current brownfield on the hill.
The proposed „New Town“ district includes all the basic functions that a functioning area should have. There are several types of housing, a school and a kindergarten, a building for administration and an office, a number of services and shops on the ground floor, a home for the elderly, dormitory sports facilities, a community hall and parking and transport solutions.

Technical information

EVALUATION OF SURVEYS
AND DEFINITION OF THE MAIN ARCHITECTURAL AND URBAN PROBLEMS

Jihlava is an old historical city during its history one of the most prosperous and largest in the Czech lands. The great drivers in its development were mainly silver mining in the beginning and later the souk industry. Unfortunately, it has been hit by many blows, fires, floods and conquests throughout its history. During the industrial revolution, however, it missed the train a bit from a technical point of view. During the Second World War it lost a lot of its Jewish population and subsequently the German population, which was a large part of it, and this has also been inherent in its history. Today I see especially in the centre beautiful historical buildings, many churches and Gothic-Baroque fortifications.

The main architectural and urban planning problems are mainly the large mono-functional industrial areas, which are alive only at limited times during the day and are difficult to pass through.
There are also the lack of urban connectivity in some places caused by terrain or traffic barriers.
The rapid uncontrolled urban development, which causes a chaotic layout without a centre and without adequate services, is also problematic. Areas often have no architectural or urban quality. There are underused areas closer to the core of the city causing higher costs for maintenance, transport and many other budget items.
Social problems include the outflow of young people from the city and the ageing population, as well as the social exclusion of certain areas.

For the selected area, in the south from the citycentre, the problematic aspects could be described in three words: garages, barriers, unused.
The large terrain irregularities combined with the large intersection, the busy road, the bridge, the huge volume of Cytipark and the barrier of the historic walls create an impenetrable and confused area. Garages take up many interesting spaces for other buildings.
Next to the large Jihlavan building, which makes the horizon in the view towards the historic core, there is a large area of brownfield adjacent to the garage, which is underused or inappropriately used from the point of view of city formation. The last problematic aspect is the floodplain located around the Koželužský brook, which fortunately falls only under the 100-year water level.

BASIC BALANCE
area of the project: 153 366 m²
area of new buildings: 25 217 m²

gross area of new housing: 56 820 m²
net area of new housing: 45 456 m² (80% of gross area)

number of new flats: 534 (85 m² per flat - average according to 2021 statistics)
number of new inhabitants: 1,229 (2.3 inhabitants per flat - average according to 2021 statistics)