Winnipeg is a spatially, culturally, psychologically and visually fragmented city, particularly due to the vehicular-oriented growth which has engendered segmented land-use, dismantled walkable networks and provoked disconnection between culture and nature as well as within nature itself. In particular, the displacement of daily life from the complex web of interrelationships in ecosystems, which are essentially the mechanisms supporting our existence, should be the primary concern of urban design. In order to resolve this critical issue, this practicum will isolate and examine a problematic site while deconstructing fragmentation into specific causes, namely pollution, habitat degradation, placelessness and lack of urban ecological education. Concluding that this condition is ultimately created by our own fragmented thinking, the production of pragmatic solutions which continually evoke further fragmentation, I present a series of solutions to these challenges in the form of a landscape architectural design proposal for the City of Winnipeg.

Winnipeg is a spatially, culturally, psychologically and visually fragmented city, particularly due to the vehicular-oriented growth which has engendered segmented land-use, dismantled walkable networks and provoked disconnection between culture and nature as well as within nature itself. In particular, the displacement of daily life from the complex web of interrelationships in ecosystems, which are essentially the mechanisms supporting our existence, should be the primary concern of urban design. In order to resolve this critical issue, this practicum will isolate and examine a problematic site while deconstructing fragmentation into specific causes, namely pollution, habitat degradation, placelessness and lack of urban ecological education. Concluding that this condition is ultimately created by our own fragmented thinking, the production of pragmatic solutions which continually evoke further fragmentation, I present a series of solutions to these challenges in the form of a landscape architectural design proposal for the City of Winnipeg.

Contemporary urban development seems to, globally and simultaneously, aim for the same results; densification, connections and an active urban life. In Stockholm this is emphasized through the comprehensive plan, The Walkable City. This thesis aims to research the com- plexities of open space, in-between areas and cultural practices on borders of territories. I have visited two neighborhoods, one in Stureby, Stockholm and one in Madison, Wisconsin as part of an art-based research where places for cultural practices have been observed and performed by me as a way to investigate in-between areas and what role they take in everyday lives. I have met with inhabitants for observations and interviews as well as performing an everyday life of my own when staying in Madison for two weeks. I have used a few different pictures of neighborliness to see what exists between the frame of the pictures and the situation, and related this to Miwon Kwon’s notion about places situated next to each other. I have also looked into the concept of territory, the ambiguous space between them and the communication that occurs on interfaces. In Stockholm's comprehensive plan and the research of Alexander Ståhle, I see an aiming for densification through connections, e.g. in walkability. I emphasize on a difference between connections and communication. With this thesis I suggest to change the topic of a planning discussion going on in Stockholm as well as globally, from how to create walkability to how to make use of interfaces of ambiguous open space when densifying cities.

‘Norrtullsgatan Living Street’ is a public life investigation and design proposal to increase accessibility and attractiveness for people along Norrtullsgatan in Vasastaden, Stockholm. It is a response to the Levande Stockholm Programme, an urban place-making strategy to test potential pedestrian streets by restricting traffic and introducing pop-up furniture during the summer and winter months to create pedestrian-friendly environments. Vasastaden is located North of the city center with the major public transport hub of Odenplan and a significant number of people walking along its narrow sidewalks towards Drottninggatan. This area is an important pedestrian zone that connects the city center to other parts of Stockholm with great potential to activate already existing public spaces and create a network of livable streets. This thesis aims to investigate possible long-term strategies based on public life studies, a comprehensive street analysis, and urban place-making interventions that focus on pedestrians, cyclists, and the experience at the street level to create a ‘living street’. This project wants to strengthen and highlight the benefits of walking not only as a choice of mobility but also as a social, economic, and well-being outcome for the city. Moreover, it instigates further the concept of what makes a walkable city. People want to feel comfortable and safe during their walk but they also want to have a pleasurable experience. Urban design qualities, by all means, influence those choices. By following the evaluation of the temporary design during the summer and winter streets, this project re-assess those strategies to proposed permanent design to promote inclusive public spaces. As a result, this thesis emphasizes the importance of design strategies that are well-integrated into a community by taking into consideration site-specific conditions and users. At the same time, it hopes to contribute with input to the already tested pedestrian zones to become meeting places with rich content, high urban qualities, and a strong identity.