30 Years of (Apartment Building) Construction in Estonia
What has taken place in the field of apartment building construction over the last 30 years? Indrek Rünkla draws out some of the more significant aspects from his own personal experience.
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Hannes Aava. In the Winds of Gentrification—the Noblessner Quarter
After the slow-burning and partly contestable success stories of Rotermann Quarter and Telliskivi Creative City, the eyes of Tallinners interested in urban design or just longing for a better urban space turned to Noblessner—the privately developed waterfront set to become one of the first chapters on the road to open the coastal areas of Tallinn to its citizens. Though far from complete, the lively quarter already offers a chance for a status report and an insight into the entrenchment of certain spatio-social tendencies in the Estonian real estate landscape.
Plant Punk and Poetics
The way nature wills its way into every nook and cranny, even to places where it is unwanted, creates a feeling that freedom, free space, and free will still exist in the world. Burgeoning envelops small moments of pleasure, reverie, and rest on what would otherwise be a routine course from one point to the next.
Curating Biodiversity—The Tartu Experiment
The Curated Biodiversity landscape laboratory in Tartu has organised six experiments so far. Running a small operation, we might not be able to change the world at the snap of a finger, but we can start with what we can handle.
My Biodiverse Garden on Hiiumaa
A vast majority of Estonians today live in cities and can only dream of such biodiversity that dominates in Kristiina Hellström’s garden and its surroundings. Nevertheless, she is writing about it with the hope that recent country house owners could benefit from her experience.
Weeds
A weed is a plant considered unwanted in human-controlled settings, such as farm fields, gardens, lawns, and parks. The derogatory term ‘weed’ is also applied to any plant that grows or reproduces aggressively or is invasive outside its native habitat. Invasive species are largely a consequence of human activity: plants and seeds brought by people on purpose or by accident to an area, where they might not have natural competitors and thus will grow unstoppably.
Liberating Wasteland
Kõigepealt tuleb arutleda selle üle, mida saab üldse tühermaaks pidada. Kindel on see, et tühermaa on linnalooduse osa, kus inimese mõju on väga selgelt näha ja tunda. Võiks ehk isegi öelda, et tühermaa on inimtekkeline. Seal võib kohata varemeid, lagunenud taristut, ehitusjäätmeid ja muud. Kui püüame sõnastada definitsiooni, siis saame öelda, et tühermaa on inimese kasutatud ala, mis on seisnud aastaid kasutuseta ja mille loodus on aastatega üle võtnud. Kindlat piiri, mis on tühermaa, mis mitte, on siiski üsna raske tõmmata. Tallinna Ülikoolis oleme põhjalikumalt uurinud Lasnamäe tühermaid ja järgnevad suuremad üldistused teen just nende põhjal.
Green Values
The role of greenery as a climate hero cannot be measured only by the size of green areas or the number of trees. The Green Area Factor is the ability of the plot or area as a whole to balance the built environment’s climate impact.
Social Sustainability in Smart City
Ülemiste City presents itself as a compass for the future and the first smart work and living environment in Estonia. The contemporary approach to smart living environments focuses on the needs of the people. We will explore to what extent Ülemiste district meets people’s environmental psychological needs.