Root City

Team Point of View

The vision for Myran is a green urban area that not only stands prepared for the challenges that the future might hold but also takes the lead in the sustainable development of existing and new urban areas. The existing asphalt covered areas and warehouses will be replaced or transformed into spaces that have qualities that allow people to interact with each other and with nature for an interplay that both can benefit from. Ecological, social, health-related, economic and historical aspects are all interwoven with each other in the concept of the new productive city – “Root City”.
The area will be characterized by smart systems with regard to energy, water and production; high green area factor and large element of greenery; and good opportunities for communication, health and recreation. This transformation and future development are designed to take place in a way that makes it root correctly in Enköping and in the city's background, culture and history.

Jury Point of View

”Root City” proposes an urban structure with a clear central axis and considerable elements of greenery. The important situation of the station acts as a starting point and the proposal bridges the barrier that the railway today poses. Two towers become important landmarks for Enköping and have found their natural places at the site. The proposal relates in a good way to the site's four different characteristics and challenges; the railway, Salavägen, E18 and the green spaces. Root City shows an awareness of the location and proposes brick as a building material in order to connect with history.

2020-…
A first workshop has been organised by Europan Sweden with the city to discuss the general solutions for developing a sustainable city as proposed in the winning project Root City and which parts from the proposal would be prioritized and how to implement them. The outcome from this workshop was summarized and illustrated by the team and handed over to the municipality.
The municipality has expressed their wish to see the concept for Root City applied to the area. Some specific elements / buildings could be implemented in a long term while other concepts such as the idea of green streets, greens spaces and smart systems could be developed in a shorter term. The aspect of mobility within the area has evolved and been highlighted.
Based on the team proposal Root City together with in-depth studies and discussions, Enköping Municipality was then able to develop a feasibility study that forms a basis for the area to be developed. The team is currently assisting the municipality in designing the detailed development plan for the northern part of the whole area, the closest one from the E18 road, named Myran Norra.
The team was also involved in workshops for the planning of another part of the Södra Myran site, where mainly residential buildings are planned. The idea was for the team to present their sustainable city concept developed in their Root City project for owners and their architects to reference to in their designs.