Urban graveyards can become public parks – New City in Bodø plans green corridors in graveyards – NRK Nordland
Pavel Grabalov at NMBU has the last four years research on how burial plots are used in urban areas in Scandinavia and Russia.
It all started when he noticed that a cemetery in Copenhagen.
– I was surprised at how different it looked compared to my own experience from Russia, he says to NRK.
Grabalov believes that burial plots will be used differently in the future – especially in cities with little green space available.
Are Norwegians ready for recreation and activity to be made in our graveyards?
– Yes, I absolutely think so. A burial ground is already used for many other things, says Tom Solli, churchwarden in the Bodø church council.
Another study shows that only 5 percent of those visiting the Old Town cemetery in Oslo used it to visit graves.
Do you use burial grounds for other things yet to visit graves?
The cemetery will become a green corridor
The planning of Bodø’s new district began in earnest when Forsvarsbygg, Avinor and Bodø municipality signed an agreement in 2018.
NRK meets church warden Solli and spatial planner in Bodø municipality Kristoffer Larsen Seivåg at Bodø Cemetery.
Spatial planner Seivåg tells how they started thinking about new tankers for Bodø Cemetery early on.
– We don’t have that much green space in Bodø. That’s why we thought early on:
“What can we do to get enough green space in the new district?”
Seivåg continues:
– In addition to its function as a cemetery, Bodø Cemetery can function as a central green area in the new district. Both as a park and recreation area, explains Seivåg.
This summer, the city council in Bodø municipality adopted the overall the spatial plan for the area.
It is confirmed that it is set by area through the cemetery.
In other words, it will be used as a green corridor for the new district.
– Just as functions can be nicely interwoven, Tom Solli says quickly.
Completely different use than in Russia
The NMBU researcher Grabalov explains that burial plots, especially in Scandinavia, are increasingly being used for other things yet to mourn.
– In Copenhagen, I noticed that the traditional did not come into conflict with the recreational. It is very interesting when someone uses the cemetery for jogging, he says.
In Denmark, they have indeed been even more liberal than in Norway.
– In Copenhagen, cemeteries are to a greater extent social places. They see examples of how they can use burial grounds to connect urban areas, he explains and adds:
– In Oslo they also recognize this, but there is more focus on the green shift and the local climate.
However, there is much evidence that Norway also uses the graveyards to a greater extent to connect urban areas – as in Bodø.
– In Bodø, it will be an axis through the cemetery to the new district. Here we have to take care of things like footpaths and cycle paths, recreation areas and areas for parks or other activities, Seivåg explains.
Should not be at the expense of the traditional
Although Norwegians’ ideas about what a cemetery can be used for are changing, many probably think that it should be a quiet place.
Tom Solli does not think that it will be a problem with too much noise.
– I understand that it sits in the spinal cord of people. You don’t go with big speakers and have a rock concert. Every time you come to such a place, you almost automatically enter another mode.
– It is a quiet place with room for reflection.
Nor does Grabalov believe that burial plots will lose their identity anytime soon.
– I think burial plots will be burial plots in the future as well. They often have an important value in large cities. A place where you can be alone and reflect on life.
He adds:
– We need these places and I want them to be there in the future. At the same time, graveyards can also become places where activities take place without compromising the traditional. Here, the planning must facilitate so that real activity can take place.
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