The Identity of the Industrial Heritage of the Northern District in Rezekne

In the period after the Second World War, industrial areas rapidly expanded in Latvia. The rapid growth of industrial areas was also felt in Rezekne, they developed in the Northern District of Rezekne. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, most of the factories ceased to exist, as a result postindustrial areas are functionally unused and the Northern District has lost its place identity. In the thesis, the integration of industrial territories into the local blue-green infrastructure and highlighting the identity of the industrial heritage is studied.

The principles of sustainable urban planning have been used as a theoretical framework that determines the reuse of waste and the parallel development of ecological, economic and social aspects. The identity integration plan of the industrial heritage of the Northern District of Rezekne propose the inclusion of post-industrial areas into the local infrastructure, integrating new functions into unused areas, thus improving the overall functionality and mobility of the district. In order to highlight the identity of the industrial heritage there has been used: A SPATIAL STRUCTURE PRESERVATION STRATEGY which determines the maximum preservation of existing buildings and the integration of new functions into them; A POINT OBJECT PRESERVATION STRATEGY which determines the preservation of visually strong elements and their integration into the new building structure. Site development models are based on post-industrial territory planning tools: RENATURALIZATION provides for maximum preservation of natural vegetation habitats, preserving elements of industrial heritage and the historical building structure, supplementing it with pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure elements; PROCESSUAL AND CYCLIC provides for a temporary solution of territories for which the direction of further development is not clear. Using only landscaping elements gives the outdoor space a function, keeping the existing situation intact; REVITALIZATION provides for the creation of new buildings, integrating existing industrial objects in it; POROSITY determines the preservation of existing historical buildings by integrating new functions into them. Development of EXISTING TERRITORIES propose multifunctional use, using reused industrial materials in the design of surfaces and landscaping elements.