Sport, Recreation & Active Travel – Envisioning the City as an Active Landscape

Scotland’s diverse and captivating landscape provides the backdrop for recreational activities, attracting locals and tourists alike. Dundee, like many cities, is searching for new reasons for people connecting with the city centre. Traditional commercial uses may frequently be linked with increased building vacancy. Through the pursuit of sport and recreation I have attempted to establish a new sub-culture to the urban context. Placing new interventions and utilising existing infrastructure I have proposed an active landscape in the city centre.

The study acknowledges Dundee City masterplan and NHS health themes. Using sport and recreation as an urban design and architectural tool I have threaded into the environment activities serving both the elite athlete and individual resident. The provision of infrastructure which aids the promotion of green modes of active travel, the appointment of roof uses and an established sports centre for the community and tourists to enjoy. Sporting themes develop a landscape of previously vacant buildings, reshaping the city’s fabric into a place of opportunity through adaptive reuse. Additionally, the creation of shelters allows residents to enjoy moments within the city.

I tested the concept around two unused buildings; West Bell Street car park and the former Dundee College. To these I applied my intervention strategy. Example design includes closing of lanes on Dundee’s inner city ring road, implementing a linear park and proposing a 5km park run. A further key element used dormant brownfield sites for temporary installations and sporting events until development begins on the site.

By utilizing elite sports events, grassroots engagement, and active travel, the aim is to transform the city physically, socially, and economically. This approach seeks to create a vibrant and sustainable urban environment, utilizing existing infrastructure and repurposing vacant spaces to foster a sport and recreation culture that benefits residents, tourism, and the city.