The Tbilisi Urban Forest by Ruderal has been selected as a finalist for this year’s European Prize for Urban Public Space. This biennial award recognizes the best interventions in creating and transforming public spaces in European cities. This recognition follows the project’s nomination for the 2024 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture (EUmies Awards) – Mies Van der Rohe Awards.
Sarah Cowles, director of Ruderal, said that this nomination is the first time the European Prize for Urban Public Space recognizes a landscape architectural work in Georgia. The Tbilisi Urban Forest Project will improve biodiversity and habitat, increase resilience to climate changes, and provide new recreation opportunities for Tbilisi residents.
In 2020, Tbilisi city leaders will initiate a project that will replant an aging pine forest with a biodiverse selection of endemic species and climate-adapted plants. Ruderal, an Tbilisi landscape architecture studio, won the design competition by proposing an innovative approach to urban forest that integrates technology, ecology, and aesthetics.
Two pilot areas are located within the 700-hectare Mtatsminda area: Narikala Ridge is a north-facing cliffside that connects the historic city centre to the National Botanical Garden of Georgia and Okrokana is a south facing slope in a periurban settlement in the hills over Tbilisi. The Development and Environment Foundation has led the revitalization of Tbilisi’s urban forest, in accordance with an agreement between Tbilisi City Hall and the Cartu Foundation.
Ruderal adapted work by environmental scientists to create detailed plans for “patches” (or groups) of plant communities that are suited to different soil conditions and slopes. The vertical heterogeneity and species diversity of the plantings provides cover for wildlife. Ruderal, a leader in advanced computation methods for landscape design and a pioneer of parametric planting design tools, developed a tool to reconcile typical plant conditions with site-specific spatial information. The tool allows designers the ability to quickly visualize the patches in different scales. It also allows them to adapt and optimize species mixtures based on nursery inventory and simulate the interaction between diverse species over time. The project uses trees that are grown in Georgian nurseries, and seeds collected from local seed banks. This allows the project to be linked to the local ecological context, and support a growing network native plant nurseries.
Sarah Cowles, along with her colleagues, led a tour of the Tbilisi Urban Forest at the beginning of October. The tour took place from Gudiashvili Square to the Narikala Ridge. This gave attendees the opportunity to explore the young forest, and gain a better understanding of landscape architecture.
Lado Gudiashvili square undergoing rehabilitation
Despite public criticism about the gentrification, the rehabilitation of Lado Gudiashvili square and its adjacent areas of Sololaki has revitalized this historical part of Old Tbilisi. The majority of buildings in Gudiashvili Square, as well as the surrounding area, have been designated cultural heritage sites and strengthened and renovated both internally and externally.
The project also improved the squares, streets and sidewalks by incorporating new lighting and underground engineering networks. It also enhanced the illumination on the building. The park in Gudiashvili square has been transformed into a beautiful and inviting space.
Davit Kordzaia and the company INSI were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the rehabilitation effort. On our tour, we met Mr. Kordzaia.
He tells us that the square was enclosed with a retaining-wall before his work. “We opened the space and integrated the life of the building into the area. The double-sided circular benches we installed allow views of the architecture, people passing by and Ruderal’s “Georgian Forest” at the center. Our goal was to achieve functionality. The steps act as a gentle border between the cobbled street and the square. The deeper steps at the lower corner helped level the square. Two corners are step-free for accessibility.
We asked Ruderal’s Sarah Cowles for a bit more information about the “Georgian Forest” in the community space. This cleverly brings the wildness of the ridge to the community space. It offers visitors a feeling of intimacy and natural seclusion away from the busy urban surroundings.
She notes that “this little fragment of forest” was a new idea for urban planting in the city. “City planners are focusing on greening, but they like certain types of trees, certain shapes and imported trees, which have no connection to the local ecology. We chose to focus on endemic species instead, in order to represent a small fragment of Georgia’s native forests. You can see hawthorns and berries growing wild here.”
The tour began at Gudiashvili Square and moved up the Betlemi stone stairs to the Narikala trail.
Giorgi Nishnianidze explains the old and new landscaping of Sololaki, Ruderal architect.
Narikala Ridge
Our first stop was at the halfway point; a lookout point that offered wonderful views of cityscapes, including Gudiashvili Square as well as a former Ruderal project on the Metekhi Ridge.
Giorgi Nishinidze, studio director and architect at Ruderal, explained more. “Working on transforming the former Russian base on the Metekhi Ridge has taught us valuable lessons in applying new landscape techniques. Especially, we learned how to alter existing drainage patterns,” said he. “Some of these techniques were then scaled down and adapted for Narikala Project, which is adjacent.”
The ridges surrounding Tbilisi are made up of artificially-created forests. In the 1920s the area was characterized by a dry climate and little shade, which led to efforts to establish a forested area. Many older methods were not suitable for the landscape or current climate change challenges. Nishnianidze said that the new initiative to restore the forest and enhance it is vital, with a primary focus on ensuring sustainability over the next fifty to one hundred years.
The Narikala Ridge area includes the historic city walls, steep cliffs and a popular trail that starts at the Betlemi Stairs. As they ascend, hikers pass through different ecological patches including the Cedar Forest and Silver Forest. They also pass through the Flowering Thicket and Tbilisi Chaparral.
Nishnianidze stated that the Narikala Ridge continues the ecological narrative by connecting the city to the Botanical Garden. “However, conditions are difficult for tree planting here; the steep, rock slopes provide very little soil. In the mid-20th Century, foresters used dynamiting as a brutal method to create planting pockets. This method is no longer possible due to the nearby urbanization.
“Our project relies upon using the existing planting patches, densifying greenery and adding new patches where feasible. We used a landscape ecology method, combining multiple species within a single area. We identified the species that would thrive together by analyzing the existing flora,” he said.
A Pause Overlooking The Botanical Garden
We took a short break on the ridge before heading back to the city. We took a moment to appreciate the ecological narrative Nishnianidze mentioned as we gazed at the Botanical Garden.
Sarah Cowles tells us that Ruderal’s principle was to cultivate a forest that had a distinctive Georgian character. This was a move away from the monocultural approach which favored one species. A strategy that was less biodiverse and also not equipped to adapt to climate change.
Cowles says that Mtatsminda was subject to a cycle of logging and planting, with Himalayan Cedar being favored during Soviet times. “In recent years the pine trees have become infected with fungus. This has led to the removal of diseased trees in the year 2020. The deadwood was used to reinforce the embankments and stairs of new trails in the area. Although tree mortality rates decreased between Kojori, and Betania, the annual snowstorms caused significant damage to the branches. This has had the positive effect of forming natural light wells in the forest. This has allowed native Georgian deciduous tree regeneration.”
While pine trees may inhibit growth, they also enrich the soil through increased humus.
Cowles tells me that when the pines on the ridge were removed, sunlight flooded into the understory, increasing the diversity. “Now you can see Teucrium in bloom, jasmine, poppies and a variety of interesting succulents. The herbaceous layer is now much more diverse. In areas where the slopes have not been replanted with new trees, the risk of land slides has increased. The city is looking into this,” she assures.
The Tbilisi Urban Forest Project can be replicated by cities around the world as a model of sustainable and resilient urban afforestation. The project integrates technology, ecology, and aesthetics in order to create a resilient and biodiverse urban forest which will benefit people and wildlife over many years. It is a testament to the positive change of perspectives on city-making. You’ll be glad you did if you haven’t seen it.
Ruderal
Ruderal, a landscape architecture firm based in Tbilisi (Georgia), designs and develops sustainable projects that integrate ecology, culture and history into the surrounding context. Ruderal collaborates with partners from municipalities, institutions, groups of community members, and private developers in order to guide the design process.
The European Prize for Urban Public Space
The European Prize for Urban Public Space (EPUPS) is a biennial contest that aims to recognize and make known all types of works created, recovered and improved public spaces in European Cities. A jury of international experts has selected the Tbilisi Urban Forest as one of five finalists out of 253 submissions. The winner will be announced at the end of this month.
By Katie Ruth Davies
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Tags: architecture Tbilisigreening tbilisiGudishvili Square projectKatie Ruth Davieslandscape architecture TbilisiNarikala Ridge projectRuderalTbilisi Urban Forest
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