The award of the directoral general of public roads for roads of high aesthetic quality

Schjetne, S. & A. Støle, 2004, The award of the directoral general of public roads for roads of high aesthetic quality, in: ECLAS (Jørgensen, K. & G. Fry), ‘A critical light on landscape architecture’, ,

  • Author : Schjetne, S. & A. Støle
  • Year : 2004
  • Published in Book : A critical light on landscape architecture
  • Abstract in English : This award has been a driving force in Norway for developing roads and streets of high aesthetic quality. "We shall build roads we can be proud of' pronounced the Director General of Public Roads, Olav Søfteland. This has been a guiding principle for how roads are to be planned and built in Norway, and it is also the philosophy behind the award. The award of the Director General of Public Roads for roads of high aesthetic quality was founded in 1988. The award can be given to roads, streets, bridges, tunnels or connected constructions or equipment. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration decided on a number of strategic goals in 1992, a primary one was to have due regard for valuable areas of countryside, important relicts of cultural history and the surroundings oft he road. Government White Paper no. 46 (1988-89) on "Development and the Environment" clearly states that environmental considerations must be integrated into planning processes and undertakings in every sector and at all levels. This document is the main management document of the road sector in Norway. In the beginning of nineties there were only four or five landscape architects employed by the Public Roads Administration. To follow up the goal the Norwegian Public Roads Administration decided to increase its landscape planning competence. As a result there are now approximately 60 landscape architects and a few architects working in the Public Roads Administration, most of these taking part in Road Design and Landscape planning. There has been a great leap in aesthetic quality during the last decade in Norway. The quality of the award winners mirrors this positive development. The design of the new roads is greatly appreciated by the general public. In our presentation we will discuss the improvements and show examples of road projects constructed the last decade in Norway.