The Connected City: Mobility, Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics

The Connected City: Mobility, Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics Roberto Cavallo & Arnoud de Waaijer

Introduction Amsterdam attracts people and economic activities like a magnet. The city has been growing and expanding through phases characterized by building upon its mono-centric spatial setting. As result, today most infrastructural systems and mobility patterns are directed towards its historical core. In addition, ever increasing numbers of visitors put the liveability under high pressure, especially in the inner city. With its Structural Vision Amsterdam 2040 the municipal government shows the ambition to achieve a growth in inhabitants of 20% by 2050. 1 To reach this goal, high density developments must be realized around the inner city.

Scheme of the urban development and mobility patterns towards the centre of Amsterdam.

The above mentioned framework forms the thematic background of the Summer School ‘Making the Metropolis’. The subject of study is the Haven-Stad project, a recently announced urban development area positioned North East of the city centre. Haven-Stad consists of the areas surrounding Sloterdijk Station and its adjacent port areas. Through a phased development, the aim here is to realize approximately 40.000 to 70.000 housing units and 45.000 to 58.000 jobs. 2 Within the Summer School ‘Making the Metropolis’, the task of this subgroup is focussing on how to keep this development area and the city mutually well connected.

1 Gemeente Amsterdam, Onderzoek, Informatie en Statistiek (2017). Bevolkingsprognose 2016. Gemeente Amsterdam, Dienst Ruimtelijke Ordening (2016). Koers 2025, Ruimte voor de stad. Gemeente Amsterdam (2011). Structuur Visie 2040, Economisch sterkt en duurzaam.

2 Programmabureau Haven-Stad (2017). Haven-Stad, transformatie van 12 deelgebieden. Concept Ontwikkelstrategie. Gemeente Amsterdam, Amsterdam. pp. 13, 18- 20.

Looking at the targets of the Haven-Stad project and considering the current status quo of the already overloaded city centre, the following questions are raised by our subgroup: will adding housing and jobs not aggravate the existing conditions of the inner city? In which ways could targeted interventions in Urbanism and Transport Planning play a role to improve the current situation? Are there possibilities to elaborate on the current mono-centric urban model, perhaps providing a double sized centre for the city? Or should we strive for a poly-centric urban model? These questions have been leading the subgroup discussions throughout the whole study.

Possible interventions in the urban and mobility scheme of the city.

Phases of development of the Haven-Stad area. Numbers of housing units and jobs per phase. (Source: Municipality of Amsterdam).

Exploring pathways for urban transformations Apart from this challenging context, the students were made aware of the current limitations in terms of resources for top down urban interventions. Nowadays directive investments in infrastructure serve as main tool to guide urban development. In such an approach, potential projects are indicated in order to frame possible market led developments on strategically chosen locations. 3 These projects should quickly generate well-functioning socio-economic clusters and ideally connect to the existing infrastructural framework.

Through this approach, interventions related to the infrastructure have become tools for urban design.

Municipal concept of plot per plot development of the industrial site to a mixed use area. (Source: Municipality of Amsterdam)

In line with the essentially decreasing public role, the municipality opened up to a free market - plot per plotdevelopment strategy as a starting point for transformation of the area. 4 In order to elaborate strategies and visions that can lead to desired directions for urban development, it is critical for future designers to gain insight into related processes. Therefore, the subgroup has explored how these circumstances work out in practice. Which kind of developments are most likely to take off and where? What are on such a site the potential leads for strategies to connect to?

Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu (2012) Structuur Visie Infrastructuur en Ruimte. Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu (2006) Nota Ruimte.

4 Programmabureau Haven-Stad (2017). Haven-Stad, transformatie van 12 deelgebieden. Concept Ontwikkelstrategie.

Gemeente Amsterdam, Amsterdam. P. 25 & p. 28.

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Urban Development and Mobility Urban development and transport provision are closely linked. Transport provision must be spin-off to urban development and vice versa. 5 In Haven-Stad the expected cycle of transport provision and urban development does not seem to apply automatically. Sloterdijk Railway Station is an important node in the transit system, nevertheless, despite the excellent connections, developments here effectively stay behind.

Simultaneously, in the port area, although remotely situated, the first transformation projects are taking place. Aspects as accessibility, presence of existing urban functions or certain topical qualities play here critical roles.

Sloterdijk Railway Station Area. (Source: Google Maps)

In the port area the first transformations are already taking place (Danzigerkade).

The topic of mobility linked with urban development is strongly connected to the local properties. Site visits made the participants get acquainted with the above mentioned topic. It became clear that the area is characterized by a multiplicity of infrastructures on different scale levels and of varying shapes as well as materials. Paradoxically these infrastructures are cutting up the site, at the same time making the area rather inaccessible.

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Particularly the area around Sloterdijk Railway Station is characterized by numerous massive infrastructures laying on different levels in a relatively small area, causing complications for accessibility and liveability. This railway station came about as a crossing of railway lines and was conceived mainly as a mobility transfer point. At that time urbanism and transport development were functioning as two more or less separate areas of expertise. Urban development, buildings, public space and infrastructures do not always come together too well in this site. The port area, situated to the North East, contains potential industrial heritage buildings and is characterized by larger harbour basins offering magnificent views, but simultaneously

Infrastructures at the site.

resulting in rather inaccessible urban enclaves. To the south of the area, several additions and shifting of the railway infrastructures that took place over the time have left traces and separate the green areas. Some of these areas are by now of historical value and all fulfil important informal functions for the heavily loaded city. In certain areas the lack of activities blocks further developments while in other offers space for opportunities. The question for the subgroup is: how do these mechanisms between urban development and transport provision function in practice? How to reconcile these different types and levels of connectivity with their surrounding urban settings taking at the same time full advantage of the opportunities present in the area? These aspects are closely linked one another and were explored in the workshop at the crossroads of Architecture, Urbanism and Transport Planning.

Sloterdijk Station Area (2017).

Separate green areas resulting from infrastructural patterns in the Area of Haven-Stad. (2017)

Experimental ground for urban and mobility scenario’s The area of Haven-Stad is of keen interest from a mobility perspective. As the area is bordered to the West by the A10 highway, mobility scenarios are severely impacted by vehicular traffic. Legislation on environmental standards combined with the high densities envisioned for the area result in the condition that an automobile-based urban strategy is considered not viable. 6 Therefore, new innovative transit scenario’s and smart logistical systems need to be developed.

Part of the port area has functioned as an urban laboratory for transformation and a gradual change is taking place. The resulting dimensions imply here vehicle usage of a specific type or form, calling for new means of transport. In practice the different users of the area are already exploring alternative means of transport such as electrical vehicles and shuttle busses. One of the most important questions the workshop participants were faced with was to think of a new type of city linking these demands to urban design and mobility.

Usage of different mobility systems in the port area

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Working method To make participants’ work progress in a limited timeframe, inspiration and enthusiasm towards these topics needed to be sparked off. Research by design turned out to be an accelerating and effective learning pathway. Based on site visits, specific proposals were formulated, all of them triggering involvement and action within the group. In addition, reflection has been taking place through group presentations and discussions, sharpening ideas and helping gaining further insights. Because of the scale of the area, design by mapping is introduced as a tool to explore possibilities of intervention.

Team work combined with the short time available forced the members of the subgroup to promptly reflect and to identify the qualities as well as the possible roles of the different participants and involved disciplines.

The interaction among the different fields of expertise has been leading to interesting crossover solutions, acknowledging research by design as a highly suitable approach for interdisciplinary assignments and worth to be explored much more extensively also in practice.

The sub-group at work.