Urbanism
Anneke Sluijter-Jacobsen Goud Waard The power of long lines in area development
Goud Waard focuses on the transformation of an obsolete housing and employment district on the eastern side of Leiden city centre called De Waard. Leiden city authorities envisage the development of the office park in the area, with the construction of a ring road providing a development axis for new and existing business. The existing area of homes and businesses is developed separately, and the ring road is treated as an isolated traffic engineering project. With this plan, the potential and beauty of the area are insufficiently exploited, however, leading to the further isolation of the area from its surroundings. On account of the strategic location in the region, the proximity to the town centre, and the presence of four exceptional water lines, the entire area can be turned into an attractive city district. My objective, therefore, was to plan the redevelopment of De Waard on the strength of its existing qualities. In the process, the necessary line of infrastructure is deployed to achieve this ambition. I developed a strategic framework to maximise the potential of the area. The ring road is integrated into this framework, connected to the neighbourhood and used for the redevelopment of all De Waard. The design is based on the four surrounding waterways, which together with the ring road form long lines through the area and anchor it to its context. The various identities of these long lines are exploited in the design to integrate them into the area at various scales as generators of redevelopment. In addition, my fascination for the power of long lines formed the backbone of the design. The framework is a means of transforming De Waard into an attractive district structured around water, living and working. Emphasis is put on the water and the long lines in De Waard, expanding the urban area of Leiden and adding something unique. The design for this urban environment is also based on the power of the collective use of space in Scandinavian urbanism. To promote ‘shared city living’ in De Waard, I designed an urban design pattern in which the transition from public to private resulted in interesting gradations of collective space. The transition from long public lines to residential areas behind takes the form of a variety of public routes, semi-public courtyards and collective and private gardens. A strategic programme of urban rules ensures, together with the framework, that the gradual transformation proceeds in harmony with this vision of collective urban living. Each smaller area within the larger site is subject to specific rules drawn up to determine strategy and speed of redevelopment based on existing qualities. Over time, De Waard will develop into an attractive city district of Leiden with a unique identity based on the qualities of the area.
Graduation date 17 12 2012
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Commission members Ad de Bont (mentor) Maike van Stiphout Jeroen Ruitenbeek
Additional members for the examination Ton Schaap RiĂŤtte Bosch