READING GUIDE This atlas and portrait were created for the first course of the MSc track Urbanism at the faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at Delft University of Technology. The purpose of the atlas is to create an image and narrative of a city through a combination of techniques: maps, photographs, illustrations and text. In order to give some direction to the research, three topics were analysed. In the course of the analysis, both the physical form and the invisible, social layers of the city were studied. Throughout the process, a narrative for the city started to emerge. This narrative is what gives the structure to the Atlas that was synthesised at the end. Interestingly, many students produce an atlas for the same city, but the narratives they create are different. Every narrative only reflects a part of the complexity of the subject. The emerging storylines enable both students and designers, as well as inhabitants of a city, to understand their city and its possible (designed) futures. As sociologist Damiaan Denys explains in Tegenlicht in 2019, people need a sense of direction. Creating a sense of direction is increasingly difficult in the 21st century, where contradicting themes as globalisation and individualisation result in a chaotic image of life and the city. As urban planners and designers, I think it is good to visualise a direction through the chaos. The emerging storyline can function as the foundation of further design. To conclude, it is important to acknowledge that the image created in this Atlas is a reflection of a part of its complexity. Nevertheless, the guiding theme offers a welcome structure to the research and storyline. The analysis is an important part of the design process and the narrative can be the foundation for future designs for the city.
Cover: photograph of Velsen Noord with TATA Steel in the background (ANP, 2019)
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