CASE 1

‘BEELDKWALITEITSPLAN’ DEVENTER CU

Commissioned by: Commissioned by the municipality of Deventer

By Dutch standards, the inner city of Deventer is very rich in historical structures and layers. The oldest known stone house in the country is situated right next to a modern library. Since 1988, a major part of the inner city of Deventer has been a protected townscape. The municipality of Deventer wants to protect the characteristic structure and spatial quality of the inner city, as these aspects are closely related to Deventer’s historical development. This ‘beeldkwaliteitsplan’ sets out the guidelines for the desired architectural and spatial characteristics of the city centre, based on the existing qualities. Starting point is the integration of current issues and challenges – relating to climate, energy, mobility and new functions in the historic city. The ‘beeldkwaliteitsplan’ consists of three parts: a vision statement on the qualities of Deventer’s city centre, a manual for public spaces and the manual for buildings. The ‘beeldkwaliteitsplan’ is the result of an active participation process, with committed inhabitants, local business owners, politicians and administrators, who all participated from a desire to cherish the unique values of Deventer inner city. The ‘beeldkwaliteitsplan’ is available online.

Deventer city centre

CASE 2

HEMBRUG SITE, ZAANSTAD

Area passports

commissioned by: municipality of Zaanstad (2015) in collaboration with: Central Government Real Estate Agency

The Hembrug site is an area unique to the Netherlands, with an equally unique transformation challenge. In 2015, after having documented the cultural history of this former defence site at an earlier stage with the aid of a great many new archival sources, we drew up a series of area passports. The Hembrug site was a pilot for the new Environment and Planning Act, whereby an environmental plan was prepared on the basis of organic area development. In this way, it should be possible to add a maximum of 500 houses (180.000 m² gfa new construction) on the site. The objective is an ‘admission policy’ without restrictions, as long as it is in line with the uniqueness of the area and serves to reinforce the spatial quality. The area passports are an important building block for the environmental plan. They are made for various sub-areas and provide indications on the transformation of existing buildings, new buildings and the layout of the public space. For this purpose, the conditions for new construction have been laid down per sub-area, for example height, building line, sightlines to be safeguarded, intermediate spaces to be observed, etc. In addition, criteria have been drawn up for urban development, architecture and outdoor areas. These are guided by the historical character and the existing qualities of the ensemble. In 2017, the Hembrug site was sold by the Central Government Real Estate Agency, with the area passports serving as binding conditions for the bidding.

Hembrug Site, Zaanstad

Photograph: P. van Galen, collection Cultural Heritage Agency

CASE 3

OPPORTUNITIES CHART VOORST

Framework for new developments in the village centre of Voorst (2022)

commissioned by: the municipality of Voorst

Voorst is located between the river IJssel and the Veluwe, and is surrounded by beautiful landscapes. The village is intersected by an interregional road, but since the construction of a ring road around the village, traffic pressure in the village has decreased. The central road was upgraded to a slower village street, stimulating new initiatives in the village for housing and adaptive re-use. In the village there is a widely supported desire to make room for these dynamics, provided that the village character and the spatial quality are not affected. Therefore, the municipality asked SteenhuisMeurs to draw up a map of opportunities for the village, in close consultation with the municipality and the inhabitants of Voorst. In a series of sessions, first of all a map of qualities was drawn up to provide insight into the cultural heritage and spatial qualities of Voorst. Based on this map, ambitions for the future were formulated and further developed for the various types of spatial assignments in the village. This resulted in a systematic set of spatial principles, providing insight into the opportunities and conditions regarding current and future initiatives.

Voorst