Changing public space

etail stores. The Van Heekplein thus needed to be redeveloped in order to remove the barriers,
to solve the parking problems, and to become a real retail square “… to achieve a city centre that
is more suitable for contemporary consumerism …” (Spierings, 2006: 149).
The interviews revealed that the initiative to redevelop the Van Heekplein clearly came from the
side of the local government. However, it was obvious from the beginning that the municipality
was not able to do the job alone, since the redevelopment also required large-scale investments
in the surrounding property. The local government therefore contacted developer Multi in 1995.
Multi closely co-operates with T+T Design, which also sketched the Beurstraverse in Rotterdam.
On request of the local government, T+T Design made a new plan for the Van Heekplein. This
design was used as input for the formulation of the 1996 city centre handbook.
The plans to redevelop the Van Heekplein accelerated when Holland Casino decided to
open a new establishment in Enschede in 1997. The local government was very eager to attract
the casino, since it was expected to give the city centre an economic impulse and distinguish
Enschede from neighbouring cities Almelo and Hengelo. Holland Casino demanded a central
location, preferably on the renewed Van Heekplein. However, the municipality feared that the
closed façade of the casino (which usually have only limited entrances and windows) would
not contribute to the liveliness of the Van Heekplein. It therefore commissioned architect
Adriaan Geuze from West 8 Landscape Architects to make a design that would fit Holland
Casino within the redevelopment plans. West 8 was selected because of its prior experience with
redeveloping a large urban square, the Schouwburgplein (Section 6.2.2). It came with a new plan
in 1999 that also consisted of elements of T+T’s earlier plan (Gemeente Enschede, 1999). Figure
6.15 shows the plan and the designated location of Holland Casino; located closely to but not
directly on the Van Heekplein.
West 8 also posed the idea to redirect the Boulevard 1945 along the rear of the V&D in
order to make the square traffic free and to enable the northwards enlargement of the V&D.
According to one of the informants, the local government decided to start with this rerouting
to show its serious intentions and thus induce the private sector to also start investing in their
property. Multi was asked to join the project to develop a new building on the west side of the
square (next to the casino), which needed to give the large square sense of compactness. A further
reduction of the square’s size was impossible, because the weekly market – the largest market in
the eastern part of the Netherlands – had to be accommodated. Multi was able to attract the
Bijenkorf, one of the first established department stores in the country (see text box in Chapter
8), as main tenant. Again, the local government was pleased, as the relatively exclusive Bijenkorf
would guarantee a redeveloped Van Heekplein of high standing. Multi also wanted to develop
the other buildings surrounding the square, but the owners of the V&D, the Klanderij, and the
Twentec tower were not interested in selling their property (Spierings, 2006). They renovated
(V&D) or completely demolished and reconstructed (Klanderij and Twentec) the buildings
themselves. Consequently, a large number of actors became involved in the redevelopment of the
Van Heekplein area (see also Table 8.1). This required an important role of the local government
as director of the whole process. Because it did not posses the necessary capacity for such a largescale
project, the local government hired consultancy agencies Twijnstra Gudde and DHV to
assist in the project coordination, and appointed West 8 as supervisor of the redevelopment of
both buildings and public space.
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