Changing public space

in 1992. This resulted in the formulation of the policy plan called Binnenstad Buiten (Inner
City Outside). The plan – developed by the local government in co-operation with design
company Bureau B+B – was adopted in 1993 (Gemeente ’s-Hertogenbosch, 1993). It aimed to
strengthen the meeting function of the city centre by making public space more attractive. The
existing pavement, street furniture, and lighting had been neglected too long. Too many objects,
such as poles, billboards, traffic signs, bicycle racks, and bottle banks cluttered the streets and
squares. Moreover, public space suffered from heavy motorised traffic. The plan included detailed
improvements from management changes (e.g., more surveillance and maintenance) to changes
in the design of public space. It specifically addressed the use of paving materials in different
areas of the city. The plan also indicated that the redevelopment of public space should start
with the city’s three main roads (the Hinthamerstraat, Hooge Steenweg, and Vughterstraat) and
end with the redevelopment of the Mark. The policy plan did not have a detailed timeline, but
was rather set up as a gradual step-by-step approach (Gemeente ’s-Hertogenbosch, 1993). The
local government did this to make sure the city would remain accessible. Moreover, by gradually
redeveloping the city, the costs would be spread as well as the risk of too much uniformity in the
city centre.
After the 1993 plan was formulated, a delegation of representatives of the local government,
developer Multi, and a number of local entrepreneurs went to Barcelona to find an architect for
the redevelopment of the city centre. Beth Galí was selected to do the job. She was director of
architecture, landscape and design office BB+GG Arquitectes in Barcelona, and was responsible
for the design of a number of public spaces in that city. Galí’s first project in ’s-Hertogenbosch
was the redevelopment of the Kerkplein. The square was paved with granite placed on a layer
of concrete. This way, the Mediterranean stones would not easily move or break. The outcome
was praised, but the costs were over three times the regular amount per square metre. The
Hinthamerstraat was redeveloped next, also after a design of Beth Galí but without the
expensive concrete foundation. The stones broke quickly and the Hinthamerstraat soon needed
to be refurbished again. Some people blamed Galí for this inferior outcome. Although the
Loeffplein – which she also designed – was carried out well, the antipathy to Galí’s work grew
among local residents and the city council. The co-operation was gradually reduced. During the
redevelopment of the Vughterstraat, Galí only acted as supervisor for the municipal designers.
After that, the local government designed the new Hooge Steenweg itself. Municipal designers
were also responsible for the blueprint of the current redevelopment of the Markt (Section
6.5.2).
With the expected completion of the Markt in November 2008, the redevelopment of
the city centre is approaching the end. It has had positive results. The Platform City Centre
Management selected it as the best city centre of 2003 (Platform Binnenstadsmanagement,
2005). More recently, ’s-Hertogenbosch came second after Maastricht in a ranking of 32 Dutch
city centres based on their performance in five sectors (business and financial services, public
management, culture, retail, cafés and restaurants – Van Leeuwen, 2006). Nearly five million
people visit the city for a daytrip, which puts ’s-Hertogenbosch in the top 5 of Dutch cities
(Platform Binnenstadsmanagement, 2005). Like Enschede, ’s-Hertogenbosch is experiencing a
diminishing frequency of visits, which is compensated by an increase of time spend during a
visit. Residents on average stay two hours when visiting the city centre, compared to 1,5 in 2000.
Non-residents stay three hours (versus two hours in 2000 – Gemeente ’s-Hertogenbosch, 2004).
According to data from the 2004 city centre monitor, 47 per cent of the visitors come to funshop
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