Changing public space

this therefore also includes the Pensmarkt. It was always used as venue of annual fairs and to
sell fruit, vegetables, butter, poultry, and textile (Gemeente ’s-Hertogenbosch, 2006). Today, it
is surrounded by shops and still hosts a small daily and large weekly market, which makes it a
typical retail square. The first 500 years of its existence, the Markt altered only little in design
and function. However, changes occurred swiftly in the last century with redevelopment
projects in 1897, 1953, 1966, and 1979 (see Table 6.11). During the 1953 redevelopment, the squares
became separated from each other. To improve the city centre’s accessibility the Pensmarkt was
transformed into a road and the Markt became a parking lot. This situation changed again in
1966 when the Pensmarkt was turned into a pedestrian area and reconnected to the Markt. Cars
were removed from the Markt during the last redevelopment in 1979.
Over the years, the Markt became neglected. Because of its intensive use as market place,
the square needed repair frequently, which resulted in a patchwork pavement. The situation on
the Pensmarkt was even worse, since the public space had not been repaved since 1966. The unity
between the two squares was also lacking. The 1993 policy plan therefore proposed to redevelop
the Markt in 1998 after all public space in its vicinity would have been upgraded (Gemeente
’s-Hertogenbosch, 1993). In reality, the process took much longer. One of the reasons is the anti-
Galí sentiment that arose at the end of the 1990s. Although the Spanish landscape architect was
praised for her designs for the Kerkstraat and Loeffplein (see next section), she was also blamed
for the badly designed Hinthamerstraat. Neither the residents nor the city council wanted her to
redesign the Markt.
In the new millennium, the ideas to redevelop the Markt resurrected. The local government
had decided to make its own design and also wanted to involve the local residents and
entrepreneurs in the decision-making process. With newsletters and announcements in
the local paper, citizens were called to a meeting called ‘Conversations around the Markt’
(Gesprekken rond de Markt). The meeting was organised in December 2002. It resulted in the
formulation of a number of design requirements, including good lighting and accessibility,
the incorporation of electricity and hook-ups in the paving, and the removal of all obstacles
(Gemeente ’s-Hertogenbosch, 2006). These requirements were subsequently discussed by the
city council, which started to doubt the necessity of redeveloping the Markt. The city needed to
make budget cuts due to the economic recession. Opponents stated that the current condition of
the Markt was not very bad and suggested a large maintenance operation instead of a complete
redevelopment. The proposal was turned down, because the mayor was afraid this would only
worsen the patchwork-like pavement. Moreover, the estimated maintenance costs (of 3.3 million
euro) would only save 800,000 euro compared to the 4.1 million euro of complete redevelopment
(Gemeente ’s-Hertogenbosch, 2006). Finally, the city council accepted the design requirements
derived from conversations with local inhabitants and entrepreneurs in September 2005.
After this decision, municipal designers could start to make a new plan for the Markt. They
proposed a dark grey granite pavement in a circle around both the Markt and Pensmarkt to unite
the two squares. The sidewalk surrounding the circle was designed with similar materials used
in the three main streets to enhance the connection between the Markt and its surroundings
(Gemeente ’s-Hertogenbosch, 2006). The plan was presented to the public during an information
meeting in February 2006. There was little disagreement concerning the design, except for
the planned route of the bus. The city council had decided that the bus needed to be rerouted
through the Pensmarkt to shorten its current route over the Markt. The merchants opposed the
plan, because it would limit the number of market stalls and would turn the Pensmarkt into a
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