The Rampart, The Traffic Artery, and the Park; Designing for the city regions of Antwerp
Through a close reading of Antwerp’s current spatial and socio-economic composition, and the introduction of the interplay between the city’s three defining paradigms – abstracted to ‘The Rampart, the Traffic Artery, and the Park’ – this study tries to sketch a unifying strategy for Antwerp’s metropole. A strategy that embeds residential, economic, cultural, recreational, climatic, and historical motives within the different city regions. Thereby improving the connection between the left and right side of the river; transitioning the suburban region to a more polycentric structure while maintaining a spatial relation to the city; and explicitly manages the horizontal growth of the periphery. But that most importantly, captures the metropole in a single narrative from its inner-city to its outer edges. Graduation thesis prepared for the master’s degree in urban design at the Eindhoven University of Technology.
Through a close reading of Antwerp’s current spatial and socio-economic composition, and the introduction of the interplay between the city’s three defining paradigms – abstracted to ‘The Rampart, the Traffic Artery, and the Park’ – this study tries to sketch a unifying strategy for Antwerp’s metropole. A strategy that embeds residential, economic, cultural, recreational, climatic, and historical motives within the different city regions. Thereby improving the connection between the left and right side of the river; transitioning the suburban region to a more polycentric structure while maintaining a spatial relation to the city; and explicitly manages the horizontal growth of the periphery. But that most importantly, captures the metropole in a single narrative from its inner-city to its outer edges.
Graduation thesis prepared for the master’s degree in urban design at the Eindhoven University of Technology.
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The forts also have an
important ecological
value, as they have
become home to lots of
different kinds of bats.
Oost-Vlaanderen
Fort St. Marie
Antwerp - province
This fort still has a
military function. Since
1961, this fort is home
to the Belgium navy.
Antwerp - municipality
Zwijndrecht
Herover de Fortengordel!
There have been many plans for the forts of Antwerp
over the years. A strategy from 2000 called 'Herover de
Fortengordel' (Recapture the Fortress Belt), tried to
create an overarching plan to increase the cohesion
between the forts and rebrand them with a certain
(functional) theme, like museum fort, or youth fort.
Another study from 2012 mapped the current state of
the entire system on a micro level. Both of these
studies or proposals did not get a follow up. The
difficulty of the situation is increase because the forts
are situated in different municipalities, all of whom own
their fort. This is probably why an overarching strategy
for the forts, and how the belt can be used in the
spatial developeent of the agglomeration is missing.
The
The Grote Omwallin
subtle way in the sh
highway. All exits an
are located on the s
lunettes.
Noordkasteel
will conclude th
green ring on
the right bank.
se t hin lines trace t h e contours
Lunette
Halve
Maan
The defensive dyke is
well preserved; the ditch
and height difference is
still noticeable.
This lunette
has several
dwellings on it.
The forts on the left bank
here are part of the
municipality of Zwijndrecht.
The old dyke structure is
still visible in the
morphology Burcht and
Zwijndrecht, and the
industrial area north of it.
The dyke will be raised by 2
This part of the Scheldt
river valley will become a
part of the green ring of
Antwerp, although in a
different role. The ring
on the right caters
solely to the city,
while the left also
has a certain
ecological role.
All the nature of Linkerover,
some more than others, is
valuable in the ecological
corridor of the Scheldt river
valley.
metres here.
T
m
ha
quay
public
the ba
1 metre
same lev
Chaussee
to Ghent
The left bank forts are largely still
intact, most of them also still have a
certain military function (mostly
training). Lunette Halve Maan has
become home to several dwellings.
This fort is
currently in
use by the
military.
Fort van
Zwijndrecht
Zwijndrecht
Antwerp - municipality
Fort
Burcht
This fort is now
home to several
sailing associations.
The Lei
The gree
ring are
the valua
structure
patches
This is going to be the green rin
This fort was cut
in half due to clay
mining by Argex.
The other half is
used by the
military.
Fort van
Cruybeke
Antwerp currently uses the
radial chaussee system as
public transport corridors
(trams) to the city. Most of
these connect to P+Rs, which
the city wants to use to relieve
the congestion on the ring.
This lunette
is now home
to a primary
school.
The train track that was
here to supply the forts
was removed sometime
during the construction
of the R1 in the 1960s.
138
Since 2004, Flanders is actively working on a
plan that is supposed to protect the villages
and cities along the Scheldt and its tributaries
from flooding. The Flamish Waterway nv
(Vlaamse Waterweg nv ) is executing this plan
by raising and stabalising the dykes along the
river, and by appointing controlled flooding
zones. Like the one next to Kruibeke.
To
Temse
Oost-Vlaanderen
Antwerp - province
This fort hosts all kinds
of activities, like
parties, seminars,
team building
activities, and other
cultural events.
One of
the best
preserved
forts.
Chaussee
to Brussels
Fort 8
The Krijgsbaan is now a spacious boulevard, and is now called the
This is the Schoonselhof
cemetery.
Fort 7
This fort is only
accessible via a
guided tour by
Natuurpunt Zuidrand.
The above ground
parts are freely
accessible, the un
ground parts are
limited.
F
This fort is pa
Drie Eiken of
University. Lo
fields, classro
housing, and (
associations a
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