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.
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Antwerp’s mobility plan discusses the possibility of developing a tram line on
the Krijgsbaan as a long-term study plan, however, no concrete plans have
been made. There is no mentioning of a role for the Krijgsbaan on the left
bank, nor a concentric connection to the northern suburbs.
A strategy was developed for a concentric connection in the suburban region
on the right bank by Labo XX in 2014, that extended the concentric tram line in
the suburban. This plan seems to no longer be in consideration. There were a
few things that were left out of this plan, like a role for Linkeroever, or the link
to the P+R structures and thus the approach of the city by car.
Economy
Antwerp has several economic hubs in the suburban region, spanning from
shopping, industry, recreation, to education and health care. Like every other
structure in Antwerp, these economic zones also adhere to a radial pattern.
All of these zones extend from the ring area to the edge of the suburban zone,
or even beyond it. Linkeroever with its nature, sailing activities, and its annual
festivals, seems to fit in the recreational category.
The intersection of the Krijgsbanen on both the left and right bank
with all these different economic hubs, the airport and the various cultural and
business activities in the forts, could make a good argument as to why these
roads should become the dominant concentric connections in the suburban
region.
Morphology
Dwelling density is generally high in the city centre, and in the area around the
ring zone, radiating outward to Merksem, Deurne, and Borgerhout to the north
and east. The latter two could be higher in density due to the good connection
to the tram system and main bus lines. There is a low density but high-income
zone going south, through Middelheim and the university and hospital area,
an area also harder to reach with public transport. There is a medium density
low income zone to the southwest, next to the Scheldt, which could be due to
an absence of a public transport line.
Linkeroever holds the highest percentage of social housing in Antwerp
in very high density, with Luchtbal to the north in second place. However,
Linkeroever also holds very high incomes, in low density areas. Further into the
Waasland we find that Zwijndrecht and Burcht have a lower average density
than the suburbs. While these villages are not part of the suburbs of Antwerp,
they are within the same distance from the city. Looking at the densification, it
should be noted that Antwerp does not seem to connect the left and right bank
through morphology; the defined edge that is going to run along the built area
on the right side of the river is not continued on the left side.
164
Change language