The Rampart, The Traffic Artery, and the Park; Designing for the city regions of Antwerp

Figure 1.0 - Previous spread
Photograph taken above the Kennedytunnel
looking towards Linkeroever
(own image).
projects.’ These projects have been subdivided into seven ring parks, the
Oosterweel-Link and the Bridge over the Scheldt river (Municipality of Antwerp,
2019).
Seventeen ambitions, as described in the ambition memo, form the basis
of the seven ring parks, the Oosterweel-link, and the bridge. In short, these
seventeen points can be summarised by the follow goals: (1) Antwerp and
Flanders want to cap the Ring to become one of the most competitive metropolitan
regions in Europe; to attract new talent and investment to the city. The
covered ring with its, already large public facilities, is the perfect place to show
the vibrancy and cultural richness of the metropolitan life. (2) Creating a park
on the capped ring, and linking the loose patches of green together, will make
the city healthier, by reducing heat stress, flood risk, and sound- and noise
pollution. (3) Facilitating a more attractive ring zone, should shift the growth
of the city from the peripheral area to the new ring park. Thereby changing
the appearance of both city and suburb, breaking the existing barriers and
creating a larger connection. And (4) reducing peak traffic by increasing
alternatives to car- and freight traffic, like public transport or bicycle highways,
and pedestrian paths. Subsequently, also creating a larger connectivity in the
metropolitan region. The ring project, because of its scale, will be executed in
phases to generate success stories. Throughout the project, the ambition is to
collaborate with both citizens and experts. Estimations for the total project vary
between 6 and 8 billion euros (The Intendant for the liveability measures in
Antwerp’s ring zone, 2016a).
Figure 1.1
Map of the seven ring parks, the
Oosterweel-Link, and the bridge over
de Scheldt (The Intendant for the
liveability measures in Antwerp’s ring
zone, 2016a).
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