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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Figure 4.10 - previous spreads
Drawing of the immediate surroundings
of the highway ring (Google,
2020).
ring, in close proximity to the canal; and near the Kennedytunnel and Scheldt
to the southwest.
Coming back to the city’s wish to use the ring project as a means to improve
the connection between the inner-city and suburbs by creating a quality ring
park with a defined edge on both sides; we find that the most important aspect
here will be the breaking of the green buffer zone that can currently be found
at either side of the ring. In especially the north-eastern side near the marshalling
yard – the area with lots of unfinished building blocks and industry in
or towards the ring – special care will have to be taken to establish the ring
park and defined edge here. Potentially the city should think about relocating
the industry present here to other areas in the suburban region, as this would
free up quite some area for redevelopment. This would be in line with some
of Antwerp’s plans to redevelop the industrial areas north of Sportpaleis (also
north-eastern section).
Linkeroever’s response to the ring
The drawing on the following page shows the effect the ring has on Linkeroever.
Here the situation differs quite from the one of the right side of the Scheldt;
where the highway ring almost goes through the urban fabric. Here on the
left, the ring cuts through all the large-scale ecological zones, segregating the
landscape.
Looking at where the Oosterweel-link is going to be constructed, we
see that this segregating quality of the ring is only going to increase. The current
plan tries to increase the connectivity between these different zones, and
does indeed manage to do so slightly with the construction of three wildlife
crossings; one connecting the Blokkersdijk with the Sint Annabos (north), the
other connecting Vlietbos with the Rot (middle). However, there is still a long
way to go if these zones are to become a coherent whole in the ring park.
The landscape of Linkeroever can roughly be divided into two types of nature:
ecological nature to the east at the edge of Linkeroever, and functional nature
to the east towards the built-up area.
In the ecological category we find on the northern side the Blokkersdijk;
a body of water that was created by a dyke breach somewhere in the
1960s. The lake is a protected breeding area for birds and is, among other,
home to the Little grebe (Dodaars), the Gadwell (Krakeend), and the Great
crested grebe (Fuut). The water is now brackish due to seep, and can, during
mating season, be home to several thousands of birds. Parts of the lake are
accessible for pedestrains and cyclists (Natuurpunt Waasland, a). In the middle
section further south, we see the Vlietbos. A forest that is partially of natural
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