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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however, none of these projects will become reality as the competition was
initiated to generate ideas on which direction to take. As of yet, there has been
no follow-up (Municipality of Antwerp, 2017). However, we might be able to
speculate, that with this urban edge, the instalment of the low-emission zone,
and the P+R structure, that Linkeroever might be transitioning to become more
urban or even part of the inner-city.
Currently Antwerp has 530.104 inhabitants in its metropolitan region, including
the historic city and suburbs. Roughly an increase of 50.000 inhabitants
since 2010 (Municipality of Antwerp, 2020). A prognosis made in 2008,
designed four scenarios for population growth between 2009 and 2030.
The ones that considered a positive migration index, projected a growth to
587.000 to 610.000 inhabitants (Rotthier, 2008, p. 4). A population projection
of LaboXX made in 2010, states that this projection has not been
completely accurate because it makes a wrong estimation of the number of
international immigrants coming to the city. Correcting for this, the research
designs two scenarios, one in which the population of Antwerp will grow to
610.000-622.00 by 2030; and the other in which the large influx of immigrants
will continue till 2030, which would mean a growth to 714.000
inhabitants (LaboXX, 2010, pp. 2, 54). Since we are now at the halfway point
– 2020 – we can check both projections to see which one is closest to reality.
Comparing both graphs, we see that the most positive scenario of the Antwerp’s
projection comes closest to the current situation; LaboXX’s projection is
already at or above 550.000 in 2020. That being said, it is probably too early
to make definitive conclusions. With the ring project that is going to greatly
increase the liveability of the city, and probably its international image and
pull, we might see a stronger immigration pattern once the city comes close to
finishing the project. The Demografische vooruitzichten 2016-2060; bevolking
en huishoudens expects that Belgium cities, like Brussels, Liege, and Antwerp
will continue to see a strong international migration pattern until 2060 (Federaal
Planbureau & Algemene Directie Statistiek, 2017, p. 38). And perhaps we
should also not underestimate the pull that an increase in family apartments
can have on all the families that have left the city in recent years.
The green ring around the city
With the ring park the city wants to link all the loose green patches around
the current ring together, and make the city healthier, by reducing heat stress,
flood risk, and air and noise pollution. The city mentions in its water plan
that it wants to research how the ring park might contribute to the city’s water
system (De Urbanisten; Witteveen+Bos; Common Ground, 2019). Antwerp
wants to subsequently connect this green ring to the four green radials entering
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