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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Acknowledgements
Those that have followed my graduation year know that this period has been
far from easy; I faced academic setbacks that I never thought possible. As a
result, this project not only felt pointless at times, but endless as well. In the
end, I myself, am perhaps the most surprised at how well this urban part turned
out. On that account, I would like to thank the members of my graduation
committee; Marcel Musch and Pieter van Wesemael, for the many conversations,
feedback, and guidance during this graduation project, and during my
studies as a whole.
There are a lot of people to whom I owe thanks. People that have helped
shape me into the person I am today. Naturally, I cannot mention them all
here, however, there are a few that I do not want to leave unmentioned.
I would like to thank Pieter van Wesemael for allowing me to expand
my architecture master’s with urban design. A wish on my part that, at the
time, was predominantly fuelled by necessity and intuition, but that has turned
out to be far more rewarding than I initially thought; and has brought me into
contact with a discipline that I have since fallen in love with. In extension, I
would like to thank Sukanya Krishnamurthy for helping me regain my confidence
at a time when I really needed it, and for showing me the added value
that thorough research can bring to a design. Johan van Zoest, I would like to
thank for his sharp and – at times – wise advice; his unfaltering support during
this year; and for our many, many conversations about our shared passion: the
wickedly complex environment of cities. In addition, I am immensely grateful
for the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant in Johan’s (our) courses at
the TU/e. A role in which he has never treated me as merely an ‘assistant’, but
as an equal partner; allowing me to greatly develop my teaching and tutoring
skills.
I would like to thank two of my fellow students in particular: Jolien
Hermans and Nick van Garderen. Combined, their support and critical feedback
has been invaluable in the creation of this thesis. Separately, I would like
to thank Jolien for her unwavering ability to speak her mind, even if I did not
want to hear it. Nick, I would like to thank for our lengthy conversations about
the field of architecture and urbanism, both in built form and in the written
word. Here is to many more years of friendship!
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