Amsterdam's Oostelijk Havengebied or eastern docks area consists of a number of artificial archipelagos laid out around 1900. When the once-flourishing docks fell into disuse, it was decided to transform the area into a high-grade residential district. Begun in the 1970s, that transformation is now almost completed. Many big-name Dutch architects contributed to fleshing out these plans with housing. So the eastern docks area is not just a successful and highly sort-after residential district, it is as much a catalogue of 20 years of Dutch architecture and urbanism of the highest quality. This book gives a complete overview in words and images of the planning and architecture of these eastern harbour docklands supplemented by themed essays by specialists. The book also gives a broad overview of Dutch housing of the past few decades.
This book addresses the need for an in-depth study into design quality in new housing. The wider implications of policy and design are examined through a series of case studies of new housing projects in the UK and the Netherlands. Dutch interdisciplinary design and modern methods of construction are widely considered to be of the highest quality from which much can be learned and understood. This new guide offers architects the best practice for the design, policy and construction of new homes. The author considers proposals for the Thames Gateway and government incentives to create better quality housing, including the £60,000 house and design reviews. The wider implications of skills and training of architects, planners, design professionals and those parties involved in housing are also addressed.
In terms of design, scale, and blending of ecologicical and aesthetic function, Amsterdam’s seventeenth-century Canal District is a European marvel. Its survival for four centuries is a testament to its ingenuity, reflected in its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. The Canal District today is an extraordinary example of resilient historic design and cultural heritage in a living city, but it is not without present-day challenges: in recent years, its urban ecology has become subject to severe pressures of global tourism and supergentrification. This edited volume brings together seventeen reputable scholars to debate questions about the origins, evolution, and future of the Canal District. With these differing approaches and perspectives on the Canal District the contributions render a collection where the whole is much more than the sum of the parts. The book breaks new ground in our understanding of the District’s historic design, its evolution over four hundred years, and the fundamental issues in future-facing strategies and policies. While the main focus is clearly on Amsterdam, the discussions in this collection have an important bearing on broader questions of urban historic preservation elsewhere, and on questions about enduring urban design.
Knox’ in-situ studies present 50 especially significant city districts from the whole of Europe in words and pictures. His field research focuses on typologically outstanding city districts that have developed a high degree of individuality. Cities are the symbiosis of diverse districts: the smaller units serve to provide an important identity function: business centers and amusement districts such as the City and the West End in London, technology and science quarters (Adlershof in Berlin), designer districts such as the Zona Tortona in Milan and the Fashion District in New York. Two other factors that play a major role are the conversion of industrial wastelands and new districts colored by a supranational capitalism or a sustainable or dubious planning – such as the Vauban residential quarter in Freiburg in South Germany or the Lower Ninth District in New Orleans. Paul Knox also always analyzes how and why these districts have turned out the way they are: outlining their visible and also their hidden and often blurred "biography". A fascinating journey through space and time!
"Activists use space to advance political causes, a dynamic this book explores through stories of quotidian street life in Amsterdam. Residents there saw many changes in the late 20th and early 21st century. The rise of neoliberal governance, creative class economies, and quality-of-life boosterism brought new concerns about social justice, neighborhood character, and environmental responsibility"--
For much of the twentieth century improvement in the situation of disadvantaged communities was a focus for urban planning and policy. Yet over the past three decades the ideological triumph of neoliberalism has caused the allocation of spatial, political, economic, and financial resources to favor economic growth at the expense of wider social benefits. Susan Fainstein's concept of the "just city" encourages planners and policymakers to embrace a different approach to urban development. Her objective is to combine progressive city planners' earlier focus on equity and material well-being with considerations of diversity and participation so as to foster a better quality of urban life within the context of a global capitalist political economy. Fainstein applies theoretical concepts about justice developed by contemporary philosophers to the concrete problems faced by urban planners and policymakers and argues that, despite structural obstacles, meaningful reform can be achieved at the local level. In the first half of The Just City, Fainstein draws on the work of John Rawls, Martha Nussbaum, Iris Marion Young, Nancy Fraser, and others to develop an approach to justice relevant to twenty-first-century cities, one that incorporates three central concepts: diversity, democracy, and equity. In the book's second half, Fainstein tests her ideas through case studies of New York, London, and Amsterdam by evaluating their postwar programs for housing and development in relation to the three norms. She concludes by identifying a set of specific criteria for urban planners and policymakers to consider when developing programs to assure greater justice in both the process of their formulation and their effects.
Diversity and density in housing today Accomodation of diversity and the creation of urban density are a focus of world-wide building and planning activities today. This book combines the architectural and urban scales to demonstrate that it is a specific quality, urban intensity, which determines the success of housing. The authors provide a typology of housing according to the ways in which diversity and density are created. Comparisons with historical models and critical appraisals based on the authors’ unique standing give ample information on the pros and cons of major types of housing, their pitfalls and successful examples. Newly created sets of drawings, from floor plans to spectacular 3D aerial views of the buildings in their urban contexts, accompany each of the more than twenty case studies that are described and analyzed in detail. The approach taken here relates to many pressing issues in contemporary housing, including the avoidance of urban sprawl, the revival of city centers and the ongoing search for innovative housing types. A qualitative approach to diversity and density in housing A concept that unites architectural and urban design A wide range of original drawings of benchmark case studies
The ultimate resource on strategies for redeveloping abandoned urban sites Architects, urban planners, urban designers, developers, city officials, and all those interested in revitalizing their post-industrial cities will find the tools they need here. Redeveloping Industrial Sites delivers solutions to complex issues concerning urban planning, design, and financing to reveal lessons on ways to successfully convert decaying land and buildings into vibrant parks, stimulating cultural destinations, and active commercial complexes. In addition, carefully chosen real-world examples illustrate topics such as sustainability, public policy, and developer know-how to form a complete picture of the elements involved in planning and executing urban redevelopment projects. Redeveloping Industrial Sites: Covers strategies used to turn abandoned industrial sites into vibrant new neighborhoods and special districts such as Toronto's Distillery District and Philadelphia's Piazza at Schmidts Emphasizes design and economic issues that urban planners and city officials need to plan successful projects as well as manage spontaneous neighborhood transformations such as loft conversions Includes case studies of a variety of redevelopments from across North America and Europe ranging from large projects such as New York's Hudson River Park and Amsterdam's harbor to the small, but important neighborhood regenerators such as Baltimore's American Brewery Building for Humanim Examines how cities from Minneapolis, Minnesota to North Adams, Massachusetts, to Swansea, Wales harnessed the forces of tourism and art to transform their mills and harbors Providing historical context as well as current perspective, Redeveloping Industrial Sites offers clear direction on repurposing derelict and polluted wastelands and warehouses into vital, living extensions of their communities.
Detailed and timely information on accommodations, restaurants, and local attractions highlight these updated travel guides, which feature all-new covers, a two-color interior design, symbols to indicate budget options, must-see ratings, multi-day itineraries, Smart Travel Tips, helpful bulleted maps, tips on transportation, guidelines for shopping excursions, and other valuable features. Original.
