Atlas of Breda by Algimantas Varpučanskis

atlas of BREDA

by Algimantas VarpuÄ?anskis Tutor: Birgit Hausleitner MSc-1 Urbanism, TU Delft

During its long time of existence city was a concrete embodiment and manifestation of common interest. Layer upon layer we were adding new artifacts, which like images tell stories about customs, people lives, declaration of power, confrontation and oppression. While reading these urban stories, we not only see ghost structures as containers waiting to be filled with life, but rather we see actual lives frozen in time. Or in other words – action between concrete walls is encrypted inside, because all of our surroundings are outcome of this action known as urbanity. Urbanity as such is a political product - ability to work and take decisions together. Yet, in order to have this action, physical environment is indispensible as a precondition. In that sense urban environment is both – outcome and source. However today we are facing new challenges while shaping our cities. New kind of powers emerge, technological advance allowed us to invent entirely new life styles. We as a mankind became extremely powerful compared with our capacities in past. We invented weapons which can destroy our planet in a few seconds. We became able to extract and mobilize immense amount of resources to achieve our goals. While the same gain of power is there considering urban environment, it rises questions: are we fully aware of these processes that takes place and shapes our cities today? Are we still in charge, or we becoming hostages of our new inventions (such as fragmentation and division of labor, bureaucracy, technocracy, mobility, laws of free market)? This work is an attempt to link urban processes with urban form within city of Breda. Find out how they complement and influence each other. And most important – how we (urbanists) can use these entities as tools of our work.

HISTORY LANDSCAPE OPEN CITY URBAN FABRIC STREET AS A PUBLIC SPACE BORDERS ECONOMY RESILIENCE REIMAGINE BREDA REMOVE HIGHWAY - RESTORE BREDA

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CONTENT

“Absolute space was made up of fragments of nature located at sites which were chosen for their intrinsic qualities (cave, mountaintop, spring, river), but whose very consecration ended up by stripping them of their natural characteristics and uniqueness. Thus natural space was soon populated by political forces. Typically, architecture picked a site in nature and transferred it to the political realm by means of a symbolic mediation” Henri Lefebvre. The production of space.

HISTORY

Breda 1350

Breda 1648

Breda is a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. It was developed on the intersection of two rivers - Mark and Aa which were also used for defense. As a fortified city it played an important role within Netherlands as strategic military and political location. It is a city built on industry, which played the main role in its development. Breda formed along three main roads branching from city center which are still most vibrant parts of the city.

Breda 1875

LANDSCAPE

landscape

One of the most influential landscape factors affecting development of Breda is two intersecting rivers which were used for trading. As city expanded river flow direction determined development of industrial area along the river in North part of Breda, which was more convenient for transporting goods. Another feature that also came along with water is soil type. While southern part of the city is mainly built on sand, going towards river delta (north) soil consists more of clay and peat. In the past this factor had major influence for demography of the city - people with lower income were mainly located in a crumby northern part. However today there is no visible difference in realestate value left. As building technologies are developing building in northern part can offer the same quality of living as building in southern part. However if we come to city expansion - developing southern part is more rational and cost efficient, because of lower building and maintenance cost.

Height map

low

high

Predominant soil types

Household value. Source - http://www.edugis.nl/ 0 - 100.000 € 100.000 - 150.000 € 150.000 - 200.000 € 200.000 - 250.000 € 250.000 - 300.000 € 300.000 - 400.000 € 400.000 - 500.000 € 500.000 - 1.000.000 € > 1.000.000 €

OPEN CITY

open city

This entire research mainly was based on “open city” idea, which was used as a foundation for each section of analysis. To make a short insight on these distinctions, there are two phrases extracted from Richard Sennett work: Open system - to be able to see (recognize) new patterns, ways or principles emerging in a process Closed system - planning, predicting everything and in the end having YES or NO answer. One of the main aims of this project is to indicate different principles of operation within a city as a criteria using concept of open city. Purifying the very notion of open and closed systems within city was made under these aspects: · whether it stimulates citizenship or promote consumerism; · does it offer opportunity to chose or impose one absolute solution; · does it offer opportunity to be creative or everything is already decided; · is it resilient or brittle; · is it interactive or just operate as a tool of segregation

Aim of this project is to find and understand defective spots of the city. Try to find methods and solutions how to repair disabled city parts

RBAN FABRIC

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3 7

10 2 8 3

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10 5

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2 1

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urban fabric Without any doubt urban tissue is the most important aspect to look at while studying the city. Configuration and types of buildings is the main facet shaping our daily life. It prevents or encourages us to interact with each other, creates preconditions for particular activities, characterize quality of public space etc. However while being main influencing factor of our lives urban fabric is also a product of our interaction. So it is important not only to read our physical environment, but also understand the reasons and processes which caused these concrete structures come into a being.

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STREET

AS A PUBLIC SPACE

street operation

open grid network - compatible with all types of mobility collector streets, serves slow traffic pedestrian and bicycle transit city mainroads - serves mainly traffic, walking or cycling is unpleasant highways - compatible only with fast motorized traffic 22

While comparing these two street maps clear trend emerge - vital city spaces present only within open grid street pattern (almost with no exception), which is compatible with all types of mobility (few exceptions in a city center - several streets dedicated mainly for pedestrians). Reason for this is obvious - in order to have services along the street you need both - pedestrians as customers and motorized traffic as supplier. If street is not pleasant to walk or it ends with dead end - retail is not possible.

street vitality

streets active from morning till afternoon streets active from morning till evening streets active from afternoon till late evening inactive streets 23

BORDERS

In most cases borders within city is caused by infrastructure, empty or monofunctional areas. However with this analysis I want to emphasize the correlation between plot size and border effect. You can see a clear trend that clusters of bigger plots (represented by bigger dots) almost without exception cause border effect.

BORDERS N

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Preconditions for borders:

Big plots Emptiness Infrastructure - monofunctional structures

BORDERS WITHIN THE CITY

borders within city 0

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scheme of plot size (bigger dots indicate bigger plots and vice versa)

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ECONOMY

CITY ECONOMY Wealth within country or city should be described not how much money people have, but how much they spend. We are wealthy not because we have money (which as material object has no value) rather because we can afford goods and facilities with it. In other words - in order to have â&#x20AC;&#x153;healthyâ&#x20AC;? economy we need circulation of money. And this circulation of money is present only when there is trust among people and trust in market. Whenever people feel secure with their jobs (have regular income), state policy and potential seller, they are ready to spend their money which goes along with overall wealth within state or city.

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ECONOMICAL OPERATION TYPES

pattern of economical performance where all participants has equal possibilities to take part

neighborhoods which does not play a role in overall economical city operation system. In order to survive these kind of districts are dependent on other more active parts of the city entire region dependent on one big scale economical unit (monopoly)

areas operating as clusters of big scale industries. In order to exist these areas has to attract labor from surrounding parts of the city

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urban fabric as a nest for economy Office as such is crucial for city to operate. However putting huge numbers of it in one place does not make any sense, because in most cases potential customers and employees come from other places. In other words one office is irrelevant for other office. While it is difficult to disperse industrial function because of pollution factor - offices can easily exist dispersed throughout the city. At the same time it would benefit all - owners, customers, employees and city as a whole, because it would allow better circulation of money. Industrial areas plays important role considering overall city wealth, however the fact that huge areas are filled with similar function can also be counterproductive. Because these areas are quite unpleasant to be it strongly affects quality of city public space network. As a result of that people move to live further from these areas so it becomes more expensive to commute and attract potential workers.

In most cases opening a shop near existing one can be recognized as increased competition. However at the same time it means more potential customers for each of these shops because it will attract more people. That is how all enterprises help each other to operate. Another crucial imput in mixed use neighborhoods is residential units which provides shopkeepers with customers.

Neighborhoods entirely built up with residential dwellings is a good example of non-operating space.

Even when buildings are mixed use they still can operate as element of monopoly formation. In this case this is the only active economical unit owned and handled by someone from aside within huge residential area.

This is an example of incorporated industrial unit. While huge clusters of industry has to â&#x20AC;&#x153;importâ&#x20AC;? its potential employees and customers from other places, in this case everything is placed next to each other. Hawing facilities, working places, employees close by makes economical operation more diverse and fluent. In situation like this resident can easily switch role between customer, employee or employer.

In order to have mixed use neighborhood there is no need to have all units with diverse function. It is enough to have one or several active streets accommodating enterprises. Main feature which makes it different from shopping mall is that facilities within active street is owned by different holders who do not depend on each other directly. That makes it open for anybody to step in or out without major effect on others.

This is one of the most obvious examples of monopolylike operation, where entire neighborhood is dependent on one supplier.

RESILIENCE

resilience

Our urban environment does never stand still, despite the fact that it is made of static structures it is always in motion. Like living organisms cities are always evolving. Our life style is constantly changing, people migrate from one place to another, they reconfigure their interiors over and over again, old enterprises dies, new pops up, upheavals take place etc. And all of these processes must be accommodated within our cities. Urban resilience is complex and multilayer way to study cityscape. There are many ways to look at urban resilience, usually these different aspects overlay and influence each other. I used these facets to describe each of the urban fabric in terms of resilience within the city of Breda: · economical resilience - ability to adopt to different economical circumstances · density - if the urban fabric is capable to accommodate more (or less) density · adaptivity for interior reconfiguration · possibility to reconfigure public space · possibility to replace functions · mobility - possibility to use (choose) different types of transportation systems, ways of commuting · social integration - whether urban fabric is capable to accommodate people with different social status, income, race, cultural background, religion, interests etc.

Vernacular city center is one of the most resilient type of urban fabric in Breda today. Because it was built gradually in a spontaneous way it contains great variety of building types. Moreover urban block is composed using number of separate units. That enables to replace different functions, add or remove distinct units, increase or decrease density. Because of these features it is able to accommodate great variety of functions, social groups of people. Since there is great variety of enterprises owned by different holders it becomes resistant to any major economical shock.

Despite the fact that this urban fabric seams to be homogenous, it offers a possibility to have huge variety in different functions. In some sense it can be compared with vernacular urban fabric type, the main difference is that row house areas were planned and not developed spontaneously. Yet urban block is composed using number of separate units. That enables to replace different functions, add or remove distinct units, increase or decrease density.

While urban structure (considering spatial form) is quite similar to row house block, it is completely different in terms of how it was constructed. While row house blocks were built adding bit by bit, in this case one row of housing is constructed as one building, that makes any kind of structural redevelopment quite complicated. While it is quite flexible in view of public space reconfiguration, any kind of major interior redesign or functional change is hardly implemented ever. That makes all housing units highly unified which goes along with social segregation - most of the people belongs to one social or ethnic group, mostly with low income. Often it becomes medium to spread all kinds of radical ideas.

Urban fabric of villas is the only gradually developed type of fabric that is being practiced today in Breda. Nevertheless because there is lack of density it is not possible to develop any kind of other activities but residential. Consequently these districts becomes extremely dependant on neighboring districts which accommodates economical operation. This dependency also comes along with great need of mobility which is usually a private car. In relation to that these areas are suitable only for particular, fixed portion of society - you have to be wealthy enough to own a private house, and able to drive. When people get older and loose the ability to drive - it becomes physically impossible to live in these kind of neighborhoods. Despite all drawbacks, urban fabric itself is quite flexible for densification which does not require complete reconfiguration of urban block structure. In addition to that - urban structure allows to introduce new function. The only precondition is political willingness and goodwill of residents.

While principle and scale of development is quite the same as high-rise dwelling, arrangement of outdoor space, clear distinction between public and private makes it a bit more adaptable having in mind surrounding space. But meanwhile common courtyards are maintained by all surrounding families - level maintenance depends on how tight community relations are. As these courtyards in most cases were designed for large number of households make that number of people agree on something can be tricky. But above all poor quality and rigidity of inner space made these areas one of the most unattractive place to live within city of Breda. At the moment many these kind of dwellings are being demolished. However, the very fact that it is possible to deal with ownership in order to demolish these buildings show at least some level of resilience.

Urban fabric: Considering all building types and urban fabrics in Breda, high rise residential dwellings are the most rigid and vulnerable structures within the city. · It is not possible to rearrange interior spaces because of fixed structural configuration. Whenever there is a shift in housing trends, these structures face a risk to be abandoned. · Usually it also accompanied with poor public space quality, which is very difficult to improve. Upgrading surroundings of these formations means complete redesign, sometimes even demolition. Even demolition is complicated because of multiple ownership. · despite the fact that usually surroundings of these dwellings are left as open spaces, densifying also requires a complete reconfiguration of public space. · Considering economical operation this kind of housing is completely dependent on neighboring facilities. · It is not capable to accommodate any other functions but the one that is designed for. · huge amount of open space and infrastructure are extremely expensive to sustain, all of which are maintained by public founds. In that sense these structures are vulnerable if for some reasons founding would be suspended.

Demolition site

resilience

These areas were designed with a great allusion to idyllic life outside technocratic industrial city. While the idea itself was picturesque, implementation turned out to be quite rigid. Buildings have completely fixed function which does not allow any re-adaptation for changing needs of society. However the most important feature of these areas is confusing public realm. Conflict between public and private is present almost in all cases. For instance to open a shop there would be impossible simply because potential customers cannot migrate freely and orient themselves.

Through out the history monumental buildings were indistinguishable part of the city as a place for rituals, culture signs of power etc. Also as representations what aspects of life play important role within mainstream of society (for instance couple centuries ago most of the attention was dedicated to religious buildings such as church, and today it shifted to train station). While designing iconic building there is not so much concern how to make these buildings reusable, on the opposite - its aesthetical expression is primary aim. That is how monumental buildings engrave in our city history as main representatives of particular time. So even after building does not serve its original function we keep it as a picture of past.

By its general properties (considering ownership, function homogeneity etc.) office centers are very much similar to industrial areas. However size and configuration inner space is not so favorable for redesign. While we have plenty examples of successfully refurbished industrial buildings, there are only few examples of re-used offices. Of course it does not mean that office buildings should not be considered as potential spaces for redesign.

Orange color represents lack of resilience in a particular part of the city. If it gets more orange - area is recognized as more brittle.

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IMAGINE BREDA

lost space of breda

redevelopment strategy

income

resilience

economy

vitality

street pattern

borders

plot size

urban fabric

Till this point aim of this research was to indicate problematic, underused points or areas which lack density, functional variety, quality of public space or does not operate well from the economic standpoint. In order to identify underused spaces within city of Breda you have to integrate all these different layers of data, see how they interconnect and effect each other. While examining, combining and understanding the information the goal was to find and point out trends and patterns. For instance: big plots usually cause border effect within a city; streets (infrastructure) that serves only one type of mobility also cause border effect; if there is a border you can hardly find vital spaces along it, which also means weak economical operation; large scale housing (not in physical size, but in development scale) usually goes along with low income residents; in most cases large scale housing is accompanied with monopolylike facilities and regulations upon housing (because mostly it is state provided dwellings), this means that residents with low income who are most vulnerable can hardly take initiative to improve their living conditions; big commercial units (such as shopping malls) are vulnerable in case of economic crisis; monofunctional neighborhoods (sub-urbs) cause high usage of cars which goes along with great demand for infrastructure and infrastructure itself cause border effect; on the opposite - densely packed, small units (plots), filled with great variety of functions within walking distance has no demand for cars, offers good quality of public space and at the same time is outstandingly resilient from the economical point of view. We can go with these kind of interrelations to the infinity. However there is no need to describe them all or to make a complete and precise picture of this interconnectivity. More important is to grasp and understand trends and principles which allows you to “read” the city. And this “reading” is not a research validated with facts, but rather experience based intuition. Every deterioration, corruption or crisis is not only a downfall it is a great opportunity. Purpose of this map is not just highlighting which places lack of quality, but to actually show how much unused potential lay’s inside the city of Breda for us as urbanists.

In most cases industrial areas are one of the most vulnerable formations within the city. Any major economic shock makes it extremely brittle because of functional homogeneity and high specialization. However favorable spatial configuration and ownership of single holder makes it attractive for redevelopment in case of breakdown. We can find many successful examples all over the world where huge factories of warehouses were turn into more diversified buildings with high quality of private and public space. Redevelopment of this kind should be implemented starting closer to a city center. Putting one active space next to another and only then moving to the outskirts is crucial, in order to create well operating public space system. Disruption in a continuity can cause that people simply do not go to outskirts because way to reach it is unpleasant.

city portray

Considering issue of public space in Breda it is easy to notice that major part of lively space is concentrated in small medieval town area. Because physical quantity of old town is relatively small great demand made it too expensive for single shop keepers. You can clearly see that all the shops are owned by well known brands so walking through the city feels like being in a shopping center. Public space which supposed to be everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basic right - slightly becomes privilege, inviting only those who are able to pay more. A solution for this situation is not pushing commercialization out of the city, but rather creating an alternative for it. This can be easily achieved by encouraging people from neighborhoods with bad reputation to improve their habitat (starting business, densifying existing structures, improving public space quality). Making this change would benefit both parts - people with lower income and city as a whole.

HIGHWAY RESTORE BREDA

REMOVE

highway

urbanity

Greatest asset of every city is its residents. And not the ones who periodically leave the city in order to work somewhere else. Also not temporary visitors. The most valuable are those who actually live work and spend their leisure within the city. These are the people who contribute the most to well being of the city. Because there is so much space sacrificed for infrastructure which serves only those who go in and out - city does not use great part of its potential.

alternative for highway

Purpose of this design is not propose universal solution for each highway, but to actually show that these structures, serving only one aspect of city life could be turned into something more diverse and culturally rich. While the space which is created by highway is only suitable for passing by, this design demonstrates an option to stay in a city. If we take a closer look at city of Breda we can actually see how many non operating space has been created outside the city during last couple decades, while having plenty of space within a city. This has double negative effect - city becomes more expensive to maintain (because larger area is covered by same number of people) and more unpleasant to stay because of uninviting empty space. So expanding outskirts has a loop effect - build more sub-urbs and there will be greater demand for infrastructure, build more infrastructure and there will be more sub-urbs who use it. While you cannot get rid of sub-urbs simply by forcing people live in a different way, it is possible to re-use oversupply of infrastructure. Making moving out of the city uncomfortable would make an end for this closed loop effect. I think role of planner in this situation has to change from passive observation to initiative which can offer alternatives. By going for it we have to remember that reforms are always met with a confrontation, but it does not mean that we do not need it.

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