Structural Plan for Katwijk

KATWIJK MSC

1 R&D STUDIO COASTAL QUALITIES

AR1U090

Ankit Bhargava 4187180 Sept - Nov 2011

urbanism

Introduction

Katwijk is a coastal municipality with a popular beach and a thriving residential population. In 1996, Katwijk became one municipality, an amalgamation of 4 villages namely -Katwijk aan Zee, Katwijk a/d Rijn, Rijnsburg, and Valkenburg each being a religious close knit community in itself. Katwijk has seen a considerable growth in population and development in the last 50 years and continues to do so. The project analyses Katwijk as a built urban environment along with its surrounding landscape both urban and rural that have constantly shaped Katwijk at both local and regional scale. The coastal landscape as an edge being of particular importance since sea level is projected to rise by .8 - 1.2m.

After a general group analysis to point out the issues at hand, the 4 individual projects take it further to diagnose and propose solutions individually of problematique based on separate visions.

The projects retain the overall concerns stipulated by the addition of 20,000 people (1/3 of present population) and need for renewal of coastal defence. Simultaneously they also explore what other developments can be brought about that will improve the built environments for the residents.

2

Contents 1 Analysis 2 Diagnosis of the Problematique

Transport and mobility Open, public and recreational spaces New growth Social Cohesion

3 Strategies

Strategy 1 - River Strategy - Highway Strategy 3 - Coast 4 Structure plan

Regional Plan

3

Katwijk, is situated10 km northwest of Leiden and 16 km north of The Hague, in the province of South Holland in the western Netherlands. Katwijk lies on the western part of the Randstad area, the sixth-largest Metropolitan Area in Europe.It also shares its borders with the other municipalities of Noordwijk, Teylingen, Oegstgeest and Wassenaar.

Placement as coastal town

Placement in Randstad

5

Project Analysis

The problems in Katwijk arise out of the process of development of the city in the last 50 years. The four villages having been independent until 1996, have developed organically as fragmented clusters built with no conscious coherence with their surroundings or a larger plan. They have grown to each others boundaries only separated by the apparent natural and urban edges like the river and highway.

Now, having become a single municipality, the peripheral edges of the villages face each other as internal edges in the heart of Katwijk. While the river and highway are the most legible edges, the underlying terrain, the harbour, mismatched transport spines and the large pumping station that provide a completely contrasting scale behave as visual and spatial edges as well. Their porosity and the landscape around defines not only the mobility within and out of Katwijk but how these different communities (villages) interact socially and spatially.

The project addresses this problematique of the edges and how restructuring them can benefit the residents of the municipality.

6

Structure Plan Highway - Converting the highway into an urban boulevard.

River - Developing a new interface and relationship with Katwijk at local and city scale - Creating separate harbours as short term (Leisure harbour) and long term stay (parking lot) Mobility - Making the river and highway more porous edges, building towards a more non-car efficient space and means of mobility Landscape - Deals with the aspect of differential scales - neighbourhood and city scale and incorporating making green spaces more usable and accessible Regional Plan This plan investigates into the various elements that make up the larger region and their role in shaping Katwijk. One such element being the highway that can now be seen as a regional corridor. Can it be extended to Noordwijk? What will be the impact of that? Others include the industry that current act as the buffer between leiden and Katwijk.

It also looks at the layers of the Katwijk-leiden Urban scape to investigate whether resistance to growth towards Leiden is the future for Katwijk or merging with Leiden.

7

Issues

Discovered

vv

• Transport and mobility - Connectivity problems - Excessive use of cars - Parking issues

• Lack of open spaces • Inadequacy of infrastructure and facilities • Coastal Defence • Future growth?

• Regional Stance and Connections

Residential City

Coastal City

Tourist City

City along the highway

River city

Diagnosing the Problematique

Diagnosing the problematic

Le

Le

ide

n

ide

n

Transport | Mobility

Transport A44

Le iden

to N

oord w ij

k

Beach

Industry

Between villages River and highway as major connectivity barriers

10

Work : to industries around Accessibility to industry only through select arteries

Regional Routes

Katwijk - Leiden Leiden - Katwijk - Noordwijk To Beach by Car, boats

Agenda 1

Agenda 1 en

Le id Highway, instead of a pass through needs to become an access corridor It edges Valkenburg, Katwijk a/d Rijn and Katwijk aan Zee

To Noor d

wijk

Imagining river edge as a new connection spine. It edges all villages.

Draw new pedestrian connections

Reduce car use

Introduce an alternative transport spine

Boulevard, Beach : Tourist area Discourage parking here

New harbour

Land transport

Water transport Reducing the scale of the harbour within the city and shifting it to the periphery.

11

Diagnosing the problematique

Recreation Zones, open spaces 1

3

Small community parks with play areas for children

?

Large disconnected green spaces

2

Green area in courtyards between buildings used for parking

1 2

Plaza near church covered with Parking 3

Ponds, green space not well accessible

Solo standing houses (sprawling landscape in front)

Main ac

cess roa

Large amount of greening to hide the junction

12

d

Hi

sto

Agenda 2

ric

co n

Le

ne

ct

id

io

en

n

Reclaim unused green space New programme

Improve connection

Market square, sports amenities

CONNECT across road Reclaim fragmented urban residue

Large fragmented potential green, open space upto the beach

Convert to Leisure Harbour (Short stay) Remove disused industrial landscape Reconnect, reclaim and make accessible River as Event space Creating a new dialogue with the river

ssib

le

s n es cc ee gr n ks ina ee par ion ely gr n g sit lar tio tran n, ea e, ce recr ee r c c a g A all sp ed Sm sed ood u as Un se w are n g s as za re De pin reas m na pla a a C pe and ts or ro s p ve S ce fto spa s e L en lot Op king r Pa

le ib

Canal space as Potential New public park ?

Domesticate the scale of water and space

What to do with the Urban residue?

Most of all large sports facilities situated in the peripherals

13

Diagnosing the problematique

New Growth

+ 5000 houses

Highway even more important as a traffic corridor

Agenda 3 14

New centre ?? • Community centre for new residents • New centre to incorporate missing Facilities/amenities • Cut short excessive travel to Leiden

New dialogue between Rijsburg - N206 - New residents

With the new residential blocks to be built on one side of the highway, with Rijsburg on the other, the N206 is absorbed and becomes the central spline, connecting to Leiden. If it is restructured as an urban boulevard programmatic nodes within, it would decrease the pressure on Katwijk aan Zee and Leiden as the two main cores at the two ends.

Diagnosing the problematique

Social Cohesion

The problems of social cohesion are born out of the process of cluster growth shaped by the natural and urban barriers.

However social cohesion has become of concern only since the villages have grown to each others boundaries and amalgamated in 1996 into one municipality and there is significant connectivity problems between places..

As a result, in the case of valuable green spaces, they are disconnected and under used.

This residential municipality likes its villageness. The limited accessibility to areas ( that may be observed in some cases, as poor connectivity) has resulted from quiet private interfaces, while in other cases, its more exposed.

Social cohesion : Within individual villages Between villages New residents - katwijk Observed: lack of public access, bad connectivity

Strong ties Highway and river as barriers ?

Private interfaces for residents Quite Calm Safe Less cross traffic

These clusters have given form to pockets of coziness that people associate with, that are quiet and almost private. The river edge is a very good case This calls into question public accessibility to public assets. Public interface vs private space.

Private residences, accessible public spaces

Is the atmosphere of villageness, quietness in conflict with rectifying connectivity issues because they limit mobility to and from all areas?

Can city scale public spaces coexist with intimate neighbourhood scale spaces, closeness, while maintaining cultural integrity?

Municipality as a cluster of private zones

Different kinds of spatial connections with the river

15

In these agendas the ‘pain areas’ (the problem areas) all largely lie on the edges. It is these edges - internal and peripheral edges that determine the coherence and cohesion of the cluster development.

So, to fulfill the agenda, the strategies examine claosely these various typologies of edge conditions - the RIVER, the HIGHWAY and the COAST and suggest newer relationships that can improve the built environment for visitors and locals alike.

16

Forming Strategies

1

1

2

2

• River as Event space, creating a new dialogue with the river • Introduce an alternative transport spine for pedestrians and bicyclists • Improve cross connectivity • New green network, to connect with inner areas of the city • Reconnect, reclaim and make accessible fragmented urban residue • Creation of Leisure Harbour (Short stay) Remove disused industrial landscape • Potential New public park in the inlet harbour?

Domesticate the scale of water and space

3 • Draw new pedestrian connections • Highway, an access corridor connecting Valkenburg, Katwijk a/d Rijn and Katwijk aan Zee • Highway as an Urban Boulevard

Strategy 1

Strategy 2

RIVER AND HARBOUR AREA

Highway Corridor

Strategy 3

Coastal Defence

17

Strategy 18

1

River and Harbour Area 1 River as Event space. Creating a new dialogue with the river 2 Introducing an alternative transport spine for pedestrians and bicyclists

Improve cross connectivity 3 New green network, along river edges to connect with inner areas of the city 4 Reconnect, reclaim and make accessible fragmented urban residue 5 Creation of Leisure Harbour (Short stay)

Removal of disused industrial landscape 6 Potential New public park in the inlet harbour?

Domesticate the scale of water and space

19

Analysis of the River Edge

ZONE

ZONE

1

3

ZONE

Morphology (surrounding landscape) and Connections 20

2

Typology of zones on the river

1

Harbour area, pumping station, and holds large disconnected green zones.

2

It is the transitional space between the two residential areas in Katwijk aan Zee that lie on either side of the bank. This are has the greatest potential for development nt only because of the scale of space available but its proximity to the beach, easy accessibility from the traffic arteries.

This zone has Rijsburg on one side of the river and industrial landscape on the other.

Pumping station area Villas that block view and access to river edge Residential buildings Inlet harbour

3

50-60s Residential Building

This zone, the river edge is largely populated with residences facing the river, with industries, and a sports field in some part.

Green zone with Bike path Transition green space Market plaza Swimming pool

Ponds

80s Residential Areas

21

New Harbour (Long Stay) To act like the parking lot for boats

Conceptual Plan

New Road parallel to the river edge for people from Rijsburg to go the industry instead of taking the highway

Landscape edge, to cut off view to the industries

Critical Detail 3 Landscape proposal for the pumping station area facing Katwijk aan Zee

Critical Detail 1 Spatial Proposal for the new park encompassing the existing public amenities like the market and sports facilities Critical Detail 2 Proposal for restructuring the inlet harbour and disused industrial area.

22

Sports area merged with newly developed green zones displacing the industries alongside the river

The harbour road becomes a primary artery, thus INCREASING ACCESSIBILITY AND VISIBILITY to the new harbour development.

New bridge New bridge over the river connecting sports to the redeveloped industrial area

Existing Road Situation

Proposed Road Situation

23

Zone 1

Analysis

City scale

Neighbourhood scale

70s Housing stand alone villas

Existing Situation

Inlet harbour 70s Housing Industrial buildings

Ha

rb

ou

r

Stand alone houses

Rhine River

50-60’s Row Houses

Existing Layers of the landscape Ponds, green space, Market, public buildings

24

Layers of Zone 1

Zone 1

Proposed Scheme

New pedestrian & bike bridges

Harbour, river side Residential side

New Development

Historic connection to the beach

Critical Detail 3

Central Green Lung This is the main traffic artery going to the inner city and the beach. This road is very wide and has a high green bund on one side with single houses perched on top while it has spaces like the market, sports facilities on the other. The proposal is to remove the high car traffic and use the excellent landscaping and programmatic features around to create an intimate green lung, which stretches till the inner city.

Existing

Proposed

25

Critical Detail 2:

Inlet Harbour

High point affords large expansive views of the landscape below

Existing

Overall space :

Inlet Canal

- The defunct industrial buildings must be moved out so it can make place for much craved public open space.

Water :

- Retained as a historic memory.

- Broken into smaller parcels creating new play spaces and a variety of relationships with water.

Disu

26

se d I

n dus

t r ia

sc a p e l La n d

Residential b

uilding

Proposed s with

an ar cade

an d

sho

Existing

ps,

cafe

s in

fro

nt

Pumping station

Exposing the terrain to capitalise on the views available from the few high points looking at the expanse of the harbour and river landscape

Lower Terrain

Higher terrain

Parking

Early Experiments with Montages

Existing canal replaced with a canal in Rotterdam Existing

Looking away from arcade

Looking towards the arcade

Introducing a large undulating green space with pockets of water Existing

27

Panoramic view of the sea and much enjoyed public space

Green spaces used as parking lots

28

Awkward out of scale green expanse

Critical Detail 3:

Pumping Station area Proposal 2 Road - shifted towards the river edge Green landscape - absorbed as part of housing block to form open spaces, parks Parking - provided in patches along the road

Proposal 1

Existing

Proposed

Existing 29

Strategy 30

2

Highway 1

Draw new pedestrian connections

2

Highway, an access corridor connecting Valkenburg, Katwijk a/d Rijn and Katwijk aan Zee

3

Highway as an Urban Boulevard - Downgrading the highway - Increase accessibility, pass through - Removing unnecessary infrastructure Reclaiming unused transitional landscape to become a part of larger urban boulevard Use this corridor to draw new improved connections and insert programmes within this green belt

31

Highway as a strong traffic corridor continuing on from Leiden to Noordwijk

32

Highway as a sparsely porous edge/barrier

Between 3 villages - rijnsburg, katwijk a/d Rijn and Valkenburg

Case study

8

Vlissingen A4

Vlissingen has a green belt cutting through the residential areas. It contains sports fields, parks and residential development is on both sides.

N288 l

ntia

ide

Res

Residential

33

Analysis

Road Network and crossings/ bridges 34

Morphology

Analysis

Green Houses Polder Landscape Dune Landscape

Residential Industries ‘Big Box’

Diagram illustrates the mismatch of highway and surrounding landscape 35

Strategy 2

Proposal for Urban Boulevard 1

2

Downgrading the highway

Removing unnecessary infrastructure Reclaim unused transitional landscape to a part of larger urban boulevard

Increase accessibility, pass through

1

2

3

Existing

3

Proposed

1

3

36

2

Use this corridor to draw new improved connections and insert programmes within this green belt

Existing

Layers of the NEW Urban Boulevard Landscape Bicycling paths Light rail

Road

Bicycling path

Proposed

Parks, facilities

37

Strategy

38

3

Coastal Defence

39

40

The beach is regarded by people of Katwijk as the municipality’s most attractive feature.

The beach is more or less an independent space, while the city forms the backdrop with a few programmatic nodes like cafes and restaurants on the boulevard contributing actively.

The sea level is projected to rise between .8 - 1.2 m and to be safe in the future there is a need to reinforce the coastal defence. The new defence will not only redefine the citycoast relationship but also the spatial quality of the beach having a direct impact on the tourism economy.

If we go 1 block behind the boulevard, the beach is not visible. However, its the sensation of the proximity of the beach, the scale that creates the atmosphere. The fact that the beach is so accessible unlike the case in Schevenningen, it is therefore unique offering a distinct character.

41

Strategy 3

Proposal for Coastal Defence

Existing

Existing Section

Scenario 1 - Coastal Protection as parabolic dune

Existing Elevation

Unlike a blank high barrier this allows views to the sea in perspective while still providing defence

42 Case study coastal edges

Rijkswaterstaat

Noordwijk

Westkapelle

Scenario 2 - If a new building edge is created

Scenario 3 North and South ends being the higher terrains, the low central part can be raised to the same level and underneath we can have parking or shops This way the beach does not need to get extended.

Scenario 2.1 - Porous Building edge

Case study : Vlissingen Coastal Edge

43

If the sea level keeps rising, is the solution to keep raising the dyke higher or build higher dunes as protection?

And even then what if in a storm it is breached?

Is there another way?

Can we use the 50 years ahead, until when the present coastal defence is sufficient to prepare the landscape to absorb the water overflow instead of constantly building higher defences to cut the water out?

What can we do with sea water, once its in?

Can it become a part of the urban landscape? A Venice landscape?

Sea water mixing with river water??

44

This scheme questions the need to address natural processes through the act of building higher hard barriers instead of building a adaptive landscape.

In this scheme we introduce a canal network. as a water network. We replace some vehicular arteries with canals and make them pedestrian. Further as the terrain becomes lower using the natural gradient, we connect it to the dune landscape and the lower harbour region, which are made into a large catchment basin. The industrial landscape in the harbour is displaced and allowed to flood.

In this case, we won’t need to build as high a dyke as presently assumed earlier. In fact in the event of a rare super storm water is all held back, it is allowed to tip over to some extent, which is channelized into these canals.

45

STRUCTURAL VISION Highway - Converting the highway into an urban boulevard with programmatic nodes.

River - Developing a new interface and relationship with Katwijk at local and city scale - Creating separate harbours as short term (Leisure harbour) and long term stay (parking lot) Mobility - making the river and highway more porous edges, building a non-car efficient space and means of mobility Landscape - dealing with the aspect of differential scales neighbourhood and city scale and incorporating making green spaces more usable and accessible

New harbour Green Landscaping Green Landscaping + Built Programme Green Landscaping + Public Functions Built Programme Dune Landscape

Residential Industries Polder Landscape

46

Green Landscaping

REGIONAL PLAN This plan investigates into the various elements that make up the larger region and their role in shaping Katwijk. One such element being the highway that can now be seen as a regional corridor. Can it be extended to Noordwijk? What will be the impact of that? Others include the industry that current act as the buffer between leiden and Katwijk.

It also looks at the layers of the Katwijk-leiden Urban scape to investigate whether resistance to growth towards Leiden is the future for Katwijk or merging with Leiden..

Dune Landscape

Residential Industries Polder Landscape Green Landscaping corridors

47