Public Space as Common Space

A comparative research between Rotterdam and Milan

Internship for the course Design in Research, Research in Design of the Q4 Master of Science (MSc) in Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences

Office

Studio for New Realities, Rotterdam, NL

De Kroon: K24 Schiemond 20 3024 EE Rotterdam

Nederland www.newrealities.eu studio@newrealities.eu

In collaboration with: Quinzii Terna Architecture, Milan

Year 2021

SFNR team

Jeroen Zuidgeest

Francesca Rizzetto

Hugo Lopez Silva

QTA team

Chiara Quinzii

Diego Terna

Francesca Robustelli

Fabio Samele

Quinzii Terna Architecture

Studio for New Realities

Cities are perpetually dealing with their shortcomings in socioeconomic and demographic development, mobility, production and social cohesion. These urgencies are (finally) recognised as such at specific moments in time. This comparative research investigates the potential of the city’s public space to become a true “common space”: social places that maximise quality of life and strengthen a sense of belonging.

The document includes an analysis of the current state of public space in Rotterdam and Milan, and presents a collection of thoughts for possible nextstep interventions on various scales and layers. In doing so, it seeks to instigate a mind-shift towards a usage-driven reconsideration of these crucial shared spaces in our cities. The ultimate aim is to trigger the transformation of transit spaces towards usage spaces that accommodate the local community.

The research presented here builds on a study that QTA started in 2019 (as part of the Urban Factor call by Triennale di Milano and Comune di Milano), which investigated the city of Milan deeply, focusing specifically on the elements that compose its public places and reconstructing the essence of Milanese public space. This research is a “Spinoff”, where we observe the cases of Milan and Rotterdam to compare and learn, finding similarities and differences, as part of a general reflections on Public Space of cities around the world. The result is a comparative - not comprehensiveatlas of the common spaces in both cities - highlighting their qualities, their problems and potentials and their characters. It offers reflections on the usage quality of their public space at a unique moment in time.

*all images are courtesy of Studio for New Realities

Parterres/ boulevards comparison

Milan

Canals and singels

Rotterdamse canals are not the same as those in Amsterdam. They cannot be navigated beside only one connection called ‘The Blauwe Verbinding’. It is a special water connection between the Zuiderpark in Rotterdam, the Buijtenland van Rhoon and the Zuidpolder in Barendrecht. It is a recreational navigable route that also provides clean water in the area but it also functions as a water storage facility, establishing an ecological connection between the various green areas. The connection runs from the Zuiderpark, the Zuidelijk Randpark, the Buijtenland to the Zuidpolder. The Zuidelijk Randpark has been renovated considerably. This offers opportunities for holidaymakers from Rotterdam South as well as Carnisselande and Portland.

During this research we worked with a multi-layered strategy leading to suggested interventions at the micro, meso and macro levels: relating to the street, the neighbourhood, and the city as a whole. The series of action scale interventions proposed in the following pages can be considered a collection of thoughts, and they are built around four key components: gathering space, mobility space, green space and blue space. For each of these categories a series of interventions is drawn, from extra small to extra large – together, they give new shape and meaning to the public space of the city.

The research was carried out mainly using open data from the Municipalities of Milan and Rotterdam (and their related agencies and departments). The maps were created using GIS, as the main tool used. The extracted information was further developed in image editing softwares. Some of the maps are calculated using ‘Open Route Service’ to obtain usergenerated free geographic data directly from ‘Open Street Map’. It then builds, also with the use of ‘Travel Time API’, isochronous to determine which area objects can be reached in given times or distances.

The conclusions of this research were presented during an international event in Milan, held in the Palazzo dell’Arte, Triennale Milano.