Exploring Linearity
Reading the city of Zaanstad through the lines of organisation
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‘The meaning of places may be routed in the physical setting and objects, but they are not a property of them – rather they are a property of human intentions and experiences.’ (Edward Relph, Place and Placelessness, 1976)
Name : Malavika Gopalakrishnan Student no : 4933141 Tutor : Els Bet City : Zaanstad 2
Contents
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Introduction
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Zaan and the IJ
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Linear city
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Lines and the built form
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1.1 The outside world
2.1 The Beginning 2.2 Zaanstad and Amsterdam
3.1 Zaanstreek 3.2 Industrial hub 3.3 Evolution of linearity
4.1 Edges and borders 4.2 Infrastructure as catalyst for change 4.4 Visible and invisile lines
The Invisible Zaan 5.1 Industry 5.2 Private zaan
Experience Zaan
6.1 Case studies 6.2 Strategies for change 6.3 Making the invisible, visible
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1
Introduction
If you do not see it, it does not exist!
Zaanstad is a municipality in the province of North holland in The Netherlands. It is known for its industrial mill-history and the beautiful dutch landscape. It consists of 7 villages (Zaandam, Koog a/d Zaan, Zaandijk, Wormerveer, Krommenie, Assendelft and Westzaan) of which Zaandam is the biggest. ‘Zaanstad -The linear city’.. This atlas is my eplorations of the city through the lines that becomes the drivers of development and, the dynamics of how the form of the city interact with these lines. It is also interesting to look at the identity of the city, from an industrial town to an urban fringe, and its effect on the form and orientation of the city. There is also a significant paradigm shift caused by this identity transformation, reducing the importance of the river Zaan, from an organizing structure, to a service corridor of the city. The once strong sense of linearity of the city along the river Zaan is weaker now, as Zaan is reduced to an invisible line hidden behind a private riverfront and derelict industries. It also looks at the authenticity and meaning of the symbols of identity, represented in a new world, and whether the essence of the city has been lost in translation. This is a story of belonging as well as being.
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The Outside world Regional context
Zaanstad Zaanstad
Amsterdam
Amsterdam
The Trade links Industry and the harbour Parallel to the emergence of Amsterdam the neighbouring towns and villages on the banks of the Zaan river grew into what was probably the first modern industrial region worldwide.The typically Dutch engine behind this �industrial revolution was the windmill. It powered the sawmills that initially worked mostly for Amsterdam traders, but soon the Zaan region started to produce its own wooden products as well. The most successful offspring of those sawmills obviously was shipbuilding.
Zaandam
Het IJ
Amsterdam
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2
Zaan and the IJ
The two main rivers and how they shaped the formation of the city
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The Beginning
2010+
Historical context
The Zaan area kept growing as the industrial heart of Holland, with most of its industries being tightly networked with the Amsterdam's trade and financial sectors. The replacement of windmills by steam engines and the opening of the North Sea Canal revived the industrialisation in the Zaan area. 1250
Metropolitan region of Amsterdam
1940
1680
1975 Afsluitdijk
North Sea
North Sea
Ijselmeer
South Sea
Noordzekanaal
amsterdam port
The IJ
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Tale of two cities
Zaanstad and Amsterdam
Metropolitan region of Amsterdam Zaanstad as an urban finger of amsterdam The Zaan and the IJ act as the link between Amsterdam and Zaanstad, connecting the two cities. With new drivers of development, namely th road and rail infrastructure, such as hembrug tunnel, new links were established between the two cities, transforming Zaanstad as one of the urban fingers of Amsterdam 8
Drivers of development Road and Railway connectivity
THE TWO MAIN LINES THE RIVER LANDSCAPE
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3
The Linear City
The River as an organising structure of the city
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The Peat bog stream Landscape transformation The River Zaan, eleven kilometers long, is the centuries old peat bog stream on whose banks a unique area developed: the Zaan Region. The river forms and transfroms the landscape and resulting and growth of the city
Water Network
Zaanstreek
Peat bog cushion and the stream
Peat landscape
The Industrial Hub
Windmills and trade links Along the River Zaan it was a hotbed of industry in the 19th century. The Zaan region was the world’s first industrial estate and has left us a magnificent piece of industrial heritage. In its heyday, the Zaan district developed into a booming industrial area, with at its peak over 600 active windmills: wooden factories powered by the wind.
Seedijk River dijk Polder Direction of reclamation
Direction of reclamation of land and dijkes
NORTH SEA ( To outside world)
AMSTERDAM PORT
The Polder landscape
Concentration of Windmills along Zaan 12
Zaan as the backbone of the city
Evolution of linearity
Developmement of built form in stages The city grew in a linear way, with settlements growing along the river. Further with industrial growth, the city started expanding, resulting in peri - urbanisation and formation of fringes.
Assendelft
Westzaan
Saenredam
Early Settlements - Ribbons
Urbanisation of rural area - Expansion
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Peri urbanisation - Fringes
RIVER AS ORGANISING STRUCTURE
ESTABLISHING LINEARITY
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4
Lines and the built form The interaction of lines with the built form and how the relationship changes over time
Landscape limitations
Edged formed by landscape
Nature reserve Agriculture Water network Dijkes
Layer Approach
Built form
Road and Railway
Landscape
Fragmented system
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Edges formed by the infrastructure
Permiability of fragments
Landscape coming into the fragments
Edges formed with infrastructure and built form
Edges and borders
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Interaction of infrastructure with built form
Porousity of fragments Porous edges and barriers
The infrastructure forms two kinds of edges, a porous edge and a strong barrier. The porous edge allows the landscape to integrate more with the built form. A strong barrier is formed along the riverfront as the river is inaccessible.
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There is a shift in dynamics of lines within blocks, as the organising structure in the block changes. The early ribbon development shows the street parallel to the river, with the houses along the street. The later developments show more perpendicular movement.Thus the line eventually becomes a grid.
Line to GRID
Organising lines within blocks 19
Line to GRID
Organising lines within blocks
The paradigm shift from a line to a grid, forming new organising lines and reducing the importance of the old lines. 20
Streets as Public Space Lack of open public spaces
The attractors within the neighbourhoods are along the streets, thus there is a lack of centrality or structured public spaces. This new organising line is a reslult of the development of new transportation network, namely road and railway.
Railway stations and attractors within neighbourhoods
Roads and attractors within neighbourhoods
New Infrastructure as catalyst for change Road, Railway and the built form
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New Lines of Organisation
Riiver as an organising line to an invisible line
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The Invisible Zaan How did the river became invisble and why?
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Industry and the river
Derelict industries blocking the river
Business parks Port related industries Derelict/old industries Mixed use Industries in inner city
Industry along Zaan The zaan forms a barrier as the riverfront is blockedby the industry old and new and making it inaccessible 24
Private Zaan
Private housing along zaan forming
Fig 1 : West of Zaan
Fig 1 : East of Zaan
Housing along zaan The zaan is also a private privilage as the private houses are situated along the river, leading to the city being closed and introverted
private
VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE LINES
PARADIGM SHIFT
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Experience Zaan The Big picture!
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Two zones are chosen for further analysis, along Zaan as well as Hembrug terrain along the IJ. The region along zaan gives a better idea of the introverted nature of the city and possible strategie sfor change. The hembrug terrain is an old industrial area wth mostly derelict and old factories. The studies will show the need for a more open and accessible riverfront.
ZONE 1 : Along Zaan
ZONE 2: Hembrug Terrain
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Case 1: Along river
The vantage points and frames of view of Zaan 7
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6
3
4
1
2
8
7
6
5
1
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Orientation of the city
3 2
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Lines and reflections The River as a barrier
ZAAN
ZAAN
T
ACH
E GR
EMPT
GED
ZAAN
DAM SQUARE
HT
RAC
TE G
EMP
GED
HT
RAC
TE G
EMP
GED
DAM SQUARE
DAM SQUARE
RAILWAY STATION
RAILWAY STATION
Road as a reflection of river
Street network
Streets as public spaces
Break points in the barrier
The invisible Zaan
Semi public
Private
Section across the river showing the river as a private barrier 30
Private
Making the river accessible
CREATING VISTAS The proposal is to create more open public spaces along the riverfront, by converting vacant and unused spaces. The public spaces will be connected with pedestrian and cycle paths along the river. The aim of the proposal is to make the river more accessible and visible by creating new vistas and vantage points.
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Case 2 : Hembrug Terrain Dereclict industries and Vacant plots LEGEND Private houses Mixed use Derelict industries Offices/factories Forest Open space ZAAN
THE IJ
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The adaptive re-use of derelict industries will create more public and mixed use spaces along the riverfront, making the riverfront more vibrant and open. The hembrug terrain can thus be transformed into a hub of creative and innovative spaces for artists and offices as well as new social activities.
Creating Vibrant mixed use spaces
ADAPTIVE RE-USE
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THE IJ
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THE BIG PICTURE
Clusters of public spaces along the riverfront and connecting links
Current centres of attractions
The final proposal aims at creating new clusters of public spaces along the Zaan and the Ii and interlinked by the possible new green network of connectivity along the riverfront. This will transform the riverfront to a vibrant, visible and accessible to water front, as well as the formation of new quality public spaces, making the city more open and as well as increasing social interaction.
New clusters of attraction 35
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MAKING THE INVISIBLE
VISIBLE
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We turn to the faculty of sight, for it is almost entirely through vision that the environment is apprehended. Gordon Cullen; the concise townscape(1971)
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References Literature Lynch, K. (1997). The image of the city. Cambridge, Mass: MIT P Cullen, Gordon. (1971). The concise townscape. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. Waldheim, Charles. (2006). New York: Princeton Architectural press Seamon, David & Sowers, Jacob. (2008). Place and Placelessness, Edward Relph. 10.4135/9781446213742.n5. Leeke Reinders (2016) Homing the Dutch City, Home Cultures, 13:2, 193-213, DOI: 10.1080/17406315.2016.1190586
Data http://code.waag.org/buildings/ http://www.topotijdreis.nl/ http://download.geofabrik.de/europe/netherlands.html http://opentopo.nl/ http://kaart.edugis.nl/ http://maps.bodemdata.nl/bodemdatanl/index.jsp https://www.dbnl.org https://www.plaatsengids.nl/zaanstreek https://allecijfers.nl/gemeente/zaanstad/ http://www.nhwerklocaties.nl/werklocaties-gemeenten/zaanstad/ http://www.mappinghistory.nl/ https://www.ensie.nl/monuments-in-noord-holland/zaandam-municipality-of-zaanstad https://geo.zaanstad.nl/zaanatlas/composer/ http://www.atlas1868.nl/nh/zaandam.html https://kijkzaans.nl/hembrugterrein-zaandam/ https://www.google.com/maps/place/Zaanstad
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Msc1 Urbanism AR1U090 R and D Studio Analysis and Design of urban form Faculty of Architecture and Built Environment TU Delft
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