City Portrait : Zaanstad

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.

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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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6

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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5

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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