Urbanism portfolio Mark Willem Lebbink
2018
Resume
Personal information Mark Willem Lebbink 25-04-1994 markwillemlebbink@gmail.com xxx x xxxxxxxx linkedin.com/in/marklebbink Weimar, Germany
About me
Skills
I am Mark, a passionate learner, thinker, and doer. Rural to urban migration, population growth and their consequences for the city fascinate me. I am interested in the spatial, as well as the theoretical sides of the issues.
Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign AutoCAD SketchUp MS Office
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Resume
My experience in working on projects on various scales in rapidly urbanizing China, as well as a university project concerning new-towns in Ethiopia, has left me with a great passion for developing and rapidly growing regions. The fast and vast urbanization and the great challenges and consequences that it brings are my main interests. These interests are reflected in my master thesis, a theoretical and empirical study of urban identity in a new-town. The lessons that the rapidly growing context, and slowly shrinking Europe, can learn from each other are central to the relevance of my interests. My motivation is to learn, both skills and content, in the field or in academics, to become both useful and fulfilled.
Academic writing Research Analysis Concept development Design Visualization Dutch English
Native tongue Full professional proficiency, TOEFL iBT - 108
Minor, Social Geography & Urban Planning From February 2014 to July 2014 Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands B.Sc. Urban Design From September 2011 to January 2016 Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Deventer, the Netherlands
Locations of projects
Master thesis - Urban identity in modernist urban development From April 2018 to September 2018 Bauhaus University, Weimar, Germany Internship - research, concept dev. & design From October 2017 to February 2018 CSC Landscape Design, Shenzhen, China University project - Stocks & flows From February 2017 to July 2017 Bauhaus University, Weimar, Germany & Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia University project - Refugee City From September 2015 to January 2016 Saxion UAS, Deventer, the Netherlands & University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia University project - Tyrol City From February 2015 to July 2015 Saxion UAS, Deventer, the Netherlands & University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria Internship - research From October 2014 to January 2015 Municipality of Rijssen-Holten, Rijssen, the Netherlands Project - New generations, new cities From February 2013 to July 2014 Architectuurcentrum Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands Resume
M.Sc. European Urban Studies From October 2016 to September 2018 Bauhaus University, Weimar, Germany
Main experience and projects
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Education
Index
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Index
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Resume
Index
Urban identity in modernist urban development New-town Lelystad, the Netherlands
Stocks & flows, rural to urban migration New-town Seriti, Ethiopia
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Tyrol City, suburbanization Igls, Austria
New generations, new cities Twente, the Netherlands
Photography
Index
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Rijeka, Croatia
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Refugee City, modernist dystopia
Urban identity in modernist urban development New-town Lelystad, the Netherlands Introduction Master thesis Bauhaus-University Weimar 2018
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Urban identity in modernist urban development
Examiners: Prof. Dr. Frank Eckardt & Brigitte Zamzow, M.A. Abstract: Inspired by the much criticized Disneyland-esque new-towns of Shanghai, China, the thesis brings this topic to the west. A fresh urban identity is often imposed on new-towns, and ranges from referring to the past, to appealing to futuristic ideals. The research here focused on the latter. The question revolves around how the planners and designers attempt to create this identity, and how it is subsequently perceived by the inhabitants. The tumultuous history of the study case; new-town Lelystad, the Netherlands, explored in this thesis shows, that creating a new city from scratch is easier said than done. The new-town coped with underpopulation, high criminality and a bad outside reputation over the last decades. The findings of this thesis were therefore unexpected by the author. Based on the treatment of existing literature and empirical studies on urban identity, surveys have been employed to measure the identification of the inhabitants with their city. The relatively positive results from the respondents regarding their urban identity are reflected on the conflicting efforts of urban planning and design of the current and past responsible institutions. The efforts to create urban identity are not clearly reflected in the identification and observations of the inhabitants, and therefore reflect the view that perhaps urban identification happens despite the efforts of designers, rather than because of them.
Lelystad
Urban identity as a mold-able aspect of new urban developments and new-towns is embodied best by the attempts of the designers of Gaoqiao, Shanghai. Here, the newly constructed buildings are shaped like those of the 17th-century canal houses of Amsterdam. The question arises; can urban identity be shaped at all? Or is the role of the designer in shaping the identity of any neighborhood and city generally overestimated?
In this thesis, the effects of a standardized modernist design of a new-town on the urban identification of the inhabitants are compared to urban identification in an organic, historic town. The results of the study indicate that inhabitants identify to the same degree in the two towns. This unexpected result suggests that perhaps the inhabitants make their town their home, despite the specifics of the design.
Urban identity in modernist urban development
Conclusions
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Construction of urban identity
Stocks & flows, rural to urban migration New-town Seriti, Ethiopia Introduction University project Bauhaus-University Weimar & Addis Ababa University 2017 The Ethiopian government has started an initiative to solve to overcrowding of its capital, by constructing thousands of new-towns spread over the country. Each of these towns is to develop to at least 10.000 inhabitants, to be able to offer attractive facilities.
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Stocks & flows, rural to urban migration
This project aims at creating a re-usable method to develop a spatially and economically sustainable newtown. After an in depth, contextual, analysis a combination of three primary economic sectors are matched with one of three local urban growth patterns. These three sets are extrapolated into scenarios in which the new-towns could grow. This results in fragmented, multi-linear and concentric scenarios. The scenarios are combined with an extensive development database based on the spatial needs of each inhabitant in all categories of development and stages of growth.
Ch’ach’a
These scenarios are applied to the rural area of Seriti, currently consisting of a small collection of ‘gots’, or family farms. Several moments of growth are projected for each scenario, resulting in significantly diverting shapes. Lastly, the multi-linear scenario is explored in more depth, and more detailed maps and a perspective are presented.
Seriti
Addis Ababa
The project area, a rural region in Ethiopia is analyzed in several aspects. Firstly the general conditions such as the existing development and farmlands are mapped. Secondly, as a central aspect of the project, the accessibility of the different ‘gots’ and road segments is calculated. This will help with simulating the projected growth scenarios.
The Ethiopian context provides a variety of local urban growth patterns. Three categories of these patterns can be distinguished. Firstly, ‘got’ based growth shows polycentric development around several small family farms. Secondly, the classical concentrated development, around a central market or square. The third and last category concerns the development along strong lines or axes which can be found in various regions.
Stocks & flows, rural to urban migration
Urban growth patterns
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Analysis
GOT
GOT GOT
( ACCESSIBILITY ) CONNECTION OF GOTS
GOT
GOT
( ACCESSIBILITY ) WALKABILITY
GOT
GOT 1
2
( ACCESSIBILITY ) EXTEND PROVISION
GOT
10 Stocks & flows, rural to urban migration
GOT
Conceptual development
Growth and development
The distinguished urban growth patterns are combined with several local economic drivers that most appropriately fit this spatial development. Each combination constitutes a scenario in which the town could develop, each with their own benefits and limitations.
The different scenarios are each projected on the project area. The growth is simulated through the inclusion of an extensive system of spatial metabolism, showing the land use of each function per person in each scenario.
The first scenario, ‘the fragmented city’ lends itself well for communal agriculture, but is limited in urban growth due to its multiple centers.
The second scenario is ‘the concentric city’. This is the most urban scenario, which lends itself well for dense development. However, this scenario is limited in personal agriculture, due to the distance to the homes.
Stocks & flows, rural to urban migration
Lastly, the third scenario, the ‘multi-linear city’ is explored in more depth. Here a perspective and a small plan of the possible outcome are shown. This scenario is one of the least dense developments and creates plenty of opportunity for personal agriculture due to the ample space behind the homes. It is limed by its distance of the homes to the central market and facilities.
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Multi-linear scenario
Refugee City, modernist dystopia Rijeka, Croatia Introduction University project Saxion UAS Deventer & University of Ljubljana 2016
12 Refugee city, modernist dystopia
In this project, a fictional task of housing one million refugees into an existing city (Rijeka, Croatia), is to be considered. This project aims at connecting existing and new inhabitants through a strict, modernist approach, reorganizing the entire city. The modernist approach entails a separation of living, meeting and working spaces. Concentrating the living, in towers on one side of the city, and working, in towers on the other side of the city guarantees an absence of social and spatial segregation. The original city is exclusively used for meeting. This ‘meeting space’ is home to facilities, restaurants and bars. As not all buildings are needed for these functions, the unused area will be overgrown and made into a large park. The living towers are designed to integrate the public space into the building, and feature individual designs for each floor. The design attempts to create a sense of familiarity and uniqueness to the environments of the inhabitants. Here, the implications of this dystopia are visualized.
Rijeka
Meeting
Working
Concept
Re-organization plan
As the projected one million refugees coming to the city of Rijeka will have a difficult time assimilating with the local residents, a complete overhaul is proposed. To ensure that the new and existing inhabitants of the city interact, segregation of communities is battled through separation of functions. By moving the living areas to one side, and working areas to the other side of the city a middle ground is facilitated.
As living and working spaces are now facilitated in towers on either side of the city, the existing city functions as the meeting space. The meeting space consists exclusively of restaurants, bars, parks, and other facilities. Consequently, part of the development in the existing city falls in disuse. The empty buildings will be given back to nature and integrated into a large green space for the inhabitants.
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Living
14 Refugee city, modernist dystopia
Living tower The realization that small humans don’t scale with the large plan, requires a response that takes the need for individual uniqueness into account. While the living towers promote egalitarianism, each floor is to sport a different organic design. The cell shaped cluster of apartments is meant to create a distinct and recognizable neighborhood which the inhabitants can personally identify with.
The living towers do not disrupt public space where they land but are designed to integrate the public space into the building through a large atrium. Additionally, the public space and park continue through the first floors of the building.
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Meeting space As the residents of the city move to and from their work and homes with the new tram network, by foot, or by bike, they pass the existing city. Here they meet, interact, or simply do their groceries. Some of the original buildings of the city have been re-purposed as new shops, bars, and restaurants. In other parts existing facilities have been complemented with significant expansions.
While many original buildings of the city serve a purpose in the new meeting space, many had been built for residences and are subsequently unused. Unused parts of the city will be given back to nature and integrated into a large new park for the inhabitants. What this partially occupied and partially overgrown meeting space will look like is visualized in these pages.
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Tyrol City, suburbanization Igls, Austria Introduction University project Saxion UAS Deventer & University of Innsbruck 2015 As the urbanizing valley of the river Inn (Tyrol, Austria) keeps growing, the overspill to the adjacent rural highlands becomes inevitable. The project considers the development of two areas near the village of Igls in the highlands. As with the urbanizing valley, the loss of contrast of the village to its surroundings can be damaging to its identity. It is therefore proposed to design the area located directly adjacent to the village with a similar density and volume size as the existing development.
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Inspired by a small central park enclosed by buildings in the village, the second project area serves as a bandaid to enclose the village yard. The residential high-rise in the project area is shaped like the smooth hill-scape in the background to increase contrast with the outside, and create a more intimate park towards the village. The design of the buildings includes a green facade with staircases on the outside, breaking the straight lines.
Innsbruck
Igls
Blending
Openness
Contrast
Analysis
Concept
The village of Igls is located in the rural highlands near Innsbruck in the valley, of the river Inn. In this valley the city has expanded so much, that due to overspill to the highlands, loss of contrast between the rural and urban region is under threat. This project is concerned with maintaining this contrast, at least locally, in the village of Igls. The soft morphological borders of the town can be strengthened, and a new village yard can be enclosed.
To achieve the goals which followed from the analysis, a strategy has been developed for the two different project locations. The first project location is to be integrated into the existing structure of the city, through a design with similar density and building size. The second project location uses high-rise to enclose a large yard in the village and subsequently cause higher contrast to the outside and higher intimacy towards the village.
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Intimacy
20 Tyrol city, suburbanization
Spatial concept The scale of the project areas cause some challenges for the implementation of the strategies that are stated earlier. The challenge of immersing the first project area into the existing urban fabric is achieved through a design that uses a similar building density and size as the surrounding development. The challenge of enclosing the village yard is tackled by using hill shaped high-rise residential buildings to surround the open space.
While the enclosure to the inside and contrast to the outside are wanted, the high-rise should not be overbearing or grotesque. The hill shaped apartment buildings therefore, curve with the topography of the area and are equipped with a green and lively facade. This facade includes diagonal lines of the staircases combined with large vertical vegetation surrounding them.
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Design
New generations, new cities Twente, the Netherlands Introduction Project Architectuurcentrum Twente, Architectuurcentrum Aorta, Podium voor Architectuur Haarlemmermeer en Schiphol & FORUM 2014 The rural region of Twente, in the east of the Netherlands, is expecting significant rural to urban migration. As the villages in the region continue to experience shrinkage and aging population, a new vision for development is required.
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This project focuses on lack of public transportation as one of the causes of younger generations leaving the countryside. This proposed vision for the region attempts to solve not only this problem, but also the subsequent sub-urbanization of the larger cities in the region. As new families express a wish to live in green, spacious environments that are well connected to all services and facilities, the offered solution could prove helpful. One larger city and one shrinking village are used to represent the two categories in the region. An analysis of their problems, potentials and existing urban fabric result in the following vision. The proposed vision offers an on demand, personal rapid transit system, connecting the villages to the larger cities, potentially stimulating the living in the countryside, and consequently reducing the need for sub-urban living environments.
Twente
The Netherlands
Germany
Denekamp
Enschede
Denekamp
Analysis, transport reach
Analysis, urbanity
As part of the general analysis of the region, the shrinking village of Denekamp and the growing city of Enschede will be used as examples for their respective categories. The differences between the reach with different transport modes from the respective locations, in one hour, is relatively similar, with one exception. This exception is the reach of public transport to and from the smaller villages. This will be important later in the project.
When looking at the urban morphology and connected typologies, another large difference between the city and the village can be spotted. The city possesses a large amount of green, semi-spacious suburbs. It becomes clear that many residents choose the well-connected suburbs over the shrinking villages of their parents. This project will go into a possible solution.
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Enschede
Connecting
Spreading
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De-sub-urbanizing
Concept
A new network
A proposal to potentially prevent the villages from shrinking further is made. The public transportation between the cities and villages is to be drastically improved, specifically targeting students, young professionals, and new families. The improved transportation will make the villages a viable alternative to the green suburbs of the city and provide even more space. As the suburbs will become less popular, the city can focus on improving its urban identity.
To improve the connection between the cities and the villages in the region, a network of on-demand personal rapid transit pods is suggested. A light network of overhead rails is relatively cheap to implement and retains a large part of the flexibility conventional cars can offer. Additionally, the benefits include less environmental costs and the possibility of productivity on the go.
First stage
Second stage
The implementation of the network is proposed to go through several stages. In the first stage, preparations and public investments have to be made. The second stage is the initial construction phase, where the network and small stations are placed. The third and final stage entails the expansion of the stations in the smaller villages to become a hub for local tourism with electric bike rental and a small cafe.
Third stage
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Implementation
26 Photography
Photography
Guilin
Hong Kong
Shanghai
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Hong Kong