NOORDSCHIPPERSDOK OUR SPOT ON THE DAM!
Studio Strategic Spatial Planning KULeuven Fall ‘14 Carmen Briers (Belgium) Carmen Lissette Collado Solis (Nicaragua) Emerald Upoma Baidya (Bangladesh) Kathleen De Beukelaer (Belgium) Manoela Fajgenbaum Feiges (Brazil) Saima Musharrat (Bangladesh) Tabassum Zarin (Bangladesh) Studio team Jan Schreurs Pieter Van den Broeck Seppe De Blust Tim Devos Jury members Els Gepts Oswald Devisch Lisa De Vos Liesbeth Hyubrechts Jeroen Cuypers Frank Moulaert Acknowledgements: We would like to thank our Studio supervisors Tim and Seppe of ndvr, for their constant support in this process, as well as prof. Schreurs and prof. Van den Broeck for their critical input and wise words. We are thankful to the Dam residents, especially Gerlinde, Simon-Peter and Dominique, for the energetic and enthousiastic collaboration. Lastly, a word of thank to all city services of Antwerp for their willingness to support us in our ideas. We hope this project will be a lever for the Dam, bearing fruits for both its residents and the City.
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CONTEXT OF AN INTERVENTION
1
A REFLECTION OF TIMELINES
2
METAREFLECTION
3
EPILOGUE
4
3
This booklet aims at providing a critical documentation of the conception, methods of progress and reflection on the second and final phase of the SSP studio 2014. The final outcome, delivered to the established coregroup and the involved City officials, can be found in the second booklet. [This booklet is added as an attachment to this one. Due to its purpose of strengthening all involved parties in their follow-up of the project, it is written in Dutch.]
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However, our story is only a small part of a much larger trajectory currently on a roll in the Dam. In the introduction, we trace the bigger story back to three main aspects: the Slaughterhouse project, the work of Studio SSP ‘13 and the preliminary phase of studio SSP ‘14.
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CONTEXT OF AN INTERVENTION
5
July, 2013 Sep, 2013
Sep, 2014
Nov, 2014
Dec, 2014
First Damcomité Studio SSP ´13
Phase 01: Studio SSP ´14 Phase 02: Studio SSP ´14 Final output: Team Intervention
2007
2012
Slaughterhouse closed
Project Slaughterhouse (Ambition Note)
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PROJECT SLAUGHTERHOUSE Noordschippersdok-Lobroekdok
DAM
ANTWERP
The Slaughterhouse served profoundly in the socioeconomic development of the Dam. But after 122 years of business, the Slaughterhouse went bankrupt and closed in 2007. The city sold a large part of the site, including the slaughterhouse itself. The upheaval this caused in the Dam cannot be neglected. After submitting a request for a brownfield convenant, the (group of) owners of the site started investigating different options for its development. In June 2012, an urban ambition note for the Slaughterhouse site (including Noordschippersdok and the quays of the Lobroekdok) was produced by the city. This first vision of the possibilities of the area meant to serve as an input for the future masterplan. After the urban ambition note, the City started drafting the project definition. Then, in theory, the masterplan competition phase can follow. But currently, the Slaughterhouse project has stalled in the phase of constructing a project definition. AG Vespa, the city service leading the process, expects it to be ready by the beginning of 2015.
DAM
PROJECT SLAUGHTERHOUSE BOUNDARIES 7
DAMCOMITÉ Among the Dam residents, the concerns about the future of the neighborhood started to grow after the first presentation of the ambition note “Project Slaughterhouse” in July 2012. In order to formalize the discussion movement a neighborhood organization was created and named Damcomité. In principle, all residents are members and can be involved in the whole decision-making process. However, some residents are inevitably more involved than others. One year later, in July 2013, the first official meeting of Damcommité took place. On the pretext of “rather ask beforehand than complain afterwards” Damcomité formally demanded the City of Antwerp to be more involved in the planning process of the Slaughterhouse site. For this reason a petition of more than 700 signatures was handed over to the alderman of City Development, July 2013, demanding a formal promise, in a form of a participation charter, of a participatory and co-productive process. Unfortunately, up to now, that promise was never formally confirmed. Damcomité decided to keep up the good spirits and started gathering all the dreams, hopes and wishes of all Dammers for the Slaughterhouse site in an advice to the city. By organizing regular open calls to all inhabitants, the representability of this document was ensured.
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STUDIO SSP ‘13 Our predecessors of the studio SSP ‘13 have left us an extensive legacy. Last year’s studio SSP was the first group of students introduced into the participatory process of the Dam via ndvr, a young Antwerp office specializing in the social aspects of spatial planning. Since July 2013, ndvr is present in the neighborhood, supporting Damcomité in organizing participation in the Dam.
The work of last year’s studio SSP paved our path, and we consider our contribution as a continuation of their ideas and concepts. With a series of mappings, events and interventions in the Dam, they not only succeeded in empowering Damcomité in its mission for more participation in the Slaughterhouse site planning process, but also generated more appreciation for the inclusive social network of the neighborhood.
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STUDIO SSP ‘14 - PRELIMINARY TRAJECTORY Studio SSP ‘14 followed a completely different trajectory than Studio SSP ‘13. Last year, the students started off by experimenting with different techniques for data collection, with the goal of igniting public involvement and feeding a participation process within the status quo of the Slaughterhouse site planning process. Where this year, among other objectives, we ended up being involve in a relatively short-term but very concrete initiative for an intervention on a valuabe place on the Dam: Noordschippersdok.
This studio’s goal was, in first instance, to inspire the project definition with design proposals. From the start of the semester, we split up in three teams, working on three topics recurring in all the previous data. One team focused on the issue of scale. The fine grain of the Dam neighborhood is surrounded by an accumulation of large-scale programs and develoments: Sportpaleis, the ring road (+ future Oosterweelverbinding), a new monstersized hospital, … The team aimed at investigating the impact of all these projects on the Dam, and the possible mediating role of the Slaughterhouse site on this impact.
SCALE GROUP DESIGN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
LIVING AND WORKING GROUP INTERVENTION
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Final Jury_Jan, 2015
Future collaboration for final Jury
Final Output_Dec 2014
New combination and formation of two groups based on final output
Mid-review_Nov 2014
Formation of fourth group for organazing Mid-review
Three groups based on analysis subject
Start of SSP ‘14_Sep 2014
MID-REVIEW-CREW
The second team worked on project management by researching the consecutive phases of the planning context. This led them to the concept of appropriation (related to improving the utility of the area), and the insight that it was urgently necessary to provide a better framework for it. Only then both project and inhabitants can succeed in creating a common appropriation of the site. The third team investigated how new conceptions of the combination of living and working, the historical foundation of the Dam, could currently revitalize the neighborhood.
MIDREVIEW 4th of november In anticipation of the midreview, one student out of every team merged to form a new group. This group’s responsability was the preparation of the midreview. This midreview team started attending Damcomité meetings, which proved to be of pivotal influence on the course of the studio. At that time, Damcomité was having doubts about the Advice document. Since the Advice (see appendix 1) and the booklet of ndvr (see appendix II) had to be published before the official round-up of the project definition, it was urgently time to finalize it. We introduced the midreview as a deadline for the first draft, and as an opportunity to have a last round of comments on and additions to the Advice. This happened in the format of a workshop. The deadline was set, and from that moment onwards our role was to support Damcomité in finalizing the Advice. The goal of the Advice itself transformed as well. At first it was meant to open up the project definition and allow discussion on its’ content, then it curbed towards a more infomative role for the next phase: the masterplan competition.
Accordingly, the studio work was also transformed in anticipation of this Advice workshop. The research and first tentative design proposals of the different studio teams were poured into micro-scale scenarios. These scenarios integrated a range of information into easily comprehensible storylines, intended not only to further inform the design process, but also, and more imporantly, to feed the imagination of the workshop participants. The midreview team compressed the Advice into ten thematized statements and provided each of them with a visualisation. After a round-table debate on the design scenarios, the participants were invited to a poster exhibition where they discussed and ranked the Advice statements, with a refreshed look. A healthy mix of participants was welcomed at the workshop, although the generation of 30-40 years old, ‘gentrifying’ inhabitants was, as usual, a bit overrepresented. Nevertheless, some new faces showed up, which was very valuable for ensuring representability of the final Advice document. 11
ADVICE 01: MORE GREEN OPEN SPACES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS ADVICE GOT THE MOST SUPPORT OF THE PRESENT INHABITANTS
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NOORDSCHIPPERSDOK After the midreview, studio SSP took a moment to evaluate the output and to reflect on how the second phase of the studio could continue. We agreed that the work done on the scenarios was too valuable not to continue with it. The table discussion of the project management group was very inspiring. The idea of appropriation of the Slaughterhouse site through temporary and participatory neighborhood scale interventions opened up the consideration of going deeper into the intervention theme. The aim was to rethink the place, how to bring more life and attention to the area while maintaining its identity. Combining this with the participatory initiatives of the midreview preparation team which took place in assisting Damcomité with finalizing the Advice, we already had a good starting point.
Simultaneously, another window of opportunities opened itself. Ndvr heard about a certain interest of the City’s and District’s youth services for Noordschippersdok. The opportunity to research and design an intervention in this specific area prompted us to redivide the studio teams. One team continued the work on the design proposals set in motion by the midreview scenarios, with the goal of producing an outcome that could inspire the upcoming competition phase. The other team worked on creating an intervention at Noordschippersdok. From the work of our predecessors we learned about the importance of Noordschippersdok for the Dam, the only green and open space in the neighborhood. Many local inhabitants and organisations expressed their social and spatial interest, both for the area and for a possible urban gardening project.
APPROPRIATION OF THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE SITE
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WHAT IT USED TO BE LIKE
RAVOTKOT
14
WHAT IT IS NOW
PLAYBOAT
PETANQUE FIELDS
Few Dammers realise that Noordschippersdok is part of the Slaughterhouse project area, and we are convinced that a temporary project can shed a new light on this important place in the neighborhood. Furthermore, we understood that a temporary project at Noordschippersdok could function as a catalyst for a bigger series of events. Our goal became creating a temporary intervention at Noordschippersdok: This would simultaneously make the Dam residents aware of the extents of the Slaughterhouse project area, and strengthen their strong demands for large green and public spaces within the project. While the project definition for the Slaugtherhouse site is still in review with the site owners and AG Vespa, the city services are no longer making investments in Noordschippersdok, and even confirming this by replacing the large play boat by smaller play devices. As a consequence, this once vivid neighborhood park and playground now has a neglected appearance. But as long as construction works
GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE PUBLIC SPACE
don’t start, Noordschippersdok is the most strategic spot in the neighborhood for introducing a temporary intervention. The idea of creating a natural playground was introduced to our studio by Wim Segers, of the District’s Youth Service, via ndvr. Different city services came up with, and thus supported the idea of “doing something” here, but as there was no framework, no budget and no legislative power coming from higher policy levels, their good intentions were more or less blocked. The fact that different city services expressed their interest for the same space that was mentioned as “highly important in our daily- and social lives” by a great number of residents, it became clear that a temporary intervention could and should take place at Noordschippersdok. After the establishment of that fact, an interesting trajectory started to take shape. This trajectory will be elaborated in the next chapters.
SMALLER PLAY DEVICES REPLACE BOAT
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In order to construct a critical reflection on our trajectory, we consider it necessary to document and grasp a complete overview of the process. Therefore we split it up in a set of timelines, of which the overview is displayed on the next page. It was difficult to come to a consensus on what materials or decisions worked best when and where in the process, but overall, it was an interesting challenge working efficiently given the short time span in which we were operating. On the next pages we will de-layer this timeline, analysing all our steps, decisions and achievements, how they were influential or influenced each other and how they worked together. This way, we want to provide the reader with an insight into the logic of our trajectory. We give an overview of the meetings with both Dam inhabitants and city officials that we organized or attended, our internal actions and reflections, the actors and their involvement along the way, the produced material with its intentions and resulting outcomes and our ever changing roles and strategies. Each of these timelines comes with a description and critical reflection. 16
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A REFLECTION OF TIMELINES
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A REFLECTION OF TIMELINES
EFFECTIVENESS
(+)
(-) Jeugddienst Stad Jeugddienst District
OUR PROGRESS
(+)
Geert Allaert
Antwerpen aan´t Woord
Kind & Samenleving
Ilse Rossou ndvr
Hanne Bastiaensen
Gerlinde Van Geert
Local organisations
Simon-Peter De Landtsheer Dominique Vilain Hilde Van De Velde Hugo Maenhout
(-) WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
NOVEMBER CATALYSE
CO-PRODUCE ANALYSE
COMMIT
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-
Paul Cordy
Groendienst Antwerpen
Jef Snor Damcomité
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
DECEMBER
DESIGN ENGAGE
INFORM
PERSIST 19
TIMELINE 01: MEETINGS WITH CITY & INHABITANTS 01
WEEK 02
02
WEEK 03
WEEK 04
20
Start Studio SSP after Mid-Review
Meeting 01 Den Bell
Meeting 02 The Dam
Meeting 03 Zeppelin
Decision of temporary intervention in NSD.
PARTICIPANTS
City Youth Service (CYS) District Youth Service Child and Society ndvr, Studio SSP
Gerlinde Studio SSP
Simon-Peter Dominique Jacques (De Grijze Kat) Studio SSP
PURPOSE
Learn about natural playground from CYS & an agreement to work together on NSD.
Find a possible core group.
Make the core group aware and engaged with proposal on NSD.
OUTPUT
NOVEMBER
Only verbal involvement from CYS, no budget or active participation from CYS.
Contact numbers for possible members.
All the invited persons were not present in meeting. Inspirational feedback.
05 03
04
WEEK 01
06
08 07
09
WP
WEEK 02
WEEK 03
DECEMBER Meeting 04 Kras Noord
Meeting 05 City hall
Meeting 07 Elegast
Meeting 08 Elegast
Meeting 09 ?
City Youth Service, District Youth Service, Buurtregie, Elegast, Weja All-In, Studio SSP
Alderman Paul Cordy City Youth Service Other City services Studio SSP
Hugo Maenhout Simon-Peter Gerlinde Studio SSP
Jef Snor Studio SSP
Core group Hugo Maenhout Other actors
Make city services know Provoke the city with about NSD & have an design proposals & have agreement. Know in details an agreement. about Urban Gardening.
Present ideas about NSD. Know more about Urban Gardening projects.
Details about Urban Gardening project.
Make core group interact with important actors.
Hugo Maenhout was not present. City services are bound to their agenda, need more political support for engagement.
Positive response. General discussion Discussion on Urban about Urban Gardening, e.g. Gardening. location.
Winter Party Elegast
Green Service Studio SSP
Inhabitants Studio SSP
PURPOSE
Inventory of possible materials to be used in NSD.
Get feedback about proposals.
Have an idea about the materials to be used.
Positive feedback from inhabitants.
PARTICIPANTS
Meeting 06 Green Service
OUTPUT
Positive response from Alderman. Verbal support gained but no written agreement.
Carry on the temporray intervention in NSD.
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Meeting 01_the journey begins A first encounter with the ongoing ideas for a temporary intervention on Noordschippersdok led to a group discussion, focused on the possibilities of creating a natural playground in the park. Although the youth services had some ideas, a certain active engagement was retrained. They informed us about the lack of budget and their recommendation for using recycled materials. From our part, a conceptplan was expected. At the end, it was more or less agreed upon that the intervention at Noordschippersdok should be temporary, low-budget, participatory & natural. Meeting 02_in search for torchbearers The meeting with Gerlinde was constructive. Thanks to her personal network, we identified possible members for a core group who could carry on the legacy of temporary interventions, after we finish the semester in December. Meeting 03_shooting ideas Many possible actors were invited to and expected here, but unfortunately only a few could make it. We engaged in discussions about the reasons behind the lack of use of Noordschipperdok and the possible activities there. If already some simple changes would be made, the area would become more successful. Among the ideas: putting a pop-up summer bar, bbq space, flower plants, a central kiosk, a place for the elderly, ...
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Meeting 04_entry of reality A diverse group of city services was expected to be present. Due to some miscommunication, some weren’t able to attend, among them, to our disappointment, a crucial partner Hugo Maenhout. The youth services mentioned Noordschippersdok is currently not considered a priority playground, and expecting the city’s active involvement would politically be too complex. Those at the table encouraged the idea of relocating the panna field (small football field) and advised to set the proposal of urban gardening as the primary task. Instead of targetting bigger goals, it was suggested to consider the interventions step
by step. Meeting 05_let the voices be heard The strategy of being proactive and making the city react on a phased design proposal brought positive response. The Alderman and city officials present were in favor of the ideas and expressed their interest to cooperate. However, no formal, written agreement could be obtained. Meeting 06_intervention materials The same day, a spontaneous meeting with the Green Service inspired us to use leftover materials for an intervention at Noordschippersdok. It transformed into selecting material to create a demonstrative natural playground intervention at the winter party. Natural materials like willow trees, tree branches, logs were available. Meeting 07_the man behind urban gardening The presence of Hugo Maenhout of Samentuinen acted was the core of this meeting. The discussion revolved around the ideas and possibilities of urban gardening projects. The idea of using movable boxes for gardening was discussed, which can be easily relocated if the temporary intervention would have to change location. The cost, time, location and possible participation are key elements to be adressed in order to continue. Urban gardening in Noordschippersdok should not only be a source of leisure or even small-scale economy, but also and
more importantly it should be a stage for intensified social relations in the neighborhood. Meeting 08_elaborating on urban gardening Meeting 07 revealed the importance of another actor in the urban gardening project, Jef Snor. Since he had started gathering a group of interested residents in whole 2060 (Antwerp North), we wanted to involve him. The meeting arranged with him on the morning of winter party generated a comprehensive discussion on the possibilities of urban gardening and a commitment for future engagement. Winter party_the moment of announcement As Elegast is one of the best known organisations in the Dam, we were lucky to introduce our project at their winter party. By embedding our project in this local event, it provided us the opportunity to reach a diversified public and to arouse awareness and curiosity. By using four types of presentation methods, the inhabitants participated in discussions about the collected ideas. Thanks to the presence of the core group, interest and enthousiasm for the proposal was increasing.
MEETING 07
Meeting 09_pass on the baton Together with this booklet, a second booklet including more content-related information was produced. During the latest contact with the coregroup, a future meeting including Jef Snor and other city services, but without the presence of the Studio team, was agreed upon. This stresses the idea that the core group feels empowered to involve all important actors by themselves. As an informal agreement with a second Alderman already has been made, we are reassured they have the means to continue the process. The set of meetings that took place in the span of six weeks provided us with a critical learning process about the practical complexities of acting as a mediator. Although an overarching objective of bringing all the stakeholders in a common meeting was not eventually achieved, we are affirmative that the earlier meetings have paved way for future ones.
WINTER PARTY
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TIMELINE 02: ACTIONS & REFLECTIONS
OUR PROGRESS
(+)
(-) WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
NOVEMBER Reflection on Mid-Review process.
Decision Temporary Intervention + Note to Alder-man.
Mapping Reflection on Strategy (“Do the unexpected”) + Looking for Case Studies.
The site and the organizations around (after calling them).
Contacting city services (informed about Samentuinen) + arranging meeting Antwerpen aan ‘t Woord
Decision
On timeline and preparing presentation to inhabitants.
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WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
DECEMBER Reflection
Looking for
on previous steps + Planning winter party activities.
support from the City
1° Meeting with inhabitants (goals not fully achieved).
Designing
a “phases” plan to provoke and illustrate intervention.
Finding
commitment from the City.
Validation
of Plans and feedback.
Preparing
Decision
Presenting
meeting with alderman.
on elements for Winter Party.
proposals with positive feedback.
cancelling meeting Antwerpen aan’t Woord
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The work developed by the intervention team is graphically described on the previous page as a combination of time and its perceived effectiveness for our progress. As a methodology of evaluation, the choice of this representation is closely connected with the situations we faced during this period. The first weeks, our mission took shape instigated by the initial contact with Wim Segers, by our studio’s tutors’ comments and by the research on natural playgrounds and temporary interventions for children. The idea of transforming such a strategic place as Noordschippersdok for the benefit of kids and the community as a whole gave us a lot of energy. However, we didn’t succeed in connecting our initial research strategically to what was feasible within the limited time span available. Meanwhile, we started to get a more detailed understanding of the area through the production of multiple mappings. Mapping the physical area, e.g. its elements, quantities, differences between materials, was necessary to read Noordschippersdok more in depth. The social characteristics of the place were investigated through communication with social organizations of the neighborhood.
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On the one hand, we had multiple ideas and proposals about what could be done at Noordschippersdok. On the other hand, we were stuck with external influences in the project. We put our hopes on an enlightening meeting with experts on the subject, arranged by Antwerpen aan´t Woord, to decide about our desired output. We made a studio timeline based on a compilation of our ideas.
And so, the first meeting with inhabitants on the topic of Noordschippersdok, took place. As aforementioned, less people than we had hoped were present. Although we gained a lot of information, we felt like we needed another strategy to encounter the involved parties. Together with the cancelling of the meeting with Antwerpen aan’t Woord, we realized we could’nt wait for external actions. After analysis of the output of the meeting – in combination with the previous knowledge – we reflected and discussed about the process and the further strategies. In order to provoke more specific reactions and achieve commitment from the authorities, a conceptual design proposal for Noordschippersdok was developed. The plan was developed in phases, which allowed us to demonstrate its coherence and feasibility. The first reaction from the city services was rather negative: they were not allowed to promise any prospects of commitment and were drawn back by political influence. As an opportunity rised, already a few days later, the situation turned over. A quite effective meeting with an alderman Paul Cordy was the tool to achieve the desired commitment of the City (at least verbally expressed during the meeting). As the winter party from the neighborhood was at hand, we saw this moment as a great opportunity to make the inhabitants aware of the process. Gathering all our input, we kept on pushing the materials in order to reach a higher level of effectiveness. This resulted in positive reactions from the Dammers as well as outsiders to the project.
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TIMELINE 03: ACTORS
*
LEGEND Communication in time Meetings By e-mail By phone call By text message Canceled meetings or communication
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
NOVEMBER 28
*This group of local organizations that were called includes: Elegast, het Vaderhuis, VOEM, WEJA Bouwspeelpleinen, basisschool ‘t Weilandje, De Grijze Kat and many more.
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
DECEMBER 29
The actors timeline illustrates which actors were involved in the intervention process, when they came into the picture and how the communication occured. The first actor involved was the participatory researchand-design office ndvr because of their immediate relationship with the studio as well has their connection to the Slaughterhouse project and the Dam as a whole. Due to the studio’s interest in developing an intervention – with the overarching goal of achieving appropriation of the upcoming process for the slaughterhouse project area, as well as appropriation of the physical site itself – ndvr shared with us the interest of the City Youth Service in setting up a participatory process for the development of a natural playground environment at Noordschippersdok. Wim Seghers youth service - City of Antwerp wim.seghers@stad.antwerpen.be 03/338 75 53
During the next week we had a meeting with both Kind & Samenleving and the City- and District Youth Services involved in this initiative. When Kind & Samenleving showed their preliminary research on natural playgrounds, Wim Seghers, as coördinator of the City Youth Service, elaborated his aspired involvement in the project. While some contraints and aspirations were discussed, it was clearly important to have him as a key actor within our process. After this meeting, we started contacting important social organizations, identified as such by last years’ studio. Through phone calls it was possible to identify how and when they (or their kids) use the park, and to have a quick chat about their perception of the place. It was a first test for support. All reached social organizations confirmed their willingness to work on concrete interventions, rather than participating in the planning phase of the projects. 30
Gerlinde Van Geert member Damcomité, volunteer ‘t Spoor, involved in the paroch, ... vangeert.gerlinde@telenet.be 0478/20 73 47
Simon-Peter De Landtsheer member Damcomité, administrator website dendam2060.be & blog slachthuiswijk2060 simon@dendam2060.be 0497/62 66 64
Dominique Vilain member Damcomité dominiquevilain@outlook.be 0475/77 60 22
At the same time we started contacting a group of inhabitants, who we considered strategically important, due to the commitment and leadership they showed during the meetings held before the mid-review of the studio. By adopting a ‘capabilities-agency’ approach (see Sen, 1990, 1996, 2013), we decided to promote the constitution of a core group including these inhabitants, who could lead the process of the intervention, and maybe later, its execution, when the Studio support is finished. We needed to ensure that the intervention was ‘sustainable’ in time. Four inhabitants of the Dam were willing to be part of this: Gerlinde, Simon-Peter, Dominique and Hilde. However, Hilde could not be present in any meeting arranged by the studio team. Nevertheless, she repeatedly showed a lot of interest to participate in the initiative during passive contact. As the core group is seen as a dynamic entity, we hope it will expand and include multiple engaged inhabitants who could add with new specific knowledge, adapted to the specificy of the future process.
Besides this, we contacted certain city services who are more generaly related to the neighborhood: Neighborhood Director Ilse Roussou, City in Transition and City in Dialogue. We aimed to mobilize as much people – and organizations – as possible, in favor of the intervention. Ilse Rossou Neighborhood Director - promote positive perception in den Dam ilse.rossou@stad.antwerpen.be
Geert Allaert City in Transition geert.allaert@stad.antwerpen.be 0497/66 23 55
However, we weren’t able to get the city services to interact with the core group of inhabitants. On the one hand, there was a mismatch of agendas, and on the other hand, the representatives of the city services didn’t want to create any ‘false expectations’ among the inhabitants, by getting involved in the promotion of an intervention in the park. Hugo Maenhout service Samentuinen of Antwerp hugo.maenhout@stad.antwerpen.be 03/338 98 49
could be integrated and mutally reinforce each other. Although we didn’t meet Hugo in person until the last two weeks of the Studio, he had an enormous influence. Jozef Van Der Beken, aka Jef Snor
inhabitant Antwerp North, founder of the project ‘moestuin 2060 Antwerpen’ jef_snor@msn.com 0487/36 71 66
In the beginning we were more focused on finding persons who were directly involved in the existing network of the Dam. Getting notice of Jef Snor, an inhabitant of Antwerp North, who was willing to start up the urban gardening project, opened up the capacity of the whole intervention. This opening up to a broader public was only achieved during the winter party. Our actor network consists out of a cooperative, flexible but enthousiast group of residents and city officials, and we think it is in place to say that that’s one of our greatest achievements. We set up a social process, nonetheless driven by a spatial ambition. Yet we acknowledge that within our network both active and passive actors are present. As the process will grow, some will demonstrate more interaction and become active, while others may slowly become passive. Especially when the phases of the process evolve, the focus will change.
While contacting Ilse Rossou, we got notice of the ongoing project led by Hugo Maenhout of Samentuinen. He is experienced in launching urban gardening projects in Antwerp, and appeared to be starting up a research process investigating the possibilities of developing this type of intervention at Noordschippersdok. While we were encouraged by this change of events, getting in contact with Hugo became an important aspect and changed the course of our process. From that moment, two interventions (natural playground environment and urban gardening) 31
TIMELINE 04: MATERIALS
EFFECTIVENESS
(+)
(-) WEEK 02
WEEK 03
WEEK 04
PURPOSE
TO WHOM
MATERIAL
NOVEMBER
32
13.11
18.11
Preliminary analysis
Field mapping
Youth Service
Internal team
Representing site and context
Spatial analysis
Preliminary analysis Case studies
Representing the site and context
WEEK 01
WEEK 02
WEEK 03
DECEMBER 27.11
04.12
08.12
10.12
12.12
Base map Case studies Use of space mapping
Intervention map Case studies 1st visualization
Booklet full proposal
Booklet full proposal Draft pamphlet
Intervention, model Pamphlet, Movie
Core Group
City service
Alderman
Elegast, Hugo
Core group
Generate ideas about possible interventions
Achieve formal commitment
Achieve formal Discuss on design proposal commitment
Inform about ongoing dynamics
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Step 1_Preliminary analysis To start our research, we did a quite a sketchy first reading as a way to get to know Noordschippersdok. We pointed out the existing functions on an aerial view, etcetera. This gave us a first perspective on the subdivided area. Step 2_Field mapping The main objective of this field mapping was to create a more accurate spatial analysis. Specific attention was paid to the patterns of green, lighting fixtures, typologies of pavement, the edges and to pedestrian flows in and around the site. Through sections we mapped the height of bushes and trees. The findings of this field mapping made us more conscious about specific microscale features. Step 3_Base map development and mapping of organizations The digitalized base map was an important instrument for our progress. It literally put Noordschippersdok ‘on the map’. The base map gives a clear and in-depth graphical representation of the positive and negative elements of the park.
FIRST ANALYSIS - 13.11
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In addition, we mapped how organizations used the space in order to broaden our understanding of Noordschippersdok, while simultaneously enhancing our communication with them. In a meeting with the core group both the base- and the organizations map were, together with a presentation including some case studies, helpful in igniting discussions. Step 4_Interventions map In order to go beyond the rather analytical approach, we had a few design sessions on possible interventions. We took into account all relevant factors we had gathered so far: an urban gardening project, the interest in natural playground environments, budget restrictions, moving the panna field, the desired temporary activities brought to our attention by the core group, ... By putting them into one framework, we were able to answer the temporal aspect and the feasibility questions through phasing of all the ideas. The interventions map had the biggest impact of all documents we produced. A better understanding of the different phases was generated though additional photocollages.
FIELD MAPPING - 18.11
MEETING INHABITANTS - 18.11
In the meeting of 4.12, we made an additional presentation with case studies and references in order to communicate with the city services but it didn’t add much to our cause. Step 5_booklet and pamphlet After finalizing the design proposal we created a booklet for the Alderman including specific produced material, like the basemap and a possible timeline of the phasing, in order for him to ‘take home’ our proposal. Simultaneously we started thinking about a pamplet to distribute among the inhabitants present at the winterparty. A draft version of the pamphlet was pitched to the core group and Hugo Maenhout before the winterparty. They appreciated the effort and gave some input. The pamphlet included almost the same information as the booklet: the present conditions of Noordschippersdok, its potential design interventions (map + photocollages), a possible future timeline. In the pamphlet contact details of the core group, the online reference of our project and a poster with our cover image was added.
MEETING CITY SERVICES - 04.12
MEETING ALDERMAN - 08.12
WINTER PARTY - 12.12
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Step 6_winter party booth We wanted to catch the attention of those present at the winter party. Therefore we set up a booth displaying a model with moveable parts, which succeed in generating discussions on the most appropriate location for urban gardening. We handed out our pamphlets, in which we outlined the context and ideas and explained our proposed phasing. We projected a movie to attract attention, and created a tree log path as a play installation. The kids at the party played on it non-stop, which instigated the valuability of our ideas in reality.
FIELD MAPPING - 18.11
Step 7_going viral By publishing the video and the pamphlet online and promoting it through various channels (Dam 2060 blog, StRaten Generaal facebook page, Noordlink, Elegast facebook page, ...) we hoped to catch the attention of those not present at the winterparty. Online reference: - https://slachthuiswijk2060.wordpress.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDjnEYcrlYg NOORDSCHIPPERSDOK, ONS PLEKJE OP DEN DAM!
VISUALISATION - 04.12
CASE STUDIES - 22.11
36
WINTER PARTY - 12.12
Conclusion Every meeting our intended goals changed, and new strategies came up, requiring new materials to communicate with the intended actors. It was important to present the material depending on the intentions of the meeting. Some materials were more relevant to facilitiate discussions, eg. the intervention map or the booklet to the alderman. In the end we would like to conclude all material was effective, in the sense that as a whole, it provides a solid base for continuation of our process. The material presented at the winterparty was meant to display that we don’t have a fixed agenda yet, and allowed us to have open discussions on the content of the interventions at Noordschippersdok.
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TIMELINE 05: STRATEGIES
CATALYSE
CATALYSE. Activities and interventions at NSD as starting point, catalyst of the SHS planning process
38
CO-PRODUCE ANALYSE
CO-PRODUCE. Involve Dam residents in deciding what kind of intervention, activity (focus on kids)
ANALYSE. Diagnosis phase: getting to know NSD in detail (spatial + social)
-
COMMIT. Quest for formal agreements that state something will surely happen (up to now unsuccessfu
e
ul)
COMMIT DESIGN ENGAGE
ENGAGE. Pull as many relevant actors as possible inside the process
INFORM
DESIGN. Design to be provocative and put something on the table Integration of different proposals to one coherent project
The graphic shown above illustrates the strategies implemented throughout the second part of the semester by the intervention team. The ‘our-role’ question constantly forced us to be critical and question how our short-term actions and decisions could resonate into something bigger, a long-term vision; and also, how this activities contributed to the achievement of the general aim of the work: the appropriation of Noordschippersdok by the inhabitants of the Dam. It made us constantly (re)define what we were doing. It forced us to try to be strategic in every minor or bigger step, constantly reflecting on why we were doing what we were doing. Another key aspect on the strategies definition was our dependency on the actors’ capacity (and
INFORM. Make Dam residents aware of possible future changes + proposals
PERSIST
PERSIST. Ensure this process continues after the studio finishes
willingness) to make commitments. For example, it was not possible to get a formal agreement of commitment (or intervention) from the City, for doing an intervention (painting the benches) in Noordschippersdok. Because of this, the graphic shows that at some moments, we implemented more than one strategy at the same time (e.g. spatial analysis, design, inform, etc.), or sudden changes in the strategies, in order to achieve our general, as well as secondary aims, that came up during the process (like awareness, empowerment and access to information). 39
CONCLUSION TIMELINES EFFECTIVENESS
We tried to document our process not only as a onebut also(+) two-dimentional graphic, in order to enrich the visualization, and through that, the understanding of our work.
Due to the choice for a chronogical overview, a more critical overall reflection including interrelations between the different timelines is currently missing. This has been partly incorporated within the metareflection, which will provide a more in-dept evaluation.
As the combined timelines show, our process intensified throughout time, along with the produced output. Although we made some detours along the way, we think we succeeded in crystallizing a main aim and a set of strategies (-)it. Then we just went for it and tried to get as to achieve many people on board as possible. Jeugddienst Stad Jeugddienst District
OUR PROGRESS
(+)
Geert Allaert
Antwerpen aan´t Woord
Kind & Samenleving
Ilse Rossou ndvr
Hanne Bastiaensen
Gerlinde Van Geert
Local organisations
Simon-Peter De Landtsheer Dominique Vilain Hilde Van De Velde Hugo Maenhout
(-) WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
NOVEMBER CATALYSE
CO-PRODUCE ANALYSE
COMMIT
40
-
Paul Cordy
Groendienst Antwerpen
Jef Snor Damcomité
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
DECEMBER
DESIGN ENGAGE
INFORM
PERSIST 41
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This chapter presents a outlay of, and critical reflection on a few key concepts, actions and struggles in our trajectory. It also discusses how we dealt with the bigger framework of ongoing participatory processes in the Dam. Through this critical reflection we hope to uncover some nuances about our work.
3
METAREFLECTION
43
THE INTERVENTION VS THE FRAMEWORK Trying to understand the role we could play in the Dam got us struggling for a few weeks. At first, we saw the creation of an intervention at Noordschippersdok too one-dimensional. We got stuck into a seemingly endless fascination for both playground case-studies and spatial installations as interventions/events. In first instance, we wanted to create someting spatial ourselves, in order to interact with the neighborhood and trigger dialogue about Noordschippersdok. An intervention that would mark our presence as a studio. This action-oriented focus proved to be a good source of inspiration, but wasn’t sustainable enough to root our effort.
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And so, key questions started to rise: should we create a spatial intervention, an event, something that stays on Noordschippersdok after our studio time is finished? Would it really have the impact that we want to aim for? Or should we rather facilitate a framework, in which the residents are the eventual initiators of “something” instead of us? Gradually, we tried to adopt a more holistic approach, step by step. We decided to focus on what should happen behind the scenes and no longer on the practical set-up of an actual realisation in the field. But still different notions of interventions have passed throughout our process. For example, one moment we had in mind to paint the benches in the park. This intervention could create more trust in the City, as well as involve the inhabitants in the future development of the park. Nevertheless, this effort wouldn’t achieve enough. Steadily, we discovered that maybe it was more strategic not to impose ourselves spatially. We got wind of the ongoing dynamics, the natural playground ideas, the Samentuinen project. We dug into the wishes and dreams of the residents, expressed to last year’s Studio SSP. We focused on creating a core group as support base for guiding the process after our departure, and in contacting a broad range of both city services and social organisations to gain support. Rather than trying to build an actual intervention, we did evolve to a design suggestion. We were able to satisfy our ‘need to design’ as ‘spatial professionals’ through this proposal, while simultaneously it catapulted the process to a new level. Thanks to the technical support of the City’s Green Service (whose workshop is situated at the border of Noordschippersdok) we were able to satisfy our “urge to create” at the winterparty as well. By allowing us to use a recently felled tree and assisting us in sawing it in smaller
pieces, we were able to create the installation of tree logs, a format that was reasonably easy to establish in a short time. This installation at the winterparty was part of the booth
we built up there. It was meant to catch the attention, and to demonstrate how easily this type of natural playground environment can be developed. By spending most of our time in setting up the framework, rather than focussing in the intervention itself, we aimed for the future of Noordschippersdok not to be too dependent on the studio SSP. We accepted the fact that participation requires time to achieve concrete outcomes. By starting up and building a small-scale participation trajectory that joined forces with existing dynamics, creating a temporary intervention at Noordschippersdok becomes achievable. Yes, it is a pity that we didn’t see an actual intervention happening in Noordschippersdok during our studio. Maybe it could had been possible, if the project trajectory went differently (see ‘complications and setbacks’). Through the creation of a framework and support base for future interventions on Noordschippersdok, we succeeded in ensuring the continuity of the process after our departure.
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DESIGN AS A CATALYST The more we progressed in creating a framework, and set up meetings to crystallize a core group and a political support base, the more the pressure to create a different kind of output established itself. All the waiting for commitments and agreements of involved parties was getting on our nerves, since we didn’t see or feel any output coming forth from this. Then, a key moment in our progress took place. We went over to the creation of a design proposal, which allowed us to play a more proactive role. We translated the series of ongoing dynamics within the different city services and the dreams of the Dam inhabitants into one narrative, one commonly drawn story that included all our research and transcended the separate ideas. We are convinced that this integrative proposal can generate more than just the sum of its parts.
City Gardening Project Hugo Maenhout
Relation?
Dam Inhabitants
Grove den Grove den
Buurtregie Ilse Rossou
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Child and Society + Youth service Flemish Gvt organisation
City: Wim Seghers, District: ?
The design scheme was aimed at putting something specific on the table for discussions with all involved parties (especially the city services), and at generating open discussions on its content. It proved to be a catalyst for further negotiations, as intented, by generating more interesting interactions and opening up possibilities, for example getting materials for the construction of the temporary intervention in the winterparty. It gained a momentum for the project that otherwise wouldn’t have been there. Using a spatial agenda for creating dialogue helped us to have the city officials listening more carefully to us, and we suspect they connected more to what we wanted to do or how their plans could fit within the existing framework. For the Dam residents, and especially for the core group, the design proposal for Noordschippersdok widened both their imagination and dedication to the cause.
But all this doesn’t mean that the project is bound to happen. We simply set up the base of receptivity for any proposal at Noordschippersdok more or less in line with what was already imagined for it, in the dreams and wishes for the place expressed by Dam residents. In hindsight, we feel that the discussion on the content of the design is not completely on a roll yet. Perhaps if we would have more time for follow-up, we could investigate this further. All of the intervention team members have an architectural background, and thus design is our way of communication. It’s where we feel ‘at home’. However, this studio gave us an interesting learning experience to change the scope of our designs. We had the opportunity to use our Lobroekdok design skills for more than the conventional design output, as a
Slachthuislaan
Slachthuislaan
tool for reflection and discussion. We adopted a bottom-up approach, where we tried to promote an environment for a participatory process, where all stakeholders are involved in the decision making - and implementation process and have access to our gathered information related to the intervention. It proved to be much more fun to support this kind of bottom-up initiative with our design skills than to oppose a scheme through designing a rigid masterplan. It is necessary to stress that from the start, we had the urge to design. While we didn’t give in to it at first instance, finally we achieved our outcome foremostly because we used design as a catalyst for intensified participation.
Slachthuislaan
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STUDIO SSP 13-14:VALUABLE CONTINUITY IN A PROCESS Studio SSP ‘13 worked on the creation of an inclusive forum, a place or platform triggering dialogue and involvement, where a broad range of participants could meet and exchange ideas. It is important to note that during the Citylab 2050, on the 10th of October 2013, studio SSP ‘13 already proposed an urban gardening project as a forum for the neighborhood.
“Both the Citylab 2050 idea of creating a forum and the desire of a group of inhabitants for a garden or an urban gardening project come together in the intervention.” In a way, we think our project proposal at Noordschippersdok continues this ideal. Through case-studies it becomes clear that urban gardening projects (in Antwerp and beyond) are popular with all. But where last year’s temporary intervention ended up in being a one-time event, we are positive that, though the creation of a framework and firm active and passive support base for an intervention/a series of interventions at Noordschippersdok, we succeeded in ensuring a continuity of the process after our departure. With our work on an integrative proposal for Noordschippersdok, we clearly continued their initiative. Nevertheless, the fact that we focused our attention on other city services than the ones present at Citylab 2050 limits the continuity of the actor network. We could have involved more of the people identified by Studio SSP ‘13 as crucial for the neighborhood’s social network. These nodes in the network, often forging links between social organisations and social groups, could have helped us reach a more inclusive public with our ideas and proposals.
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Also, we could have involved the local bars and cafés in our story. But the time constraint forced us to take rapid actions and decisions. Possibly, Opsinjoren (a City Service providing logistic and financial support for neighborhood initiatives), could have played an important role. However, our attempts to contact them were not successful. If we realized better that an urban gardening project had already been on the table last year, in a more specific way then we actually thought, we could surely have recruited more support for our proposal. Nevertheless, we suspect the incorporation of AG Stadsplanning into AG Vespa would made it more difficult for us to take up contact with the individuals that were already involved.
RELATIE TUSSEN ALLE BETROKKEN ACTOREN
Studio SSP ‘13 focused its attention on the Dam residents, while we had an opportunity to involve a different set of actors: ‘The City’. Building bridges between Dammers and city officials of different calibres was certainly one of the most critical aspects of setting up our framework of actors. This proved to be even more complicated because of the lack of trust among the stakeholders we wanted to get together (stigmatic reactions from the inhabitants: “always promising, but never really acting”, “apparently they forgot to have the budget meeting again”).
Nauwe band Goed contact Kan versterkt worden 10
An illustration on the gaps between perceived commitment by both groups is that we haven’t been able to arrange a common meeting with both parties present (due to limited availability, and the interest of the City on not creating ‘false expectations’ among the inhabitants). However, we hope our booklet with the hand-on information will give the core group some prospects of engagement, and the City the possibility to specificly connect to the people involved. If, during our process, we had been more in touch with the work of last year, for sure we would have included last year’s Polytunnel in our initiatives. In hindsight, it seems a missed opportunity. The Polytunnel could have provided us inspiration for and a push to organise an event at Noordschippersdok, but unfortunately it remained outside our sights up to now. Maybe it’s not too late yet, and maybe the Polytunnel could get a second life in the urban gardening project? Thanks to the theoretical reflections of Studio SSP ‘13, we dealt more carefully with every step along the way, reflecting on why we were doing what we were doing, and if it was the most strategic thing to do. Trying to document the process as extensively as our predecessors eased our reconstruction afterwards as well.
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INGREDIENTS OF PARTICIPATION: A REFLECTION ON STUDIO SSP ‘13 RECIPE Studio SSP ‘13 identified a set of key ingredients of participation through their own trajectory. In this metareflection we would like to respond to those, based on our own experiences the past 3 months.
Inclusivity. “Ensuring that a sample of the diversity present within the neighborhood is represented in a mix of involved actors” was one of the main aims of Studio SSP ‘13. Despite the fact that in our process we made quite some attempts to involve the neighborhood in an inclusive way (e.g. contacting and inviting organizations that include other socio-demographic groups than Damcomité), we didn’t feel like we reached all corners of the broad social network. Because of the limited time available, our efforts to involve “other” social organisations stayed limited to making phone calls and sending them emails with updates on our progress. Although the reactions in phone calls were always positive, supportive and thus motivating, the response of these social organisations by e-mail was almost nonexistent. This made 50
us conclude that the organizations perceived our e-mails more like ‘informative newsletters’ rather than invitations to be part of the process: our communication was too openended. Should we have spent more effort on including new, ‘inclusive’ actors from the preliminary stage, or can we assume that there is still time for that later in the process? Or will they follow automatically, once the ball is rolling? Collective action. The partipation trajectory leading to temporary interventions proposed at Noordschippersdok creates a unique opportunity for Dam residents to work together, for both personal and communal benefit. A core group has to take a pioneering role, but we are sure that more will follow their lead in the future, once the project is actually getting off the ground and its impact becomes visible.
Information. Equal access to information for everyone involved in the process is a crucial aspect of our output. Therefore, we created a booklet in which all actors currently involved in the Noordschippersdok trajectory have access to all gathered data and to all contact information. As such, we ensure they don’t have to rely on the studio for being in touch with each other. Time. Last year’s studio perceived the short time frame as the main reason why they couldn’t reflect enough in-depth on actions or verify them through repetitions. We experienced it a bit differently. Indeed, we didn’t always have a lot of time to think our decisions through. But by following our intuition in terms of time management we succeeded in gathering a base of support for the project, the political support and we had a moment in which we briefed the broader public. But nevertheless, last year’s remark returns: if we could have added a few weeks more to the process, we could have provided a necessary extra push for the Noordschippersdok project. Ownership. “A sense of belonging creates a motivation for participation among the people of the neighborhood. Allowing people to take up responsibility for their own neighborhood generates sustenance of participation” Where last year’s studio doubted their own contribution to this particular aspect of a participation process, our entire setup is based on it. A sense of belonging already exists at Noordschippersdok, but it could be massively improved. Creating this improvement communally can make people experience the benefits of participation and co-creation first-hand; and therefore empower the identity of inhabitants about the place. Using this argument during meetings with City services and the alderman helped to stress the importance of investing in this area (e.g. a small intervention like painting the benches) as a starting point
for more local involvement in the initiatives promoted by the City. As we were warned about the ‘participatory fatigue’ that last year students encountered, we had it in mind all through our process. But thanks to the explicity of the place and the possibility of actually executing these ideas, inhabitants were happy they could engage with important elements of the neighborhood other then the Slaughterhouse project. On top, Noordschippersdok is a place of importance for many Dam residents, it is comprehensible in size and the proposed interventions on Noordschippersdok are already on a roll. 51
TEMPORARY INTERVENTION CATALYSING PARTICIPATION IN SLAUGHTERHOUSE PROJECT The large majority of Dam residents still lacks a sense of participation or even general awareness of the ongoing process of the Slaughterhouse site. We believe that this smaller-scaled, temporary intervention can improve that. A temporary intervention allows the Dam residents to reclaim Noordschippersdok, in the time before construction works of the Slaughterhouse site start or even its finalization. Allowing them to upgrade this area will contribute to their identity as a neighborhood. On top there is a hidden agenda. Together with Studio SSP ‘13 we are convinced of the following: “We believe successful temporary programs could consolidate into permanent ones” By achieving a successful temporary intervention at Noordschippersdok, the advice of Damcomité (and therefore of all Dam residents) on the amount of green and public space in the project area might gain more weight in the negotiations with the City and other stakeholders. Through proposing a design for Noordschippersdok, we set the scene for creating something concrete, something spatial (although for now it exist only on paper). We are sure we achieve more focus and attention of the Dam inhabitants, not only for this temporary project, but for the bigger trajectory of the Slaughterhouse site. Through participation in this relatively small-scaled trajectory, more residents could take their first tentative steps towards an increased involvement in the Slaughterhouse site planning process. And that is exactly the point at which social innovation starts to manifest itself.
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COMPLICATIONS AND CHALLENGES Some factors put the effectiveness of the actions in our progress to the test. What follows here is a glance of that. How we dealt with formal agreements. Our process would be much faster if we hadn’t waited that long for formal agreements from the City and had started putting proposals and interventions on the table sooner. In general, the communication with city services was new for all of us. During the meeting with the Alderman Paul Cordy we were more confident of our own ideas than in previous meetings with city officials. As such, the story was told better and the response was more positive. We learned to think beforehand on what reactions to expect in this kind of meetings, and how to deal with it. On top, one day before the winter party, a city administrative send us an e-mail explicitely demanding us not to communicate any proposals to the inhabitants. Although our first emotion was panic, we understood it had a positive connotation. They made the effort of sending an e-mail, and thus communicate about our proposal. Still, we didn’t change our materials for the winterparty, but simply told the story a bit differently. That way both parties were ensured of their position, and no fast or false promises were made. It was then that we realised even more that we should no longer await political approval, and start to promote the ideas in order to create engagement. Time schedules. As told we had to include different timeschedules in order to meet: office hours of the city services, working hours of the inhabitants and even sometimes our own schedules of academically compulsory courses. This made it difficult to bring them together for discussion and possibly slowed down our work process. Time limitation of the studio. The thought that we had only a few weeks of time to realise an intervention both terrified and energized us. Although we are happy with what we achieved, we feel that more in-depth
analysis of eg. user patterns, and more moments of public participation could be interesting additions to our output, or prove as catalysts to change our trajectory and decisions to be more successful. Group composition and dynamics. During the preliminary period, effective comunication was difficult to achieve because of the large number of group members; e.g. some individuals would not function as good as while working in a smaller group. At the first stage, the works were divided into two large parts, communication and field work, but this was not successful division because of a disconnection between the two. However with time and more concrete goals and deadlines decided, the group could share and interchange tasks and partners among them, use everyone’s strength and spontaneously divide tasks. Language. The emails and meetings were often in Dutch, which was a huge disadvantage for the non-dutch speaking students among us, the large majority. The large amount of site-specific terms and definitions created difficulties in the preliminary stages. But during the trajectory the language restraint introduced a spontaneous division of work. While the dutch-speaking students initiated and carried on with communication, other students worked on preparing presentation materials and conceptualizing meeting agendas. To our lovely surprise, local inhabitants were trying to make the effort to speak in English, while in some instances we were explicitely requested to communicate only in Dutch for meetings with city services in order to be “more effective” (as told by them). Weather. The present weather conditions limited our possiblities. Winter restrained our plans to implement successful participatory activities with Dam residents on the site itself. It also changed the picture due to absent of users during field work sessions.
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GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY: SANOFF, Henry, Community participation methods in design and planning, New York, Wiley, 2000, p. 306. SEN, Amartya, the Ends and Means of Sustainability, in: Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 2013 (14) 1, pp. 6-20. SEN, Amartya, Development as freedom, Oxford, Oxford University press, 2001, p 366. SEN, Amartya, Development as Capability Expansion, in: GRIFFIN, Keith, KNIGHT, John (eds.)Human Development and the International Development Strategy for the 1990s, London, Maxmillan, 1990, pp 41-58. VANDERSTEDE, Wouter (ed.), Kind & ruimte: kindgerichte planning van publieke ruimte, Brugge, Die Keure, 2007, p 240.
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4
EPILOGUE
Although we realise our presence in the Dam will be only a footnote in it’s ongoing participation trajectory, we think we succeeded in providing a valuable chapter. Through writing down this reflection, we tried to identify in detail what we have learned, and how what we set in motion can be a contribution to the bigger story. We learned a lot of practical experience and strategic insight by using the Dam as a planning laboratory. We see it as an unique opportunity that we could both contribute to something solid (consolidating the advice together with Damcomité) and do something experimental (starting up a participatory trajectory for organizing a temporary intervention). As the trajectory layed out in this booklet took place within a larger participatory effort, we can assume that the work we undertook will be carried on, adjusting and adapting it whenever necessary. Nevertheless we were glad to construct its foundations, together with damcomité, ndvr and studio SSP ‘13. We perceive the ongoing participatory trajectory in the Dam as ‘forging the chains of a necklace of social and spatial progress’. Each chain works on the foundations of the previous, strengthening and elaborating it. The actions of Damcomité, the workshops organised by ndvr, the spatial interventions, data collection and stack of ideas (among which the first urban gardening proposals) by last year’s studio. A new chain to this necklace was forged by our humble contribution to both design and framework for a temporary intervention. But also the scenarios of the preliminary studio phase, the midreview workshop and our enrichment to Damcomité’s advice form significant chains. We hope we have inspired the core group and the involved city officials to continue holding the spirit of the project alive. But now, it is only a question what the next chain will be, how long the necklace will become, and where it will lead us in the future.
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noordschippersdok
NOORDSCHIPPERSDOK ONS PLEKJE OP DEN DAM!
Studio Strategic Spatial Planning KULeuven Herfst ‘14 Carmen Briers (Belgium) Carmen Lissette Collado Solis (Nicaragua) Emerald Upoma Baidya (Bangladesh) Kathleen De Beukelaer (Belgium) Manoela Fajgenbaum Feiges (Brazil) Saima Musharrat (Bangladesh) Tabassum Zarin (Bangladesh)
Studio team Jan Schreurs Pieter Van den Broeck Seppe De Blust Tim Devos
Om te beginnen zouden we graag onze begeleiding, Tim en Seppe van ndvr, willen bedanken voor hun constante steun in dit proces, alsook prof. Schreurs en prof. Van den Broeck, voor hun kritische verrijking en hun wijze raad. Daarnaast zijn we ook de bewoners, met in het bijzonder Gerline, Simon-Peter en Dominique, dankbaar voor alle steun en enthousiasme waarmee zij met ons hebben samengewerkt. Als laatste een dankwoord aan alle diensten van de Stad Antwerpen voor hun bereidwilligheid ons te steunen in onze ideeĂŤn. Wij hopen dat dit project voor een hefboom in Den Dam kan zorgen waar zowel inwoners als stad de vruchten van kunnen plukken.
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EEN PROJECT OP HET NOORDSCHIPPERSDOK
1
WIE IS ERBIJ BETROKKEN?
2
EEN PLAN
3
INPUT VAN DE INWONERS
4
TOEKOMSTPLANNEN
5
59
HOE HET VROEGER WAS
RAVOTKOT
60
HOE HET NU IS
SPEELBOOT
PETANQUE VELDEN
EEN PROJECT De belangrijkste toekomstige ontwikkeling voor Antwerpen Dam is de realisatie van het project van de Slachthuissite-Lobroekdok-Noordschippersdok. De projectdefinitie zal binnenkort klaar zijn en vormt, samen met het Advies van het Damcomité en met het boekje “DAM, een buurt in verandering” van ndvr, de basis voor de komende ontwerpfase. Het zal echter nog meerdere jaren duren voordat het project werkelijk vorm krijgt. Het is daarom niet verrassend dat de stad Antwerpen de komende tijd minder zal investeren in ontwikkelingen in deze buurt. Maar net daarom is het nodig om hier in tussentijd wel iets te doen. Het is erg belangrijk om zo aan de buurtbewoners te tonen dat de Damwijk in het hele verhaal niet vergeten wordt. Dit boekje vormt de basis voor dit initiatief. Het geeft een overzicht van alle betrokken partijen, de ideeën die op tafel liggen en de mogelijkheden om dit in de praktijk om te zetten. Het Noordschippersdok vormt een ideale plek om op den Dam een tijdelijke invulling te introduceren. Op dit ogenblik zijn er signalen die volledig het tegenovergestelde overbrachten naar de buurt: alle jeugdwerk initiatieven zijn over de jaren weggetrokken, de grote speelboot is vervangen door veel kleinere speeltuigen, de petanquevelden liggen er verloederd bij en zelfs de zitbanken zijn verwaarloosd. De buurt is terecht bezorgd over de toekomst van dit gebied. Het is een strategische plek, omdat het voor vele buurtbewoners hun tuin, hun dichtstbijzijnde open groene ruimte is. Bovendien maakt het deel uit van het projectgebied voor de Slachthuissite, wat velen niet weten. De buurtbewoners hebben echter grote dromen voor hun plek in de wijk. Hier nieuwe initiatieven lanceren kan helpen om de bewoners te doen geloven in de toekomst van het gebied.
ALGEMENE KARAKTER VAN DE OPEN RUIMTE
KLEINERE SPEELTUIGEN T.V.V. DE BOOT
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ENKELE GEËNGAGEERDE INWONERS Gerlinde Van Geert lid Damcomité, vrijwilliger ‘t Spoor, betrokken in de Parochie, ... vangeert.gerlinde@telenet.be 0478/20 73 47
Simon-Peter De Landtsheer lid Damcomité, beheerder website dendam2060.be & blog slachthuiswijk2060 simon@dendam2060.be 0497/62 66 64
Dominique Vilain lid Damcomité dominiquevilain@outlook.be 0475/77 60 22
Hilde Van De Velde leerkracht ‘t Spoor, Demerstraat hilde.van.de.velde@cksa.be 0490/56 96 15
Jozef Van Der Beken, aka Jef Snor
inwoner Antwerpen Noord, oprichter van het project ‘moestuin 2060 Antwerpen’ jef_snor@msn.com 0487/36 71 66
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Den Dam staat gekend voor zijn actief geëngageerde inwoners. Om draagkracht te zoeken voor de interventies op Noordschippersdok werd er een kerngroep van inwoners opgericht. Zij zijn bereid om, in het belang van de buurt, voor de plannen te willen vechten. Dankzij hun netwerk zijn ze de ideale personen om de wijk te mobiliseren.
Damcomité buurtcomité dat de belangen van de inwoners verdedigd dendam2060@gmail.com
Deze enthousiaste toekomstige directeur van het schooltje ‘t Spoor is een verdere aanvulling van de kerngroep. Haar betrokkenheid toont aan dat het project kan gedragen worden door meerdere organisaties van de wijk.
Het moestuinproject werd tot nu toe geleid door Jef Snor. Via zijn relatie met Hugo Maenhout van het Ecohuis kreeg het project meer vorm. Door de krachten te bundelen met de kerngroep is het mogelijk meer draagkracht te vinden in den Dam.
WIE IS ERBIJ BETROKKEN? ENKELE ORGANISATIES UIT ANTWERPEN DAM Elegast
Vaderhuis
hulp- en dienstverlening voor de wijk, zeer gekend door all inwoners dendam@elegast.be 03/232 60 20
opvangcentrum voor dak- en thuislozen hetvaderhuisvzw@gmail.com 03/288 41 96
VOEM
De Grijze Kat buurtwerking gericht op lokale kansarmen jo.dries@degrijzekat.be 03/233 48 25
Vereniging voor Ontwikkeling & Emancipatie van Moslims mopa1@hotmail.com [Mina Chebaa] 0489/11 99 05
Basisschool Het Weilandje
WEJA Bouwspeelpleinen avontuurlijk speelplein, verhuist naar nieuwe locatie langs het Lobroekdok bouwspeelpleindam@skynet.be 0478/72 71 05
buurtschool volop in groei directie.trampoline@antigon.be 03/344 50 94
RELATIES TOT HET NOORDSCHIPPERSDOK 3 op 6 benadrukten het belang van het gebruik van de banken
3 op 6 beklaagden dat de speeltuin te klein is
2 op 6 benadrukten dat de petanquevelden niet gebruikt worden LEGENDE- GEBRUIK VAN DE RUIMTE Zelden Weinig Vaak
2 op 6 meldden dat de kinderen teleurgesteld waren dat de boot verdwenen is
Alle organisaties in den Dam toonden grote bereidwilligheid om mee te doen aan eventuele participatieve momenten in verband met de interventies op Noordschippersdok. Tijdens interviews gaven enkele organisaties aan hoe zij het Noordschippersdok gebruiken.
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NAUW BETROKKEN STADSDIENSTEN Wim Seghers jeugddienst Stad Antwerpen wim.seghers@stad.antwerpen.be 03/338 75 53
Kristel Diels jeugddienst District Antwerpen kristel.diels@stad.antwerpen.be 03/338 32 64
Hugo Maenhout dienst Samentuinen stad Antwerpen hugo.maenhout@stad.antwerpen.be 03/338 98 49
ANDERE ACTOREN Groendienst Antwerpen hulp onderzoek naar natuurlijke speeltuinen nadine.dejongh@stad.antwerpen.be 03/338 14 76
Kind & Samenleving hulp onderzoek naar natuurlijke speeltuinen info@k-s.be
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ndvr algemene hulp in het proces tim@ndvr.be ; seppe@ndvr.be
Antwerpen aan‘t Woord algemene hulp in het participatieve proces info@antwerpenaantwoord.be 0473/86 55 03
Daarnaast zijn er verschillende (stads-)diensten die op een veelzijdige manier bij het Noordschippersdok betrokken zijn. Enerzijds zijn er de leidende diensten die nauwer betrokken zijn tot de concretere projecten: de moestuinen en de natuurlijke speeltuin. Anderzijds zijn er de wat op grotere schaal geëngageerde diensten zoals Buurtregie en Stad in Verandering die zeker van groot belang zijn, maar waarmee er tot nu toe minder concreet contact is geweest. Zij zijn echter wel geïnteresseerd om mee verder betrokken te worden.
WIJKDIENSTEN
Andere actoren, zoals de Groendienst en Antwerpen aan ‘t Woord hebben reeds positief gereageerd op enkele ideeën en zijn bereid mee verder werken wanneer hun diensten kunnen bijdragen. Ook ndvr en Kind & Samenleving hebben reeds voor deze projecten mee rond de tafel gezeten. Als laatste zijn er nog de twee districtsschepenen die voor dit project op politiek vlak belangrijk zijn. Een meeting met Paul Cordy is alvast positief afgelopen, en ook Tom Van den Borne toonde interesse om rond te tafel te zitten. Kortom, vanuit alle hoeken wordt er positief gereageerd om samen op zoek te gaan naar een nieuwe toekomst voor het Noordschippersdok.
Ilse Rossou buurtregisseur - positieve buurtbeleving bevorderen ilse.rossou@stad.antwerpen.be
Geert Allaert Stad in Verandering geert.allaert@stad.antwerpen.be 0497/66 23 55
Hanne Bastiaensen Stedelijk Wijkoverleg hanne.bastiaensen@stad.antwerpen.be
BETROKKEN SCHEPENEN Paul Cordy districtsschepen voor publiek domein, mobiliteit en jeugd paul.cordy@stad.antwerpen.be Tom Van den Borne districtsschepen voor o.a. groendomein, leefmilieu, communicatie, stedelijk wijkoverleg tom.vandenborne@stad.antwerpen.be 65
RELATIE TUSSEN ALLE BETROKKEN ACTOREN
Nauwe band Goed contact Kan versterkt worden 66
PROJECT In de herfst van 2013, onderzochten 11 studenten van de KULeuven wat de dromen van den Dam zijn. Hieruit kwam naar voren dat volktuintjes een grote droom zijn van de inwoners. Maar daarnaast ook meer speelgelegenheden voor de kinderen, een leuke plek om buurtactiviteiten te organiseren en nog veel meer. Het lanceren van enkele tijdelijke projecten is de ideale oplossing. Vanuit verschillende partijen werd er reeds interesse getoond om enkele ideeën te lanceren. Wanneer deze vanuit eenzelfde basis bedacht en geïntroduceerd worden, kan het resultaat meer zijn dan de som van de delen. Vele kleinere acties samen zorgen immers voor een krachtiger geheel. Om te antwoorden aan het tijdelijke karakter van het project moet aan enkele voorwaarden voldaan worden. Allereerst kan met de juiste keuzes gemakkelijk een low-budget investering gemaakt worden. Zo kan met resterende materialen van de groendienst een fantastische speeltuin gecreëerd worden die inspeelt op de vindingrijkheid van kinderen. Daarnaast is de verplaatsbaarheid een sleutelgegeven. Een zomerbar gemaakt uit een container laat toe de bewoners tijdens de zomer te genieten.
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FASE 02 moestuin-project
FASE 05 verbindend pad
FASE 04 zomerbar
FASE 03 natuurlijke speeltuin
Slachthuislaan
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FASE 01 panna-voetbalveldje
Lobroekdok
De serie van kleinere acties kan verdeeld worden in de tijd. Ieder project valt onder de leiding van een andere stadsdienst, waardoor een faseverdeling kan beantwoorden aan de verschillende vorderingen. Deze kaart toont hoe dit mogelijk zou kunnen samenkomen op het Noordschippersdok.
FASE 05 hondenweide
Slachthuislaan
LEGENDE banken
Noordschippersdok Park
LEGEND straatverlichting
Noordschippersdok Park
Slachthuislaan
N
Position of benches sorteerstraatjes Position of lightposts verhard - fietspad Position of Trashbins Cycleverhard way - straat
Sand Surface
verhard - voetpad
Paved Surface: Driveway
zacht - zand
Paved surface: walkway
zacht - gras Grass
N
0
0 10
10 20
20
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Slachthuislaan
Slach
FASE 01 Een van de grootste wensen van de kinderen is meer plek om te voetballen. Er stond een panna-veldje aan de Lange Lobroekstraat, maar daar werd het niet optimaal gebruikt. Het verdwijnen van het Ravotkot heeft een betonnen plaat van 5 op 10 m achtergelaten op het Noordschippersdok. Dit is een ideale plek voor het herinstalleren van dit panna-veldje. Waarom? Er zal geen bouwvergunning nodig zijn. Bovendien is deze plek meer ge誰ntegreerd in het huidige speelaanbod. Het is een eerste herwaardering van een eerder verlaten parkje.
DETAIL 01 Lobroekdok
INPLANTINGSPLAN Slachthuislaan
DETAIL 01
Slachthuislaan
Slachthuislaan
Noordschippersdok Park
LEGEND
70
Position of benches Position of lightposts Position of Trashbins Cycle way Sand Surface Paved Surface: Driveway Paved surface: walkway Grass
N 0
10
20
PANNAVELDJE
71
FASE 02 Het moestuinproject is daarnaast een zeer belangrijkste eerste impuls voor de buurt. Dankzij het harde werk van Jef Snor en Hugo Maenhout is er reeds een basis om vanuit verder te werken. De droom is om niet alleen te kunnen tuinieren, maar ook een sociaal draagvlak te creeĂŤren. Zo kunnen ook mensen met een beperking mee tuinieren, door het gebruik van speciale plantboxen. Wanneer de Ijzerlaan verbouwd wordt, zal de hoek van het park gebruikt worden als werf. Dit is belangrijk om mee te nemen in de keuze van de plaatsing van de moestuin. Het park is echter groot genoeg om een andere plek te kiezen (moest dit nodig zijn) en de moestuin te verplaatsen. Het ontwerpen van dit project zal door en voor de inwoners gebeuren. Samentuinen ondersteunt dit project door een wateraansluiting, een bodemanalyse en toestemming tot grondgebruik te voorzien. Daarnaast is er recht op een budget van â‚Ź1500 per jaar.
DETAIL 02 Lobroekdok
INPLANTINGSPLAN DETAIL 02
Slachthuislaan
Slachthuislaan
Slachthuislaan
Noordschippersdok Park
LEGEND
72
Position of benches Position of lightposts Position of Trashbins Cycle way Sand Surface Paved Surface: Driveway Paved surface: walkway Grass
N 0
10
20
SAMENTUINENPROJECT
73
MOESTUINEN IN BOXEN
verplaatsbaar toegang voor
gehandicapten en ouderen opletten waterafvoer!
langer groeiseizoen
NOVA
duurzamer materiaalgebruik
minder conflicten
beschermen tegen bodemen plantenschade
gemakkelijkere bodemverbetering
minder onkruid en
onderhoud
KIEL
beheersbaarheid
minder permanent
financieel economisch
gebruik van bestaande grond
gemakkelijkere irrigatie
minder werk om op te starten
BIODROOM 2.0
MOESTUINEN IN DE GROND
minder behoefte aan water
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bron: http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=C1027-3#Raised
SILSBURG
betere kwaliteit van groenten
75
Slachthuislaan
FASE 03 Het huidige speelaanbod is eerder beperkt en het realiseren van een natuurlijke speeltuin zal alvast een grotere verbetering kunnen bieden. De plaatsing van deze speeltuintjes in de buurt van de andere activiteiten zoals de moestuinen zal helpen voor een grotere sociale controle. Ouders kunnen tuinieren terwijl hun kinderen spelen. Het gebruik van low-budget materialen kan voor kinderen tot de verbeelding spreken, en leuker zijn dan standaard speeltuigen. Deze fase kan ook herhaald worden in tijd, maar op verschillende plekken op het Noordschippersdok. Zo kan het succes van een pilootproject worden doorgetrokken en een coherenter geheel vormen.
DETAIL 03 Lobroekdok
INPLANTINGSPLAN DETAILSlachthuislaan 03
Slachthuislaan
Slachthuislaan
Noordschippersdok Park
LEGEND
76
Position of benches Position of lightposts Position of Trashbins Cycle way Sand Surface Paved Surface: Driveway Paved surface: walkway Grass
N 0
10
20
NATUURLIJKE SPEELTUIN
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MATERIALEN STRUIKEN
OUDE BANDEN
NATUURLIJKE ELEMENTEN
AARDE
Natuurlijke speeltuinen hebben geen nood aan zeer veel middelen om de kwaliteit van een plek te verhogen. Deze interventie kan gemaakt worden met simpele materialen. Dagdagelijkse materialen die weinig onderhoud nodig hebben, maken het gemakkelijker uitvoerbaar: oude autobanden, aarde, zand, struiken, boomstammen, ‌ Velen kunnen verkregen worden via connecties van de Stad zoals de groendienst, of connecties van de inwoners, zoals CDO Antwerpen Noord. Het kiezen voor dit type van interventie bouwt verder op aanwezige elementen van park zonder het uit zijn context te nemen.
HOUTEN PALEN
Lang gras
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bron: http://k-s.be/publicaties/
GRIND
Wild land
Touwen en klimmen
Losse takken
Bloemenweide
Lijn op grond
ENKELE VOORBEELDEN
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Slachthuislaa FASE 04 Uit alle analyses van de buurt werd de sociale coherentie van den Dam als grootste meerwaarde naar voor gehaald. Antwerpen staat gekend voor zijn succes van zomerbars, en ook de inwoners van den Dam dromen van hun plekje om samen te komen en te ontspannen. Dit kan bovendien versterkt worden met meerdere collectieve activiteiten zoals publieke bbq’s en picknick tafels, een kaartenclubje voor de ouderen, openlucht cinema, wereldkeuken aanbod, ... Wanneer de stad de toestemming kan geven voor dit soort initiatieven kan dit zorgen voor een grotere collectiviteitsgevoel tussen de inwoners. Wanneer het bovendien strategisch geplaatst wordt, zorgt het voor een connectie tussen verschillende gebruikers, ouders en hun kinderen, zachte en verharde ruimtes, ...
DETAIL 04 Lobroekdok
INPLANTINGSPLAN DETAIL 04
Slachthuislaan
Slachthuislaan
Slachthuislaan
Noordschippersdok Park
LEGEND
80
Position of benches Position of lightposts Position of Trashbins Cycle way Sand Surface Paved Surface: Driveway Paved surface: walkway Grass
N 0
10
20
ZOMERBAR
81
Slachthuislaan FASE 05 Uit de eerste analyse van het Noordschippersdok kwam naar voor dat het een zeer langwerpige ruimte is, waarbij elke eenheid ontbreekt. De locatie van de parkings creëert eerder een opeenvolging van verschillende functies. Door het realiseren van een nieuw verbindend pad kan hier echter verandering in gebracht worden. Dit kan gerealiseerd worden door het strooien van grind, het maken van een speels pad uit boomstronken en/of het plaatsen van nieuwe verlichting en pergola’s. Maar ook door het kiezen voor een hondenweide. Hondenwandelaars zijn bij de grootste gebruikers van dit parkje en laten hun honden momenteel overal los. Dit zorgt voor frustraties bij de andere gebruikers. Bovendien kan zo’n plek extra richting aan de gehele ruimte geven. DETAIL 05 Lobroekdok
INPLANTINGSPLAN
HONDENWEIDE Slachthuislaan
DETAIL 05
Slachthuislaan
Slachthuislaan
Noordschippersdok Park
LEGEND
82
Position of benches Position of lightposts Position of Trashbins Cycle way Sand Surface Paved Surface: Driveway Paved surface: walkway Grass
N 0
10
20
VERBINDEND PAD
83
84
FILMPJE
Het filmpje vertelt het hele verhaal. Dankzij het gebruik van sociale media en verschillende sociale platformen zoals Antwerpen aan ‘t Woord, werd het mogelijk deze ideeĂŤn te verspreiden bij een groter publiek. [www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDjnEYcrlYg]
PLAMFLET & POSTER
Het pamflet werd verdeeld onder de aanwezige inwoners. Daarnaast werden verschillende stapeltjes uitgedeeld aan de sociale organisaties van den Dam, om te verdelen aan hun leden. De binnenkant vormt een poster om aan het raam te hangen.
MAQUETTE
De maquette gaf een eerste gevoel van ruimtelijkheid van de plek. Door het aanbieden van kleinere elementen die de projecten representeren konden de inwoners vertellen wat ze graag op welke plek zouden hebben.
INTERVENTIE
Dankzij de hulp van de groendienst aan de Slachthuislaan werd een pas omgezaagde boom omgetoverd tot een uitdagend pad. Dit trok onmiddellijk de aandacht van de kinderen en werd volop gebruikt.
WINTERFEEST Om voor dit alles een groter draagvlak bij de inwoners te zoeken werden deze ideĂŤen voor de eerste keer voorgelegd aan den Dam tijdens het winterfeest van Elegast. Hun reacties waren zeer positief. Maar daarnaast werd er ook gepolst naar nieuwe input die meegenomen kon worden in een verdere ontwikkeling van de interventies. Dit zorgde voor de finishing touch aan de voorgaande ideeĂŤn. Wilt u graag onze actie nalezen of herbekijken? Surf naar slachthuiswijk2060.wordpress.com, of laat je mening achter of de facebookpagina van den Dam 2060 (https://www.facebook.com/DenDam2060?fref=ts)
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2014 Nov Dec
vraag naar tijdelijke invulling contact met betrokken stads-diensten, organisaties en inwoners winterfeest den Dam
2015 Jan Feb
F01 verhuizen van het panna-voetbalveldje
Maa
F02 realisatie project Samentuinen
Apr
F03 realisatie natuurlijke speeltuin 1
Mei Juni Juli
F04 openen van ZOMERBAR DAM
Aug Sep F05 groene buffer de kant aan de Slachthuislaan
... 2016 Lente
Zomer
86
realisatie natuurlijke speeltuin 2
F05 creĂŤren van een verbindend pad & hondenweide
F06 meer activiteiten in de publieke ruimte publieke bbq’s, nieuwe zomerbar, ...
TOEKOMSTPLANNEN De voorbije 6 weken werd er vanuit verschillende hoeken gewerkt aan mogelijke ideeën voor het Noordschippersdok. Dankzij de steun van alle betrokken partijen was het voor ons, studenten van de Studio SSP KULeuven, mogelijk om vanuit een onafhankelijker perspectief na te denken hoe deze verschillende ideeën te integreren in een harmonisch geheel. Het Noordschippersdok is een belangrijke plek voor de buurt, en verdient het om een nieuw leven te krijgen. Zoals aangetoond in voorgaande ideeën kan hier met weinig middelen een groot effect gecreëerd worden. Het winterfeest heeft aangetoond dat er hiervoor zeker een draagvlak bestaat binnen de inwoners van den Dam. Daarom mag het nu vooral niet blijven liggen. Nu de ideeën nog warm zijn, is het noodzakelijk door te werken aan deze prachtige interventies. Het Samentuinen project is al ver gevorderd en heeft slechts dat laatste duwtje nodig. Waar mag het gerealiseerd worden? Wanneer dit alles in een tijdlijn gegoten wordt, zou tegen de zomer van 2015 het parkje op den Dam er al helemaal anders uit kunnen zien. We vragen daarom uw steun om mee werken aan dit project!
Beste politici, zou u mee de schouders onder dit project willen zetten? Beste stadsdiensten, kunnen we erop rekenen dat jullie betrokken zullen blijven bij dit initiatief? Beste kerngroep, we hopen dat dit boekje jullie helpt om de juiste contacten te kunnen leggen!
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noordschippersdok noordschippersdok