d o r d r e c h t
...i n t e r p r e t i n g
a dialogue
d o r d r e c h t ...interpreting a dialogue
a city portrait by rahul dewan I 4505719 I msc1 urbanism I tudelft 2015-16 I tutor : els bet
acknowledgement
working late night, messing up your sketches, last
minute changes, etc are a long list of shortcomings that always exasperate you, and are a part and parcel of your final work submission. But admist all these shortcomings the best part is when you realise the effort that has been put to draw some beautiful lines. It would not have been possible without the help of few people. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. First and foremost I would like to thank my team as I could not have asked for anyone better team. Thank you Louise, Teis and Alex. Furthermore, I would like to thank my tutor Els Bet for her valuable suggestions and advice. This would not have been possible without the support and love I got from my girlfriend. Thank you Kritika Sha. And, although 7,650km apart I could not have possibly completed my work without the unconditional love of my parents. Thank you all.
student
rahul dewan
student number 4505719 university
tu delft, netherlands
course
msc1 urbanism 2015-2016
studio
r & d studio (analysis and design of city forms)
tutor
els bet
co-ordinator
marco lub
date
02.11.2015
c ontents preface methodology chapter 1. ‘water water everywhere’ 9-19 chapter 2. ‘looking deep into nature’
21-75
chapter 3. ‘art is light synthesis’ 77-81 chapter 4. ‘looking forward backward’
83-89
chapter 5. ‘first impression’
91-93
chapter 6. ‘appendix’ 95-99
preface
this book is a compilation of research and city drawings of dordrecht, located in netherlands, drawn and conceptualized over a period of 10 weeks. Based on 4 urban themes namely open city, urban landscape, urban form and complex system studies have been done and accordingly the form and structure of the city is understood. And with each frame of reference, the identification in the relationship between the different urban elements has been focused. The main objective was to conceptualize a story of the city leading to forming an impression via drawings to read the complexity of dordrecht.
methodology
to begin with, the first idea was to structure the 10
week studio work into a workable time schedule. Keeping this structure of work i went back in time and tried to understand how the island of dordrecht was formed and what conditions have shaped its present urban condition? What were the favourable and opposing urban elements and how do they relate to each other? Once the right questions were formed the story of the city wove on its own. Based on the four history and theory of urbanism lectures, I have tried to identify each topic with dordrecht and portray an impression of the city. This was followed by combinign each of the urban themes and generating a synthesis of dordrecht. Ultimately the story concludes with how I imagine dordrecht as a city
canals in the historic city center of dordrecht
chapter 1
‘ wat er wa ter ever yw here and t he boa rds di d shri nk wat er wa ter ever yw here no r a drop to dri nk’
9
- the rime of the ancient mariner
dordrecht in the randstad region, netherlands
0 10
1.5km
n
the story goes back in time when dordrecht was majorly formed after the disastrous elizabeth flood in 1412. This significant catastrophe shaped the island . Due to its strategic location it was a prominent trading town until the 18th century. Regarded as a major port city dordrecht traded in
wood wine and cereals and was one of the notable market cities in the randstad area. Unfortunately in the 18th century due to heavy siltation the city started to lose its flavour and use as a major port and nearby rotterdam overtook its position as the next major port city. 11
Located in the deltaic precinct of the north sea dordrecht is a small island with a present population of 118,782. The island is enclosed by the oude maas, beneden merwede, nieuwe merwede, hollands diep and dordtsche kill.
identifying the environment
12
how
does one recognize its surrounding or neighbouring environment? Is it friendly or hostile? The image on the left is an explanation to the question. Perceiving both from land and sea one gets the clear idea of its habitat and its territory. The drawing shows the projection of dordrecht in the deltaic region and how fragile and vulnerable the island is to natural catastrophes.
13
ord no
ou
de
m
aa s
beneden merwede
nie u
we
me
rw
ed
e
dordtsche kil
ho
iep
sd
d llan
island of dordrecht
0 14
1km
n
as an island...
dordrecht as an island is like a vulnerable
and fragile piece of land surrounded by 5 rivers in the deltaic region of netherlands. It is connected by major railway lines, national highways and waterways to the other parts of the country. There are 3 train stations in dordrecht along with one major highway and a beltway.
15
To the south, the island is seperated by the wide nieuwe merwede from the bies bosch, one of the largest national parks in netherlands and one of the last freshwater tide areas in europe.
papendrecht
zwijndrecht
dordrecht
dordrecht as a functioning island
0 16
1km
n
as a functioning island...
dordrecht is still an important center for
inland shipping. With the dordtse kil and the oude maas, the harbours of dordrecht are well connected to the rotterdam port area for trading goods and supplies. The harbours and the industries function along the 2 northern edges of the island.
17
Presently the island has a functioning ship building, wood and steel industry as its main economy.
0
existing island of dordrecht
1km
n
c a n a d i a l o g u e c o e x i s t b e t w e e n s o c i e t y, a g r i c u
18
society
agriculture nature
borders or divisions existing in the island of dordrecht
ulture and nature and thrive in its relationship?
as an objective...
although, the 18th century saw dordrecht
19
lose its importance as a major port city, it still holds the potential to revive its lost charm. The city has grown as a complex system of ideas. It is distinctly divided by infrastructure lines, waterways, or the dike system. So the question was ‘how can we create a dialogue between the several elements and layers within a city?’ Can borders or divisions coexist and thrive in a mutually successful relationship?
canals of dordrecht
chapter 2
‘looking deep into nature and then you will understand ever ything better ’ - albert einstein -land morphology -the green line -the urban form -the urban potential 21
-land morphology
23
the story of land, water and dikes
land transformation of dordrecht over the years
24
the beginning of transformation...
dordrecht is located in the deltaic precinct
25
of the north sea. In 1412 the disastrous elizabeth flood shaped the island leading to its present form. Due to its vulnerable location the island has been a victim to several catastrophic threats from floods. Precautionary measures such as dikes were built as a safety mechanism from these threats
dike system of dordrecht
0 26
1km
n
the dike system...
the dikes built around the island
of dordrecht, are one of the major precautionary measures taken for the island to protect it from water. These dikes function as a strong defense wall protecting the island from future floods. Although these dikes are meant for protection, the lower part of the island in the farmlands are susceptible to flooding if a major flood hits netherlands. Apart from functioning as a defense system these dikes plays a major role in the urban landscape of dordrecht. 27
0
robustness of dordrecht in the protected lands
28
1km
n
fragility of dordrecht in the unprotected lands
the defenseless system...
protected by ring dikes as a safety
29
measure from floods, the landmass of dordrecht portrays a strong face of robustness. And, from another frame of reference the unprotected land of dordrecht exhibits its fragile and vulnerable side. Does these 2 facades of dordrecht balance each other in protecting the island from future floods?
0
existing dike system of dordrecht legend primary dikes secondary dikes
30
1km
n
old polder system as the generator for the city structure legend polder network areas identified with the same urban pattern
the structuring element...
polder network has been a major
31
landscape element for the netherlands. It is also quite alarming to study that the old polder system of dordrecht generated the present form of urban developement. Most of the areas (marked in grey) have followed the old polder network as its baseline for urban development.
the land morphology of dordrecht
0 32
1km
n
the land morphology...
hence what makes dordrecht robust
legend unprotected area of the deltaic zone protected land waterways 33
yet fragile, is its water, land and dikes and resulting in lands transformed over the years and lands added in recent times which has kept the morphology of this island dynamic with the aim of protecting it from future floods.
-the green line
35
the story of the natural divider
0
dordrecht as an urban landscape 36
1km
n
the green belt...
dordrecht as a city has lot of greenery,
several green parks and sports fields for recreation and relaxation. However, all these greens are disconnected and disengaged from each other. What might be missing is a dialogue between them. Either the landscape surrounds the neighbourhood like a parcel or like a divider running parallel to the motorways. Greens are breathing spaces and is one of the essential requirements of a society. Although present in abundance, these green open spaces miss a connection. The green parks are scattered among the neighbourhoods while the farmlands encompasses the southern part of the island and further south are the alluring bies bosch. 37
0
neighbourhood parcellation of dordrecht 38
1km
n
identifying the neighbourhoods within the city
the neighbourhoods of dordrecht were
39
built over the years and each present a different story. These parcelations are either seperated by motorways or green belts giving the neighbourhoods an individual identity. At the same time because of these borders and divisions these neighbourhoods lack the qualities of a coherent society.
0
urban landscape of dordrecht 40
1km
n
legend parks sports fields farmlands bos
recreational
mapping the urban landscape of
dordrecht and identifying its relationship to each neighbourhoods and eventually its disengagement from each other. 41
weizigtpark
wielwijkpark
0 42
0.5km
n
park merwestein
dubblemondepark
major parks in dordrecht and its 43
relationship to neighbouring built spaces to identify the connectivity of these green open spaces.
44
the green story...
all the green systems of dordrecht act as
an individual landscape area catering different neighbourhoods and disengaging them from each other. But can such a network of green help a city to grow further or does it divide it with time? Moreover the vast farmlands in the countryside embraces the city from 45
the south preventing further growth to the southern side. Keeping the above constraints in mind, the question to ask is whether we can generate or formulate a coherent system with the existing green for dordrecht’s future?
-the urban form
the story of the suburban neighbourhood 47
0
islands of built form in dordrecht 48
1km
n
the 3rd story...
Enclosed by the oude maas and the
49
beneden merwede on one edge, the city of dordrecht has grown over the years from its historic core to several small neighbourhoods in the south. Each of these neighbourhoods were built over different time era and portrays different urban forms. Together as a system they represent the city of dordrecht. Although, the built environment of the old historic town has a relation to the magnificent waterways of dordrecht the neighbourhoods in the south of the historical center lose that connection.
0 50
1km
n
1km
‘minded’ spaces...
For me, a space visited to fulfill a single
purpose can be called ‘single minded space’. On the other hand, spaces which grant freedom in terms of functionality and usage are ‘open minded’ in nature. I identify the above types of spaces within 1km radius of neighbourhoods to understand and analyze their distribution and network.
legend single minded space open minded space 51
0 52
0.5km
n
how does a single minded space or an 53
open minded space function for a city like dordrecht? This drawing establishes the accessibility of open minded spaces in relation to its surrounding.
city centrum
vogelbuurt
jacob catsstraat
blaauwweg
driehoek
vredenburg
0 54
1km
n
the loophole story...
the neighbourhoods of dordrecht have
been identified with their road network. It is quite evident that although built in different time periods all the neighbourhoods share a common structure of a loop road network cutting through each parcel. 55
city centrum
17th century neighbourhood
vogelbuurt
20th century neighbourhood (1900-44)
jacob catsstraat
56
20th century neighbourhood (1900-44)
view of the historic city center
view of vogelbuurt neighbourhood
the cause for the urban form...
todays face of dordrecht has been
established over a period of 650 years and portrays different time periods of developement in different neighbourhoods. Although each of these parcels have developed differently during different chronological time periods it exhibits a similar pattern of a shuffled frontyard and backyard.
view of jacob catsstraat neighbourhood
The following page also illustrates the above... 57
blaauwweg
20th century neighbourhood (1970-79)
vredenburg
20th century neighbourhood (1990-99)
driehoek
58
20th century neighbourhood (1980-89)
view of the blaauwweg neighbourhood
view of vredenburg neighbourhood
view of driehoek neighbourhood
59
shuffling of frontyard and backyard
rigid grid system of the industrial belt
60
large open public spaces for social interactions
tightly knit built fabric with enclosed open spaces
the various typologies of built form
61
representing the urban fabric work in cohesion to lend the city its spatial identity. By analyzing the neighbourhoods with respect to its built form and immediate open space, i can categorize the quality of the built form.
-urban potentials
63
the story of alternatives and possibilities
64
networking...
dordrecht is strategically located 65
in a network of major european cities. taking advantage of the above, its potential, in this regard can be further explored.
0 66
1km
n
connections...
the island of dordrecht is connected
legend railroads major roads n3 motorway a16 highway 67
from 5 sides to other parts of the country by railroads, highways, motorways and waterways. There are 3 railway stations inside dordrecht and a national highway (a16) dividing the industrial sector from the city. A major motorway (n3) along with the railroad slices the city into sections disengaging it into 2 parts. Dordrecht is connected to papendrecht and zwijndrecht by regular waterbus service.
0 68
1km
n
complex stories...
each city a has potential area where
69
favourable conditions for urban spaces can be created rendering a breathing space with a place for social interaction. Dordrecht shows lot of possibilities of urban spatial developement. The historic center sets an excellent example of such urban qualities. But as we move into neighbourhoods this quality starts to fade making the area a silent and dead section of the city. Interestingly each neighbourhoods have a supermarket or a shopping center at the center but due to its spatial arrangement it lacks the quality of a public space. In this image all the centers of public spaces have been identified in the city with a 1km radial distance to give a sense of scale and analyze its distribution.
0 70
1km
n
in continuation to the previous drawing i tangentially connected the spheres of public spaces to map their outreach area in dordrecht 71
0 72
1km
n
structure of implantation...
the loops are generated from the
spheres connecting 2 neighbourhoods and reducing our understanding of the outreach network of potential spaces to its simplest form. From this we can clearly identify areas which fall outside this structure, thus providing us the opportunity to intervene there. 73
0 74
1km
n
if i map the traffic machine and the
structure of implantation it clearly shows me the image of a collision between them. But does that make dordrecht a complex system or rather does it take a step further to identify its potentials? What if... the traffic machine never collided with the structure of implantation and flowed along its periphery? Does it give dordrecht a new image or identity? taking this idea as frame of reference and all the analysis done in the previous pages, i move forward to discover possibilities or alternatives for a coherent dordrecht. 75
riverfront edge of dordrecht
chapter 3
77
‘science is spectral analysis art is light synthesis’ - karl krauss
water and harbours
dike structure
infrastructure (rail and roads)
green urban landscape
uilt urbanscape of dordrecht
78
unbuilt urbanscape of dordrecht
dordrecht can be seen as an entity with a delicate balance between the urban city, agriculture and natural landscape.
synthesizing dordrecht as a combination 0
1km
n
of layers 79
c a n a d i a l o g u e c o e x i s t b e t w e e n s o c i e t y, a g r i c u
80
society
agriculture nature
ulture and nature and thrive in its relationship?
culmination...
this brings us back to the question ‘how
81
can we create a dialogue between the several elements and layers within a city?’ (page 19). What happens if we combine all the possibilities discussed in the previous chapters? Does this give us a new impression of dordrecht?
lanes of dordrecht
chapter 4
83
looking forward backward
1800 AD
1950 AD
0 84
1km
n
1900 AD
2015 AD
Looking back to the footprints of bies
bosch in history, i can trace how the land form evolved over the years giving rise to a new water channel (nieuwe mereden). This heavy traffic on the waterway creates a sharp division between dordrecht and the bies bosh. 85
the diconnected existing landscape form and the infrastructure lines of dordrecht dividing the city through borders and divisions 86
the disconnected existing landscape form and the infrastructure lines of dordrecht dividing the city through borders and divisions 87
88
can we imagine an unified and
interconnected green network working in cohesion with the infrastructure lines so that the city behaves as one single entity? What happens if we travel back in time and see dordrecht as a combination of urban form, agriculture and nature coexisting
without the borders and division of todays world? I have imagined dordrecht where the bies bosch is back in direct connection with the land and the infrastructure lines encompass the city rather than run through it. Along with that I furthered my imagination 89
to include a green belt inside the city that connects all the potential urban public spaces through its green fingers, thus negating the dead and silent spaces of present dordrecht.
skyline of the city
chapter 5 91
first impression
92
93
impressions of dordrecht
f i r s t
i m p r e s s i o n 94
as an outsider i see dordrecht as a
fragile piece of land surrounded by natural landscapes of water or the bies bosch. On the inside i imagine the city as a robust landform with its carved triangular sloped roof, tightly knit together. These built form in the historic land gives the impression of an unified built block securely holding each other while floating on the waters of the deltaic precinct of netherlands. While the framework resembles the fragile and delicate nature of lacework, inside 95
the frame, i portrayed my impression of dordrecht with its unclear muddy canal waters, the public square and the brick houses showing the various qualities of an urban space. But this city center gets sliced by infrastructure lines from the rest of the city. Below the railway line i see the new organised urban pattern of neighbourhoods highlighting the backyards and frontyards of these houses. Further down i see the countryside and the alluring bies bosch. This is my first impression of dordrecht.
outer dike area of dordrecht seen from the tower of the church
chapter 6 97
appendix
98
land use map
0 99
300m
n
references images 1. page 12-13 https://www.google.com/maps/@51.9985675,4.3795912,15z 2. all other images have been taken during our field trip by teis brekken, louise k. alex and me websites 1. http://www.edugis.nl 2. http://geoplaza.vu.nl/cms/ 3. http://dutchdikes.net 4. http://www.topotijdreis.nl 5. http://www.ruimtelijkeplannen.nl/web-roo/roo/? 6. https://cms.dordrecht.nl 7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dordrecht literature 1. atlas of the functional city - ciam 4 and comparative urban analysis; evelien van es, jill denton; bussum, thoth publishers; 2014 2. design of cities ; edmund n bacon; london, thames and hudson;1967 3. image of the city; kevin lynch; cambridge, massachusetts; the m.i.t. press; 1990 4. atlas of dutch water cities; fransje hooimeijer howard; charleston, biblio bazaar; 2008 5. kleurroute dordrecht : 55 dordtse kleuren; haarlem : stichting kleur buiten, cop; 2005. 6. the urban pattern : city planning and design; arthur b. gallion, simon. eisner; new york, ny : van nostrand reinhold; 1986. 7. learning from rotterdam : investigating the process of urban park design; m.j. vroom, johan meeus; new york : nichols publishing ; mansell : london; 1990. 8. in search of new public domain : analysis and strategy; maarten a. hajer, arnold reijndorp, andrew. may, els. brinkman; rotterdam : NAi publishers, cop; 2001 9. antwerp, territory of a new modernity; bernardo. secchi, paola viganò, Ilene. steingut, tessa. gerson; amsterdam : SUN ; amsterdam : Idea Books [distr.], cop; 2009. 10. barcelona : the urban evolution of a compact city; joan. busquets; rovereto : nicolodi editore; 2005. 11. the map as art: contemporary artists explore cartography; katharine harmon; princeton architectural press; 2010 12. moved movement; dirk sijmons; 2015
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fin.