2.6 HART VAN ZUID
Rotterdam Zuidplein is fondly known as the “Heart” of the South or Hart van Zuid. It is now a public-private area development on the south bank of Rotterdam covering the area around national event venue Ahoy and the shopping centre, one of the largest malls in the country. Zuidplein is also the second largest bus station of the country with approximately 27.000 travellers daily (including the metro) (Trienekens et al., 2011). The project is a collaboration between the Municipality of Rotterdam and two private construction companies, Ballast Nedam and Heijmans. The goal of the project is to create a lively centre for the southern part of the city where people can reside, participate, learn, work and live. The master plan has various sub-projects proposed to achieve this goal. Two squares (Plein op Zuid and Ahoyplein) will function as the ‘hotspots’ of the area and will include spaces for visitors to meet and interact with one another. A main boulevard will connect the two squares and will focus on pedestrian movement integrated with greenery and water bodies. Spaces for small businesses have been planned to stimulate entrepreneurship amongst the neighbourhood’s youth. These small (work)shops, boutiques and cafés are situated around the squares and potentially improve the vitality of the area (Gemeente Rotterdam et al, n.d). The project also includes a social programme with the objective of providing vocational and artisanal training for the residents (Ballast Nedam, n.d.). In 2016, the realization of the project began with the transformation of a municipal office building into Rotterdam’s first 50-metre sports-pool. The swimming pools are situated on the first floor and the ground floor offers space for small shops, artist studios, a restaurant and a municipal office. In April 2017, the construction of Kunstenpand (‘Arts Building’) started,
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Artist’s rendering of the Kunstenpand, an arts centre that will house an auditorium and related functions. Source – Hart van Zuid.
Veldacademie
