Restart for the Coast - Master Thesis

Restart for the Coast

by Marek Vilášek

Restart for the Coast A complex strategy for the empowerement of the coastal territory in Belgium across the scales

Written and designed by: Marek Vilášek Supervisor: Martino Tattara Other consultants: Stephanie Mange, Isabelle Cuypers, Marc Constandt, Laurens Luyten

International Master of Science in Architecture KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture, Campus Sint-Lucas Ghent Academic year 2017/2018

©All rights reserved under International Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying, recording or by any information storage retrieval system, without permission in written form of the publisher or specific copyright owners. Work and publication are made during the course of a personal master dissertation project, within the project of Restart for the Coast

Contents

6

Preface Introduction Home(s) for Flanders Resilient and Sustainable strategies The first glance on the Belgian Coast Territorialist school methodology

E. Planning Metropolitaan Kustlandschap 2100 Stedelijk Systeem Kust Ambition of the Territory Structuurplan - Middelkerke Gewestplan – Middelkerke

The Coast as a territory

16

Vision

A. Diagnosis

18

10 levers of possitive change

Lost relationship with the landscape Low quality of public space Change of the tourism Coastline as a second home Ageing and brain drain Affordability problem Low variability of housing stock

Atlas of Landscapes Atlas of Homes Atlas of Infrastructures Atlas of Fringes 108

Wild Coastline Territory Nature vis-Ă -vis the mankind One and only way Start of linear growth of Bathing resorts Kusttram as a unique development tool Between medieval village and bathing resort The bathing resorts planning Koninklijke Baan as a validation of the Kusttram Losing the density Halfway towards the linear development Dawn of social tourism Fragmented urban planning D. Mapping The Overview The map of the Void The map of the Mass The map of the Infrastructures The map of the Walls, Ribbon and Barriers

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Project

154

Large Scale

156

Medium Scale

172

Small Scale

198

Bibliography

224

34

B. Atlas

C. Milestones

134

123

Preface

6

1

Introduction

2

Home(s) for Flanders

3

Resilient and Sustainable strategies

4

The first glance on the Belgian Coast

5

Territorialist school methodology

7

Introduction

The coastal territory in Belgium is a very peculiar place. As a tourist who is coming for a visit, you see only nice beaches, promenades with expensive restaurants and many attractions which. This prevents you from thinking about the other side of the thing. Tourism is both salvation and destruction for the belgian coastline. It brings wealth into the region, but on the other hand, regular inhabitants are left behind as the municipalities do more for occasional visitors.

The bathing resorts that emerged in last century chaotically filled up almost the entire stretch of coast and took a big chunk of the valuable landscape.

The formerly compact small towns and villages have grown significantly and totally lost bond with the surroundings and became disconnected from the constraints of territory. This exploitative relationship of towns with the landscape started 150 years ago and persists to this day. The municipalities do not have a shared vision concerning new development and there is no cooperation across the scales – from territorial to architectural. The region has many social and economic problems which are spanning across these scales and because of this lacking strategy, they are left unsolved.

The goal of my thesis is to precisely define the problems that Belgian coastline territory suffers from, even those that are not visible at the first sight, and by proposing a complex strategy contribute to their solution.

This strategy extends over multiple scales and aims to serve as a catalyst for a positive change of the region. Change towards the new coast, where settlements have a more meaningful relationship with the territory, where regular inhabitants are not left out forgotten, where is enough of possibilities and values to live a meaningful life.

The large-scale part of the project that I have designed is a strengthening infrastructural armature which is connecting the whole territory and adding new missing slow-mobility networks – bike paths and pedestrian transversal links. At the same time, it works as a stabilizing element for new development, which is redefining the seams between the built and unbuilt and recreating the mutual relationship between them. New public space and amenities are built along this territorial infrastructural artery.

In intermediate scale, I am defining the key sites at the municipal level, for new growth as well as for the demolition. This is done in order to make the territory work as a whole, get rid of bottlenecks which are fragmenting the landscape, and also to select the most valuable building plots for new public facilities, which would then become functional also in large scale.

In a smaller scale, I am focusing on declining camping sites and holiday parks and I am giving an example, how municipalities should reuse these plots in upcoming years. I had rethought the trailer park, kept the valuable infrastructure and proposed a new innovative form of housing on the similar spatial layout as they currently have.

These three scales work as one whole and and every single one of them cannot work without the other two. By this, I am reacting to the current lack of cooperation between different scales in urban planning, which often results in isolated development without any connection with the whole. I believe that only multi-scale approach over the time can provide an answer to the current coastal crisis.

Home(s) for Flanders Personal reflection on the main topic of the studio

Housing in Belgium certainly is in a precarious state. Dwellings do not reflect the current needs for flexibility. They are usually unnecessarily big and thus, unaffordable for the younger generation with lower income.

Nonetheless, the majority of current standard production is still focused on the single-family houses which are being built in the suburbs, causing urban sprawl, problems with transportation and reachability of public amenities. In some regions, the real-estate market is saturated with many large detached family houses or big apartments and simply does not provide any smaller and affordable housing for individuals or couples with lower income.

However, I believe that the problem starts at a larger scale. I think that the situation nowadays is not just a problem of the single-family house and it cannot be solved merely by redesigning the individual house. As one of the issues, I see the loss of relationship to the surrounding landscape.

People, living in their individual homes have often care very little about their neighbours, or what lies behind their garden. The settlements simply lost the healthy relationship to the territory and natural conditions. Typical housing production of last 100 years can be literally placed anywhere, regardless of context. Invisible wall, the ribbon of housing and fences was erected, cutting off the towns from the valuable rural landscapes around.

My reflection on the overall topic of the studio is then a bit wider than just redefining the form of a dwelling. I am proposing a strategy, which is trying to directly address this lack of relationships across multiple scales within the territory. My architectural intervention is meant to work as a catalyst for positive change and as the first step towards empowerment of coastal territory. Change towards a vital relationship with the landscape, change which purpose is a restart for the region and making it an attractive place for living for neglected groups of the population.

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Resilient and sustainable strategies Reflection on the focus of the Master of architecture program in Ghent

The term sustainable development hides a contradiction. Sustainable development is usually understood as a development or growth without depleting natural capacities and preserving them for the next generation.

However, each new building consumes a tremendous amount of natural resources, and above all a piece of precious Belgian landscape – which is in its essence fairly unsustainable. Yet many people believe in their ecological behaviour when building a so-called sustainable house with the A energy label at the suburbs, commuting by their personal car to work each day.

Belgium is one of the most built up countries in the world, open landscape is scarce, yet still not perceived as a valuable resource amongst the public.

Fortunately, the situation on Belgian coast is a bit better than in the rest of the Flanders. The whole strip of the valuable landscape behind the coastal settlements is practically overlooked, mainly because the focus in the last century was just towards the sea. However, nowadays the open landscape is in danger and cities started to spread into the polders, where the land is more affordable.

If we think about the fact that we already have a lot of underused capacities and nearly empty plots within the built urban tissue, it would make sense to focus on those first before the others. Strategies such as Betonstop 2040 are emerging, but they do not really answer the question of what we should do with the existing housing stock that we have available. As a part of my proposal, I am providing a possible solution to how to deal with these underused, yet still built-up areas in a coastline territory.

Another aspect of this topic is a ‘social-sustainability’. This term gets considerably less space in the dialogue amongst the public than environmental sustainability. Social bonds and relationships have always played a crucial role in the forming of the cities and local communities.

Nowadays, this role of every single building in the larger social environment is often neglected or totally ignored. The result is many emerging problems such as segregation or social exclusion which have a direct impact on the life quality in each city. Furthermore, people living in these disassociated neighbourhoods often do not care about the surroundings. In my larger scale strategy intervention, I am connecting these cut off parts of the urban areas at the coast by new, slow-mobility infrastructure, which is going to strengthen the relationship between the people and also between the settlements and the landscape.

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A first glimpse of the Belgian Coast

As a site for my thesis, I have chosen the Flemish coastline region. At the first look, this strip of land, almost 70 kilometres long, is one of the most urbanized shores in Europe. More or less half of the seaside is consisting of more than 4 storey-high and purely functional development01, that serves mainly for the tourists and seasonal visitors. These apartment blocks make more than a half of housing stock of the region.

01 Pillen, Sis. Waterscapes in Transformation: The Case of the Belgian Coastal Area, The Plan Journal, Volume 2/2017 - Issue 2 [RESILIENT EDGES], Centauro Srl, 2017, (p.747)

Ageing of the population here is even stronger than in the rest of the country, almost half of the inhabitants are more than fifty years old. Linear aspect of the urbanized area is strongly supported by the infrastructure, including the longest tram line in the world – The Kusttram. Former dunes are patched up by sea-side bathing resorts and their remains are often scattered and not forming viable enviroment. On the other hand, if we would forget the 1km wide strip of land along the coast, the most of the agricultural landscape in the polders behind lies intact, offering a huge potential.

The situation nowadays can be described as “deterritorialization”02, as defined by Alberto Magnaghi.

In the coastline area of Belgium, we can observe gradual degradation of public spaces, exploitation of landscape and persistent tendencies of the settlements to ignore its values.

People are not aware of the natural features and potentials, seams between the urban tissue and ‘void’ around are often neglected. New construction is still driven mainly by economic forces and the profit of individual is often placed above the greater good. “That’s the way the Belgian think. We regard this coastal architecture as kitsch, secretly we hang our heads in shame, but we can live with it when it suits us. So, it is opportunistic architecture”03 in this quote by Eric de Kuyper, we can observe that even when knowing about current situation which is far from ideal, there is very little shared will for change amongst the residents of the coast. Together with the strong NIMBY (not in my backyard) attitude of inhabitants is naive to think, that desired shift towards the more vital living environment can emerge just from the public will. Initial impulse for a change needs to come from larger-scale intervention, which would form and stabilize the current situation and initiate the positive changeover of the whole territory.

12

02 Magnaghi, Alberto. 2005. The urban village: a charter for democracy and local self-sustainable development. London: Zed. (p.11)

03 Eric de Kuyper, Met zich op zee (With a Sea View) (p.33-34)

fig 02 Belgium in European context author’s own (source image from: Google Earth)

fig 02 Belgian coastline territory author’s own (source image from: Google Earth, geopunt.be)

13

Territorialist school methodology

During the research part of my Master thesis, I was intensively searching for a way to get a coherent and holistic image of the whole coastline region. The work of Italian geographer and planner Alberto Magnaghi and the Territorialist school approach, which was established by him, are providing a complex strategy for so-called ‘local sustainable development’04. Territorial planning is trying to perceive the region as a territory with all of its complex bonds and relationships, history, specific culture and identities which are according to him left out of the picture in ‘sustainable planning’ as it is perceived today.

In his book, The Urban Village, he is addressing the regeneration of a certain territory as a renewing the relationship between towns and the surrounding environment. I think there is a strong link with architecture, despite the fact that Alberto Magnaghi is not an architect.

I was following his path, took the methodology of territorialist school(fig01) as a starting point and tried to implement it into my design process. His criticism on former ‘places’ which are becoming mere ‘sites’ today and also about that ‘ the settlements are no longer built as a lasting relationship is synergy with society and environment’ 05 is truly on point in case of Belgian coastline. The whole region has lost the ‘places for social interaction’ and former public space is seen just as connecting element between different functions or operates just as ‘museumified’ space for the tourists or serves as a background for commercial activities.

I followed the methodology in order to understand the Belgian coastline as complex territory, as a place which is composed of a variety of different complementary entities, as an outcome of historical facts and decisions. Thus, the next section of my reflection paper is coherent analysis of the Belgian Coastline territory.

14

04 Magnaghi, Alberto. 2005. The urban village: a charter for democracy and local self-sustainable development. London: Zed. (p. 55)

05 Magnaghi, Alberto. 2005. The urban village: a charter for democracy and local self-sustainable development. London: Zed. (p.11)

fig 01 Territorialist school methodology adapted from the book The Urban Village (p.108)

15

The Coast as a territory

In order to get a coherent and complex image of the Belgian coastline territory, in line with methodology defined by Alberto Magnaghi, I divided my analysis into five complementary parts. The first part Diagnosis, is based mostly on factual information and data, collected from various sources, out of which I have selected those, which can be solved by architecture. Second is the Atlas, which serves as a visual guide around the coastline territory. The third chapter - Milestones, is the overview of most important historical events and decisions, which led to the current situation, accompanied by historical maps and images. The fourth - Mapping, is set of maps that I developed, describing various elements out of which is the Belgian Coastline composed. And last, but not least- Planning, is my own reflection on existing strategies and planning policies for this territory.

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17

A. Diagnosis The diagnosis is the set of seven most serious problems which are present in the Belgian coastline territory based on tangible arguments or exact data. At the same time, the issues I selected are solvable by architecture, or at least the architecture means can contribute to the possible solution.

This chapter serves as a theoretical backround to the selected issues, whose solutions are part of my architectural project.

18

1

Lost relationship with the landscape

2

Low quality of public space

3

Change of the tourism

4

Coastline as a second home

5

Ageing and brain drain

6

Affordability problem

7

Low variability of housing stock

19

1. Lost relationship with the landscape

Before the industrialization period, the form of coastal towns and villages was an instinctive response to the surrounding natural environment. The relationship between landscape and architecture was intuitive, based on certain conditions at the coast. During the last 150 years, the coastline has drastically changed, cities have lost the bond with the territory and the previous habitat has become only a levelled piece of land, good for exploitation.

Even though that the actual capacity of the current housing stock is sufficient, cities are still spreading into the open land and new low-density development is being built in open landscape06. Alarming difference appears when we compare urbanized footprint at the coastline of Belgium and its neighbour – Netherlands. It is clearly visible that in case of Belgium(fig01), the urban tissue is not just much more present, but is also chaotically spreading into the landscape.

On the other hand, the urban areas in the Netherlands(fig02), have more modest and denser rational footprint.

Another thing is that the development along the Belgian coastline is one side oriented towards the sea and the valuable polder landscape behind is usually perceived just as a leftover space(fig03). This very fragmented landscape system is not robust enough and becomes very fragile natural environment. However, if we compare the situation at the coastline with the rest of the Flanders, there is still a large portion of not exploited and qualitaty landscape (fig04).

As we can see on the map07 showing the percentage of urbanization in the region, the amount of undeveloped land is still quite high. It is just matter of treatment in following years, which can destroy or recover this landscape.

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06 Labo Ruimte. Stedelijk Systeem Kust?. Accessed April 24 2018. https://www. vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/nieuws/ onderzoek-%E2%80%98stedelijk-systeem-kust%E2%80%99-lees-hier-het-rapport (p. 37)

07 Tempels, Barbara, Thomas Verbeek, Ann Pisman, and Georges Allaert. 2011. Urban Dynamics in the Flemish Countryside: a Comparative Study on Morphological Patterns and Local Economy Dynamics. Heverlee: Steunpunt ruimte en wonen. (p. 9)

01

02

03

04

fig 01 fig 02 fig 03 fig 04

Urbanized landscape between Westende and Oostende in Belgium author’s own (source image from: Google Earth) Urbanized landscape around the city of Breskens in Netherlands author’s own (source image from: Google Earth) Ignoration of valuable landscape behind the settlements - showed on the example of Westende author’s own (source image from: Wikimedia commons) Unbuilt landscape in Western Flanders adapted by author (source image from: Tempels, Barbara, Thomas Verbeek, Ann Pisman, and Georges Allaert. 2011. Urban Dynamics in the Flemish Countryside: a Comparative Study on Morphological Patterns and Local Economy Dynamics. Heverlee: Steunpunt ruimte en wonen. (p. 9))

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2. Low Quality of Public space

The sea and the beach were the first and foremost attractions at the Belgian coastline territory when the bathing resorts were built. The urbanism of bathing resorts served this purpose and was designed purely to supply this function. The main public space at the Belgian coast is certainly the promenade on top of the sea dyke next to the beach. Due to the high seasonal dynamic of the territory, space is overcrowded during the high season but almost empty for the most of the year. Adjacent shops and restaurants are operating correspondingly to that and most of them is closed from October to March or opened just during the weekends. Driven by market forces, they bring value mostly to the visiting tourists. The public space of the bathing resorts is functioning in a similar way. During the winter, the deck chairs and benches are put aside and locked. The privatized public space, where the terraces of the restaurants are placed, is completely unused and abandoned, but still taking up a valuable piece of land.

The focus on the individual car transport in the last decades had a massive impact on the coastline as well. Most of the side-streets are occupied by cars and huge areas in the outskirts of settlements are dedicated to parking lots. The capacity filled during the summer, but again, in the rest of the year, it is just a big vacant area.

The focus on tourists and cars is definitely not leaving much of public space dedicated to normal inhabitants. Basically, just a few squares and parks are used throughout the year.

Newly built public space is scarce and often overdesigned in order to look more appealing and more in line with the way how tourism operates, but lacking good functionality.

There is certainly a lack of quality public space for current inhabitants which needs to be addressed.

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01

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fig 01

fig 02

fig 03

fig 04

Public space dedicated to individual car transport - Oostende author’s own Public space dedicated to individual car transport - Middelkerke author’s own Recently completed square, filled with unusable furniture - Middelkerke author’s own Terraces on sea dyke promenade during the winter - Koksijde author’s own

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3. Change in tourism

Despite the fact that an overall number of overnight stays in Belgium has increased from 28.2 million08 to almost 35.5 million09 between the years 2006 and 2012, people’s interest in Belgian coastline is gradually fading. As we can see on the research which was done between the years 2000 and 2010, there is a considerable rise in numbers of people visiting the Art cities and Flemish countryside, but at the same time, we can observe an even more significant drop in the number of overnight stays in Belgium coastline territory(fig01).

Furthermore, the preference in the type of accommodation is changing as well. In remaining three graphs I have collected statistical data and noticed the downward trend of overnight stays by type of accommodation between the years 2006 and 2013 10 11 12. The number of overnight stays in hotels(fig02) is serving as a comparison. The biggest decline is visible in case of Camping sites(fig03) and Holiday parks(fig04). The combination of decreasing interest of the tourists about the Belgian coastline and especially in these types of dwellings is certainly going to cause that many of the facilities are propably going to be closed and abandoned in the current century.

Both of these typologies are highly inefficient in terms of space use, covering the big area with low-density temporary housing, but there is very little actually built, beside the roads and technical infrastructure, and thus the landscape underneath can be easily restored or transformed in the future. The average life-span of mobile homes and caravans that are being used is between 30 to 55 years, which means that by the year 2075, all of the currently existing stock is going to be either demolished or replaced by a new one.

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09 Peter De Wilde. Tourism in key figures edition 2013 Toerisme Vlaanderen, 2013 (p. 4) 08 Peter De Wilde. Tourism in key figures 2010. Toerisme Vlaanderen, 2010 (p. 3)

10 Tourism in figures XL 2017, Trend in the number of overnight stays by accommodation type, 2012-2016. Toerisme vlanderen 2017 11 Tourism in figures XL 2012, Trend in the number of overnight stays by accommodation type, 2008-2012. Toerisme vlanderen, Kennisbeheer 2013 12 Tourism in figures XL 2011, Trend in the number of overnight stays by accommodation type, 2006-2010. Toerisme vlanderen, Planning & onderzoek 2011

12 000 000 11 000 000

1 318 421

1 295 009

1 314 126

2011

2012

2013

1 400 000

1 312 313

Countryside + 6%

7 000 000

1 328 453

8 000 000

1 334 040

1 600 000

1 434 607

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1 360 071

2 000 000 Art Cities + 32%

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0

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453 069 2013

516 682

464 859

400 000

2012

500 000

427 768

600 000

401 724

408 640

426 854

453 225

479 352

600 000 500 000

700 000

462 655

800 000

441 982

800 000

400 000 300 000

03

2011

2006

2013

2012

2011

2010

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0

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100 000

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100 000

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Trailer Parks - 32,1%

200 000

2010

200 000

2009

Camping - 34,2%

2008

300 000

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700 000

501 457

900 000

492 396

900 000

509 322

1 000 000

610 337

1 000 000

667 057

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fig 01

fig 02

fig 03

fig 04

Number of overnight stays in Belgium between the year 2006 and 2013 author’s own (data source: Tourism in key figures) Number of overnight stays in hotels in Coastline territory between the year 2006 and 2013 author’s own (data source: Tourism in key figures - XL Edition) Number of overnight stays on camping sites in Coastline territory between the year 2006 and 2013 author’s own (data source: Tourism in key figures - XL Edition) Number of overnight stays in trailer parks in Coastline territory between the year 2006 and 2013 author’s own (data source: Tourism in key figures - XL Edition)

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4. Coastline as a second home

The tourist demand in the second half of 20th century has brought along many new developments designed specifically for occasional, but also regular visitors of the coast. Those projects were consisting mainly of holiday colonies, camping sites, and vacation apartment buildings and together with the strong support of infrastructure made the coastline available for masses. As a result, over half of the housing units at the coastline are functioning as a second stay, regardless of thousands of temporary camping spots(fig01). The whole coastline territory today is ruled by the tourism, which made the region highly dependable on the summer season, influencing job market, prices, and public amenities 13. The number of people who are dwelling in the coastline is almost three times higher in some municipalities during the summer. The one-fourth of these residents are staying in the holiday parks and campings, which are declining typology as I showed in the previous chapter.

One would have thought that the coastal municipalities would realize this issue and try to tackle it, but the situation remains the same and their approach did not change. Towns lack the overall vision for the development and still are just reacting to the real-estate market demand – mainly second homes or holiday apartment houses are being built on the cheaper plots in the outskirts nearby the polders(fig02+03+04).

This is causing strange duality – on one hand, the coastline is full of buildings, on the other, the majority of them is very underused and there are very low possibilities of decent affordable housing for regular inhabitants.

“This feels like the coast is a far too large house, being sporadic filled.”14

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13 Labo Ruimte. Stedelijk Systeem Kust?. Accessed April 24 2018. https://www. vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/nieuws/ onderzoek-%E2%80%98stedelijk-systeem-kust%E2%80%99-lees-hier-het-rapport (p. 42)

14 Labo Ruimte. Stedelijk Systeem Kust?. Accessed April 24 2018. https://www. vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/nieuws/ onderzoek-%E2%80%98stedelijk-systeem-kust%E2%80%99-lees-hier-het-rapport (p. 42)

01

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fig 01 fig 02

fig 03 fig 04

Comparison of the amount of temporary (pink) and pernament (blue) dwelling units in different coastline municipalities adapted by author (source image from Stedelijk systeem Kust - see bibliography) Unnecessarily big houses with outdated typology are still being build in open landscape in the polders adapted by author (image source: https://www.huysmanbouw.be/woonprojecten/ middelkerke-amaat-vanwalleghemstraat) Envisioned “affordable” second homes by municipality of Middelkerke adapted by author (image source: http://www.focus-wtv.be/nieuws/middelkerkelaat-betaalbare-woningen-bouwen) “Modern looking” second homes, built in the suburbs of Middelkerke adapted by author (image source: https://www.immoweb.be/nl/zoek/huis/tekoop/middelkerke/8430)

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5. Ageing and brain drain

Rising living standard and quality of medical care in the first world is causing the rise in the numbers of elderly population. In case of Belgium, there is a prediction of 44% increase of people above 60 years of age until the year 203015, which is already fairly high amount, however, in the coastline regions, the situation is even worse. Large number of elderly are seeking the retreat and see the coastline as good place to spend the rest of their lives. In the majority of coastal municipalities, the number of people older than 65 years is going to be higher than 30% in the year 203016(fig01).

Furthermore, when we take a look more specifically on the demographics, there is a certain gradient of age towards the seashore(fig02). In the bathing resorts and the area of socalled Atlantic wall, the average age nowadays is alarmingly high – 57 years17. When we go more inland, former centres of the old coastal villages have an average age around 46 years and areas even further from the coast have around 40-42. Seeing this numbers, it is clear that the big part of the problem is the question of affordability and the fact that the cost of renting or buying an apartment within the seaside town centres is simply too high for young people.

The whole territory is characterized by massive exodus of educated young people to bigger cities, usually known as brain drain.

However, this is not just a problem of high prices. In the coastline territory is a big lack of tertiary education and the people, who wants to study need to travel for education to Brugges or even further to Ghent, Brussels or Antwerp.

After they finish the university and possibly would like to move back to the coast, there is another big issue – low supply of jobs for college graduates18(fig03). People who are working in the tertiary sector are forced to commute to their jobs to Oostende or even further to Brugge etc., which makes the living on the coastline very inefficient for them. Many of the jobs are related to tourism with low added value (fig04). Moreover, the settlements are not offering any possibilities for individual entrepreneurship and the coastline is also not a very appealing environment for the young people. This problem is hard to solve just by means of architecture, but I believe that adding of missing typology could help to solve the situation around ageing and leaving of young people.

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15 Wouter Bervoets, Hilde Heynen (2013) “The Obduracy of the Detached Single Family House in Flanders”, International Journal of Housing Policy, 13-4, (p. 364)

16 Labo Ruimte. Stedelijk Systeem Kust?. Accessed April 24 2018. https://www. vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/nieuws/ onderzoek-%E2%80%98stedelijk-systeem-kust%E2%80%99-lees-hier-het-rapport (p. 45) 17 Realo. Demographics data, map of average age . https:// www.realo.be/en/ Accessed April 24th 2018

18 Labo Ruimte. Stedelijk Systeem Kust?. Accessed April 24 2018. https://www. vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/nieuws/ onderzoek-%E2%80%98stedelijk-systeem-kust%E2%80%99-lees-hier-het-rapport (p. 42)

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culture recreation

ag ric fis ultur i hin e co ndus g nst try ruc tion

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te sta n le io rea rmat info business finance

social services administration

e trad ort sp tran ering cat

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fig 01 fig 02 fig 03 fig 04

Ageing in Belgium is strongest in the coastline territory adapted by author (source: Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 - see bibliography) Average age is rising towards the seashore - example of Middelkerke author’s own (data source: realo.be) Territory is dependent on tercier jobs related with tourism (pink) and lacking quarter jobs for skilled college graduates (blue) adapted by author (source image from Stedelijk systeem Kust - see bibliography) Most of the tercier jobs are related with the tourism (pink) adapted by author (source: Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 - see bibliography)

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7. Problem of affordability

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, the housing affordability is a big problem in the coastline territory and real-estate market prices are very high. The growing average prices per m2 of plots(fig01) are showing that the spreading into the open landscape is becoming more a more expensive and coastline is simply full. The average prices for housing unit (fig02) were also growing at a significant rate in last decades. Just between the years 2005 to 2014, the increase of the price was more than 50%19.

As we see on the diagram20 (fig03), the whole region around the coast is characterized by expensive plots and homes, but the vacancy rates are above average and speed of transactions is low. At the same time, there is a quite high immigration rate21 (fig04), which means that more people are coming to the coastline than leaving it.

However, these people are mostly the elderly, as it was already shown. These people already have the sufficient funds, that were collected throughout their life to buy their own overpriced dwelling on the coast. There is simply not enough possibilities for younger individuals or families to buy or rent their own house or apartment, which is, in my opinion, one of the greatest issues of the coastal region.

Because of the fact that the prices are high, the majority of people is not able to afford it, which is causing that many of the capacities are vacant and speed of transactions is very slow. Nevertheless, this is not the only reason of this poverty of dwelling in the coastline territory. Part of the issue is also the problem of existing housing stock itself which will be further described in next chapter and in the Atlas of Homes.

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19 Vlaamse overheid. Lokale statistieken Middelkerke.

Accessed March 15 2018. https:// www.geopunt.be/ (p.48) 20 Loris, Isabelle, and Pascal De Decker. 2016. “Mapping the Current Market Dynamics: The Case of Belgium.” In Belfast (p. 12) 21 Loris, Isabelle, and Pascal De Decker. 2016. “Mapping the Current Market Dynamics: The Case of Belgium.” In Belfast (p. 13)

600 €/m2

300 000 € stline Coa ory Territ

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stline Coa ory Territ

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2014

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fig 01 fig 02 fig 03 fig 04

Evolution of average land prices between years 2005 and 2014 author’s own (data source: Lokale statistieken Middelkerke) Evolution of average prices for dwelling unit between years 2005 and 2014 author’s own (data source: Lokale statistieken Middelkerke) Real estate dynamics in Flanders adapted by author (source image from Mapping the Current Market Dynamics: The Case of Belgium - see bibliography) Population migration in Flanders adapted by author (source image from Mapping the Current Market Dynamics: The Case of Belgium - see bibliography)

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7. Low variability of housing stock

There is expected growth of population in Belgium by 375 000 people in next 15 years22(fig01). At the same time, the average size of household is constantly shrinking(fig02) and number of households is rising faster than the population is growing(fig03). Just between the years 1990 and 2008 the share of one-person and two-person households has increased from 56,2% to 63,9%23. The first time in history the living in a couple had become predominant and currently existing housing stock is not reflecting this situation.

22 Wouter Bervoets, Hilde Heynen (2013) “The Obduracy of the Detached Single Fami¬ly House in Flanders”, International Journal of Housing Policy, 13-4, (p. 364)

23 Wouter Bervoets, Hilde Heynen (2013) “The Obduracy of the Detached Single Fami¬ly House in Flanders”, International Journal of Housing Policy, 13-4, (p. 364)

The majority of dwellings in the coastline territory and also in Belgium is meant for a family with kids and the area of these houses or apartments is corresponding to that.

This typology had become prevalent due to many historical decisions and acts and it is still ingrained in belgian mind as the best way of living. The housing stock and also Belgian minds are very stubborn and hard to change. More than half of available housing is thus under-occupied and the rooms are used as a storage, fitness rooms or libraries. There is definitely a relationship between the size of dwelling and affordability and if the real-estate market is full of oversized apartments, it simply becomes inconvenient for smaller households. Yet, the single-family detached house standing unnecessary big expensive plot is still a dominant typology, which is being built along the coastline even nowadays.

“The real plight of the dwelling does not lie merely in a lack of houses. The real dwelling plight lies in this, that mortals ever search anew for the nature of dwelling, that they must ever learn to dwell.

Only if we are capable of ‘dwelling’ only then we can build”24 In my opinion, this quote by Martin Heidegger over 40 years old, has still a lot to say. We should stop just to produce more and more housing before we rethink what are the dwelling needs, specific to the coastal region today.

Only if we are ‘capable of dwelling’ in a certain territory, only then we can build the new, more rational forms of housing, which would be in line with real housing demand.

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24 Heidegger, Martin, and Albert Hofstadter. 1975. Poetry, language, thought. New York: Perennial Library.

01

02

03

fig 01 fig 02 fig 03

Population growth prediction in Belgium adapted by author (source image from 2016-2060: Demografische vooruitzichten see bibliography) Expected household size change adapted by author (source image from 2016-2060: Demografische vooruitzichten see bibliography) Expected population growth compared with growth of number of households adapted by author (source image from 2016-2060: Demografische vooruitzichten see bibliography)

33

B. Atlas I made this Atlas in order to get a complex image of the current situation.

There is much more than just factual information and figures which I have presented in The Diagnosis chapter. In fact, this mainly visual guide along the coast is showing the diversity and many of the hidden potential, which are not visible from the data. I have focused on four topics. First one is the landscape and all its various typologies and values that we can encounter in the coastline territory. The second one is called Homes and speaks about various types of dwellings, their problems and also the chances for transformation. The third one is about infrastructure, which was during the years specific defining element for the coastline. And finally, the fourth one is focused on the various kinds of relationships between the built and unbuilt.

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1

Atlas of Landscapes

2

Atlas of Homes

3

Atlas of Infrastructures

4

Atlas of Fringes

35

Atlas of Landscapes

36

Beaches Dunescapes Fields Pasturelands Transitions Brownfields Parks

The Belgian Coast. The first thing that pops into your mind is probably the sea, high-rise buildings, promenades, pricey shops and restaurants. But, just a small percentage of people would start to think about the landscape, and if so, just about the beaches and dunes. However, there is a lot more to discover.

Despite the fact that the whole coastline region is not

so built-up as the typical rural landscape of Belgium, the potential of the ‘unbuilt’ is often neglected and focus is only directed towards the sea. In this Atlas of Landscapes, I have mapped different conditions in order to get a coherent idea about hidden and valuable unbuilt areas in the coastline territory.

37

The beach is the only coastal landscape towards which the development is oriented at the moment. The proximity of the sea plays the biggest role in the realestate market and direct view onto it can even double the price of the apartment. Thus, the beaches are heavily used by the tourists and regular inhabitants and are transformed to the almost unnatural environment. The sand is each day levelled by dozers in order to ‘keep it where it belongs’ and to prevent natural transformation of the coast – constant erosion and sedimentation and thus change of seaside landscape. Even in those parts of the coast where the sea is not in direct contact with the cities and these measures are not needed, the dyke is used instead of the dunes to preserve the line of the shore.

38

Beaches

39

Until the end of middle age, the whole coastline of Belgium was in the state of constant change. The wind and tide were constantly shaping the dunes. New ones were emerging and the old ones disappearing. Inland marshes and bogs with the salt water were also a natural part of this process as well as the process of erosion and sedimentation. This mechanism of dune production formed a natural barrier against the storms and floods. Over the years, the protective function of dunes was substituted by dykes, which was often put between them and the beach. The Belgian coastline was typical for a smooth transition between the sea and land, without any reefs and cliffs as for example in neighbouring France, however nowadays it just barely profits from it. The remaining dunescapes are scattered and do not form a robust eco-system anymore. In order to ‘protect’ them, a fence was built around remaining areas to prevent people from entering them. Thus, we are protecting something which is barely useful for inhabitants of the Coast and due to its fragmentation does not work well as natural enviroment. We should aim to benefit from this valuable landscape, by means of sensitive architectural interventions which would make them accessible again. At the same time, restore the missing natural links between beaches, dunes and inland landscape.

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Dunescapes

41

The biggest portion of coastline landscape is dedicated to farming in the polders, which were reclaimed from salt marshes over the years. The fields are located on or under the sea level which makes the conditions for growing crops very good due to the process of groundwater infiltration. This, together with extensive Belgian rainfalls results in truly valuable landscape for food production. On the other hand, polders are under consistent threat from the floodings, which needs to be prevented by various canals and dykes.

The idea about the productive landscape, which basically connects food growing and the city was brought into the light in the year 2004 by Bohn & Viljoen Architects and nowadays it is slowly emerging also in Belgium.

AÂ few shops selling purely local produce in the coastline towns appeared, as the focus on the how is food that we eat produced getting stronger. However, this is just one possible value of the landscape. The urban areas in the coastline region are turning back to this landscape and ignore the fact that it can also become valuable semi-natural enviroment to dwell and relax in.

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Fields

43

These unbuilt areas share similarities with the Fields and intertwine between each other. Still, prevailing trend of connecting the pastures and fields into larger units without division is maybe more effective in economic terms, but leads to unification and thus the destruction of the agricultural landscape as the valuable living environment. The specific conditions of Belgium, where the urban sprawl into the surrounding landscape were parts of the housing strategy last years, which means serious risk. The strategy for the coastline territory should include clear statement adressing the relationship between the built and unbuilt areas which are now left behind.

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Pasturelands

45

The indisputable fact is that Belgium is one of the densest countries in the world. In the Flemish region, the percentage of built-up land raised from 19,6 to 26,2 % just between the years 1985 and 2009 and the number is still growing. Despite this, people and planners are still not fully aware of the rareness of unbuilt areas and spread onto the landscape slowly continues. In this process of ‘patching up the landscape’, many potentially valuable places are forgotten. I call them transitions – transitions between two used zones with no real function, but if properly used, they can become a valuable link. Even in natural habitats, the border or edge between two environments is always the richest area, where the species from both can profit. These spaces have strong hidden potential which should be properly used.

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Transitions

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The second overlooked typology of the ‘void’ is the brownfields. Built-up in the past, then demolished and now forgotten. When coastal municipalities speak about urban densification, these spaces should be their primary target. Especially in the harbour area of Oostend, declining industry caused the disappearance of many buildings. Location fairly near the city centre and good transport connection, make these plots valuable land for the new development.

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Brownfields

49

Together with the beaches, they are only used unbuilt spaces in the coastline territory. Although that all of them are manmade, they are still valuable also in a natural way. However, the fact is that around a third of them are in private hands with a limited access, which is available just in certain hours. This is also the case of various open-air sports facilities, which are usually surrounded by greenery, which can in ideal case serve the public, even when the particular facility is closed.

Moreover, the big portion of these is poorly accessible or not even well connected with the surrounding urban tissue.

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Parks

51

Atlas of Homes

52

Atlantic Wall Dense Block Low-Density Block Solitary Buildings Remains Detached Family House Semi-Detached Family House Ribbon Farms Trailer Parks

As it was mentioned in the Diagnosis section, the coastal region became unattractive to the young people.

High land prices, together with the inappropriate housing typologies and lack of jobs is causing massive fleeing of people under 30 years of age to larger cities.

The sole presence of the sea is not appealing enough for them to stay. However, if the coastline territory would become more tempting, providing the contact

with the vibrant natural environment, providing job opportunities and offering better housing possibilities, I am confident that many of them would stay or move in. With the purpose of mapping the existing situation in housing, I created this Atlas of Homes, which serves as a comparison of existing typologies and document their precarious conditions.

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This typology is something quite unique in a European context. Around 50% of the seashore in Belgium is build up with this massive line of postmodern apartment buildings, usually with 5-8 floors. When we compare the coast of neighbourhood countries – France and Netherlands, we can see that this linear element is truly something specific only for Belgium. This strip, in fact, works as a physical and also mental barrier between the beach and the centres of bathing resorts. Surrounding urban space is valuable for the inhabitants just in sunny days during the summer. In the rest of the time, it is rather a hostile place which is messy, surrounded by closed restaurants and stacked beach furniture. Most of the apartments are used as a second home. The condition of many of the buildings that are forming the ‘Atlantic Wall’ are far from ideal and just a low maintenance was done during the years, therefore the refurbishment is inevitable.

However, there is, in fact, a great chance for the change.

As the sea dyke definitely needs to be raised to prevent floods due to the rising sea level, there is an opportunity to adjust the appearance of the sea dyke and improve its recreational function to better serve current needs of coastline inhabitants. The current apartment typologies do not provide enough variety to the other family types, besides a couple with two children. Greater diversity of typologies within the buildings and also a new mix of function can be achieved during the renovation, which can invigorate the coastal communities.

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Atlantic Wall

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The block is made out of apartment buildings or the single-family row houses standing next to each other without a gap, which is forming and enclosing the whole perimeter. The inner area of the courtyard is often used as a space for economy, parking or other functions such as shared garden. Despite the variations in the outer look and the period in which were the buildings built, the inner spatial layout is usually a typical family apartment or typical family house, without the proper possibility for the households formed out of individuals or couples. These denser areas are mainly located between the old settlement centres and the cores of bathing resorts. The composition of its inhabitants is mixed accordingly to the exact location, affected by a proximity of the beach.

56

Dense Block

57

Formed in a block structure as well as the previous urban typology, but the perimeter is mostly full of gaps.

Individual buildings are either detached family houses combined with row houses or isolated apartment buildings. The inner core of the block is filled with other low-density detached housing accompanied by a large amount of road infrastructure or is left as an unused area. Many of these blocks are closer to old centres of the settlements than to the bathing resorts, therefore can serve as great and easy possibility for densification of the settlements. It should be focused on the permanent housing for regular inhabitants rather than for occasional visitors. The plots around the perimeter are ften very deep, which is not used properly and can serve as another great capacity for densification. Inner yards could be used as a shared area for the inhabitants, offering working possibilities or leisure time activities, or as the location for new public amenities such as nursery school.

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Low-density Block

59

Chaotic urban planning on the Belgian coastline without complex vision often results in isolated highdensity block or single high-rise building being built out of the city context. These Solitary buildings regularly stand detached from the settlement centres, at the outskirts or directly on the dunes or pasturelands.

Despite their own high-density, they are more of a problem than a solution. They are located far from the centres and also public amenities, without good connection by public transport. This is causing over usage of individual car conveyance and isolation of the inhabitants from the community life. However, if those buildings would be joined more properly by redefined transportation network, they can become an appealing dwelling again.

60

Solitary Buildings

61

The boom of tourism on the coastline at the beginning of 20th century led to the construction of many luxurious private villas and extravagant hotels, which were built directly on the sea dyke promenade. Most of them came from Belle epoque and were replaced by new buildings over the century, but few of them still remain, protected as monuments. Despite the protection, the majority of these are abandoned and slowly decaying. They became just a good-looking background for tourist coming to visit the coast and its promenade, but nowadays they do not have any real use in the settlement. At the same time, they are a valuable part of coastal identity and a memento of its evolution. The municipalities should have a clearer strategy on how to deal with these monuments, aiming beyond mere protection. The refurbishment with a new meaningful use seems like a more reasonable solution than just protecting a nice-looking façade.

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Remains

63

Many historical decisions and policies cause the dominance of this typology in Belgium. For last 150 years, owning a individual house with a garden is a standard for the Belgian people. Due to ‘path dependency’ the individual dwelling is still wanted by a majority of the population. There is also a deficiency of collective aspects in the urban fabric. The situation at the coastline is affected by extremely high land prices near the sea, which caused smaller plot sizes and a lower percentage of these dwellings than in the rest of the country. However, a large portion of the suburban areas of the coastal settlements is surrounded by a garden cities with low-rise low-density housing. Despite the high visual variety in outer look, the spatial layout and the scale of these dwellings are usually the same.

The ground floor contains ‘representative’ area of the house facing the street, while truly used living room and the kitchen is typically oriented to the back garden.

Usually, three bedrooms are situated on the upper floor.

Furthermore, many of these houses are underused, because of predominant family typology, which is not coherent with the gradual shrinking of household size, which is apparent all over Europe. There are many possible solutions around being developed by architects, such as subdivision or reconfiguration of these dwellings. Support for this kind of projects is slowly increasing in local municipalities. However, these ideas are still often encountering strong resistance from local inhabitants, who are very obdurate against these types of densification.

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Detached Family House

65

Transitional typology between the detached family house and a row house. Spatial layout is the same as that of the detached house typology, but at least semidetached house is becoming slightly more effective in terms of land use and energy efficiency, because of the shared wall. This design also has an influence on average plot area, which is considerably smaller the one in the case of the detached unit. In some cases, the pairs of semi-detached houses are places in a row next to each other, forming sort of a porous row-housing typology with lower density. The houses are often accompanied by a garage, built directly into the mass of the house or standing beside of non-shared wall. This is telling about the necessity of having personal car, even though that it means that the garage is occupying a big portion of inner house volume or of already quite a small garden .

This is also making the construction costs considerably higher.

66

Semi-Detached Family House

67

When we compare the coastal areas of Belgium and its neighbourhood – Netherlands, we can spot a big difference in terms of the relationship of the settlements with surrounding landscape. Dutch towns are far more compact without the spread of isolated housing along the roads leading towards their centres. On the other hand, total lack of urban planning combined with cheap and easily accessible land led to widespread of the cities into the open landscape in case of Belgium.

The ribbon is the product of these circumstances.

There is a huge amount of isolated row houses or detached family houses in the coastline territory, usually far away from the centres of the settlements. The plots are typically from one side adjacent to the main road leading to centre and surrounded by open landscape on the three remaining sides. In spite of the proximity of valuable open landscape, the plots are often cut off from their surroundings by a solid fence, which provides no contact. Accompanying phenomenon of this development is the low density, non-effective public transport and ofcourse the disappearing of open landscape. The global strategies for the whole coastline often speak about the revitalization of open landscape and I think that the gradual demolition of these bottlenecks can be a great possibility to make the landscape system more healthy and robust.

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Ribbon

69

Great conditions in the polders are making the agriculture at the coastline areas very effective and profitable.

The large number of small farms in the immidiate viccinit of the settlements, are the confirmation of this fact. Despite a current tendency towards largescale agriculture, the majority of these smaller farms are still persisting and functioning well. Their number is expected to decline by tens of percent in the current century and this can become an opportunity to relocate those which are overlapping. The shift of Belgian society towards more ecological and sustainable way of living is already happening and the food production is an integral part of it. These smaller farms offer great chance to make a food production with a shorter route between the field and the plate of the consumer. People are also becoming more aware and interested in the food production process, agritourism is rapidly gaining popularity and I see a great potential in that as well. If these farms would join with a means of slow mobility infrastructure with the coastal settlements, they could easily turn into new recreational areas - food hubs, which could also provide ecological and educational function.

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Farms

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Perhaps the most typical typology of all along the coastline. They are a symbol of mass tourism available for everybody, even for the people with low income.

Covering a huge area along the coast, they are forming a big percentage of built-up area within the territory.

However, the build-up is not the correct definition.

Those holiday parks are mostly consisting of mobile homes, which are just parked on the plot, which is a valuable piece of land. In fact, just the infrastructure and the shared facilities concentrated into few buildings are constructed with solid foundations. Despite great area covered, the density of this housing is very low and in combination with the fact that majority of these homes are occupied just 20% (around 75 days) of the year, they are very ineffective. As I have mentioned in the previous chapter, the tourism in Belgium is changing and the coastline is becoming less attractive.

We can assume that many of these facilities will perish during this century and leave the open landscape. I see a big opportunity in rethinking this recovered landscape with huge value. These trailer parks can make space for natural landscape as well as for the new types of dwellings, which are already demanded but missing nowadays.

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Trailer Parks

73

Atlas of Infrastructures

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Duneroad Kusttram Sea Dyke Links Backroad Railway Canal Green Links

Belgium coast is unique by its ‘infrastructural urbanism’. That means that infrastructure was actually used as a tool for the expansion of the coastline cities and bathing resorts along the seashore.

The linear development is thus not a coincidence, but it is a result of natural conditions and also of this hidden forming element. The phenomenon

of the Kusttram – longest tram line in the world is one thing, but there is a lot more. The big role also played an old road in the dunes as well as canals and other more unseen infrastructures. I mapped all of these important typologies of infrastructure, both manmade and natural, in order to see the blank spots, where infrastructure should be redefined or added.

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Back in the days where the coastal development was consisting just out of few fishermen’s huts, this road was an only connection with the inland areas. The presence of this particular road can be clearly seen in Ferraris atlas from the year 1777, but this route is even older. This old road in the Ferrari’s map run exactly on the transition between the dunescapes and the agricultural land and thus is defining the border between nature and men controlled environment. An intriguing fact is, that the position and trace of this path are still visible in urban tissue nowadays and furthermore, in around half of the area I tackled, the road is still physically there. Unfortunately, in spite of the fact that the road runs through the great piece of the landscape along the coastline, it is barely used and the road is not properly connected transversely with its surrounding. I see a big potential in the reconstruction of this important organizing infrastructure, which can serve as one of the main slow-mobility systems in the territory.

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Duneroad

77

As it was mentioned before, the Coastal tram (Kusttram in Flemish) is a unique phenomenon in the context of Europe and also the world. The first concept of the tram appeared in a form of horse carried wagons, which served as a transport for the wealthy tourists between the towns located more inland and seaside resorts around the middle of 19th century. Then in the year 1885, quite early, the steam-powered tramline was finished between the city of Oostend and Nieuwpoort. This brave planning move caused ‘hyper-accessibility’ which in fact work as an impulse for development along the dunes and defined them as the sites to start to build upon. Moreover, the tramline joined the distant towns and villages into the one big network and make the previously inaccessible landscape open for the tourism. We also should not forget about the other modus-operandi of the coastal tram which was for farming and construction. In both of these cases, the tramline was used for easier delivery of goods and materials from the production to the customer or to the construction site, which made a big impact on the speed of development and economics. At the end of 19th century, the electrified tramline started to work as a competitor for the former steam track and ran just a few hundred meters more inland and parallel to it until the middle of the 20th century. Nowadays, the electrified line of the tram was moved to the position of the former steam tram line and still works in full length. Most of the inter-city tramlines around the world disappeared, but the Kusttram still remains the primary means of public transport in the territory which is truly unique. Nevertheless, because of linear and not dense enough urbanism, the stops are located each few hundred meters, which makes the tram slow and not effective. It is clear by looking at the numbers – the overall length of 68 km takes two and half hours to travel, which is the average speed of 27 kilometres per hour, which is simply too slow. By densification of the town centres and flattening the outskirts, the tramline and its stops can be redefined in order to work more efficiently.

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Kusttram

79

This manmade barrier towards the sea has defined the line of the seashore once for all. The constantly changing dunescapes were rigidified and marked the border between the landscape and the sea. The area, previously just barely occupied due to these uneasy natural conditions was made available due to this act and de facto it was the first impulse for the linear development to happen. The sea defence infrastructure was not designed just as a protecting element, but also as public area – the pathway along the sea – the place to see and to be seen. Furthermore, these linear promenades spreading out of the cities indicated the new building sites alongside them and in fact, put an end to the morphological growth of the coastline cities and started sort of a linear development. At the moment, the sea dyke is still fully used as a promenade in the bathing resorts, but in the strips of lands between them, it works just as a sea barrier. I see this technocratic solution as an outdated one and I think it would be reasonable to get rid of the sea dyke in some sections of the coast in order to restore the natural processes and connect the sea and the dunes again.

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Sea Dyke

81

Linear development along the coastline cause the overaccessibility in the direction parallel with seashore, but at the same time led to the lack of good diagonal connections. At some parts, the transverse routes are present, but they usually work solely as a transportation, without habitable qualities.

Moreover, they typically do not go across more than a few zones and never go across the whole segment of the coast – from the beaches, through the towns into the agricultural landscapes. This scarcity of the transverse links is characteristic for the whole development along the coastline. The strengthening of these connections can lead to better accessibility, but can also help to restore the relationships between the bathing resorts and the old cities as well as between the cities and the landscape.

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Links

83

New emerging typology, present scarcely in the region. This particular photo is taken at the outskirts of Oostende, where the path was put behind the existing row of single-family houses exactly on the transition between the built and unbuilt area in order to make the landscape accessible and as a slow mobility route towards newly emerged building plots. The road is not even 1 year old, so adjacent inhabitants had no time for modification of their backyard fences by adding new entrances or removing unnecessary sheds and shelters. Nonetheless, the backroad is already well used as a bike path or as a place to have a walk, because it offers far more appealing environment than a former path in front of the row houses. If the road would be used really as fixed border between the city and nature, thus between the built and unbuilt, it has the capability to work as a stabilizing element for the development at the outskirts and also make currently neglected the potential of surrounding agricultural landscape opened for the public use again.

84

Backroad

85

In the year 1854, the density of railway infrastructural network was equal with London and Paris and until the year 1880, it was almost two times denser than railways in France or Germany.

This is not a coincidence, but the railway was in fact used as a tool which makes certain dichotomy in social politics available – the workers in the factories had to work within the cities, but at the same time they had to live in rural areas so as to prevent the rebellions. This extensive railway network has included three coastal cities, Oostende, Nieuwpoort, and Blankenberge, from the year 1878. That became the milestone inaccessibility of the coast for the masses. The journey to the sea suddenly changed from the uncomfortable long trip by chariot to easy and fast voyage by train. Nowadays, besides individual car transportation, railway still plays a big role inaccessibility of the coastal cities as well along with serving as a main industrial transportation link between the harbours and the inland.

86

Railway

87

Before the 11th century, the coastline region was ever-changing environment composed of dunescapes accompanied with salty marshes located in the inland strip right behind them. Just a few small settlements located in this region were under the influence of high tide, which can cut off them from the rest of country for week or more. The starting point of the shift from natureruled to man-controlled enviroment happened with the act of building the first infrastructural systems – dykes and canals. The canals were used to balance the water level in the polders with the intention of changing them into the profitable agricultural landscape. Many of the canals persisted until today, although especially in the cities they are decked up and ignored. In the open landscape, despite the fact that the most of them are not used for ship transport, they are frequent barriers without any crossing over them. The presence of water is always highly valued amongst the public and addition of the canals into the public space, can be a powerful tool to make the landscape and coastal towns more attractive.

88

Canal

89

They are not the infrastructure in common sense, but they are sharing some similarities. The alleys, tree lines or draws, were always integral parts of agricultural landscape working as a border demarcation or as a wind barrier. In the era of industrialization, the technology made the size of the field which can be cultivated much more bigger and as a result, these components are not necessary anymore. Regardless of this trend of fields unification and merging, it would be reasonable to keep these linear elements within the rural landscape to preserve its human scale and habitable quality for the people. The missing transverse path going through the fields and pasturelands can also profit from these existing elements in the future.

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Green Links

91

Atlas of Fringes

92

Field - Canal | Private Garden + Semi-detached House Transition | Filled backyard + Semi-detached House Field - Grass | Small Garden + Detached House Pasturelands| Filled up garden + Semi-Detached House Dunescapes | Transitions - Road - Transitions | Detached House Wooded Dunescapes | Path - Parking - Bike Path - Road Grove | Canal | Road - Field

While analyzing the coastline territory, I have realized that even though the landscape is valuable, the cities are often deliberately cut off from it. Many, not necessary invisible walls are erected, limiting the contact. Moreover, these walls are in some cases not even needed. I have focused on the city of Middelkerke and tried to map its fringes in order to

have a clear idea about the current state of landscape ignoration. I perceive the borders as a huge potential for the redefining the relationship between the built and unbuilt and to rediscover the landscape. The border condition is specified by the fact that it can profit from both adjacent areas, which should not be forgotten in the design of these spaces.

93

Despite the fact that the canals in Belgian landscape are appealing elements, in city conditions, they are often unwanted, decked up or forming a barrier. Their banks are unused and decayed even though that they can be easily used for recreation or as a place for new slowmobility routes around. This condition is worst in the relationship with private gardens, where space behind is just a leftover.

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Field - Canal | Private Garden + Semi-detached House

95

This part of the fringe is dispersed, the gardens are used mostly as a storage space, filled-up with various temporary shelters and house extensions. Moreover, the fence is usually high and just rarely transparent. The area behind is used as agricultural land, but the strip of land right behind the garden is forgotten and not used for anything.

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Transition | Filled backyard + Semi-detached House

97

Reduction of the size of building plots leads to slow filling up of private gardens by various sheds, which serves as an extension of living area or as a storage outside of the house. This combination caused that each house became an inward-oriented unit, ignoring the neighbors or rural landscape at the back, hidden behind a high opaque fence.

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Field - Grass | Small Garden + Detached House

99

The situation of landscape ignoration did not change after the years and relatively new semi-detached houses are the proof. Even when sharing of gardening tools would be an option, inhabitants still prefer individual ownership and the back of the garden is occupied by a shelter. In the best scenario, the contact with the landscape is at least visual.

100

Pasturelands| Filled up garden + Semi-Detached House

101

The old road along the dunes is providing direct contact with this natural habitat. Unfortunately, in order to protect the dunescape at all costs, the fence around is built and works as a separation. If the border would be done in a better way and properly architecturally articulated, it can serve as valuable enviroment and a new connection between the cities.

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Dunescapes | Transitions - Road - Transitions | Detached House

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When the Royal Route is leaving the urban tissue and continues into the dunescapes, it keeps the footpath and also the bike path next to it. Would be logical to introduce some new links with the surrounding dunes in opposition to the situation nowadays, when just a few transverse paths are made and the most of the dunes are inaccessible.

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Wooded Dunescapes | Path - Parking - Bike Path - Road

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There are few natural territories which are in private hands, totally unused and inaccessible at the same time.

These areas are sometimes in close contact with the cities and they could form a new recreational space for their inhabitants if they would be used properly.

Municipalities should not forget those about these plots and potentially buy them.

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Grove | Canal | Road - Field

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C. Milestones Historical development and decisions are inseparable from the state in which the Coast is nowadays. I have studied the coastal evolution throughout the years and its important aspects and features, which still play a role today. Some of them drastically changed the way where the coastline was heading and reoriented the way how it is going to be developed. This is not a complete timeline of all the events that ever happened. I have selected the most significant milestones, many of them from the end of 19th century, which played a crucial part in shaping the coastal urbanism and architecture.

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861

Wild Coastline Territory

1745

Nature vis-à-vis the mankind

1778

One and only way

1878

Start of linear growth of Bathing resorts

1885

Kusttram as a unique development tool

1887

Between medieval village and bathing resort

1891

The bathing resorts planning

1902

Koninklijke Baan as a validation of the Kusttram

1909

Losing the density

1926

Halfway towards the linear development

1949

Dawn of social tourism

1970

Fragmented urban planning

The coastal landscape as a wilderness with just a few compact urban areas adapted from P. Bortier, Carte du littoral de la Flandre, 1876, Source: Open Marien Archief (http://www.vliz.be/nl/open-marien-archief)

861 – Wild Coastline Territory During the Middle Ages, Belgian coastline was a territory ruled primary by natural forces. The area, where the agricultural polders are situated nowadays was intertwined by many creeks and streams within the marshes, later on, the people started to claim the natural area for themselves and first agricultural fields emerged. The whole line of the beach was far from stable. The storms, wind and tide were shaping the dunes and the border between the land and sea were 110

under constant change. These natural conditions were making the life very hard and just a few farmers and fishermen were living in such a hostile environment.

The dunes were actually working as natural sea dyke that was preventing the inland from the floods.

This reveals important aspect, that the artificial sea dyke which is petrifying the border nowadays, can be replaced by maintenance-free natural dunes in uninhabited areas.

The settlements in the coastline region with a clear distinction between build and unbuilt – an example of Oostende Adapted from Le Rouge, Georges-Louis, Plan d’Ostende & du Fort Philippe, 1745, Source: David Rumsey Map Collection (https://www.davidrumsey.com/)

1745 – Nature vis-à-vis the mankind Described precarious natural conditions alongside with defence reasons formed the settlements to take compact shape. This form was usually rounded with high-density development within city walls and just a few mostly service buildings laying outside.

This spatial layout was a natural and most efficient response to existing conditions and prevailed until the industrialization period. In last 150 years, the progress of technology allowed us to build more daringly,

but also allowed us to make mistakes and build not efficiently, which would have led to inevitable perish before. We were not bounded by forces of nature anymore and finally took advantage. The side-effect of this is that many coastline settlements have deliberated from natural conditions during the years and at the same time lost the relationship with the surrounding landscape, which a situation that still persists.

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The old “Duneroad” which was running on the border between the wild dunes and reclaimed polders was the only route along the Belgian coastline Adapted from Franz Ferraris, Carte de cabinet des Pays-Bas autrichiens, Ostende, 1778, Source: Cartesius Belgium (http://www.cartesius.be/CartesiusPortal/)

1778 – One and only way In order to set the clear boundary between man-made environment and nature, the road was built during medieval times to stabilize the ever-changing dunes from the inland side. This road was also often an only connection with the rest of the country for many small settlements located adjacent to this route. This first large-scale artificial element, which was running parallel with the seashore line, has set the linear character of the development for following centuries.

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The settlements located along the Duneroad have evolved to towns and to bathing resorts later on.

Furthermore, this old road is mostly still present in the urban tissue nowadays, but unfortunately almost forgotten. As I already showed in The Atlas of Infrastructures, this route is a valuable remnant of Middle Ages, the indispensable seam between natural dunes and man-made fields with a great potential which is waiting to be discovered.

The extension of the sea dyke along the Oostende beach towards Royal Pavillion and wild dunes Adapted from unknown author, The beach at high water, Ostend, Belgium ca. 1895, digitally restored by (https://www.flickr.com/photos/trialsanderrors), Source: Wikiedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org

1878 – Start of linear growth of Bathing resorts In the year 1878, the extensive railway network has finally reached the Coastline territory. This was a breaking point towards a shift to the mainly touristic region. The journey to the Coast changed from oneday long uncomfortable trip by cart to fast and pleasant train ride. That brought many sun-seeking wealthy citizens into the bathing resorts. However, the train was not only important infrastructure. The sea dyke itself was no longer just a mere protection element

but became important promenade along the sea. By its extensions along the dunes out of city centre, new plots were defined and available for development.

This promenade played an important role as a place to meet other people and thus has converted to the most important public space in bathing resorts.

Today, more than half of the coastline in Belgium is ‘protected’ by this sea dyke, which makes it one of the most artificial seashores in Europe.

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The first steam tram and one of its stops in the wilderness, which later became a Sint-Idesbald bathing resort Adapted from unknown author, Sint-Idesbald, postcard “Arrivée du Tram”, ca.1890 Source: Geneanet (https://www.geneanet.org/cartes-postales/)

1885 – Kusttram as a unique development tool In the context of Europe, the intercity tram is a rare element and the Kusttram in Belgium is even more unique. It is covering the entire length of the coast, which is making it the longest tram line in the world.

This was actually a first act that has connected all towns and settlements along the shore and made the coastline work as one complex system. Starting from the first part built between Oostende and Nieuwpoort in the year 1885, throughout many changes over the 114

years, the Kusttram still remains the most important means of transport in the territory. The tram stops itself, which were often built in the middle of nowhere, has designated a foundation for new bathing resorts, which were further developed during the next century and which are a consistent part of the linear urban mass of the coastline nowadays.

Mariakerke captured on the etching by most famous local expressionist and surrealist painter James Ensor in the year 1987 Adapted from James Ensor, Groot Gezicht op de Mariakerk, 1887, Source: Vlaamse Kunst Collectie (http://jamesensor.vlaamsekunstcollectie.be)

1887 – Between medieval village and bathing resort At the end of 19th century, the major cities on the coastline connected by train with the inland – Oostende, Nieuwpoort, Blankenberge and Heist – were already becoming coastal resorts with extensive seasons dynamic. Nevertheless, the tourism these days was not just about the beach as it is today. Its character was more curative, as it was still a lot of preserved nature around. The wild areas of the dunes were one of the most attractions in the territory and there

was still a lot remaining old villages, which kept their medieval character. As we can see on the example of Mariakerke, captured by famous local painter James Ensor, the character of the Belgian Coast was far away from the densely urbanized region as we know it nowadays. Following century has merged many small settlements into one big linear cluster and erased their unique identity.

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The development plan for new bathing resort adjacent to Middelkerke - ignorance of mutual relationship of old and new centre Adapted from Directeur d’agence immobilière, Plan de Middelkerke, 1891, Source: Dienst archief Middelkerke

1891 – The bathing resorts planning After the building the tram which made the whole coastline accessible, the entire coastal strip had become one development area. The bathing resorts started to spread and the urban planning these days shifted to money-driven development, focused only on the tourists. The development plans from that time did not take many considerations about the unique natural environment around or even about the relationship with former villages located more.

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Usually, the old a new centres stand next to each other without taking into account their mutual relationship.

In the majority of cases they are just connected by a road, but their public amenities and inhabitants are clearly separated – the seashore is for tourist, the backside for ‘normal’ inhabitants. The planning policies were ignoring this precarious situation in the last century and thus, this strange dichotomy of two centres is still visible nowadays.

Koninklijke Baan worked in a similar way as a Kusttram - made the coastal landscape accessible for the new development Adapted from unknown author, Coq-Sur-Mer, postcard, Koninklijke Baan near De Haan, unknown year, Source: (http://www.bloggen.be/gnomon/)

1902 – Koninklijke Baan as a validation of the Kusttram The Koninklijke Baan – so-called Royal Route – was built out of the initiative of King Leopold II. This very first car road along the sea was meant to be a representation of success of Belgian coastline and its bathing resorts. Its 2x2 lanes made the coastal strip even more accessible and had become another way how to promote the tourism in the region. The Royal Route is often overlapping with the Kusttram today, but it was not the case during the years. The

position of the Kusttram has changed many times, but the Koninklijke Baan stand still and is some cities both of these infrastructures are observable as unique elements. This armature served as the backbone for linear development. Today, the potential of continuous boulevard along the coastline is seen and there is a strong initiative to reduce its number of car lanes, redesign the route and make more space for slow mobility – cyclist and pedestrians.

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Newly emerging urban typology of the low-density garden city started to fill up remaining space of bathing resorts - example of Westende-Bad. Adapted from unknown author, Westende-Plage (Coté-Quest), 1909 Source: Dienst archief Middelkerke

1909 – Losing the density After more and more wealthy inhabitants were incoming to live on the Coast, the municipalities were searching for new innovative ways how to accommodate them. The newly emerged typology of the garden city started to play a role. The strong need of having a dense settlement with short distances between the points of interest has started becoming less and less important as the individual car transport slowly turned out to be dominant means of mobility 118

and opened the gates to urban sprawl. The leftover space between the Royal Route and the sea, as well as large portions, of the polder landscape behind, was planned to become new low-density neighbourhoods inhabited by rich clients. Many of those garden cities were built during the decades and are often very disconnected from the centres nowadays. In order to make the settlements functional again, these areas need to be densified.

Linear character of captured on the map from the interwar period. In these decades, the development still profits from its infrastructural armature.

Adapted from Institut Cartographique Militaire, Stafkaart van Ostende, 1926, Source: HisGisKust (http://www.vliz.be/hisgiskust/en)

1926 – Halfway towards the linear development As I already explained, the Belgian Coast is distinctive by its linear urbanism which was not caused just by straight shoreline as it can look at the first sight, but mostly because of strong support of various infrastructures – The sea dyke, the Kusttram and Koninklijke Baan. As it can be seen from the military mapping from the interwar period, this linear aspects is very present. This indisputable importance of infrastructure as a sort of armature or strengthening

backbone in case of Belgian coastline territory has been forgotten in following decades and many of new urban extensions which were built in that era are poorly connected. However, I believe that this infrastructural heritage, this over-infrastructuralisation is not an obstacle, but a good starting point, on which can we built further and even strengthen it in a meaningful way in the future.

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Middelkerke after the end of the World War II. The red zones will be filled with low-density campings and holiday parks in following decades Adapted from unknown author, Aerial photo of Middelkerke, Oostende sector B2, 1949, Source: Dienst archief Middelkerke

1949 – Dawn of social tourism After the World War II, the mind shift towards social policies started. Easily accessible coastline had also become cheaper to get to and thus, demanded destination also by the part of the population with lower income. The fear of mixing of different social groups was still present, which led to the strong separation. The bathing resorts were havens for rich, whereas social tourism facilities had to find a different place far enough from them. Many camping sites 120

and holiday parks started to patch up the remaining landscape between the resorts and also more inland in the polder areas. The majority of these facilities are younger than 50 years, their lifespan is very short and the interest in this type of recreation is starting to fade nowadays. Even though, that the coastline looks almost like a linear city today, it just a matter of last decades after the camping parks were built and thus, it should not be perceived as a final and ultimate state.

Coastal municipalities lack the concept for new development – ad-hoc changes of the land-use plan between 1950 and 1970 around Koksijde Adapted from: Van Acker, Maarten. From Flux to Frame, Designing Infrastructure and Shaping Urbanization in Belgium. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2014. (p.308)

1970 – Fragmented urban planning The urban planning in Belgium was in the very doubtful state last 100 years which had a big impact also on the chaotic spreading of its settlements, especially in last 65 years. There was no shared vision of regional development, which resulted in many ad-hoc changes of land use plan, just in order to fit individual proposals. In the image, which I took from the book from Flux to frame, we can see that in the span of 20 years starting from the 50’s, more than 50

changes were done. There is clearly visible that the development is fragmented, it is not following any concept and is just chaotically spreading into open landscape. This is just a very small sample around the town of Koksijde, but the situation on the rest of the coast was exactly the same. Even though that Belgium has finally some planning, the precariousness of development on regional level still persists and that exactly is the very next topic of my reflection paper.

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D. Mapping There are many maps of the coastline territory around, which are capturing the current state and all the elements out of which is the territory composed at once. It is very difficult or even impossible to get an idea about specific components out of them and some of the aspects, which are not visible at the first sight, are not displayed at all. In order to get specific information, I have mapped the region thoroughly and developed a series of new maps focused on built and unbuilt areas, infrastructure which is bounding them and also on their mutual relationship. As an area, I have chosen the strip between Oostende and Nieuwpoort, which is covering around one-third of the Belgian coastline but can serve as a representative for the whole territory.

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1

Map

2

Void

3

Mass

4

Infrastructure

5

Walls, Ribbon and Barriers

1. Overview

As a scope for my mapping, I have chosen the strip of the coastline between Oostende and Nieuwpoort, which are also two main cities of the western part of the territory.

The stretch of coast between them is filled by mostly linear development, which is composed of towns Lombardsijde, Westende, Middelkerke, Raversijde and Mariakerke.

This section is covering around one-third of the Belgian coastline territory and serves as a representative example of an overall condition in the whole region.

Nieuwpoort - Bad Westende - Bad

Middelkerke - Bad

Middelkerke

Westende

Lombardsijde

Nieuwpoort

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Raversijde

Mariakerke Oostende Vuurtorenwijk

Leffinge

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2. Void

The void literally means completely empty space and according to that, this map is showing all the areas without buildings. I have already described individual landscape types in the Atlas of Landscapes. Here I have merged them all into one drawing, which clearly shows the facts I have described earlier – especially the fragmentation of open landscape in close relationship with urban areas and lack of connection between the dunes and inland landscapes.

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Beaches

Dunescapes

Parks

Fields

Pasturelands

Transitions

Brownfields

Sportfields

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3. Mass

Urban tissue on the Belgian coastline is not so homogenous and consistent as it can seem on the first sight. I have analysed the density and also different typology of housing, as well as marked areas with public amenities, leisure time facilities and industrial zones. The inner centre of Oostende is left out of picture intentionally, because it is out of the scope of my Master thesis and because of the fact that it forms an almost individual entity, with its own rules. The built strip along the seashore looks very dense at first, but my map shows that the dense centres of the towns are interlaced with large zones of temporary housing, which are not occupied during most of the year.

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Atlantic Wall

Solitary High Density Housing

Dense Block

Low Density Block

Garden City

Ribbon Housing

Infrastructure

Industry

Farms

Public Amenities, Sport Facilities, Shops

Camping, Holiday Parks

Not tackled

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4. Infrastructure

The underlying layer of infrastructure forms a strengthening armature for the whole territory. In case of the Belgian coastline, casual roads are enhanced by coastal tram and also a sea dyke, which is making the infrastructural system very dense and urban areas can profit from it in different ways. However, the current system runs mostly parallel with the seashore and the transversal links between them are underestimated. Moreover, the current system is not oriented towards slow-mobility and bike lanes and paths are not sufficiently present.

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Atlantic Wall

Solitary High Density Housing

Dense Block

Low Density Block

Garden City

Ribbon Housing

Infrastructure

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5. Wall, Ribbon and Barriers

During the mapping process, I have discovered three important and also very typical elements for coastal territory in Belgium. The whole territory is characterized by ignoration of open landscape’s value and these three are the proofs of this issue. The Invisible Wall is erected, where built and unbuilt areas meet, not allowing any possible contact and making formerly open landscape almost inaccessible for the inhabitants. I had already shown this characteristic Belgian approach in the Atlas of fringes, but in this map, it is visible in a larger scale. Some areas of the towns have very little or not existing contact with their surroundings and thus are deprived of a value that preserved landscape brings. Accompanying part of this is the Ribbon, which is one side oriented row housing, often at the outskirts along the roads leading to the centre. As a Barrier, I perceive all the camping and trailer parks, which are occupying the open land in a very peculiar way by very low density and barely used temporary forms of dwelling, which are not bringing any good to the territory and its normal inhabitants and serve purely to the tourists and economic interests.

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Atlantic Wall

Solitary High Density Housing

Dense Block

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E. Planning After many and many decades of ignorance, with absolutely no existing complex vision or planning policy, the things are starting to change and there is a lot of new emerging studies and policies which are trying to tackle planning in the coastline. There is a strong vision of planners and architects which is tackling the large scale. However, in the transition from large scale to regional plans, there is still a big gap.

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1

Metropolitaan Kustlandschap 2100

2

Stedelijk Systeem Kust

3

Ambition of the Territory

4

Structuurplan - Middelkerke

5

Gewestplan - Middelkerke

1. Metropolitaan Kustlandschap 2100

This study25 done by research by design method is being issued from the initiative of Flemish Spatial Development Department Ruimte Vlaanderen. It is largest and most complex research focused on the whole belgian coastline which is currently in progress. The main topic is the question how should we adapt to climate change and mitigate its reasons in the nearest future, where the year 2100 is set as goal. This climate change question is even more crucial in the territory as it is under direct threat of rising sea level, which is main topic of the discussion. Expectated sea level rising is around 1 meter when the sea is calm and more than 2 meters during millenial storms.

The research is divided into four parts, where in the first part exhausting and comprehensive timeline is outlined and works as a starting point. Second part is basically defining the problems and opportunities. Most controversial part is the third one26, where the solution of these problems is being outlined and further developed into four different strategies(fig01-04). These proposals are very experimentative and utopian and the most radical one – The Bipool (fig02) – is operating with the division of the coastline to western and eastern part with the city of Oostende as a center.

The whole western part should be left unprotected to the floodings, including major settlements along the seashore – De Panne, Koksijde, Nieuwpoort and Middelkerke, which provoked strong response from affected majors27.

They see the whole design as unrealistic and this opinion, unfortunately, got the most attention in the media, which reduced the credibility of the whole study amongst the public.

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25 Labo Ruimte. Metropolitaan Kustlandschap 2100, Accessed 3rd April 2018 (https://www.vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/instrumenten/ labo-ruimte/metropolitaan-kustlandschap-2100)

26 Labo Ruimte. Metropolitaan Kustlandschap 2100. Eindrapport Fase 3 - DEEL 1, 2014, Accessed 1st May 2018. (https:// www.vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/ instrumenten/labo-ruimte/metropolitaan-kustlandschap-2100)

27 La Libre journal, Inonder certaines communes de la Côte, un scénario improbable selon les bourgmestres, published 10th April 2015, Accessed 1st May 2018 (goo.gl/ibkNDA)

01

02

03

04

fig 01 fig 02 fig 03 fig 04

Variant 1 - Zone adapted by author (source image from Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 - see bibliography) Variant 2 - Bipool adapted by author (source image from Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 - see bibliography) Variant 3 - Archipel adapted by author (source image from Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 - see bibliography) Variant 4 - Mozaiek adapted by author (source image from Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 - see bibliography)

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Another important inevitable accompanying phenomenon related to the sea level is the necessity of rising the sea dyke, which would definitely change the character of current ‘Atlantic wall’ and its adjacent promenade28. As the rise of sea level is inevitable, the currently existing strategy counts with building a wall on the edge of sea dyke, which would practically ruin one of the scarce qualities of the public space on its top – the direct visual contact with the sea. The Metropolitan Kustlandschap study shows that there are many ways how to deal with this necessity in a more meaningful way, yet the proposed solutions are still presented in a very sketchy way(fig01-fig04), which is very hard to imagine to be executed. Also, the specification of new inner programme inside the second, higher Atlantic wall is undefined(fig02+fig03). Doubling the wall could be a good opportunity for introducing new missing forms of housing and working, but if this would be just another layer of second home apartments, I see that as a missed chance.

Generally, I admire the aim of the study, because climate change is undoubtedly very important issue which would need to be tackled in the current century. However, I think that the authors have focused too much just on that and that they had forgotten about economic aspects along their way. The whole research is moreover done just on large scale, while the middle and small scale is left out of the picture or shown in very vague and sketchy way. The architectural element is in my opinion not tackled properly and just shown on few visualizations in a very naïve way, from which is very hard to get the coherent image and complex idea about the proposed solution. In fact, Flemish Spatial Development Department is aware of this, and in their own reflection29 are addressing the fact the further development of the study should change from ‘easy to understand’ to ‘comprehensive’, from ‘one sharp opinion’ to ‘a widely shared view’, from ‘strategic’ to ‘operational’ and from ‘utopian’ to ‘realistic’.

The fourth part of the research, which is currently in progress is targeting on realistic proposal and launch of the pilot project. This effort sounds very promising and if the shift towards a more realistic solution would be done properly, it can become a flagship of change of the Belgian coastline territory.

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28 Labo Ruimte. Metropolitaan Kustlandschap 2100. Eindrapport Fase 3 - DEEL 2 (p. 75-81) 2014, Accessed 1st May 2018. (https://www.vlaamsbouwmeester. be/nl/instrumenten/labo-ruimte/metropolitaan-kustlandschap-2100)

29 Spatial Development department Flanders, Some Futures for the Belgian Coast 2100, a Case Study of Research by Design on Regional Level, 2015, Accessed 1st May 2018, (http://www.corp.at/ archive/CORP2015_143.pdf)

01

02

03

04

fig 01 fig 02 fig 03 fig 04

Necessity of raising the sea dyke barrier until the year 2100 adapted by author (source image from Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 - see bibliography) Outlined solution 1 - Adding new layer of Atlantic wall in front of existing adapted by author (source image from Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 - see bibliography) Outlined solution 2 - Adding new layer of Atlantic wall behind the existing adapted by author (source image from Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 - see bibliography) Outlined solution 3 - Protection by recreating the natural dune barrier adapted by author (source image from Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 - see bibliography)

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2. Stedelijk Systeem Kust

While sharing many similarities with the previous one, this study30 is offering a more complex look at the problems including dwelling, working, mobility, recreation, energy and agriculture. The result is a co-operation of Team Vlaams Bouwmeester, Ruimte Vlaanderen, OVAM, and West-Vlaanderen province under Labo Ruimte group.

The authors are taking the Metropolitan Kustlandschap 2100 as a starting point for their own design research.

In the beginning, they are defining the most important issues and supporting them by a set of well readable and comprehensive figures and diagrams, from which I have adapted those which are relevant to my thesis topic.

30 Labo Ruimte. Stedelijk systeem kust. Accessed 30th April 2018 (https://www.vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/stedelijk-systeem-kust)

This study is more related to the scope of my thesis as architecture plays the most important role here. The existing urban tissue is analyzed and possible solutions are outlined more clearly than in previous on. The small scale is presented in sort of architectural toolbox – the set of possible solutions. One of them is the transformation of holiday parks and camping which are declining typology (see part A) to the more viable landscape which can accommodate not such a dense camping as well(fig04). I am taking this approach as my inspiration, but enlarging my scope beside touristic function. Some of the defined approaches are rather conservative. For example densification of garden cities(fig03) is done in a very ordinary way, just by adding new houses between them, without any reflection on the issue that this kind of housing is probably not such a relevant means of living nowadays.

They share the similar view on the coastline as one complex system, which cannot be tackled as individual municipalities, which is the scope that I am adapting and enhancing by the methodology of Territorialist school. As good point a see that the research is concluded on a few pages into condensed and clear form, which defines the main ‘Levers for change’31. In bullet points, the main goals are explained understandably for the public in a very good way.

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31 Labo Ruimte. Stedelijk systeem kust. Final report (p.

108-109), 2017, Accessed 30th April 2018 (https://www.vlaamsbouwmeester.be/nl/stedelijk-systeem-kust)

01

02

03

04

fig 01 fig 02 fig 03 fig 04

Refurbishment of Atlantic wall and diversification of functions adapted by author (source image from Stedelijk systeem kust - see bibliography) Recreating the relationship between the dunes and inland landscape adapted by author (source image from Stedelijk systeem kust - see bibliography) Densification of garden cities adapted by author (source image from Stedelijk systeem kust - see bibliography) More natural way of camping with seasonal dynamics adapted by author (source image from Stedelijk systeem kust - see bibliography)

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3. The Ambition of the Territory

The overall awaraness about precarious situation in terms of urban planning across the whole Flanders became also the topic for the Belgian pavillion exhibition on 13th Architectural Bienalle in Venice in the year 2012. The presentation called Ambition of the Territory32 clearly shows a mind shift from non-existing planning towards new complex ways of planning in Belgium. Presented vision aims to see the whole Belgium as a system with many spatial and also social bonds, which should not be forgotten. Belgium is often presented as ‘ugliest country in the world’ and exhibition wants to show in different scope – as a country on its way to sustainable scoiety with qualitative living environment.

Even though that the work of the curatorial team AWJGGRAUand DVVTAT is very visually appealing, the presented content does not show much of a real strategies, and rather stays in easy understandable level, which fits with the framework of bienalle. Unfortunately, the catalogue33 which has been released as a part of exhibition does not help much and shows mostly the same content, without further explanation, which would be needed.

The statement – “from the consumption of land to productive metropolitan territories” is setting up very clear future goal. Unfortunately currently existing spatial plans for the coastline – Structuurplan and Gewestplan are often unrelated to this presented vision and remain on the same old track.

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32 Curatorial team AWJGGRAUaDVVTAT, The ambition of the territory in the Belgian Pavilion on the International Architecture Biennale 2012, Accessed 1st May 2018, (https://www.vai.be/en/ event/the-ambition-of-the-territory-in-the-belgian-pavilion-on-the-international-architecture)

33 Swinnen, Peter, Stefan Devoldere, Tania Hertveld, Joachim Declerck, Roeland Dudal, and Joeri De Bruyn. The Ambition of the Territory, Vlaanderen als ontwerp.

Brussels: Vlaams Bouwmeester, 2012.

01

02

03

04

fig 01

fig 02

fig 03

fig 04

The ambition of the territory - exhibition on the Vennice Biennale 2012 adapted by author (source image from The ambition of the territory - see bibliography) Reading and abstraction the Belgian landscape 1 adapted by author (source image from The ambition of the territory - see bibliography) Reading and abstraction the Belgian landscape 2 adapted by author (source image from The ambition of the territory - see bibliography) Need for the reconnection of remaining open landscape adapted by author (source image from The ambition of the territory - see bibliography)

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4. Structuurplan

When we compare the previously shown studies on the coastal scale, they are often very brave and tackling important problems from very different perspectives. However, there is a missing similarly comprehensive architectural project which would set the vision for coastal municipalities in regional scale. I have obtained the structural plan34 from the urban planning department of one of the largest coastline municipalities, with the reassurance that this is the only existing plan, which tackles this intermediate planning scale.

When I studied the Structural plan more thoroughly I have encountered many contradictions between the analysis and actual plan. When we take a look at the current landscape system seen in structural plan, the disconnection between the dunes and the polders is clearly addressed(fig01). On the other hand, the proposal of the urban structure(fig02-fig04) is rather than recreating the connection, which is missing, just merely confirming the current situation. Some green looking arrows are drawn, but there is no specification or explanation how they should actually look like and what do they mean. Moreover, the landscape system is just serving as an addition to the urban system, but I think the planning should rather take both on the same level in order to make landscape robust again. As a positive, I see the highlighting the necessity of strengthening the transversal links through the linear development along the coast.

Overall, the structural plan is more a diagram than an actual policy which would have an effect on the projects which are being executed. Besides that, there are not a single intermediate scale proposal for this municipality, which would be defining how some areas should actually look like and which would be taking the architecture into the play.

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34 Gemeente Middelkerke, Ruimtelijk Structuurplan, Verkeer and Ruimte, Brugge, 2008

01

02

03

04

fig 01 fig 02 fig 03 fig 04

The fragmentation of open landscape described in Structuurplan adapted by author (source image from Middelkerke Ruimtelijk Structuurplan - see bibliography) Middelkerke Structuurplan adapted by author (source image from Middelkerke Ruimtelijk Structuurplan - see bibliography) Lombardsijde Structuurplan adapted by author (source image from Middelkerke Ruimtelijk Structuurplan - see bibliography) Westende Structuurplan adapted by author (source image from Middelkerke Ruimtelijk Structuurplan - see bibliography)

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5. Gewestplan

As the structural plan should form the overall direction, the Regional land-use plan - Gewestplan35 should work as its translation to the document which is directly designating the land use to each piece of land. If there is a gap between the vision shown in Metropolitaan Kustlandschap 2100 or Stedelijk Systeem Kust and Structuurplan, here it is even more apparent. The researches which are currently being done are not reflected at all, which is visible especially in some areas. I am going to explain this in two examples.

The sparsely populated area between Westende and bathing resort Westende-Bad(fig01) is designated as an area by red cross-hatch for new housing development. According to this, the settlement should spread more into the valuable open landscape. Meanwhile, in the Westende itself(fig02), there are yellow zones with low-density camping sites in direct contact with the centre of the settlement. I think that the municipalities should rather aim to use this unseen capacity for densification first, than taking more and more open land which is already scarce.

The problem of disconnected dunes and the polders which has been addressed in both previously mentioned studies is ignored as well. The camping marked with yellow colour(fig03+fig04), which is currently occupying the landscape between them, which is actually well preserved, is not being considered to reduce, even when it is clear that the demand for this kind of holiday is fading (to see part A). The whole strip from Oostende to Nieuwpoort is seen as a linear development, which leads to fragmentation of landscape system as well as to ineffectiveness of the coastal tram, due to its many stops.

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35 Vlaamse overheid - Departement Omgeving - Afdeling Vlaams Planbureau voor Omgeving, Gewestplan, Accessed 1st May 2018 (geopunt. be)

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02

03

04

fig 01 fig 02 fig 03 fig 04

Densification by new development on open landscape near Westende (red cross-hatch) adapted by author (source image from Gewestplan - see bibliography) Low-density and underused trailer parks near the center of Westende (yellow) adapted by author (source image from Gewestplan - see bibliography) Trailer parks filling the open landscape between the settlements (yellow) adapted by author (source image from Gewestplan - see bibliography) Trailer parks standing on valuable dunescapes adapted by author (source image from Gewestplan - see bibliography)

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Vision There is no existing strategy, which would formulate the new development across the multiple scales of Belgian coast in the near future. The interest of the whole coastline territory is to become viable and prospering region again in many different ways, however, there are not many things being done, which would be the starting point of this desired shift. There are many problems, which are not seen or being ignored today and the municipalities do not have a plan how to adress them within the context of the whole coast. Therefore, I have defined the 10 levers of change for the Coast, which are 10 urgent problems and the outline of the desired positive shift. These 10 levers are meant to work as a catalyst for a change of the territory and can be a starting point of the path towards viable and prospering Belgian Coastline. However, the list is definitely not complete and there are a lot more issues, especially from the economical point of view. I marked only these, which can be adressed by urbanistic or architectural interventions.

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1.

Making landscape accessible

The coastal territory has a lot of valuable landscape, which is unfortunately ignored. The very dense urbanization along the coast has a counterweight in well-preserved dunes, agricultural lands and beaches. However, the settlements have no relationship with this landscape, the border between built and unbuilt is blurred and its potential is not used. Making the landscape accessible in a meaningful way, can make a huge improvement in the living environment.

2.

Strengthening the natural system

The landscape does not work as one robust system and is fragmented and scattered. By removing the bottlenecks caused by linear low-density development, the dunes and inland agricultural land can reconnect and make landscape complex again, which can improve the overall natural value of unbuilt space. The border of the settlements, which are now spreading into the open landscape, should be stabilized and new capacities for growth need to be defined in other areas than in the suburbs. The strengthened landscape can function as a backbone for the whole territory.

3.

Reinforcing the infrastructural armature

The infrastructure was used as a development tool along the coastline for many decades and thus can again work as an armature for the new development in the future. Existing linear system including the roads, coastal trams and sea dyke are very potent, however, there is not enough of transversal links and not enough slow-mobility infrastructure. By reinforcing and upgrading the existing structure by these two new typologies, it can make a big contribution to the desired sustainable growth of the region, improve the overall accessibility and strengthen the relationships within the territory.

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4.

Reintroduction of public space

Public space today serves mainly as a support for tourism and as a tool to make money. Sea dyke promenade is a prominent example.

There is very little of public space, which would be somehow valuable for regular inhabitants and if so, the quality is low. Reintroduction of a truly public space can make the territory far more appealing for the residents and add a big value to living on the coast. In combination with attractive surroundings can even convince some of the currently fleeing young people to stay in the territory.

5.

Adding missing public amenities

The facilities that we can find on the coast nowadays serve tourists as well and they are mostly leisure time activities for the occasional visitors. Coastline municipalities are still following previously set trend and just building more and more of these touristic attractions. The only running project in Middelkerke, which is the one for the new casino, is a perfect example. In order to make the coastline appealing for young people to live in again, the municipalities need to start building new, currently missing public amenities, such as kindergartens or sports facilities.

6.

Defining the key sites

As the municipalities do not have development strategy besides Structuurplan and Gewestplan, they are building chaotically without any coherent concept. This new development is often taking place in the suburbs with poor transport connection, which is creating new socially excluded neighbourhoods. However, there are many neglected areas within the centres of the settlements, which should be densified first in order to make them more compact with better accessibility. Moreover, distant ribbon development and urban bottlenecks should be demolished to make more space for landscape. These key sites need to be carefully defined and added to new development strategy, which would serve as a tool in approving the introducing new projects.

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7.

Rehabilitating former vacation areas

The coastline tourism is changing. The interest in cheapest means of vacation, camping and holiday parks, is gradually fading. The municipalities do not know how to approach those open, practically unbuilt fragments of landscape and they are usually left vacant and inhospitable. Despite the fact that there is a lot of functional technical infrastructure present, it is often absurdly demolished entirely without even thinking of reusal in some way. These former vacation areas need to be rethought and redesigned in a meaningful way because they are offering a big potential. They can easily become natural landscape again or the existing infrastructure can be reused and form a backbone for a new type of settlements, surrounded by appealing natural environment.

8.

Offering possibilities for the young

The territory is not attractive for the younger generation with higher education and many of them are fleeing to larger cities inland. There are not many workplaces in the coastline region for these people and the whole coastline is not attractive enough for them to stay.

Offering possibilities for entrepreneurship and space to run their own businesses can probably convince many of this population group to stay and live their lives in the coastline territory. Building new public amenities should take this into account and more nurseries or appropriate leisure time facilities need to appear in near future to provide the necessary support and quality of living.

10 levers of poss 152

9.

Establishing new affordable dwelling

Real estate prices along the coastline are enormously high and most of the younger people simply can’t afford to buy their own dwelling or to pay huge rental costs. The only affordable plots today are located on the outskirts, which is not a very tempting living environment.

However, disappearing camping sites and holiday parks are an ideal site for this new affordable dwellings to be built. The infrastructure is already there, which would reduce the construction costs significantly. They are often located close to the towns with good transport connection and also close to the beach, dunes and inland landscape, simply put – an attractive living environment.

10.

Building new flexible housing

The housing stock in the territory seems heterogenous at first, but in fact, the available forms of dwelling are very similar, mainly large houses or apartments, suitable only for family with children, with unnecessarily large floor area. Real estate offers are the proof, where most of the listings are unaffordable for the majority of people and thus, the speed of transaction is slow and percentage of housing stock on sale is very high. There is simply no demand for existing housing typology and a new one needs to emerge. The households are shrinking, way of living is changing, which makes quite different demands on a dwelling. Newly build housing should be to be able to accommodate different kinds of household types, as well as provide a possibility to work from home. This increased call for this flexibility needs to be addressed in the new housing development in the coastline territory.

itive change

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Project

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1. Large Scale

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Slow-mobility Armature

As I revealed in the research part, the Belgian coast works as a complex territorial system, which is an important part of its identity. The mobility infrastructure played an important role for development along Belgian coastline during the past century and there is a lot to build upon.

However, this infrastructure has deteriorated in many places. Hence it needs to be reinforced. Especially the slow mobility routes are underdeveloped and there is a lack of transversal links, which would connect the many layers of urban tissue and surrounding landscape. During my research, I have analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of existing infrastructure and by adding a new element – The Armature, I am strengthening the whole system and making it more robust.

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Slow-mobility Armature - system of two primary paths, accompanied by transversal links

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Existing relationship with the landscape

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Application of the strengthening armature

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The Armature

I am proposing two linear routes adjacent from two sides to the urbanized strip near the seashore, which is running across the whole coastline. The first route is tracing the former Duneroad (p.76), regenerates this important pathway and creates the missing connection piece between the dunes and man-controlled environment. The second route – the Backroad runs exactly on the border between the built and unbuilt and thus is making the inland landscape accessible again. At the same time, it forms a new border for the urban spread and sets an uncrossable line, behind which the new ribbon development is not allowed. Both routes have pedestrian and bicycle lanes and they will become a main slow-mobility system in the whole territory. This main couple of routes is accompanied by many pedestrian pathways – the links which are connecting the sea, dunes, settlements and agricultural land transversely. The whole system is completed by numerous smaller public spaces and together works as supporting large-scale Armature for the whole territory.

The Tribune

The Pier

The Accesspoint from the Duneroad

The Backroad

The Pier In the current situation, the sea can be experienced merely as a horizontal line from the beach and also the range of activities is shrunk mainly to sunbathing. By adding light-weight piers which are standing on existing breakwaters I am allowing a very different contact with the sea, which is an inevitable part of coast identity. The benches and parasols are providing a more pleasant condition for recreation and the small inner pond are making the sea available also for non-swimmers.

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The Tribune The natural environment of the dunes is hard to access from the beach and thus works more as a barrier than as a habitat. I am proposing to add light tribunes to the dunes. Light wooden and steel design seamlessly blends into the enviroment and the tribunes themselves create intimate places for contemplation while admiring the sea. System of footpaths transversely connect the beaches, tribunes and roads parallel to the seaside. Each of them marked by coloured poles for better orientation and accompanied by resting places with wooden benches and fireplaces.

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The Accesspoints I am removing the wire fence around the dunes from the inner side and adding new points of access to this space. They are adjacent to one of two main linear routes – the Duneroad and thus in direct contact with many people. This feature would allow the inhabitants to rediscover the dunes as the most natural and valuable habitat along the coast, stop by and have and enjoy the environment.

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The Backroad By placing the second main slow-mobility route directly on the seam between the built and unbuilt I am making the fringe permeable again. The valuable agricultural landscape – fields and pasturelands, which are now ignored, are made accessible and exposed again. Small shelters adjacent to this path serve as a protection from the bad weather. The inhabitants of neighbouring houses have a chance of creating new backdoors towards the landscape.

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Backroad - Redefining the seam between built and unbuilt

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Transversal links - Making the landscape accessible

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2. Medium Scale

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Development strategy on regional level

The lack of vision and missing development strategies on regional level caused a lot of harm over the years. My aim is to look at available land at the coast not just as new development sites, but more like a complex system in line with the Italian territorialist school approach. By application of the slow-mobility Armature on coastal territory, many previously neglected areas are becoming important for future development of municipalities. I have focused on one of these municipalities – Middelkerke and in this part of the project I am showing how proposed infrastructure can serve as a backbone for further growth. My strategy is composed of sites selected for demolition and sites for densification within the centers of the settlements.

Furthermore, I am addressing the issue of disappearing holiday parks, by either transforming them into new settlements or demolishing them and then letting the nature reclaim these sites. The whole system is strengthened further by addition of currently missing public amenities.

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Application of slow-mobility Armature in the municipality of Middelkerke

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Demolition, Densification and Holiday Parks

Many urban layers in the coastal strip are very thin and characterized by low density. Furthermore, they are far away from the tramline and they are standing on valuable pieces of landscape, creating natural bottlenecks. I am defining these sites as those which should be demolished.

This would recreate the missing link between the sea, dunes and polder landscape inland. Moreover, the coastal settlements are not very compact and there are many brownfields and empty plots within the urban fringe. These sites are becoming very valuable for further development when the large-scale slow-mobility armature is added. I am proposing to use these sites for public function and new affordable housing. The third important site type are declining low-cost recreational dwelling – the camping and holiday parks. Both of these are spanning across huge portions of the valuable landscape. Many of these parks are disappearing and coastal municipalities have no strategy on how to adress this. The demolished plots are usually left as brownfields without any use.

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Demolition

Densification

Holiday Parks

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Holiday parks analysis

I have analyzed their uurban tissue and defined the parts which can be recycled for new settlement as well as the parts which should be demolished and restored o the natural landscape again. In their current state the most typical feature is very low standard of dwellings, which are inhabited for merely a quarter of the year.. This low-density housing is taking out a big portion of the landscape, but in fact, most of the occupied area is unbuilt. The trailer houses have a lifespan of 60 years at maximum, and after this time period, they can be moved away. All the reamins are the roads and technical infrastructure. I am taking this as an advantage and I am reusing it for the new settlements.

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Trailer Houses

Temporary Houses

Camping and green areas

Facilities

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Abandoned holiday park as unused brownfield

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Existing relationship with the surroundings

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Existing streets in holiday parks

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Existing usage of individual “gardens�

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City condition - map

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City condition - reusable infrastructure and valuable plots

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Dunes condition - map

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Dunes condition - reusable infrastructure and dunes

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Fields condition - map

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Fields condition - reusable infrastructure and agriculturral land

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New settlements and recreated landscape

The areas that I decided to keep are based on a rational grid layout and composed of trailer houses, which makes the refurbishment easier and cheaper. The surrounding zones with temporary houses or campings are demolished and the landscape is recreated. Almost the whole coastal strip is urbanized today, which prevents any contact of two landscape systems – dunes and fields. By demolition of some of the parts of holiday parks, I am recreating this very missing relationship and making the landscape system more robust and valuable.

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191

Public amenities

The whole strategy on a regional level is strengthened by the addition of currently missing facilities. These are very well connected by slow-mobility armature with existing towns and also with newly proposed settlements. The four types that I am presenting – farms, kindergartens, sportsfields and workplaces are those which are needed the most today.

Crossmarks in the map are marking one of many new settlements. I have focused on this particular one in the very next part of my design and I am showing the example of how the transformation can look like.

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Farms

Kindergartens

Sportfields

Workplaces

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The Farm as a local foodhub The polder landscape at the coast is unique with its many well preserved small farms. Those can become important new food hubs, as the concern about locally produced food is rising amongst the public. I am connecting them by transverse pathways with the settlements, as well as with the dunes and beach and thus they also become valuable recreational areas.

Each week a market would take a place at the farm, which would offer a choice for inhabitants to supply themselves with fresh local food.

194

The Kindergartens One of my major goals in this strategy is to increase demand for the coastal area among the younger fraction of the population. To achieve this I am proposing the construction of facilities vital for young parents.

Kindergartens serve as a starting point, as the will be probably needed at first. The key sites I am allocating for this type of facility are nearby already existing and also new settlements and at the same time with close contact to the natural environment, which creates great conditions for this type of building.

195

The Sportfields There are many sports facilities around the coast, unfortunately, most of them are just attractions for the tourist, with low added value for regular inhabitants. Moreover, they are located in low-density urban areas, where individual car transport is the only way to reach them. I am proposing to add new facilities, such as football and basketball fields, swimming pools and multifunctional halls whose target demographic would be the regular inhabitants. The key sites for those are located along the Duneroad and Backroad, further from settlement centres, but with the good slowmobility connection.

196

The Workplaces The lack of places to run individual business results in low number of job opportunities. This causes massive brain-drain from the territory. I am adding new workplaces in form of shared co-working hubs, which would offer a chance for younger people to find jobs. These are located in contact with slow-mobility routes, as well as the main roads in the area, to provide the best accessibility not just for individuals, but also for convenient transport of goods using, for example, lorries.

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3. Small Scale

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New Settlement

The trailer parks along the coastline are becoming less and less popular and many of them are in very bad condition.

The average lifespan of the dwelling unit is around 3055 years, which is further reduced by harsh weather at the coast. Many of these sites will probably disappear in following decades and coastal municipalities do not have clear strategy how to adress this issue yet.

I am focusing on one particular trailer park, located east from Westende, and I am giving an example how existing trailer parks can be transformed to new settlements, surrounded by nature.

Even though that existing housing units are very temporary, the technical infrastructure and the streets have more longevity. Therefore, I am keeping the existing spatial layout of the trailer park with the majority of roads and reusing them for the new settlement. This makes the new settlement more affordable and sustainable. By keeping the plot size intact, the houses can be replaced one by one and the change can become gradual over the time similar to a lifespan of the trailer house.

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Holiday camping sites with trailer houses near Westende

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Existing spatial layout - the plots are filled with houses, shelters and sheds very inefficiently

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Spatial layout of proposed settlement - the plots are used efficiently, meaningful border with the landscape is restored.

The settlement is accompanied by shared facilities

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Trailer Home Typical mobile house has between 24 and 40 sqm and lifespan around 30-55 years.

Storage shelter As the house itself is very small, the aditional storage space is built outisde, taking a big piece out of already small garden

Garden Regular plot in holiday park is 12,5 meters long and 9,5 meters wide. These 118 sqm are not used efficiently, as the entire garden is patched up by various structures and remaining space for recreation is tiny.

Street Asphalted road serves today mainly for driving the vehicles and not much as a shared space.

However, the technical infrastructure bellow the ground is valuable and can be reused.

Existing situation

204

New incremental dwelling The house that I am proposing stands on the same plot as trailer home, but provides more possibilities. The basic layout offers 60 sqm of space and chance of inner expansion by another 32 sqm. The inner storage space is big enough and garden shed is also included within the house.

Garden Half of refurbished plot is dedicated to the house and the other serves as a garden.

Despite of its small size, good physical and visual connection makes the garden important part of the house and settlement again.

Communal street Technical infrastructure is kept in place and reused for new house. Former asphalt road becomes a communal outdoor space for inhabitants with small kitchen gardens, barbecue and seatings.

Semi-private space Individual plot is shortened by 1350 mm and this space works as semi-private space for the residents of the house, adjacent to the street.

Proposed housing typology

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2020

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2035

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2050

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2065

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The areas where the plot grid is regular without anomalies are dedicated for housing. Areas around the edge, which are facing the nature, serve as building plot for new public amenities such as kindergarten. Plots that are adjacent to major car road in the region are replaced with co-working hubs, which would allow the possibility for the inhabitants to find a job in the immediate vicinity of their home.

Irregular plots within the settlement are devoted to two green corridors. Shared facilities for the residents – the meeting rooms, communal kitchens and laundries are facing these two parks. The whole inner space of the settlement is car-free, with a backup of few parking buildings at the outskirts. Those are built from light steel structure on the similar spatial layout as housing and thus can be easily dismantled in the future and make a space for more homes.

Some of the plots within the grid of holiday park is left free to provide a semi-public park and transverse connection.

The whole settlements fit into my strategy in large scale as well. By many transversal links, it is connected with the sea, dunes and agricultural landscape at the backside.

The tram stop is located in walking distance, right behind the dunes. The farms located inland can partially fulfil food requirements of the settlement. Sports facilities of demolished holiday parks around the settlement are kept on the place and can provide additional leisure time activity.

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2080

211

Liberated housing unit

The desire to live individually in Flanders is very strong and thus, I am not trying counter react on that fully. I am keeping the possibility to live individually in own house, but share many spaces on the settlement level. The house itself is designed as an affordable and flexible dwelling unit with a chance of expansion.

The site is rather small, around 120 sqm which would cut down the price significantly. At the same time, the spatial layout is very efficient. The building is using half of the former site – around 60 sqm from corner to corner and leaving another half for a private garden. The street width is slightly extended, functioning as shared courtyard for all the residents. The house facades are closed from two sides and fully open from other two, which is allowing sufficient level of privacy, even within low-rise high-density spatial layout.

I am also directly addressing the rising need for flexibility of the house. The inner space is divided to the core, which contains all technical rooms and storages, and liberated double height space. The steel structure is providing the possibility to subdivide the space by placing another floor level. By this, the inner space of the house can vary from 80 to 110 sqm, allowing a range of spatial possibilities for different users. If provided space is not sufficient, the house can also grow into the garden in a similar way and the whole area can thus be maximized to 220 sqm.

Because of the fact, that the ceiling panels are lightweight, the basic inner expansion can be done without the crane or any partial demolitions. This also allows the shrinking of the house – added the first floor can be dismantled again when it is not needed, which would recreate more luxurious double height space.

The material of the core is a standardized brick in size 300 x 150 x 75 mm and the whole core is built in this module.

This would cut the price even more and I am spending them in a more meaningful way, by offering glazed façade, facing the gardens. The inner space of the house is thus very pleasant, despite rather small dimensions.

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Scheme of the housing unit - technical core as a backbone and liberated living space in front

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Basic housing unit

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Incremental scheme - interchangeable hollowcore wooden ceiling or steel gallery

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Appropriation example A low-cost house for a couple

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Appropriation example B workshop on the groundfloor

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Appropriation example C family house

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Appropriation example D spacious house for a couple

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Holiday park in transformation

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Holiday park in transformation

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Pillen, Sis. Waterscapes in Transformation in the Uitkerkse Polder. Water as a Protagonist for Changing Accessibility in Landscapes Challenged

by Infrastructures for Climate Resilience, 2018, U&U: 2018.

Ruimtelijk Structuurplan Vlaanderen 1997-2011; Coast Action Plan “Nature and Landscape” as an EU LIFE project 2007; Marien Ruimtelijk Plan voor Noordzee 2014; Masterplan Kustveiligheid

×× Peter De Wilde. Tourism in key figures 2010. To-

×× Ferraris, Josef Johan, and Wouter Bracke. De

××

××

2013, Spatial Development department Flanders, Some Futures for the Belgian Coast 2100, a Case Study of Research by Design on Regional Level, 2015, Accessed 1st May 2018, (http://www.corp.at/archive/CORP2015_143.pdf) Swinnen, Peter, Stefan Devoldere, Tania Hertveld, Joachim Declerck, Roeland Dudal, and Joeri De Bruyn. The Ambition of the Territory, Vlaanderen als ontwerp. Brussels: Vlaams Bouwmeester, 2012.

2060, FPB-ADS

×× ×× ×× ××

××

erisme Vlaanderen, 2010 Peter De Wilde. Tourism in key figures edition 2013 Toerisme Vlaanderen, 2013 Tourism in figures XL 2017, Trend in the number of overnight stays by accommodation type, 20122016. Toerisme vlanderen 2017 Tourism in figures XL 2012, Trend in the number of overnight stays by accommodation type, 20082012. Toerisme vlanderen, Kennisbeheer 2013 Tourism in figures XL, Trend in the number of overnight stays by accommodation type, 20062010. Toerisme vlanderen, Planning & onderzoek 2011 Vlaamse overheid. Lokale statistieken Middelkerke. Accessed March 15, 2018. https://www. geopunt.be/ (p.48)

Other reading

×× Heidegger, Martin, and Albert Hofstadter. 1975. ××

Poetry, language, thought. New York: Perennial Library.

Kuyper, Eric de. Met Zicht Op Zee: Aan ZeeVeertig Jaar Later. Nijmegen: Sun, 1997.

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Reference projects

×× Atelier 5 – Halen Siedlung – row houses settle×× ×× ×× ×× ×× ×× ××

ment with shared facilities DOGMA – Frames – urban housing study for the Immerzeeldreef area Elemental – Quinta Monroy – proposal for incremental social housing Kempe Thill – 0014 – terraced houses OMMX – Naked House – affordable incremental housing in London O. M. Ungers – House without qualities – individual villa with service walls Petr Stolín – Zen Houses – minimum individual dwelling Stefano Boeri Architetti – Tirana 2030 – reclaiming the relationship of landscape with the city

Other sources

×× Urban planning department of Middelkerke ×× Middelkerke city archive

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