In the city centre of Almere Haven almost 40% of the public space consists out of unattended backside areas with no spatial quality. With an increasing vacancy in the plinth, the dark unattended corners and parking dominate the street view. It is the place where the bedroom windows meet the noisy delivery vans, with in between the back-doors leading to homes. Do these spaces need a redevelopment? If so, how?

Besides that, cities are getting bigger and bigger, in height and hectare. Eventually, there is a limited possible grow and there is a need to look for other solutions to densify. In times where the demand for new homes is reminiscent of the ‘Volkshuisvesting’ of the 70’s and 80’s, we are obliged to look creatively at our current housing stock and urban infill. Our stock exists for 33% (CBS 2016) out of houses built between the 70’s and the 80’s. Which consists mainly out of family homes. In the building complex, the family homes can easily be divided into studios or two-room apartments to increase the density and variation of housing in the building. Could these backside a possible location for densification.

These less-favoured areas in other cities face the same problems. The elements of Almere Haven and Rotterdam that cause an unpleasant feeling in these areas have been compared with each other. Such as cars, hard materials, no need to stay a long time, no greenery and blind facades. The elements are not directly the problem, but the high amount of occurrence is. The transition from building to urban needs to be softened by creating a buffer zone by adding soft materials and rearrangement of the program. The strategies have each a different approach for creating softness, keeping the existing situation, the addition of green or the densification of the areas.

Strategies

01. Opening up the plinth by transforming the retail into homes with across new infill for the back area
02. Densification as a new infill for the back areas.
03. Opening up by placing a function before the storage space, such as office space with across a new green area
04. Opening up the plinth and keep the current urban infill

The project shows that with different eyes for the backside areas, these unpleasant spaces in the middle of the centre can be changed with minor, intermediate and major interventions. At the same time, densification of 60% more homes can be realized within the same building envelope. In a new area with spatial quality for new residents and the current residents. For cities with similar back areas, changing these areas will ask a lot of effort of multiple stakeholders. And yes, cities need back area’s like this, it is also a way of life. But ask yourself: Do we need so many in our direct living environment or can some of them be changed in a pleasant environment?