Kralingse Bos - Beyond Plan B

m
’da
nR
tio
ula
Economical revolution German inland
1850
1860
Social issues
Mechanization and upscaling
Tripling of the population
Drainage Alexanderpolder
Design of the drainage of the
small lakes (except Noordplas)
19%
Transformation harbours Rotterdam
Turf extraction in Alexanderpolder
100.000
300.000
p
Po
Noordplas becomes
Construction
Nieuwe Waterweg
1870
Kralingse Plas
Kralingen becomes annexed
1880
1890
General expansion
Plan Rotterdam
Housing Act
1900
First Plan
Kralingse Bos
GJ de Jong
Construction
Waalhaven
Great depression
New Plan
Moliere
WO Ι
1910
Unemployment NL
5%
Raising the polder
surrounding the Kralingse plas
with Harbour sludge
1920
job creation
Start to plant trees
in the Kralingse Bos
1930
Bombing
Rotterdam
dumping war ruins
in the Park
1940
WO ΙΙ
Holland Pop
Festival
Park
opens
1950
1960
1970
Best public area
of the NL
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
2040
2050
http://www.esho.info/esho2010/img/gallery-rotterdam-05-zoom.jpg
Kralingse Bos
Job creation
Location
Effects
Rotterdam,
The Netherlands
Positive effect
Organisation
Duration
finished 42 yrs. after initial design
construction +/- 25 years
Scale
Meaningful public space
Temporary job creation
GJ de Jongh (city architect - initial idea)
Harbour Rotterdam (providing sludge)
GP Moliere (final design)
Municipality and inhabitants of Rotterdam
(finance and construction)
Positioning
100 ha. city park
100 ha. water
Before
core
semi
peri
LOCAL
Investment
REGIONAL
investment municipality R’dam
fl. 11 miljoen (check)
during crisis: werkverschaffing
EU
WORLD
Once part of the enourmous peat lakes between Rotterdam
and Gouda, Kralingse Bos is now one of the most well known
and valued parks in The Netherlands. It was built using
harbour sludge, debris from the bombing of the city centre
and the hands of unemployed labour throughout the 1930’s.
↓ SITUATION
• At the beginning of the 20th century, the Kralingse Bos development initiated on an old peat extraction site.
• It was constructed during a time of rapid industrialisation and
urbanization.
• The basic requirements for generating this area was to
improve the infrastructure. The opening of the Nieuwe Waterweg in 1872 allowed a better connection between Rotterdam
and Germany. The Suez Canal allowed more traffic between
Europe and Asia, giving a boost to the European Harbours.
• As a result, the Rotterdam harbour became more significant.
After the port was modernized it needed a bigger harbour
basin for the expansion.
• The population of the city tripled and demand for city parks
increased to accomodate these changes.
• In 1928, the worldwide economic crisis had a huge affect on
Rotterdam and many people became unemployed. Money
allotted to construct the Park began to run out.
• The municipality of Rotterdam was put under financial supervision of the central government.
↓ OBJECTIVES
http://irmakoopman.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/werkverschaffing_1907.jpg
Demand for a job creation scheme.
https://maps.google.de/maps?q=kralingse+bos
↓ ASSETS
↓ STRATEGY
↓ ACTIONS
↓ EFFECT
• Kralingse Bos was used as a job
creation scheme for the unemployed
during the economic recession.
• The council of Rotterdam designated
more than 200 hectares of land for
development from an old peat plant.
• The area known as Noordplas, was
considered too deep to drain and so
became an ideal location to situate
the park.
• The initial design of the park was
made by G.J. De Jongh, the director of public work who had a huge
interest in harbour development.
• The project created short term employment.
• Its main goal was to combine the
improvement of the cities quality of
living (pollution/lack of green space
and recreational facilities) with water
safety and the winning of land from
water on the north eastern part of
Rotterdam.
• This job creation scheme enabled the
unemployed to work for the public
works on a minimum wage while
providing cheap labour for a significant
civil engineering project.
• Provide compensation for the extension of the harbour.
• The remaining sludge and debris from
the bombing of the city centre was
used as the core materials during the
construction phase.
• The unemployed were used as cheap
labour to save money.
• An efficient and skilled planning
department.
• Two projects were connected. Construction of the Waalhaven in 1907
(the largest harbor basin in the world)
was cleverly connected to the development of the Kralingse Bos. The sludge
drained from the basin was used to
raise the low-lying polderland around
the lake, creating a base for the park.
• The combination of water issues, the
need for an increased quality of living
and the extension of the harbour
became a long term development for
the city.
• The design was made by the city
government.
• Kralingse Plas and Kralingese Bos improved Rotterdams city
life by providing recreation, water and better quality of air
and micro-climate in the city.
• Currently, Kralingse Plas is one of the best known recreational
parks in the Netherlands.
• Kralingen is now a top rated area in Rotterdam. Ground prices
around the Kralingse Bos are considered to be the highest in
the city.
• In 2009, Kralingse Bos/Plas won an award for Best Public
Space.
• The Kralingse Bos is an important part of the regional recreational structure of the Southern Randstad. It is linked together
through water, rail, metro, car and many recreational routes.