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Railroad Zone Amsterdam

The railroad as backbone of Amsterdam South-East

Working in collaboration with the municipality of Amsterdam, Felixx investigated the urbanistic potential of the Amsterdam Zuidoost Spoorzone (Amsterdam southeast railway area).  The study explored the role of the Spoorzone as the key structure in the overall development of the Zuidoost and its capacity to become an engaging, linear green corridor, connecting, rather than dividing the city. The study demonstrated that integrated into the urban fabric, filled with new functions, and made accessible, the area could become a robust backbone serving the neighborhoods, the districts, and the city. Thus transformed, the area would become a valuable public space for the existing and future communities of Amsterdam Zuidoost.

Research by design

Today the railway zone between Duivendrecht Station and the University Hospital contains many linear fragments of neglected and leftover space behind buildings, under viaducts, running along train tracks, and forming an inhospitable corridor. Paradoxically, these unattractive areas surprisingly often become sources of considerable biodiversity. Ample and hard to exploit as real estate, they lend themselves perfectly well as starting points for linear parks linking the city with the region and providing new value in most unexpected places.


Giving purpose and destination to the lost and forgotten urban spaces. 

A series of workshops with municipal experts, stakeholders, and project groups revealed the main problems & opportunities for the area. They also revealed new objectives for the future of the Southeastern Railway Zone:

  1. Create a healthy living environment for people and animals, sustainable and climate adaptive.
  2. Design high quality and safe spaces for social interaction, sports, play and recreation.
  3. With optimal connectedness and attractive station environments.
  4. Reverse the backside effect and bring a human scale to this infrastructure oriented landscape.

 

Triple Spine

We have translated the assignment into the so-called ‘Triple Spine’. A spine as a strengthening structure, that 1) can maintain the urban and natural corridor along the entire length of the Southeast railway. 2) As a connective tissue that is consistent with current structures and ongoing developments on a local and urban scale. 3) And remains adaptable with the flexibility to local conditions and identities on both sides of the railroad tracks.


Inspirational plan of the railroad as Green, Connective, and Interactive urban spine for Zuidoost.

From division to diversity

The railroad now runs like a mental and physical barrier through the 4 km zone, creating a divide and striking contrasts on both sides of the railway. Instead of seeing this as a weakness and a consequence of segregation, 'the railroad as a backbone' looks at these contrasts as opportunities for public life. A palette of contrasts that - if properly planned - can evolve into a universe of choices for urban programs for daily/weekly activities and events.


Collage Strandvliet area

Multiple perspectives

Promoting cohesion and quality across existing organizational contexts is necessary for this. With regards to the core tasks of the triple spine, this means focusing on the larger scale in order to add quality and value that cannot be realized by the smaller individual projects. Improvements to the quality of the zone will complement the efforts to connect and activate the areas on either side of the railway, temporarily and permanently.

Central role for the Railroad

Inspirational images bestow the railroad area with its appropriately central role in the development of Amsterdam Zuidoost. Professional imagination converts mental and physical barriers into the spaces of social encounter, environmental quality and connected opportunities. The image is elaborated by combining three tracks where the "triple spine" offers qualities of robustness, flexibility and adaptability.


Collage Holendrecht pond

Year

2020 - 2021

Location

Amsterdam Arena

Type

Research, Infrastructure, Landscape, Public Space

Client

Amsterdam Municipality

Team & partners

Marnix Vink
Eduardo Marin Salinas
Elan Redekop van der Meulen
Shuangyun Chen
Bijlmer Believers 3.0

 

List
  1. Rijnvliet, Edible Neighborhood
  2. Vief Kwartier
  3. The Newton
  4. Regulateur Gruno district
  5. Eemsdelta Campus
  6. Jonas Amsterdam
  7. K64 keflavík airport area masterplan
  8. Railroad Zone Amsterdam
  9. From node to place
  10. Masterplan Flora Campus Westland
  11. Alongside the Schie
  12. New Space - Design Guideline Liveability of Public Space, Groningen
  13. From Airport to Birdport
  14. Brainport Industries Campus
  15. Hondsrug Park Amsterdam
  16. Yangmeikeng Sea Boulevard
  17. Healthy Tracks
  18. Towards a healthy city by foot
  19. Floating Gardens, Amsterdam
  20. The Unbound Amsterdam
  21. Seaside Gardens, Gufunes
  22. Brainport Smart District Helmond
  23. The Swan, Zwolle (NL)
  24. Spatial Framework Blankenburg Süden, Berlin
  25. 'Typhoon-proof' Shenzhen's East Coast
  26. Circular City Bodø 2.0
  27. A green entrance for the airport
  28. Public Space Alpen
  29. Cartesius Quarter
  30. Isle of Dikes
  31. Smakkelaarsveld Utrecht
  32. Darmstadt Masterplan 2030+
  33. Bao’An G107 Corridor
  34. Master Plan Ter Aar, Nieuwkoop
  35. Waterfront Novosibirsk
  36. City Square Tyumen
  37. Almazov National Medical Research Centre
  38. Strategic Urban Green Study
  39. Public Space Strategy Kanpur
  40. Quartierlandschaft Dietenbach
  41. ImageWharf
  42. Ódinstorg Square
  43. Overloon War Museum
  44. Lokhalle Leverkusen
  45. Ludlstrasse Munich
  46. Yaanila Country Park
  47. Redevelopment Strategy Vogabyggð
  48. Villa Garden
  49. City life in the woods
  50. Schie Quarter Schiedam
  51. Socio-technical city of the future
  52. Buji River
  53. Vaskhnil Novosibirsk
  54. Precincts Canterbury Cathedral
  55. Maritime Campus Almere
  56. Resilient Riverscape Berat
  57. Sijthoff
  58. Strategic Plan Shkodra
  59. Ekaterinburg City Campus
  60. Transformation Strategy Gufunes
  61. Transformation Strategy Chelyabinsk
  62. Fish Market Leuven
  63. Zinder Culture Cluster
  64. Food Innovation Strip Ede-Wageningen
  65. S4 Highway Hangzhou
  66. Strategic Plan Fier
  67. Strategic Plan Elbasan
  68. Kronenburg Business Park
  69. Dharavi Mumbai
  70. Masterplan Smáralind Mall
  71. Urban Test Farm Emmen
  72. Ásbrú Enterprise Park
  73. Asylum Seekers Center Ter Apel
  74. Berlin Am Volkspark
  75. The Museum of the 20th Century
  76. Gardabaer
  77. Metropolitan Westerpark Amsterdam
  78. Science and Technology City Chongqing
  79. Yue Xiu 353 Transformation
  80. 5YN3RGY
  81. Erlongshan Recreational Park
  82. Danxia Recreational Park
  83. Campus Lelystad
  84. Proto Tamansari
  85. City Gardens Tyumen
  86. Park Somerlust Amsterdam
  87. Agricultural Innovation Campus
  88. Bandar Lampung Park
  89. R&D Campus Fengxian
  90. S-West Eindhoven
  91. Biodiversity based dairy farming
  92. Heidelberg Creative Quarter
  93. Barendrecht Vrouwenpolder
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