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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, The Netherlands

Type

Research, Infrastructure, Landscape, Public Space

Client

Amsterdam municipality

Size

1900 ha

Team & partners

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

 

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