UMDSU
PORTFOLIO
Urban Management & Development: Sustainable Urbanism programme
IHS, Erasmus University Rotterdam in partnership with Science Without Borders
ATELIER ALMERE
UMDSU2 | The Floriade exhibition | determine, design and plan the exhibition site
Besides being the newest city of the Netherlands, Almere is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe and the seventh largest in the country (Municipality, 2013). As the city is going to host the next horticulture exhibition Floriade, in 2022, the main task of Atelier Almere participants was to determine, design and develop plans for the site where the event will take place. The work included the analysis of the city of Almere, the identification of areas for improvement in the planning of the Floriade and in Almere as a whole; and then, the development of strategies.
In 2022 the international horticulture exhibition (Floriade) held in the Netherlands will take place in Almere. Cities as Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Venlo have hosted the event in the past, but the most significant difference between the next Floriade and the previous ones, is the development of a Green City prototype which is the core of Floriade Almere plan. Under the theme ‘Growing Green Cities’, the main idea is to create a whole new district following the sustainable and green city premises in the heart of the city.
Methodology
Sustainable Infrastructure and Technologies
SWOT
Vision
Using the Floriade 2022 as an open laboratory that showcases leading technologies and knowledge in sustainable and eco-friendly infrastructure; A place where people can see both the processes and results behind the eco-friendly systems and the progressive achievements towards sustainability at local and municipal levels.
Strategies
1. Rainfall collection system
2. Waste reduction and energy production
3. Transport system - more cycling, less CO2
4. Monitoring and informing with technology
Conclusion
These smart strategies can promote the Floriade on the international scene and attract investments to deliver an eco-friendly, healthy and sustainable environment through infrastructure interventions.
Housing
SWOT
Vision
Floriade:
An ecologically self-sufficient and vibrant neighborhood, with a diverse, but socially integrated community which benefits from sustainable measures applied in the area, achieving health and high quality of life.
Strategies
1. Diversity through different kinds of accommodation.
Reference project: Spiraling Green 8 Skyscraper "Vertical Garden City" by Agnieskzka Preibisz and Peter Sandhaus
2. Special focus on student housing
Reference project: Olympiapark, built for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany
Reference Project: Eco Student Residence for University of Southern
Denmark (SDU) by C.F. Møller in Odense, Denmark
Zoning
Conclusion
These proposals aim to benefit high and low income people, creating lively streets with diversified activities. Almere can seize the opportunity of Floriade and use it to grow and achieve unprecedented development levels.
Facilities and Social Programming
SWOT
Vision
Floriade:
A model district with sinergy between city and nature.
A sustainable neighborhood holding facilities, programs and activities supportive to Almere, creating an interactive atmosphere and a vibrant environment.
Strategies
1. Urban park
2. Educational complex
3. Community and exhibition center
Reference project: The Magic Water Circuit, Lima.
(http://www.civitatis.com/blog/turismo-limaque-ver)
Reference project: Downtown EducationalComplex, Oakland.(http://www.mveinstitutional.com/project.php?lID=239&subgID=#)
Reference project: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
(MCEC), Melbourne (http://pt.wikipedia.org/
wiki/ Melbourne_Convention_and_Exhibition_Centre)
Reference project: The Civic Space Park, Phoenix.
(http://places.designobserver.com/feature/western-civic-art-works-inprogress/511/)
Reference project: UCN IMAGO, Aalborg. (http://www.archdaily.com/100395/ucn-imago-gpp-architects)
Reference project: Koelnmesse, Cologne. (http://www.silencium.de/en/around-the-hotel/trade-faircologne.html)
Conclusion
The three strategies regarding facilities and social programming aim to bring synergy between city and nature, mainly creating an urban park with a particular feature, providing for the city a landmark, both architectural and environmental. This area would be centrally located in the city and would function as a meeting place where city, people and nature can interact.
Leisure, Recreation and Sports
SWOT
Vision
ALMERE
An integrated community known for its good
relationship with its green and blue spaces
where leisure and sports make up part of the
citizens’ daily life.
FLORIADE
An opportunity to creating a more varied
entertainment center, change the Dutch
mindset, and get the people of Utrecht and
Amsterdam to want to spend their leisure time in Almere and not vice versa.
Official data on sports facilities & family make-up
Strategies
1. Creation of a linear zone inside the Floriade, focusing on gastronomic,cultural and other diverse features.
2. To improve the citizens’ relationships with nature and promote their interaction through the creation of a multifunctional space that host various events, sports and activities integrated with green.
3. Creation of a pedestrian+cycling connection between the Floriade and Almere Stad, which will be used as a public space that allows citizens’ interaction and creates not only a visual connection but also a physical relationship with water.
Conclusion
Regarding leisure, recreation and sports, the strategies cited above aim to insert the Floriade into the context of Almere, they also intend to continue encouraging the innovative and creative mind-set.
Health and Food Production
SWOT
Vision
Almere:
A sustainable city in the food
production and food supply chain taking
advantage of the local farming in an efficient way with high standards on food quality, reflecting directly in the inhabitant’s health and awareness though the Floriade.
Strategies
1. Education and awareness
Partnership between the Floriade and the educational centers to teach and make the inhabitants aware, focused on children, food and health and to off er courses on food production and agriculture.
2. Innovation for food and health
Creation of an R&D Center for Health and Food Production focusedon innovation in health, herbal medicine and food production in thearea of the Floriade with a partnership with CAH Villentum Universityof Applied Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine of the University ofAmsterdam and Wageningen University.
3. Sustainable food chain
Support for sustainable agriculture, optimization of the food supplychain and use of (bio)technology and science to align supply and demandof food.Motivation of local farmers to participate in the Floriade through a localfood market.Creation of partnerships between local producers and local food retailand catering.
Conclusion
In order for Almere to be a city which can provide its own food, there is the need to teach people the right behavior regarding the subject and make them aware of the risks bad nutrition can bring to them or the benefit is a balanced diet can provide. If your target group is not conscious of the importance of the issue there will be no impact. Following this line, the proposals aim to educate and show the citizens what they are dealing with, and how good it can be for them. Mainly the youth will be the next generation responsible to transmit this knowledge in the future.
Floriade has a great potential to be a permanent prototype of a green neighborhood, to be highlighted during the event of the Floriade 2022. To achieve this title, a strategy in creating a Sustainable Food Chain is essential. Green actions are important in each step of the cycle: the use of more effi cient ways to use the agricultural land; techniques to reduce waste; use recycled material; consume renewable energy; prioritize local farmers and products; eat fresh and quality food; have people making judicious dietary choices and generating minimum waste and composing.
Employment
SWOT
Vision
The Floriade is an attractive and dynamic economic niche of life sciences, food
management and integrated medicine steering a healthy and green Almere.
Strategies
1. Food
Attract investors and institutions connected to food production/management and the restaurant industry, in order to develop a food-based cluster, aiming to close the food chain - from production to consumption and disposal - and to increase the dynamics of the local economy chain.
2. Health
Strengthen the fi elds of nutrition and complementary medicine, towards an "integrated medicine" system, generating employment for professionals, researchers and entrepreneurs. (monitoring food production and quality, developing diets, alternative drugs production, physical activities).
3. IT and local entrepreneurs
Encourage local entrepreneurship making room for start ups and business networks.
Reference project: Borough Food Market, London
Reference project: World Food Festival Rotterdam
Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, Arizona, US. The center works together with the University of Arizona, it was founded in 1994 by Dr. Andrew Weil, according to their website their work is “focused its eff orts in three domains : education, clinical care and research”
(http://integrativemedicine. arizona.edu/about/ )
Conclusion
The city of Almere will experience changes in its economy due to the Floriade. In order to guide this changes, it is crucial to develop action plans focused on strengthening local capacities to open space for future investments. These strategies should be developed according to the existing sectors of the city’s economy : Food production, health and IT. Thus the local government plays a major role as a mediator between entrepreneurs, educational institutions, fi nancial institutions and foreign investors.
In a nutshell, we strongly believe that Almere can easily take its place in the competitive market of the Netherlands if these networks between scales, actors, sectors and investments remain firm and well connected with local production.