Summary
Main goal
Improve the functioning of the Citadel at all scale levels with a feasible small-scale intervention
Approach
Bring back the strong connection and interaction between neighbourhood and fortress island
Concept
Create transition zone from the dense urban area to the open green area near island and river
Design methods
- Apartment blocks as “coulisses” with see-through public spaces to attract people’s attention
- Frivolous and spacious dwelling arrangement for better interaction and a community feeling
- Housing areas with a gradual transition from 3-storey average “rows” to free-plot bungalows
- Collective multi-purpose road system for pleasant living environment and lots of public green
- Cultivating and upgrading fortress island to become the beating heart of the neighbourhood
- Connecting the residences to each other, the island and the river with the pathway network
Result
A more balanced Citadel-community, functioning as one unit and future Waalsprong landmark
Download A0 design poster (PDF, 56MB)
Download A1 strategy poster (PDF, 43MB)
The future city of Nijmegen
Nijmegen embraces the Waal. This is the overarching concept of the expansion of the city of Nijmegen, sometimes called “Havana at the Waal” for being governed rather left-winged. The concept is expressed by a new triangular-shaped ringroad, crossing the river at two points. The two triangle base corners are on the south bank, in the eastern industrial area (to be redeveloped) and in the city centre at the west. The upper corner is the extension plan for the northern bank, called “de Waalsprong” (river Waal jump). These three corners are the pivots in the new ringroad system, and therefore in the entire city concept.
Perhaps the most delicate in this plan is the Waalsprong city expansion, for several plausible reasons. Currently, the green meadowland behind the dike serves mainly as an overflow area for the river Waal, apart from the 18th-century Beneden Lent fortress, located on a moated island, and a few farmhouses.
Creating an entire new neighbourhood is a difficult task in itself, but creating it in an area with important natural and cultural heritage involves a lot of interests and stakeholders. Besides that, connecting two city parts crossing a river has proved to be extremely complicated. Rotterdam is a very good example, providing a very famous and pretty bridge, lots of unique, high quality functions on the southern side, and still, people seem to consider Rotterdam Zuid as a subordinated area. The concept of embracing, creating a cohesive core unity around the river, therefore seems the appropriate approach for the city.
Having approved the concept but pointed out the importance of the Waalsprong integration in the city, it is time to focus on the expansion design. Does it meet the requirements and the criteria for success?
The design of the Citadel
The newly designed neighbourhood on the northern bank of the Waal is called the Citadel, which, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is ”a fortress protecting or dominating a city”. This name is reflected by the shape of the neighbourhood, with a circular outer ring guided by the new ringroad, almost like a symbolic moat.
The second reason for the Citadel-typification is the presence of an ancient fortress called Beneden Lent or Nieuw Knodsenburg, built in 1863 to protect the river and the rail bridge. The northern riverside has always been a very important strategic position for the city of Nijmegen. Because the inner city was protected by multiple layers of walls, attacks were often initiated from the other side of the Waal. Control over the fortresses, especially the old Knodsenburg fortress, meant control over the river and the ability to conquer the unprotected backside of Nijmegen. More about the fortress subject later on.
The neighbourhood design contains several functions like dwellings, offices, shops and public functions. In Peter Trimp’s first design from 2004, shown on the model, the programme counts: 5.000 m2 catering, 110.000 m2 offices, 10.000-25.000 m2 facilities, 25.000 m2 shops and 3.000 dwellings. As can be seen on the model, this plan contained quite a lot of high-rise buildings, which invigorates the citadel concept. Key principles of the plan: a maximum mix of functions and lots of “green and blue” against the high rise. Later in the design process, the office programme was halved (!) to 55.000 m2, and more single-family housing was applied. After studying possible references, a diagonal “exciting line” through the blocks was added to the design by architect Kees Rijnboutt.
When we compare this latest masterplan to the first model, made five years earlier, what has changed?
The Citadel-concept of a strong, circular fortress-like neighbourhood protecting its open heart, is gone.
By removing most of the high-rise blocks, the strong guiding lines in the design have disappeared. What remains is a mishmash of small dwellings packed in different random compositions, detached from each other. The added “exciting line” weakens the design even further, lacking any sort of connection and coherence with its surroundings and the Citadel-concept. It sort of provides “the enemy” with a clear entrance to the heart of the neighbourhood: the old fortress Nieuw Knodsenburg. The strong reaction to the fortress shown in the first model is replaced by rows of single-family housing around the island moat, following meaninglessly small ditches and ridges. As a result of that, the interaction between the fortress island and the neighbourhood decreases drastically.
Zooming back out to the higher scale, the position of the neighbourhood in the entire city concept of embracing the Waal, this is a worrying development. The new ringroad is the backbone of the design, the read thread connecting the three main spots in the design: the historical city centre, the industrial area and the Citadel neighbourhood. The Citadel guides the road from bridge to bridge, back over the Waal, with the fortress Nieuw Knodsenburg as the central pivot. Now that the functioning of the fortress within the neighbourhood and even the functioning of the entire Citadel-concept is strongly in doubt, this will influence the already delicate future wheelwork of Nijmegen. How to improve this situation?
The design intervention
A rather interesting contradiction can be found within the definition of a citadel, ”a fortress protecting or dominating a city”, as found in the Oxford dictionary. This fortress is the outer ring, shielding a weak and vulnerable core where the people live. In the 2004-model, the Citadel-design reflects this form language very bright and clear, with its circular outside shape and its strong lines leading to the open city centre.
However, this heart isn’t weak, open, vulnerable, inhabited, or in fact any of those obvious qualifications. Behind a moat with only one or two bridges, a long and dark tunnel and the rather overgrown exterior, the ancient Nieuw Knodsenburg-fortress from 1862 is hidden, a square-formed redoubt from yesteryear, built to control the Waal river and to protect the new rail bridge and the city from attacks and intruders.
Therefore, the classic roles of protecting fortress and protected city have now completely interchanged. The Nieuw Knodsenburg-fortress should become the centre of the Citadel, the place where people meet, where activities take place, the beating heart of the neighbourhood.
This means that a place designed and built to keep people out is now supposed to do just the opposite.
So, not only did the concept of the Citadel crumble apart, it was based on a supposed transformation of character for the axle, the old fortress, in the first place. As stated before, this axle has an important role in the concept of embracing the Waal for Nijmegen, serving as the third spindle in the ringroad network. The crucial question at this point: how is the fortress island implemented in the design of the Citadel?
Disappointingly, this is still very unclear.
The reaction to the island in form language, in the shape of the buildings, in the green structure design, was very clear in the 2004-model, including bridges and weeding up the forest the to open up the island. In the latest design, only the original bridge and what looks like a tunnel remains of that. The fortress is yellow, indicating catering functions. However, no effort is made to attract people and stimulate activity. The area along the moat is empty and meaningless, and the forest is overgrowing the edges of the island. The fortress building itself is a ruinously collection of bricks, not suitable right now for public functions.
Concluding, considering different levels of scale and the history of design proposals for city and Citadel, adaptation and reintegration of the fortress island in the Citadel-design is crucial for the functioning of the fortress, the island, the vicinity, the Citadel, the Waalsprong and for the entire city of Nijmegen.
Since the intention is to improve and contribute to the current design, it is no option to start over again and make a new design. The concept of embracing the Waal has been approved as being promising, so that will remain the basis for the design. The first model for the Citadel was very strong, conceptually, keeping in mind the comment of the supposed role-change for the fortress that already was an issue. The interaction between the fortress island and the neighbourhood, the connection between the dense urban area and the green open space, is the most important casualty of the adjustments of the design. Improving the fortress and the island, and both visual and physical connections with the neighbourhood, will bring back this connection and stimulate the involvement of the inhabitants with the local history.
Therefore, the area directly around the island will be redesigned to become a transition zone between the dense urban neighbourhood of the Citadel and the green open space of the island and the riverbank.
Not only is this the most related area, it also suffered the most from recent adjustments to the design.
To achieve this gradual transition objective, two different concepts are applied within the chosen area. At the western and eastern side of the island, where there is enough room in both width and length, the transition is embodied by a gradual transformation in housing type and arrangement towards the island. At the borders with the existing design, the housing is similar to already applied types, but now detached and already slightly opening up and meandering. Further inwards, a second type of housing is introduced featuring more variation, luxury and open space in between and around. Three different designs will be available for this second type, to bring more variation into the neighbourhood, all of them 2 storeys high (instead of 3 for the outer dwellings). Finally, at the bank of the moat, there is room for free-plot villas, all of them uniquely designed with a bungalow-height restriction to complete the area’s vertical lapse. The back gardens reach until the water, facing the island at the other side, forming a visual connection. For the traffic, a collective road system is applied, relatively narrow meandering multi-purpose streets guided by public green to emphasize the openness and the connection with the island and the riverbank.
North of the island, the straight row of single-family housing is replaced by six larger apartment blocks with public areas in between, perfectly usable for (collective) gardens or large playgrounds for children. Besides, the open spaces will serve as see-through opportunities from the neighbourhood to the island, with the buildings standing like coulisses in a theatre. The apartments have a unique view over the island and can use the public green as their “back garden”, making the current row of back gardens redundant. Inhabitants can park their cars in a large parking garage below the apartments, accessible from the sides. On-street parking isn’t allowed on the collective roads, only outside the area or on people’s private land.
For the island itself, the balance between preserving history and making suitable for public use is crucial. The green outside, overgrown with trees, will be slightly decimated to cross-compatible state. The inner area and the fortress will house the planned catering functions, requiring a complete metamorphosis. With a new terrace square outside and pedestrian and cycling pathways all along the island and the area, including an attractive new bridge on the central axis of the plan, the fusion of the Citadel is complete.
Effects of the intervention for the neighbourhood
As the design area is currently empty, it suffices now to compare the adjustments with to original design. Many different housing types are mentioned: on ground, (semi-)detached, row, mansion, city and patio. The exact differences remain unclear, as most of the dwellings are just blocks with a garden on the map. Added together, about 280 dwellings were planned originally, varying from very small to quite spacious. No apartments are included in the design. The large social services building could probably be a school.
In the new design, explained above, is tried to house roughly the same number of inhabitants, in order not to interfere with the economical plans of the municipality. Even though the arrangement and style of dwellings is more spacious and luxurious, this objective can be achieved thanks to the apartment blocks. About 140 dwellings and 140 apartments are planned in the adjusted proposal. Because the apartments are large, luxurious and in a unique location, prices could easily exceed the income from average houses. This justifies the assumption that the plan remains economically feasible with these interventions made. The public building, if necessary, could move to the location just top right of the currently taken location, which has the same shape and size and contains little programme.
To enforce the peace and quietness of the area surrounding the island, car traffic is kept outside mostly. People can drive to their homes, but not park on the street, the parking garages and spaces outside the area are the alternatives. This may seem inconvenient for the inhabitants, but it has a lot of advantages. Children can play on the streets, cycling is safe, people can have a chat and there is no noise or pollution. A network of walking and cycling paths connects both the neighbourhoods and the island with the Waal. The public space will mostly consist of public green, maintained by the municipality, for everyone’s use. Facilities like the shopping street are very close, to the north, and the new library is at walking distance.
The question remains what the target groups are for the area, and what effects the intervention sorts.
Unfortunately, the presentation of the municipality design did not include information on this subject. The impressions show children playing, mothers with bicycles, sportscars, seniors in their garden, young people shopping… a wide representation of a community. That makes it even more disappointing this variety is nowhere to be found in the current design. Which building is meant for what kind of people? Besides that, finding higher class-villas or even detached housing requires the use of a magnifying glass. The plan feels rather unbalanced and undervalued at this point, bringing fatal possible consequences. Nearly all problem neighbourhoods in the Netherlands are characterized by a lack of variety in all fields. By providing only smaller and similar housing, the level of wealth and knowledge in the area is at stake, people in lower social classes or with the same ethnic background could “take over” the neighbourhood. Of course this won’t happen in the first decades, but nobody thought of these things in the sixties either.
The intervention design includes a clear vision about this subject, as the problem neighbourhoods and the approach for improvement have my personal interest and attention. The combination of apartments and lower, middle and higher class housing, not only close but really communicating with each other, should create a broad basis to build a balanced neighbourhood for now and for future decades to come. The houses at the outer ring should provide families with an average income with a special place to live, not that big but very playful and close to all functions. The larger 2-storey houses would serve young families best, being the ideal place to raise children safe and peaceful, but also with a large community around for lots of friends and activities. The waterfront-bungalows are very suitable for older couples without children living at home. They can afford and enjoy the high-quality living environment provided.
Planning and phasing
This image shows the phasing of the current plan, starting with the redevelopment of Station Lent and the buildings in the vicinity. This includes two larger apartment blocks, some single-family housing and patio dwellings, and the first shops in the Rietgraaf, providing the new inhabitants with their first needs. Of course, the ringroad will be constructed at the same time to make the new neighbourhood accessible, together with the diagonal connection near Station Lent. Further planning stages are not know so far, but it seems logical to continue building near this area around the station.
For the newly designed area, this means starting at the north-eastern corner would be the most logical. This is a possibility, but leaves the owners with a parking problem as the garage is below the apartments. Another reason to start with the apartment blocks is that this brings in a lot of inhabitants rather quickly, so the area will not feel like a ghost town for the first house owners. A third reason could be found in the economic sector: apartments, especially the designed ones, bring in a relatively large amount of money to cover the first expenses. The houses at the eastern side of the island could then be built, from outside to inside, including the pathway and bridge to the island for recreational purposes. After that, depending on the development strategy for the Citadel, the western side and the fortress functions can be realised. It is important to follow the outside-to-inside strategy here as well, because this embodies the transition from the neighbourhood to the island. This makes the housing types and the area as a whole function.
Planning instruments
Two planning instruments used are interesting to point out, namely the collective road and the free plot.
Collective roads are seldom seen, usually applied in very quite residential areas because it would be too dangerous to expose pedestrians and cyclists to heavier traffic. However, there are some advantages and reasons why the collective roads could contribute to the new design. First of all, because no separate cycling paths and pavements are necessary, less ground will have to be hardened. More open green is nicer to look at and better for the environment, as it allows more species of flora and fauna to grow and rain water to penetrate into the ground. Because on-street car parking is neither allowed nor possible, the roads will be quit and available for pedestrians and cyclists, but also for people playing or chatting. The meandering road design contributes to the area safety too, because drivers cannot up their speed and have to be very careful as they can’t see far ahead. This way, the roads contribute to a pleasant area.
The second used planning instrument is the free-plot house. Usually, the municipality makes a design for a neighbourhood, hired contractors construct the buildings and conditions, and people then buy a house. Free-plot housing can be applied at unique and expensive locations. Instead of buying a finished house, people buy an empty land plot and then hire their own architect to build the house they always wanted. Not only does it save the municipality a lot of time, work and investments, it also results in happy people and desirable areas with a large variety (important, as stated before). The land plots facing the island, with their private back gardens reaching until the moat, meet all requirements and will upgrade the area.
Evaluation
When evaluating the adjustments of the Citadel-design, it is important to compare to the old situation, not to a possible ideal situation. The choice to intervene in this small area only was made deliberately, for reasons stated earlier in this strategic plan: the intention to make realistic improvements to the plan on a small scale, influencing the functioning of the neighbourhood and Nijmegen on the larger city scale because the concepts are so intertwined.
On the smallest scale, we look at the fortress and the island. By preparing it better for recreational use and improving the connections, it will really become the heart of the neighbourhood more than it is now. Zooming out, we find the transition zone. With different types of housing, all having a view to the island, luxurious apartments with public spots, lots of playful green and the collective roads, this should be the ultimate urban fabric for the integration of the Nieuw Knodsenburg-fortress within the Citadel-design. Therefore, the entire Citadel-neighbourhood meets higher standards and will function better as a unit. This will be a beacon for all further projects of the Waalsprong, and help to establish a solid settlement. Together with the new ringroad system, now empowered by a strong Citadel, this brings a bright future for the city of Nijmegen.