Buurthaven // Neighborhood harbor

Project

268507

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Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS AWARDS : existing completed examples

Project title

Buurthaven // Neighborhood harbor

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Description

Buurthaven is a beautiful green public space along Noordhollandsch Kanaal in the North of Amsterdam. After being used as a building site, this public space was temporarily 'given' to the neighborhood. Residents came up with initiatives such as a dog playground, a soup vegetable garden, a carpentry workplace and a public 'Gallic table' of 10 by 10 meters. Placemakers foundation supported the residents with realizing the public space design and programming it with events and activities.

Where was your project implemented in the EU?

When was your project implemented?

Has your project benefited from EU programmes or funds?

Which programme(s) or fund(s)? Provide the name of the programme(s)/fund(s), the strand/action line as relevant and the year.

Please provide a summary of your project

Buurthaven is located at a beautiful green spot in the middle of our rapidly changing capital Amsterdam, where public space is more and more under pressure. The area lied fallow for a while after it was used as a building site for the North/South metroline. Placemakers foundation, together with residents from the surrounding neighborhoods, filled in the wasteland with temporary social initiatives. Central in the concept of Buurthaven are encounter and connection between different residents and local organizations. Residents came up with ideas that we could not have invented; a dog playground, a carpentry workplace, a soup vegetable garden and a large 'Gallic table' of 10 by 10 meters. Initiatives in public space for the neighborhood by the neighborhood. By letting residents realize their own ideas in the area, initiatives are implemented that are really desired. Moreover, the initiatives ensure ownership because the residents manage the area themselves. In addition, Buurthaven stimulates encounters because it also offers programming: the soup garden sells soup packages, children build huts at the carpentry workshop and dog owners meet each other at the dog playground. There are also sport events and Placemakers organises small events every few months where all initiatives are put in the spotlight. In the meantime, the municipality is working on future plans for the Sixhaven area. Because the various initiatives of Buurthaven show what is needed and what works, they make a valuable contribution to this planning. There is much need for housing, however the destination has now become 'green'. We realize several forces were needed to perpetuate its green destination, and feel that the realisation of the bottom-up green public space Buurthaven contributed to this as well.  

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met

A key objective of Buurthaven was to put the area on the map as a green public space and to inspire planners and politicians to maintain this character in long term development plans. Preservation of this green area makes an important contribution to the city’s climate adaptation strategy, which is necessary to deal with the increasing number of intense rain showers and heat waves that can be expected in the future. Especially now the surrounding area is urbanizing quickly, preservation of the green that is left has become highly important. This objective was met: the municipality has recently given the area the destination ‘green’, which assures this function will be maintained for a long period of time. In addition, an objective for Buurthaven was the circular use of materials. This is especially important to us since the project is meant to be temporary, and we wanted to prevent disposal of all materials after only a few years of use. This objective was most successfully captured by the Gallic table that is in the center of Buurthaven. This table was made of trees that were cut down in Amsterdam and can be easily disassembled and reused at a different location when Buurthaven is ended. Also the carpentry workplace is reusing wood to build small objects.  In the soup garden vegetables are grown organically. As such, it contributes to a more small-scale, local and sustainable food system. The vegetable packages are sold directly at Buurthaven (people with low income get a discount), and since last season the garden is used as a 'gardenschool' for people to learn how to grow vegetables organically.   

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these have been met

Placemakers recruited local initiatives from the neighborhoods surrounding Buurthaven area. Quality of experience was a central factor in the design. In the plan we combined the resident's initiatives in the available public space, while keeping their accessibility, safety and connections with necessary facilities and pipes in mind. In the design we've tried to give each initiative enough space and make space for facilities, visitors and (spontaneous) activities as well. The large Gallic table has a central spot in the middle to emphasise its public character. We turned the area into a temporary, inspiring location with a balance between tranquility and liveliness. Providing room for bottom-up initiatives increased the attractiveness of the Sixhaven area and gave it a distinctive identity. Buurthaven has an open, accessible appearance. There are flags and signs explaining the ideas behind the terrain and each initiative. There are pathways to wander along the initiatives, small playground equipment and public (boat)benches to sit down. The name and elements such as the benches refer to the maritime character of the area.    

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion and how these have been met

We found a diverse group of initiators and gave them the opportunity to fill in the area. The seven initiators are diverse in many factors, such as age, background and income. On their turn the initiators invite their own neighbors and network to visit the area, for activities and events or just to rest or to wander. But people also visit Buurthaven to exectue their own activities, such as sport, childrens' birthday parties or practice of a choir. Visit of the area and activities or events are free or against very low costs.  Buurthaven's programming makes it also more inclusive, since different kind of activities are organised for different groups. There are dog trainings at the dog playground, children can learn about carpentry or how to grow local vegetables at the soupgarden. During the events there were many more activities like painting workshops, music performances and eating/drinking refreshments. In a short evaluation during one of the events 80% of the respondents said they met new people at the terrain. Several respondents mention that Buurthaven attracts different kinds of people and mention its diversity as an added value. Placemakers supports citizens who'd like to implement an initiative or organize an activity with the request for a permit, promotion, communication and production. Therefore we make sure that not only highly educated people or semi professional city makers can organize themselves and influence their neighborhood, but all kinds of residents.       

Please give information on the results/impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for

Buurthaven has four overarching goals that are much in line with the focus points in this category: - Strengthen ownership by providing room for local initiatives in public space. Local initiators not only realized their own initiative but they also organize activities and maintain the terrain. - Stimulate community building between different initiatives, groups of residents and local organizations. At the Buurthaven events people were asked about their experience. In general they were very positive. More than 80% of the respondents said they talked to other (unknown) people during the event. Key words that were mentioned about Buurthaven were sweet, nice, open, welcoming and community feeling. Initiators got to know each other much better because they share the space, and they bring also their networks in touch with each other as they invite them all to Buurthaven, - Promote the Sixhaven area by turning the area into a temporary, inspiring location with a good balance between tranquility and liveliness. Before it was a fallow terrain, now it is a place for positive exchanges and community-building. We have measured the visitors of the initiatives: - Dog playground = 20 dog owners per day - Soup vegetables garden: about six volunteers per week  - Carpentry workplace = 10 children per activity - Gallic Table = about 10 visitors per day Buurthaven small events have about 100-150 visitors each. And the green public space has many more visitors, and passer-by's. - Contribute to future destination: To put the area on the map as a green public space and to inspire planners and politicians to maintain this character in long term development plans. In april 2021 (about 1,5 years after Buurthaven was realized) the city government decided to give the area a 'green' destination.  

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project

Buurthaven is a great example of the term 'placemaking'. This is a philosophy and methodology based on the idea that public places can be best improved using the knowlegde and qualities of local communities. Our foundation and local government are working on the background to facilitate residents to transform the area into a special place in tune with local needs and wishes. Seven residents were deeply involved in the place-making of the area because their initiative was implemented in public space. Because residents have such a central role in the project, they experience a high sense of ownership over the terrain. Buurthaven is a place by rather than for the neighborhood. The self-organized identity and appearance of the area stimulates new activities and initiatives from residents as well as from local organisations (theatre and art groups, community house etc). Placemakers also connects social workers and other community organizations with the area and with the initiators. For example we connected Stadspas (city pass), an organization that provides discounts on products and activities for people with lower income, so people with Stadspas could buy the soup vegetables with a big discount. Residents not only implemented and manage the initiatives but also work together for keeping the area clean. In addition, the project was embedded within the local social infrastructure very quickly because residents bring their local networks to activities at Buurthaven. As such, the involvement of local citizens had contributed to the cohesion and familiarity of people from different neighborhoods. Therefore Buurthaven propagates a community feeling, visitors mention this as another added value.     

Please highlight the innovative character of the project

Special about this project is that the site has been completely filled in by initiatives of local residents. Normally, the municipality designs, realizes and manages the public space itself, or it is transferred to a professional party. At Buurthaven, the entire process - from the initiation phase to the management phase - is done by local residents. Placemakers has actively searched for initiators in the neighborhood and guided them in the design and implementation of their ideas and plans and their management. Because of the co-creation with citizens, the space design and facilities are more appropriated and in tune with local needs and wishes and less standard.  This process of co-creation has been done with a diverse group of citizens instead of with an overarching initiative that fills in the whole area. With seven initiators there is more communication and negotiation, but also more ownership, reinforced bonds and positive exchange between the initiators.

Please explain how the project led to results or learnings which could be transferred to other interested parties

The process of supporting residents to develop their ideas at Buurthaven has led to many learnings concerning how to develop public space in an inclusive, bottom-up way. These learnings are on the one hand related to the more formal, bureaucratic side of public space development, such as how to deal with participation in a design process and how to deal with legal aspects and insurances. On the other hand, many lessons could be drawn from the more informal side of the project: how to bring together different ideas and visions in one collective project and how to divide tasks and responsibilities within a group. These lessons could be of interest to municipalities, intermediary parties and citizen groups who wish to develop public spaces based on the same values. We already shared this lessons with our contacts within the municipality.  In addition, Buurthaven has inspired planners and politicians within the municipality of Amsterdam to rethink the longterm plans for the area and to consider maintaining its current green public function. Initially Buurthaven was meant to be a temporary project, after which residential buildings or offices would be build on the field. Especially now more and more high-rise buildings are being developed in the direct surroundings and residents are protesting against rapid gentrification of the area, it has become clear that a place like Buurthaven is important to maintain low-key meeting places and some of the neighborhoods’ original green, village-like character. Three members from the Placemakers team work in higher education as well (Placemaking course at the University of Amsterdam, Urban Management at the University of Applied sciences and Academy of Architecture), and use the lessons and insights from Buurthaven project as a case in their teaching. 

Is an evaluation report or any relevant independent evaluation source available?

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the Awards more than once under the same category and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.