Course on Urban Heritage Strategies – 24.06.11

Within the framework of rXa, ARCAM collaborates with the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency and Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies that organized a ‘Course on Urban Heritage Strategies’. The course was tailored towards professionals who work in a number of selected cities and countries with heritage that (partly) has Dutch roots. Brazil is one of them and three architects that participate in rXa (Cristiano Borba, Robson Canuto and George da Guia) participated in the course. The course aimed to build the capacity of its participants to formulate and implement strategies for heritage in cities with its focus on urban heritage in inner-city locations. All the participants had to work on an action plan to propose further development of a certain case in their home country.

ARCAM organized an excursion for the whole group of participants that showed how Amsterdam deals with heritage near its inner city. After an introduction by Bureau of Monuments and Archeology on the Amsterdam heritage policy we visited Westergasfabriek and NDSM-werf.

The research case of the professionals from Recife consists of a plan for revitalization of the old inner city and former harbour from Recife. This historical core of the city consists of the Bairro do Recife and São Antonio that used to be called ‘Mauritsstad’ and was constructed by the Dutch during the reign of Maurits van Nassau from 1636 tot 1643. The ‘Dutch’ urban outlay is still visible. Nowadays it is a lively urban area until 5 pm, but after that time it is completely empty. How can the existing heritage help to make a coherent neighbourhood that is more lively and safe? In their research they posed different questions like: what is the value of shared heritage, what opportunities does redevelopment of urban heritage offer and can urban heritage awareness be enhanced?

Flora van Gaalen

Top down/Bottom up - Video conference #3 - 14.06.11

An important issue on the agenda of video conference #3 is the situation of public/private partnership in Recife and Amsterdam. In Recife, traditionally the government is only involved in checking the building plans with the zoning laws. But this seems to be shifting. There are some examples of projects in which the municipality or the state take an active stance in development and realization. A challenge is how the Recife government could promote a coherent vision of the future and at the same time stimulate private parties and the public to work according to this vision. The Amsterdam team illustrates how traditional ways of public/private partnership are also changing. Traditionally the city government owns about 80% of the land and hands it out in land-lease constructions. This makes it possible to control planning. The design of public space, masterplans for a certain area, the zoning plan and selection of developing parties are all in public hands. Because of the economic crisis a lot has changed though. Developing parties already leased a lot of land, but don't have money anymore to develop. Other private parties that are eager to develop are stepping forward, but they don't have access to the land. So, things need to change, we need a new kind of planning and a different way of public/private partnership. How can we shift from top-down planning to a more bottom-up way to do this? 

Maybe by making less strict masterplans and relying more on zone planning like in Recife. An important thing to think about on both sides is to find out what kind of (relatively small) interventions could have a huge effect. What are the ambitions of the cities and what inspiration do we want to give to the public? In other words: what story do we want to tell?

Another issue for the discussion was the Via Mangue project. Last conference the students presented possible master plans suggesting adaptations of the official plan. The Via Mangue is an elevated highway from the city district Boa Viagem along the mangrove to the old city centre. It is clear that the Via Mangue will worsen certain problems like the lack of open, public spaces, a good connection between the Mangrove and the sea and overall liveability of the area. The Via Mangue will be another barrier. The students suggest specific projects to tackle these problems, partly inspired by the Amsterdam feedback that stated examples of the Amstel river banks development and ways to make a connection with the inhabitants by improving public space and making it more green. 

Some aspects of the projects are: more green spaces, solutions for relocating population (that has to move because of Via Mangue construction), cultural centres to open up the Mangrove area to the public, infrastructural solutions like a cable way, a multifunctional station and boulevards. The Amsterdam team suggests that it is important to think about priorities. What is essential to get a transition started? This helps to connect the projects to the masterplan again and produce a strong integral design.

Flora van Gaalen

Blueprint vs. zoning planning - Video conference #2 - 24.05.11

‘We have to move from blueprint to zone planning’ (Amsterdam)
‘We want to go more from zoning to overall vision planning’ (Recife)
 
The second conference started with a presentation by the students on the Via Mangue project. The students approached the Via Mangue from the themes heritage, water and mobility. Challenges are: integrate borders, create a complex totality, integrate natural and built heritage, transform a freeway into an avenue park, create open spaces for social interactions and integrate the mangrove, the river and the ocean. The fact that the Via Mangue seems a purely infrastructural project makes it difficult to find integrated solutions. The Amsterdam side wonders if there is a basic vision from the government on the future of Recife and how the Via Mangue project fits in. The Recife team explains there is no overall strategy like the Structural Vision 2040 in Amsterdam but that they use a zoning plan: Plano director: http://www.recife.pe.gov.br/pr/secplanejamento/planodiretor/. 

 
Foto: Meriam de Lange

The infrastructure and water situation in Recife are pretty dramatic and because the ecological situation is very different from Amsterdam, cases are hard to compare. Waternet remarks that in the sixties the Amsterdam canals were also very polluted, but that this doesn't mean it cannot change. 

Despite the challenges, a lot of projects are realized in Recife. Big infrastructural projects are implemented by the government and building projects on a smaller scale are initiated by private parties. This market oriented way of building incorporates a high level of flexibility that Amsterdam envies. Recife on the other hand admires the strong planning tradition in Amsterdam. Although the Recifian municipality has suggested some long term visions for certain areas (like the former harbour area in de Bairro do Recife) these are difficult to 
implement. 

The discussion shifted to the fact that Amsterdam is turning its face towards the water again with the development of the Northern and Southern IJ banks. In Recife a similar trend is visible, although the public still doesn’t value the water as highly because of the poor conditions. How could things get better?

Flora van Gaalen

Do you Recife? – Video conference #1 – 19.04.11

‘Water seems to be the power of Amsterdam, but the problem of Recife’

In cooperation with Microsoft Amsterdam and Microsoft Recife, ARCAM initiated a series of video conferences with architects and urban planners from both cities. The Recife team consists of among others representatives of the University of Pernambuco, the municipality of Recife, the state of Pernambuco and the IAB (Institute for architects). On the Amsterdam side the contributers are representatives form the Urban Planning Department (DRO), water company Waternet, Bureau for Monuments and Archeology (BMA) and the Infrastructure Department (DIVV).

The first conference started with general introductions on the development of Amsterdam and Recife up until this day. The municipality of Amsterdam just launched the ‘Structural Vision 2040’. Four important development movements are: rolling out the city centre, interweaving the Metropolitan landscape and the city, the rediscovery of the waterfront and the internationalization of the southflank.

Check for more information: http://www.dro.amsterdam.nl/publish/pages/359143/plan-01-2011-eng.pdf

In Recife the delta of the Pina, Beberibe and Capibaribe rivers is central to the city and its development. The development of Recife started on Barrio do Recife and Sao Antonio, then moved inland to Sao Jose. Because of a flood in the 1970/80’s the city extended even further. The last decades the Boa Viagem district on the south side is very popular. A mayor challenge is how to improve mobility and realize urban design that respects and improves the natural environment.

After these general introductions the topics ‘water’, ‘heritage’ and ‘infrastructure’ were discussed more specifically.

Foto: Meriam de Lange

Flora van Gaalen

Via Mangue

The Department of Archtecture of the University of Pernambuco linked the rXa project to a specific course for second year students. The subject of research was the 'Via Mangue' project: a freeway along the mangrove area that will connect the southern Boa Viagem district to the inner city of Recife. Because this is a project in which water, heritage and infrastructure ultimately come together, it is an interesting case to discuss with professionals from Recife and Amsterdam. The huge infrastructural operation has been on the drawing board for over a decade, but is only now being constructed. It is questionable though, if the plan is still up to date. The students took a critical look at the existing plan, formulated its weaknesses and suggested interventions to combine the Via Mangue with better public space, better connections between the mangrove and the coastal area and different ways of transporation. They also figured out ways to raise awareness on the importance and natural richness of the mangrove.

During the series of video conferences that ARCAM organized with representatives from Amsterdam and Recife the 'Via Mangue Student Project' was a returning issue on the agenda. Every conference the students showed their work in progress, got feedback from the group and discussed possible linkages to Amsterdam projects.

For more information on the official Via Mangue project, check:

http://www.recife.pe.gov.br/pr/secplanejamento/viamangue.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlwuR0-x-Rc

Flora van Gaalen

Amsterdam loves Recife

Last December (2010), ARCAM (director Maarten Kloos and project manager Flora van Gaalen) and architect and Brazil expert Paul Meurs visited Recife to meet some of the key persons of the project. At first we were overwhelmed by the humidity, the traffic and the feeling of entering a completely different universe. But after the first day - as we got sucked into the cities energy - Recife started to unravel itself to us bit by bit. This was ofcourse due to the warm welcome of our Recifian hosts: we met people from the University of Pernambuco, the municipality of Recife, the state of Pernambuco and the IAB (Instituto de Arquitetos do Brasil/the Brazilian 'BNA'). They took us on intensive tours through the city during which we discussed the current situation in Recife and Amsterdam and explained to each other how we are working on the future.

Recife is a city that consists of many different layers. There is the Dutch core of Bairro do Recife and Sao Antonio (former Mauritsstad), the Portuguese layer on top of this and ofcourse 'Brazilian' Recife that has grown to be the fourth biggest metropolitan area of Brazil. Recurrent subjects of the talks with our Brazilian counterparts were the omnipresence of the water in both our cities, the way we deal with heritage and the infrastructural challanges that we face. We decided to take these three themes - water, heritage and infrastructure - as the basis of our exchange project.

 Flora van Gaalen