After months of virtual contact, the Amsterdam and Recife delegations finally met in person at the opening seminar of the rXa – Recife Exchange Amsterdam project. The main aim of the seminar was to give the audience an idea of how Recife and Amsterdam are working on their future. A clear vision emerged of two dynamic cities, with both professionals and citizens looking to enhance the quality of life while struggling with a changing planning and construction context. The discussion focussed on the question as to what Recife and Amsterdam might learn from each other.
The seminar started with a presentation on the development of Recife by Noe Sergio from Recife’s planning department. Like Amsterdam, Recife is situated in a low-lying area that has water as its main feature. The 'Dutch' core of the former Mauritsstad is an important node in the city, as is the southern district Boa Viagem. The main challenge at the moment is to improve connections between the various parts of the city. The fact that most of the land in Recife is privately owned makes it difficult for the city council to implement a strategic plan.
Eric van der Kooij from Amsterdam’s planning department linked his presentation on Amsterdam to this issue. Because most of the land in Amsterdam is owned by the city, a strong planning tradition was able to flourish for decades. The economic crisis is currently forcing the city council to plan with fewer resources. Instead of 'over controlling' the development processes, we should seek to activate the various players in the construction process in order to make a better city.
The discussion started with this topic. The Recifians stated that in Recife a long-term planning strategy is lacking. The planning horizon extends to 2014, the year in which the World Cup will take place. They see Amsterdam’s 2040 Structure Plan as an inspiration to connect the various plans and ambitions and persuade the participants in the construction process to work according to an overarching strategy. Both Amsterdam and Recife professionals noted that the era of large-scale construction projects is over. The fast pace of the market, difficulties getting financing (Amsterdam) and controlling building land (Recife) make a more flexible approach essential.
In order to achieve these goals, 'communication' would seem to be the magic word. Communication between architects, commissioners and the city council, and between planners and the public.
In this respect, it is important to have overarching goals that go further than building housing and infrastructure. Improving the quality of water – so omnipresent in both cities – is a good example. Paulien Hartog from Waternet, Amsterdam’s water company, pointed out the importance of connecting water management and city planning. Julien Ineichen, architect in Recife and initiator of the 'I want to swim in the Caipibaribe' project, stressed the importance of making citizens aware of their power but also of their responsibility to improve water quality in Recife.
Karin Westerink from Amsterdam’s Monuments and Archaeology Department observed that heritage is a good topic to get citizens involved in the development of their cities. Heritage represents a city’s historical story and gives a city its unique character.
The second half of the seminar focussed on two projects: the District Park Project in Recife: a student research project in response to a major infrastructural scheme, the 'Via Mangue' (Mangrove highway) and the IJmeer Line, a proposed public transport link between Amsterdam and Almere through IJmeer. A number of comparable conclusions can be drawn from these two schemes. It is of great value to make such large-scale projects more than just infrastructural works. They should be integrated projects that also address issues such as the development of neighbouring districts and the nature areas they pass through.
Over the coming months, the participants in the project will reflect on the themes in greater depth. In discussing the various topics, they will try to grasp the essence of the exchange project: how will Recife and Amsterdam benefit from sharing knowledge and how can they inspire each other to move forward?
Photos: Jan-Dirk van der Burg
