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Sessions

The conference’s theme of New Town Boom Town will be approached through various different angles in five particular sessions held throughout the day:

  • Holland Boom Town (held both in English and Dutch)
  • To build a City in Africa: A History and a Manual
  • Lessons from the Labs
  • New Town Heritage Manifesto
  • Building Happiness

For more information on each session, click on the tabs in the menu. Details regarding the specific program and speakers will be announced soon.



Holland Boom Town

For English please see below.

Het zal niemand ontgaan zijn dat de crisis voorbij is. De bouwsector is aangetrokken, architecten en ontwikkelaars maken overuren en de vooruitzichten in de bouw zijn rooskleurig. Opnieuw staat Nederland voor een woningopgave van maar liefst 1.000.000 woningen. Om deze te realiseren ligt de prioriteit op het intensiveren van bestaand stedelijk gebied.

Maar de vraag is: welk stedelijk gebied? Is voor verdichting in de historische steden voldoende ruimte? En zo ja, voor hoelang en welke gevolgen heeft dit voor de leefkwaliteit? Hebben we het alleen over de vijf grote steden of ook over de kleine stadjes die in de grotere Randstad liggen, ook wel bekend als de (voormalige) groeikernen, zoals Zoetermeer, Hoofddorp, Almere, Spijkenisse of Nieuwegein? Wordt ingezet op de versterking van Amsterdam tot mega-metropool of is er reden om het bestaande netwerk van steden en stadjes in zijn geheel te intensiveren en te transformeren? En is deze woningopgave een kans voor de groeikernen?

HOLLAND BOOM TOWN neemt de rol van de groeikernen in de huidige verstedelijking van de Randstad onder de loep. De groeikernen zijn in de jaren ’70 gebouwd, binnen het beleid van ‘gebundelde deconcentratie’, om bijna 1.000.000 woningen onder te brengen. Hun suburbane stedelijkheid gaat gepaard met een uitstekende infrastructuur en openbaar vervoersvoorzieningen waarmee ze verbonden zijn met hun ‘moedersteden’ Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Arnhem, Den Haag of Utrecht. Veelal zijn ze ruim opgezet met genoeg ruimte voor uitbreiding en intensivering.

Het laatste decennium hebben vele van de groeikernen geïnvesteerd in hun stadscentrum door vernieuwing en transformatie ervan en de toevoeging van bijvoorbeeld theaters, bibliotheken en winkelcentra. Nu en in de toekomst spelen een aantal dringende stedelijke en maatschappelijke opgaven namelijk: de benodigde diversificatie van het woningaanbod voor jongeren en senioren, de energieopgave, verandering in de zorg door vergrijzing en veranderingen in hoe en waar gewerkt wordt.

Betekent de huidige druk op de woningmarkt dat de voormalige groeikernen hiervan kunnen profiteren en een kwaliteitsslag kunnen maken? Of gaat daardoor de woon- en suburbane kwaliteit naar beneden doordat juist de rust en het groen onder druk komen te staan?

No one will have missed out on the fact that the financial crisis is over, the building sector has recovered, architects and developers are working overtime and the prospects in the construction industry are bright. Again there is a housing task of no less than 1,000,000 homes. To achieve this, the priority is to intensify the existing urban area.

The question then is: which urban area? The historic cities can be further compacted, but is there enough space? And if so, for how long and against what quality of life? Are we talking only about the five big cities or also about the small towns in the larger Randstad (the megalopolis of the central-western Netherlands)., known as the (former) groeikernen (growth centers), such as Zoetermeer, Hoofddorp, Almere, Spijkenisse or Nieuwegein?
Should the focus be on strengthening Amsterdam to become a metropolis or is there reason to intensify and transform all of the existing network of cities and towns? Is the housing assignment an opportunity for the growth centers?

HOLLAND BOOM TOWN examines the role of groeikernen in current urbanization of De Randstad. The groeikernen were built in the seventies within the ‘bundled concentration’ policy, to accommodate almost one million dwellings. Their suburban urbanity is characterised by excellent infrastructure and public transport that connects the New Towns to their ‘mother cities’, Rotterdam, Amsterdam or Utrecht. Generally the towns are spacious with enough room for extension or intensification.

Over the last decades, many of these groeikernen have invested in their city centre, renewing and transforming it and adding theatres, libraries and shopping malls. There are urgent urban and societal issues, such as sustainability, changes in health care policy, aging residents and new ways of working.

Does the current pressure on the housing market mean that former groeikernen can profit and improve the town’s quality? Or will instead their living qualities and suburban character decrease because tranquility and green space are disturbed?




This session will be held in Dutch, but simultaneous translation will be available.

To build a city in Africa
- A History and a Manual

During this session we will present the book ’URBAN AFRICA - A handbook for new planned cities’ (eds. Rachel Keeton, Michelle Provoost) which offers the opportunity to discuss how to improve the New Town developments currently planned or under construction in Africa.

Urbanization is happening faster in Africa than on any other continent. The vast majority of this urbanisation is unregulated and unplanned. At the same time, New Towns are being privately developed for the ‘middle’ and upper-income groups as an alternative to what are seen as ‘crowded’, ‘congested’ and ‘unmanageable’ cities.

Future New Towns can be an opportunity to address environmental and social issues proactively rather than contributing to existing challenges. Until now, very little has been published on the most recent generation of urban extensions, new towns and cities in Africa, despite the massive social, financial, ecological, and political implications of these new developments.

The book presents the research by INTI and UN-Habitat with in-depth case studies, comparative analysis and large data sets in a clear and visually engaging manner - making information available to the public for the very first time.
Moreover, a manual, included in the book, offers guidelines for improving the planning and urban design of New Towns, open for discussion with a variety of stakeholders from government, commercial parties, scientists and grassroots organisations.



Lessons from the Labs

The format of an Urban Lab, described as a rapid urban planning workshop, is more and more often used as a tool by international organisations to respond to growing urbanisation in the Global South.

In these labs, international and local professionals from different urban disciplines are brought together to find innovative and convincing solutions for pressing urban planning issues. Within a limited amount of time, ideas and strategies are assembled that address rapid urbanization at the concerned location so as to lead new developments in the desirable direction.
Through the Urban Labs organised by INTI and the Urban Design & Planning Labs by UN Habitat, Dutch professionals have become closely involved with challenges concerning urbanization in Africa, Asia and South America.

With this session we aim to professionalize the method of the Urban Labs by answering the question of how these Labs can best respond to current urbanization challenges from a methodological perspective.
UN Habitat has already set the first step in creating a network of all performed Labs, ‘The Network of Urban Planning and Design Labs’, that intends to formulate a common Urban Labs method that can be used by urban planning stakeholders. After short presentations on the INTI New Town Labs and UN-Habitat Labs and Network, we will draw first lessons from the Labs as well as compare their approaches and point towards the need for a long term commitment and continuity of Urban Labs .
In addition, we want to discuss and highlight the possibility of Urban Labs as means to combine the aspects of development aid, the promotion of the Dutch Creative Design and match making; and investigate the bold question if the New Town Labs, that up until now has only been used in the Global South, could be an appropriate tool to be used by Dutch cities as well.

In addition, for the first time in the Netherlands, the film Urban Labs: The movie by Alexander Valeton will be screened. The film provides insight on how to use the tool of an Urban Lab by UN Habitat at different locations in the Global South.



New Town Heritage: Architecture and the residents

The discussion on New Town (or Post-65) planning and architectural heritage is alive and kicking!
But what does this mean in a more concrete manner? How do we deal with New Town heritage for instance in physical transformation processes? What role do the residents play?

In this session, we aim to discuss the intersection of heritage and New Town architecture and design from a concrete, less policy-oriented perspective. How do you deal with 70’s architecture that potentially could be or should be classified as cultural heritage, especially in physical transformation processes? What role do citizens play in this, as the majority of buildings in New Towns are privately owned? Support from the public is necessary in protecting 70’s architecture. But, how do you engage with this non-professional audience? Experts from various different backgrounds will cover these and more questions.

More information will follow soon.



Partners & Sponsors

We would like express our sincere thanks to all of our partners, sponsors and INTImi members for their help, generosity and support.

INTImi members have access to INTI’s international network of professionals and scholars all over the world and are invited to join international conferences, lectures, network meetings, and excursions.

In case you are interested in joining the International New Town Day 2018 and/or wish to become part of the INTImi network, please contact us via: info@newtowninstitute.org


Content partners:


INTImi:


Practical Information

Entrance:
Attending the International New Town Day 2018 is free of charge. Registration, however, is necessary. More information will follow soon.

Conference Venue:
The conference will take place at the office of the International New Town Institute in Rotterdam.

Address:
Delftsestraat 33, 3rd floor
3013 AE Rotterdam
the Netherlands

Getting there:

By Air
Rotterdam is easily served by a number of airports. The closest being the Rotterdam - The Hague airport which is just a few kilometers from the center of Rotterdam. In case there’s no flight from your place to Rotterdam you can fly to Amsterdam Schiphol airport which is a 30 minutes train ride away from Rotterdam.

By Train
Access to Rotterdam is very easy. There is a main rail station in Central Rotterdam. For more information on train times visit http://www.ns.nl

By Foot
The Institute is located very closely to Rotterdam Central Station. It is a 400 meter walk from the station.



International New Town Day 2018: New Town Boom Town

After two successful International New Town Days in Almere (2016) and Milton Keynes, UK (2017) we bring back this day of coming together and sharing experiences to the Netherlands. We invite you to the annual International New Town Day, themed New Town Boom Town, in Rotterdam on Thursday, November 15th.

Ten years after the global financial crisis of 2008, the construction sector is again operating at full speed worldwide. A growing economy goes hand in hand with urbanization and New Towns are again on the agenda everywhere. This no longer applies only to China and Asia, but increasingly also to Africa.

  • Are these cities good enough to stand the test of time or are they purely commercial projects that only aggravate the most urgent contemporary problems - inequality, segregation, climate change? What resources can be provided from urban planning and design to make New Towns future proof?

Meanwhile in the Netherlands, the former growth centers are starting to grow again, some four decades after their birth.

  • Is the pressure on the Randstad an opportunity for a long-awaited quality improvement of these cities? And what role can the young heritage of architecture and urbanism from the 70s and 80s play in this?

International New Town Day 2018: New Town Boom Town is a day in which an international group of designers, planners, activists, developers, policy makers, students and historians presents and exchanges knowledge and ideas, engages in dialogue about shared interests and new collaborations.

If you are interested in participating, or if you would like to receive more information, please contact INTI via internationalnewtownday@newtowninstitute.org



Programme INTD18

Provisional Schedule:

 09:00 - 09:30 Registrations

 09:30 - 10:00 Welcome and Introduction by Michelle Provoost, Director of INTI

 10:00 - 11:30 Session: Holland Boom Town
This session examines the role of groeikernen in current urbanization of De Randstad.

Presentation of research results by:

  • Marc Hanou, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
  • Marleen Hermans, Brink Management / Advies

Reactions and discussions with:

  • Daan Zandbelt, Chief Government Adviser on the Built and Rural Environment
  • Arnold Reijndorp, University of Amsterdam
  • Desiree Uitzetter, BPD Area Developers
  • Jeroen de Bok, Muncipality of Rotterdam
  • Floor Hartog, Municipality of Spijkenisse
  • Jeroen Scholten, Municipality of Zoetermeer
  • Jaap Meindersma, Municipality of Almere

 11:30 - 12:00 Presentation: New Town Heritage Agenda
During this half an hour the New Town Heritage Agenda will be presented to representatives from the Groeikernen in an official hand over ceremony.

Presentation by:

  • Sabine Coady Schäbitz, Coventry University (UK)

Reactions from:

  • Anita Blom, Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency
  • Politicans from the Groeikernen Zoetermeer, Spijkenisse, Almere

 12:00 - 13:30 lunch break + Urban Labs the Film
The lunch will include the screening of the documentary ’Urban Labs the film’ by Alexander Valeton, which showcases the work of five Urban Lab teams funded by Dutch creative industries that worked for a year on planning projects in Ghana, Myanmar, Gaza, Philippines, Mexico.

 13:30 - 14:30 Session: To build a City in Africa
During this session we will present the book ’To build a City in Africa - A history and manual’ (eds. Rachel Keeton, Michelle Provoost) which offers the opportunity to discuss how to improve the New Town developments currently planned or under construction in Africa.

Book presentation by:

  • Michelle Provoost, Director of INTI
  • Rachel Keeton, TU Delft

Reactions and discussions with:

  • Tim Beighton, Rendeavour Developers
  • Femke van Noorloos, Utrecht University
  • Rogier van den Berg / Laura Petrella, UN-Habitat
  • Gareth Edwards, SOM
  • Bert Smolders, Arcadis shelter program manager
  • Anteneh Tesfaye Tola, Doctoral Candidate at TU Delft

 14:45 - 16:15 Session: Lessons from the Labs
(parallel session)
In the past years INTI and the Urban Design & Planning Labs by UN-Habitat have organized Urban Labs across the globe. Through those many Dutch professionals have become closely involved with challenges concerning urbanization in Africa, Asia and South America. The main question at stake in this session is how we can further professionalize the method of Urban Labs to be able to best respond to current urbanisation challenges.

Short presentations on:

  • the New Town Labs by Linda Vlassenrood and Simone Rots, both from INTI
  • international urban design experiences by Helena Casanova , Casanova & Hernandez Architects

Reactions and discussions with:

  • Markus Appenzeller, MLA+
  • Remco Rolvink, DASUDA
  • Martin Sobota, Cityförster
  • Tim Beighton, Rendeavour
  • Jann de Waal, Toptream Creative Industrie
  • Zineb Seghrouchni, Creative Industries Fund NL
  • Caroline Warmerdam, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (tbc)

 14:45 - 16:15 Session: New Town Heritage: Architecture and the residents (parallel session)
This session deals with architectural heritage in New Towns and their residents perspective on it.

Presentation by:

  • Simon Peart, Conservation and Archaeology Manager Milton Keynes Council
  • Willem Hermans, Stichting Schatbewakers
  • Dafne Wiegers, AHH

Reactions and discussions with:

  • Sabine Coady Schäbitz, Coventry University
  • Anita Blom, Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency
  • Bas ten Brinke, Chairperson of the ’Welstandscommissie’ of Almere
  • Joosje van Geest, Architectural Historian

 16:30 - 17.00 Conclusion and discussions

 17:00 Drinks & Bites



Report

On the 15th of November 2018 the International New Town Institute in Rotterdam hosted the International New Town Day. After two successful International New Town Days in Almere, NL (2016) and Milton Keynes, UK (2017) we brought the International New Town Day to Rotterdam.

This year’s day of coming together and sharing experiences was themed New Town Boom Town. The conference offered a platform for sharing knowledge and ideas for the improvement of New Towns to a wide range of urban professionals from Europe and beyond. Subjects were ranging from urbanisation in Africa, architectural heritage from the 1970s, Urban Labs and the next phase of development of New Towns in the Netherlands.

Read the full report here.