Rotterdam as national park
Symbiosis between people and nature in the urban environment
Rotterdam as national park
Like many urban areas in the Randstad conurbation, Rotterdam faces serious challenges in the coming decades. Commissioned by and in collaboration with Heijmans, Witteveen+Bos has developed a vision to keep the port city healthy and liveable in the long term.
Rotterdam as a National Park is an example of our integrated approach to urban development, which focuses on water management, nature conservation and sustainable urban functions. This concept for Rotterdam in 2100 combines innovative measures for water security with the creation of green, natural and pleasant living environments in and around the city. Living, working, travelling, building and living in the city; with symbiosis between people and nature.
Central to our vision
- nature as a collaboration partner
- local food and raw material production
- mobility: from cars to cycling, walking and public transport
- water quality and safety
- conservation and creation of nature reserves
- conservation and creation of green and blue arteries
- ecological hotspots
1. Flood defence
Rising sea levels are weirring the salt water into the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas. This hinders the river discharge of the Nieuwe Maas and causes salinisation in the hinterland. The additional flood defence is a drastic but realistic measure to guarantee water security and “fresh” nature in the long term.
2. Spangense Hub
Making more room for greenery in the city means that cars will disappear from the streets. The city will be accessed via large mobility hubs on the outskirts of the city. Here, people will switch from cars to walking, cycling or public transport (train, water taxi or monorail).
3. Meadow bird polder
Midden-Delfland will be protected, further rewet and designated as a nature reserve for meadow birds. This quiet area between Rotterdam and Delft also serves as a production landscape for wet building materials such as cattail.
4. Floating homes
The Rotterdam-The Hague airport, a low-lying location in the polder, will be transformed into a place for floating homes. This lake is connected to the urban water network, allowing it to store and retain water during periods of heavy rainfall.
5. Kralingse reserve
The north side of Rotterdam is bordered by a robust forest structure that connects the existing parks. This reserve is home to the source populations of the tawny owl, the fox, the European squirrel and many other animal species. From this reserve, the animals spread through the city via green arteries.
6. Wet cultivation
The current greenhouse area on the north side of the city is making way for sustainable wet
cultivation of rice, arrowhead and cattail. The area not only contributes to production, but also to the retention of fresh water in the region.
7. Alexander Canyon
The Alexandrium shopping area is being transformed into a canyon landscape. The new buildings form a mountain landscape with different natural habitats. Crops are grown on the rooftop landscape for pedestrians, which are then processed on the ground floor into local food and textile products. This is where the local economy and the interaction between people and nature come together on a small scale; an ecological hotspot.
8. Beaver Castle
The Kop van Zuid and Feijenoord are located outside the dykes and form part of the dynamic river landscape of the Nieuwe Maas. The buildings stand on stilts with creeks running underneath and new sedimentation banks forming. This landscape is home to beavers, hence the name.
9. Biesbosch reserve
The banks of the Nieuwe Maas are being partially returned to nature. The nature of the Biesbosch is being extended to the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas. This creates a continuous marsh landscape with marsh forest along the river.
10. Helophyte filter
The natural banks of the Nieuwe Maas ensure good water quality, which means we can also extract drinking water from the river locally. This drinking water is purified via a natural helophyte filter in the middle of the city and stored locally, for example in De Kuip.
11. Biobased building materials
In the south of the city, wet crops are grown, including flax, cattail and hemp. These are used as raw material/insulation materials for housing construction.
12. Hordijkerhub
Like the Spangense Hub and Alexander Canyon, this hub is a transfer point for the regional and local transport network. This hub is also dedicated to water collection, purification and redistribution.
13. Southern sponge reserve
The southern edge of the city is formed by a freshwater salt marsh landscape. This marshy landscape acts as a large sponge for the city. During periods of heavy rainfall, water is allowed to flow in, and during periods of heat and drought, water flows back into the city from this reserve via the green-blue veins. This cools the city.
14. Fenix
The Fenix warehouse is an example of an existing building that is being “greened” with vegetation along the facades and on the roofs. This makes the building a habitat not only for people but also for animals.
15. City gardens
Urban agriculture takes place in the city gardens. This is where every Rotterdam resident can contribute to local food production.
16. Sediment power station
We will stop dredging and use local sludge and sediment supplies as raw materials to generate energy and as building materials for the city.
In the museum
Our vision of Rotterdam as a National Park can also be seen in the Natural History Museum Rotterdam via a detailed bird's-eye view storyboard. It is part of the themed exhibition of the same name, National Park Rotterdam. We hope that our vision will inspire and stimulate discussion about the ambition and acceleration of urban biodiversity.
More information?
