Changing Suburban Neighbourhoods in Rotterdam
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Changing Suburban Neighbourhoods in Rotterdam Densification and sustainable urban mobility in Prins Alexander in Rotterdam M. Bakker 6087221 Master Spatial Planning Faculty of Geosciences - Utrecht University October 2018 Changing Suburban Neighbourhoods in Rotterdam Densification and sustainable urban mobility in Prins Alexander in Rotterdam Author: Marieke Bakker [email protected] [email protected] Student number: 6087221 Version: Final version Date: 08-10-2018 Utrecht University The Municipality of Rotterdam Faculty of Geosciences Cluster Urban Development; Urban Planning MSc Spatial Planning & Landscape Supervisor University: Supervisor Municipality: Prof. Dr. Jochen Monstadt Frank van den Beuken 1 Preface ‘’The Environment of the Human is the Fellow Man’’ – Jules Deelder (Rotterdam poet, 2011) ereby I present my thesis, written for my Master Spatial Planning at the University of Utrecht. The H reason for the chosen research topic is that I am an active supporter of sustainable development of cities. The courses ‘Planning for Sustainable Cities’ and ‘Smart Urban Governance’ in the Master’s programme confirmed my interest in this area of expertise. I am aware of the fact that, nowadays, it is crucial to contribute to a sustainable development of the world at all levels. This means that every part of a city needs to be taken into account. A sustainable development of cities is important for the physical environment and for the environment of the human, which is the fellow man as stated in the quote above. Within this, governance is playing a significant role. The choice for the city of Rotterdam as my research area is simple. ‘I have heart for the city’. Besides living in the city, I wanted to contribute to a sustainable development of the city by the means of a research which is relevant for the municipality of Rotterdam. Therefore, I did my internship at the municipality of Rotterdam. The combination of the chosen topic and the chosen research area have subsequently led to my research for the master thesis. Hopefully, this master thesis can make a contribution to the Environmental Vision of Rotterdam which the municipality is currently establishing. I have been working on this thesis since the beginning of February 2018. This thesis would not have been possible without the help and advice of various people. A special thanks goes out to my supervisor of the university, Jochen Monstadt, and my supervisor of the municipality of Rotterdam, Frank van den Beuken, for their time and effort. Both their expertise on urban planning and their feedback really helped to improve the quality of the thesis. My supervisor of the university really helped me accomplishing this master thesis, because of his experience with doing and writing research. I would also like to thank all the respondents which I have interviewed for their input and time. Without their input, this research would not have been established. Furthermore, the six fellow students of my student circle were also a great help during the writing of my master thesis. They made it possible to share struggles and ideas. Lastly, I would like to thank my surroundings for the support they gave me during the time I was writing this thesis. Now I have finished this master thesis, my life as a student has come to an end. During the last four years I have learned a lot, scientifically and personally. My internship at the municipality of Rotterdam was my first experience with the work of planners, which was very interesting. I am looking forward to meet new challenges and to apply what I have learned into practice. Enjoy reading! Marieke Bakker Rotterdam, October 2018 1 Abstract orldwide, large cities are dealing with new trends and transitions. A growing population is a W prevalent example. An increasing number of people living in cities leads to unsustainable urban forms. Therefore, sustainable development of cities has become an unavoidable agenda item of cities. The city of Rotterdam is also dealing with a growing population, which causes a housing shortage. Besides, the city is dealing with other trends and transitions, such as climate change and a major mobility transition. The municipality is aiming for sustainable forms of mobility and a decrease of car use. It is expected that the mobility transition has the most impact in the inner city. A compact urban form is seen as promising for a sustainable development of cities. The municipality of Rotterdam is already pursuing a compact city development in terms of densification. However, the focus of densification has traditionally been on the inner city. The suburban neighbourhoods are left out of the strategy which corresponds to the academic literature. Densification in suburban neighbourhoods could be an opportunity to counter urban sprawl and car dependency. In terms of sustainable mobility in suburban neighbourhoods, much has still to be achieved. Densification and sustainable mobility are two key components of smart urban growth and are required for a sustainable development of cities, including the suburban neighbourhoods. This research focuses on smart growth in the suburban neighbourhoods of Rotterdam, with a specific focus on the suburban neighbourhoods of the district Prins Alexander. The aim of the research is to examine how the municipality of Rotterdam can initiate the sustainable redevelopment of suburban neighbourhoods by mobilising synergies between densification and sustainable urban mobility (i.e. smart growth). This has led to the following research question: ‘How could the municipality of Rotterdam mobilise synergies between suburban densification and sustainable mobility and thus contribute to smart suburban growth?’ The theoretical approach of this research is mainly based on two theoretical concepts: (1) densification and (2) sustainable (urban) mobility. From the literature study, transit-oriented development (TOD) also appeared to be a relevant concept for this research. TOD is a combination of densification and sustainable mobility since it integrates transit with land-use. In addition to an elaborated literature study, an empirical research has been done. In order to answer the research question, qualitative research methods have been used, including the analysis of policy documents of the municipality of Rotterdam, semi-structured interviews with experts, and a small focus group. The empirical research made clear that densification and sustainable mobility in suburban neighbourhoods are seen as required for a sustainable development of the city, especially because of the housing need and mobility transition. Both densification and sustainable mobility are seen as sustainable for the environment and for others. It preserves the open landscape, limits car dependency and is beneficial for the quality of life. Densification can lead to more support of facilities and mixed-use development which is favourable for the attractiveness and liveability of neighbourhoods. Proximity of facilities leads also to the limitation of car use and can stimulate walking and cycling. Yet, it appears that the densification process does not go fast enough in Rotterdam. Therefore, all the possible densification locations in the suburban neighbourhoods need to be explored by the municipality. However, every suburban neighbourhood has different opportunities and challenges in terms of densification, due to the existing ‘DNA’ of these neighbourhoods. Densification around public transportation nodes is seen as most promising in suburban neighbourhoods. This is especially true for Prins Alexander. Other opportunities for densification in suburban neighbourhoods are around sub centres, in mono-functional areas, around existing infrastructure, and the transformation of old buildings to housing. However, it is important that the spatial qualities of the suburban neighbourhoods, such as green and open spaces, are preserved. Suburban neighbourhoods are mainly characterised by its 2 greenness and open space. Most residents of suburban neighbourhoods have chosen for these green living environments. Therefore, these residents often resist to densification measures. Besides, densification is not an end in itself. It should contribute to the achievement of other goals of the municipality. This also applies to sustainable mobility, because sustainable mobility should contribute to other tasks. Forms of sustainable mobility are walking, cycling, public transportation and clean vehicles. Sustainable mobility is beneficial for the environment, but can also be beneficial for public health. However, the implementation is challenging, because of a high car ownership and car use among most residents of suburban neighbourhoods. This car dependency of these residents in suburban neighbourhoods has to change. Therefore, it is important that sustainable forms of mobility, such as public transportation, walking and cycling, are attractive alternatives to car use. The attractiveness of these alternatives is related to the quality and connectivity of these alternatives. Besides, the low-density structure of the suburban neighbourhoods is a challenge. Fewer residents per square meter leads to less support for public transportation facilities. Yet, new mobility systems and multi-modal mobility can be promising in suburban neighbourhoods, especially the combination bicycle and metro. This research concludes that linking densification to public transportation nodes is seen as most promising in achieving a sustainable redevelopment of suburban