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Gemeente Molenpoort –A Self-Regulated and Emancipated Take on Urban Development

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Gemeente Molenpoort –A Self-Regulated and Emancipated Take on Urban Development Gemeente Molenpoort –a self-regulated and emancipated take on urban development A report on the research already conducted on the site of the Molenpoort shopping mall and the city of Nijmegen. How this research informs the position and aspirations of the project and which research still needs to be conducted it informs the next research of my architectur- al graduation project. 17.12.2020 AR3A010 Research Plan – Robert Bichlmaier 5093139 – Studio Bricolage Gemeente Molenpoort – a self-regulated and emancipated take on urban development Gemeente Molenpoort –a self-regulated and emancipated take on urban development The worldwide Covid-19 pandemic is still influencing the way we are or – more specifically – are not interacting with each other in the physical world. The drastic lockdown also shone the light on social injustice in the unequal distribution of goods. While property owners are able to maintain, even increase their net-worth. In Germany, the Schwartz family, owner of the supermarket chain Lidl for example increased their net-worth by 300-million Euros and Amazon tripled its income during the crisis.1 As new measurements in order to condemn the further spread of COVID 19 Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte announced a strict lockdown of the whole country on 14th of December, closing all non-essential businesses.2 This forceful shutdown is not only a reason to question consumerist culture as a whole, but is especially a reason to question what consumerist culture made of our cities. In her book, Naked City Sharon Zukin showed how the integration of consumerist function during the process of gentrification replaced once authentic urban communities with chain stores aimed at the middle class3. At the edge of Nijmegen´s city center lies the Molenpoort, a failed temple of consumption at the brink of deconstruction. The redevelopment of the site is opening up approximately 11.000m2 ready to be filled with dreams and aspirations, yet the current plans are neither dreaming nor aspiring. Looking at the proclaimed functions and renderings created for negotiations between the municipality and the American investor suggests another gentrified and consumerist oriented planning project. The question arises, does Nijmegen need a new shopping street at the same place the Molenpoort failed due to vacancy?4 Figure 1 Current plans for the reconstruction of Molenpoort by the municipality – image from (Studio Bricolage Group 5 2020) 1 (Augustin 2020) 2 (Government of the Netherlands 2020) 3 Zukin referred to American urban planner Robert Moses, “who tried to rebuild the city for middle-class taste and incomes” (Zukin 2010) p. 230 4 (Studio Bricolage Group 5 2020) p. 114f. AR3A010 Research Plan – Robert Bichlmaier 5093139 – Studio Bricolage – 17.12.2020 Gemeente Molenpoort – a self-regulated and emancipated take on urban development What is Gemeente Molenpoort? Gemeente Molenpoort is an ambitious counter project, questioning the likely case of gentrification by imagining a different take on society, acknowledging the landscape of Nijmegen´s social and political activism and striving for emancipation. The name Gemeente Molenpoort not only refers to the failed shopping mall, but it is also referring to the old city gate at Molenstraat, bearing the same name. Until the year 1450, the site was located outside the perimeter of the city walls, as the city grew the new walls ended just outside of what is known today as Tweede Walstraat, resulting in the creation of said Molenpoort. As the site was once placed outside the city of Nijmegen Gemeente Molenpoort strives to position itself outside of the proclaimed neo-liberal city development.5 Zukin introduces the notion of Authenticity as the quality of places. This new idea is expanding on Jane Jacob´s vocabulary that considered density, diversity, character, and liveliness. Together with the look and feel of a place Zukin is appointing “the social connectedness that a place inspires” as one of the most relevant aspects of an authentic place.6 Gemeente Molenpoort is striving for authenticity by creating live/work environments for a socially connected community. This idea of social connectedness brings us to the citizens of Gemeente Molenpoort and the Question, why is Nijmegen the perfect place for an ambitious project like this? Figure 2 The Molenpoort becomes MolenOrt, relating to the German word for place. Ort is touching on the notion of identity – own image 5 Apart from social housing in the 70´s most of Nijmegens recent reconstruction projects in the city centre feature free market apartments and retail area that is mostly used by big brand names. (Studio Bricolage Group 4 2020) 6 (Zukin 2010) p. 220 AR3A010 Research Plan – Robert Bichlmaier 5093139 – Studio Bricolage – 17.12.2020 Gemeente Molenpoort – a self-regulated and emancipated take on urban development Who are the citizens of Gemeente Molenpoort? Nijmegen has a vibrant history with the squatting movement. The cities political orientation, tending towards the left not only earned it the nickname “Havanna an der Waal”7, named after the socialist capital of Cuba, it also created a fertile ground for the squatting movement of the '70s and '80s. Squatting became an easy threshold for a mostly young politically left-oriented audience to take action and become politically active. The pinnacle of Nijmegens squatting history was reached in February 1981, when a massive deployment of armed police forces and even military tanks was mobilized to clear the squatted houses at the Piersonstraat.8 Yet, the squatting movements also brought about many successful examples that later got legalized and are still operating as alternative communities as of today.9 The cheap/free living and working space that squatted buildings provided became the starting point of cultural counter initiatives. To demonstrate how a cultural and societal counter- narrative in a neo-liberal country like the Netherlands can look like I will shortly present the history of two former squats. De Grote Broek Figure 3 The facade of De Grote Broek after the renovation – image from (Stichting Volksbelang van 1895 2009) 7 Mattie p. 83, Wido p. 145 (Studio Bricolage Group3 2020) 8 (van den Boogaard 2017) 9 A collection of legalized squatted buildings with further information on their functions in the social and cultural field can be found in an archived article by the Nijmeegse Stadskrant http://archief.denijmeegsestadskrant.com/index.php?id=05&url=mrt09#eind (Benschop und van Wel 2009) AR3A010 Research Plan – Robert Bichlmaier 5093139 – Studio Bricolage – 17.12.2020 Gemeente Molenpoort – a self-regulated and emancipated take on urban development De Grote Broek is probably the most famous squatted building in Nijmegen10. It is located at Van Broeckhuysenstraat 46 and reaches towards the other side of the urban block to Tweede Walstraat 18tm 21. Originally conceived as the headquarter of the Provinciale Geldersche en Nijmegsche Courant in 1901, it was changed to a furniture store later on and shortly after becoming vacant in 1984 squatters moved in. Early on the squatters realized a public bar on ground floor level and used the basement as a concert hall, called “Onderbroek”, hosting alternative music concerts and theatre plays.11 After the owner´s death in 2004, the municipality acquired the house, legalized the squat, and sold it to the social housing agency Standvast Women, which renovated it together with grants from Stichting Volksbelang 1895. Today 15 inhabitants reside in the upper levels, they are tenants of the social housing agency but decide together with the agency in a democratic manner how the building is handled.12 On the ground floor level, many social and political initiatives find affordable office-space like the political Café – De Klinker, Extrapool – a production company for independent artists, music, art and print, Just People – Supporting refugees, Straatmensen – Supporting the homeless to name a few.13 The initiatives and the building is maintained by the inhabitants and voluntary helpers, fully embracing the self-administrated and emancipated ideology of the squatting movement. De Paraplu fabriek Figure 4 De Paraplu fabriek – image from (De Paraplu Fabriek 2020) 10 One of the citizens at de grote Broeck for example was political activist and journalist Louis Sévèke. His book De tragiek van een geheime dienst examined the power of the dutch secret service. (van de Griend und Lensink 2005) Together with the laywers of Buro Jansen & Janssen he sued the Dutch government for unlawful activities of the secret service. Sévèke lived at de grote Broeck until he was shot in Nijmegen´s city centre in November 2005. (Spaak 2007) 11 (Stichting Volksbelang van 1895 2009) 12 (Stichting Volksbelang van 1895 2009) 13 (De Grote Broek 2020) AR3A010 Research Plan – Robert Bichlmaier 5093139 – Studio Bricolage – 17.12.2020 Gemeente Molenpoort – a self-regulated and emancipated take on urban development As a former umbrella factory, de plu offers living space as well as working space to numerous small businesses and artists. The empty property was squatted in 1982 and got legalized soon after in 1984, due to a lease contract with the owner. Early on the squatters took things into their own hands, taking care of the long before neglected building, essentially saving the building. Eleven years after legalization the squatters were able to buy the property and thus became home-owners. Today Arts and Craft studios together with small, ecological businesses like Browsy – a browser extension that helps to plant trees – can be found in the spaces of the former umbrella factory.14 Concluding the characteristics The potential citizens of Gemeente Molenpoort follow the attitude of the squatters, they strive for an emancipated, self-administrated, and open community. They show creative will and do not shy away from taking things into their own hands. The numerous examples of communities in Nijmegen that follow these ideals prove that there is a base of people, that is willing to create those new kinds of urban spaces.
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