The city of Amsterdam is broadly considered to be of great cultural and historic value. For centuries, it has played a vital role in the development of The Netherlands and Western Europe as the centre of the Modern World. Traditionally, the balance between government, freedom and trade is considered to be of paramount importance for the prosperity of this open society. The fact that the historic structure has escaped many potentially negative consequences of the city’s transition into a poly-centric regional metropolis is a testament to the cultural awareness of its citizens. However, for all the transformations the city has seen throughout the years, the city centre has not remained entirely unaffected, bringing about a process of urban regeneration in which cultural and social interests are often outweighed by economic interests.
This graduation project is aimed at regaining the balance between economic, cultural-historic and social interests when making planning and design decisions. An impression is given of what a suitable approach to the issues at hand could potentially look like: by attuning buildings to the ‘human scale’ on which the urban fabric evolved, by densifying the pedestrian network and by increasing the amount of public space suitable for stationary activities in the city-centre, a physical framework is given for a durable balance between economic, cultural and social functions with the same properties that made Amsterdam’s heritage assets so much sought after: identity, diversity, flexibility, ownership and accessibility.