In the early 19th century, Utrecht faced rapid urban growth, rising from 30,000 to 43,000 inhabitants within a decade. This growth caused a housing shortage and contributed to deteriorating living conditions. In response, the Commissie tot Uitbreiding en Verfraaiing der Stad Utrechtwas established in 1827 to guide the city's redevelopment. The commission sought not only to alleviate housing shortages but also to enhance urban aesthetics and promote economic growth. The commission appointed landscape architect J.D. Zocher Jr., who had previously worked on similar transformations in Dutch cities.
This thesis examines the extent to which Zocher’s original design and the commission’s ambitions were realized in the eventual redevelopment of Utrecht. By combining analysis of archival documents, including letters, commission reports, and Zocher’s own design description, with cartographic comparisons of city maps from 1838, 1850, and 1874, the study reveals significant deviations from the original plan. Although Zocher proposed a comprehensive design that integrated housing expansion, trade facilities, and a city park, implementation focused almost entirely on the redevelopment of the old city. The planned residential developments remained largely unrealized, and the transformation ultimately prioritized improving conditions within the existing city walls rather than expanding beyond them.
By reconstructing this casestudy of 19th-century urban planning, the research contributes to broader understandings of city development, landscape architecture, and municipal decision-making in the Netherlands during this transformative period.