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V.A.J. Maljers
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Opening Doors
Restoring Place Attachment in the Old City Centre of Amsterdam
This thesis describes the graduation project of Veerle Maljers. For this project, an interactive audio tour was designed to allow Amsterdammers to experience the hidden narratives of the old city centre.
Amsterdammers are experiencing a disconnection with the city centre and through the domain of Sense of Place, this disruption in place attachment is analysed. Crowdedness and over-tourism in the old city centre have placed so much pressure on Amsterdam that many inhabitants now consider the area unlivable, leading them to avoid it. The centre has increasingly become dominated by standardized “non-places,” like waffle and Nutella shops, resulting in a monofunctionality. However, this tourist monoculture is merely a perception rather than the actual reality of the neighbourhood. The Warmoes Biennale (the client of this thesis) was initiated to prove that the old city centre still has a real, living local soul underneath the tourist crowds. Through examining and interviewing Warmoes Biennale visitors, it was shown that the Biennale successfully creates a reason for Amsterdammers to visit the city centre and shows the social cohesion of the neighbourhood, elements that were important to incorporate into the final design.
Different generative research methods were utilized to examine the personal history Amsterdammers have with the city. This research shows that while locals feel a disconnection when forced to be part of big crowds, they can feel connected again when they take a step back and become an observer instead of a participant. Because the centre has lost its function as a daily “living room,” the project focuses on supporting local “anchor points”, unique places characterized by consistency and continuity. By helping Amsterdammers feel a sense of responsibility over these places, the design aims to help Amsterdammers discover their place in the old city centre and shift from feeling like a “guest” to feeling like they are a part of the area.
Through an iterative design process involving brainstorming, sketching, and low-fidelity prototyping, the final concept was shaped and refined. The resulting final concept, “Warmoes Stories,” uncovers the hidden narratives behind the closed doors of Amsterdam’s old city centre through an interactive audio tour. By carefully choosing unique places that are actually owned by locals, the design uses authentic narrations from the owners themselves to give users a clear purpose to enter and experience first hand why these spots need their support. Evaluation sessions with high-fidelity prototypes proved that the design successfully lowers the threshold to enter intimidating or unknown spaces by providing prior knowledge. Most importantly, “Warmoes Stories” acts as a successful mental buffer against the chaos that is almost always present in the old city centre, allowing Amsterdammers to maintain a clear purpose while wandering around, exploring the spots. ...
Amsterdammers are experiencing a disconnection with the city centre and through the domain of Sense of Place, this disruption in place attachment is analysed. Crowdedness and over-tourism in the old city centre have placed so much pressure on Amsterdam that many inhabitants now consider the area unlivable, leading them to avoid it. The centre has increasingly become dominated by standardized “non-places,” like waffle and Nutella shops, resulting in a monofunctionality. However, this tourist monoculture is merely a perception rather than the actual reality of the neighbourhood. The Warmoes Biennale (the client of this thesis) was initiated to prove that the old city centre still has a real, living local soul underneath the tourist crowds. Through examining and interviewing Warmoes Biennale visitors, it was shown that the Biennale successfully creates a reason for Amsterdammers to visit the city centre and shows the social cohesion of the neighbourhood, elements that were important to incorporate into the final design.
Different generative research methods were utilized to examine the personal history Amsterdammers have with the city. This research shows that while locals feel a disconnection when forced to be part of big crowds, they can feel connected again when they take a step back and become an observer instead of a participant. Because the centre has lost its function as a daily “living room,” the project focuses on supporting local “anchor points”, unique places characterized by consistency and continuity. By helping Amsterdammers feel a sense of responsibility over these places, the design aims to help Amsterdammers discover their place in the old city centre and shift from feeling like a “guest” to feeling like they are a part of the area.
Through an iterative design process involving brainstorming, sketching, and low-fidelity prototyping, the final concept was shaped and refined. The resulting final concept, “Warmoes Stories,” uncovers the hidden narratives behind the closed doors of Amsterdam’s old city centre through an interactive audio tour. By carefully choosing unique places that are actually owned by locals, the design uses authentic narrations from the owners themselves to give users a clear purpose to enter and experience first hand why these spots need their support. Evaluation sessions with high-fidelity prototypes proved that the design successfully lowers the threshold to enter intimidating or unknown spaces by providing prior knowledge. Most importantly, “Warmoes Stories” acts as a successful mental buffer against the chaos that is almost always present in the old city centre, allowing Amsterdammers to maintain a clear purpose while wandering around, exploring the spots. ...
This thesis describes the graduation project of Veerle Maljers. For this project, an interactive audio tour was designed to allow Amsterdammers to experience the hidden narratives of the old city centre.
Amsterdammers are experiencing a disconnection with the city centre and through the domain of Sense of Place, this disruption in place attachment is analysed. Crowdedness and over-tourism in the old city centre have placed so much pressure on Amsterdam that many inhabitants now consider the area unlivable, leading them to avoid it. The centre has increasingly become dominated by standardized “non-places,” like waffle and Nutella shops, resulting in a monofunctionality. However, this tourist monoculture is merely a perception rather than the actual reality of the neighbourhood. The Warmoes Biennale (the client of this thesis) was initiated to prove that the old city centre still has a real, living local soul underneath the tourist crowds. Through examining and interviewing Warmoes Biennale visitors, it was shown that the Biennale successfully creates a reason for Amsterdammers to visit the city centre and shows the social cohesion of the neighbourhood, elements that were important to incorporate into the final design.
Different generative research methods were utilized to examine the personal history Amsterdammers have with the city. This research shows that while locals feel a disconnection when forced to be part of big crowds, they can feel connected again when they take a step back and become an observer instead of a participant. Because the centre has lost its function as a daily “living room,” the project focuses on supporting local “anchor points”, unique places characterized by consistency and continuity. By helping Amsterdammers feel a sense of responsibility over these places, the design aims to help Amsterdammers discover their place in the old city centre and shift from feeling like a “guest” to feeling like they are a part of the area.
Through an iterative design process involving brainstorming, sketching, and low-fidelity prototyping, the final concept was shaped and refined. The resulting final concept, “Warmoes Stories,” uncovers the hidden narratives behind the closed doors of Amsterdam’s old city centre through an interactive audio tour. By carefully choosing unique places that are actually owned by locals, the design uses authentic narrations from the owners themselves to give users a clear purpose to enter and experience first hand why these spots need their support. Evaluation sessions with high-fidelity prototypes proved that the design successfully lowers the threshold to enter intimidating or unknown spaces by providing prior knowledge. Most importantly, “Warmoes Stories” acts as a successful mental buffer against the chaos that is almost always present in the old city centre, allowing Amsterdammers to maintain a clear purpose while wandering around, exploring the spots.
Amsterdammers are experiencing a disconnection with the city centre and through the domain of Sense of Place, this disruption in place attachment is analysed. Crowdedness and over-tourism in the old city centre have placed so much pressure on Amsterdam that many inhabitants now consider the area unlivable, leading them to avoid it. The centre has increasingly become dominated by standardized “non-places,” like waffle and Nutella shops, resulting in a monofunctionality. However, this tourist monoculture is merely a perception rather than the actual reality of the neighbourhood. The Warmoes Biennale (the client of this thesis) was initiated to prove that the old city centre still has a real, living local soul underneath the tourist crowds. Through examining and interviewing Warmoes Biennale visitors, it was shown that the Biennale successfully creates a reason for Amsterdammers to visit the city centre and shows the social cohesion of the neighbourhood, elements that were important to incorporate into the final design.
Different generative research methods were utilized to examine the personal history Amsterdammers have with the city. This research shows that while locals feel a disconnection when forced to be part of big crowds, they can feel connected again when they take a step back and become an observer instead of a participant. Because the centre has lost its function as a daily “living room,” the project focuses on supporting local “anchor points”, unique places characterized by consistency and continuity. By helping Amsterdammers feel a sense of responsibility over these places, the design aims to help Amsterdammers discover their place in the old city centre and shift from feeling like a “guest” to feeling like they are a part of the area.
Through an iterative design process involving brainstorming, sketching, and low-fidelity prototyping, the final concept was shaped and refined. The resulting final concept, “Warmoes Stories,” uncovers the hidden narratives behind the closed doors of Amsterdam’s old city centre through an interactive audio tour. By carefully choosing unique places that are actually owned by locals, the design uses authentic narrations from the owners themselves to give users a clear purpose to enter and experience first hand why these spots need their support. Evaluation sessions with high-fidelity prototypes proved that the design successfully lowers the threshold to enter intimidating or unknown spaces by providing prior knowledge. Most importantly, “Warmoes Stories” acts as a successful mental buffer against the chaos that is almost always present in the old city centre, allowing Amsterdammers to maintain a clear purpose while wandering around, exploring the spots.