Design by Demolition
Rotterdam’s Urban Metamorphosis In First Ring Renewal Neighborhoods
P.T. Recourt (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
I. Nevzgodin – Mentor (TU Delft - Heritage & Architecture)
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Abstract
This thesis examines the transformative urban renewal initiatives that reshaped Rotterdam’s built environment from the 1960s through the late 1980s. While Rotterdam’s architectural character is commonly attributed to post-war reconstruction, this research demonstrates how subsequent decades of deliberate demolition and rebuilding in the first ring neighborhoods fundamentally altered the city’s urban fabric in its pre-war neighborhoods. Rotterdam’s urban renewal wasn’t merely replacing deteriorated structures, but represented a comprehensive re-imagining of the city’s residential fabric; prioritizing improved living conditions and cost combined with modern design principles, fundamentally altering the visual and functional character of historic neighborhoods. This transformation highlights Rotterdam’s unique position among Dutch cities, where urban renewal up until the 1980s became a publicly corrected and cost-conscious continuation of its post-war modernization efforts.