Designing for Integration

Abstract

Rotterdam is chosen an example of a city in constant flux, based specifically due to 2 main events- the bombing of Rotterdam in 1940 and the shift of the harbors westwards- 1970's, focussing on the shift of harbor Westwards. • The development of the South of Rotterdam- Kop Van Zuid, after the shift of the harbors westwards, led to a large vacuum in what used to be the heart of the city. The infrastructure that once was created to primarily relate to shipping, now had to cater to a different use, the HEF bridge being a prime example of this.This also led to fragmentation in the South of Rotterdam, as the infrastructure that catered to the shipping industry no longer served that function, and in certain cases was abandoned- like the HEF. • In such a fast paced city, can infrastructure adapt rapidly enough? Can it also be more than a physical connection and also work a public place typology to connect people? • I wanted to use infrastructure as a grid, as something to orient towards, within a city in flux, by integrating it into the public realm. This would mean different interpretations of what the HEF could be, as well as for future infrastructure, and with a new bridge connection already being planned by the city, I zoomed into the strip/core between east and west Feijenoord as my site. • With new developments like Feijenoord city, slated to come up actively over the next decade, this will require 2 things: 1. Infrastructure to support new traffic and movement intake. 2. To integrate this infrastructure in the diverse urban fabric and everyday life of Feijenoord- preserving its identity, while still responding to the grand architecutral gestures, that initiate innotivation and economic growth of Rotterdam. The project is an approach to address the current issues of Feijenoord by developing a strategy to design a more connected and inclusive typology of public place. This is considered as a plug-in to the existing infrastructural networks of Rotterdam- using other qualities of the region. The main objective is to integrate new infrastructure and developments into the daily life of Feijenoord with design elements and program that act as activators for an interactive, inclusive public place. To offer a collective identity to Feijenoord, and a different way of moving and viewing the neighborhood.