SteenhuisMeurs produces a great number of landscape biographies and narratives. Stories about the landscape and the people, about the use of the soil and the emergence of mentality. These are stories that provide interpretation, comfort and frequently also a mirror; in previous generations, too, there were major challenges, a search for solutions. The biographies and narratives are always based on archive research and a multitude of sources, ranging from the National Archives to the Meertens Institute, from the Central Bureau of Statistics to thematic discussion salons in the area concerned. The focus is always on critical interpretation, assignment analysis and recommendations for further development. Because every area has a different degree of urbanisation pressure, different landscape types and consequently a different loading capacity for new developments.

CASE 1

EEMSKANAALZONE AND MEERDORPEN, GRONINGEN

Cultural heritage analysis

commissioned by: Projectbureau Meerstad and the Vereniging MEERdorpen (2020)

The area under investigation was the landscape on the southeast side of the city of Groningen. Here Meerstad is being developed: a new residential and working area with some 1500 homes. The study focuses on the rural area with the medieval villages of Middelbert and Engelbert, Euvelgunne and Roodehaan. The cultural landscape where the extension of Meerstad will take place has become stratified through the ages and displays a rich palette of spheres, ranging from the post-war business parks of Driebond and Euvelgunne, via the medieval parcellation of the farmlands around the villages of Engelbert, Middelbert and Roodehaan to the historic water infrastructure of the Eemskanaal and the Winschoterdiep. How can a city quarter be created here in which the cultural heritage and landscape qualities are meaningfully integrated in the urban design? That was the question put to SteenhuisMeurs. In this cultural heritage analysis we provided an insight into the long lines of history and the cultural landscape. We described the cultural heritage and spatial qualities, and pinpointed the major identifying features and the individual character of the area. In this way, we provided building blocks for a development that rather than erasing the cultural heritage value will add a new sense of meaning.

Eemskanaalzone and Meerdoren, Groningen

Source: Groninger Archieven

CASE 2

LANDSCAPE BIOGRAPHY GREEN HEART, 2021

Cultural heritage narrative – heritage value map of the landscape – golden rules for further development

commissioned by: Bestuurlijk Platform Groene Hart

Since 2021, the Green Heart between Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht has been a focal area in the National Strategy on Spatial Planning and the Environment (NOVI). Many challenges which require consideration on the scale of the Green Heart come together in a dynamic process: land subsidence, urbanisation, nitrogen emissions, soil salinity, solar and wind energy and – more widely – the quality of the Dutch living environment. These are issues that cannot be solved sectorially. They require a combined and balanced approach. In order to make decisions on both a political and an administrative level, there is a need for more knowledge, contextualisation and overall direction. The landscape biography of the Green Heart supports this process. It consists of three parts. A connecting story from a cultural heritage perspective, from the long lines of the past to the present and the future, helps as a first step in bringing the shared interests in the Green Heart together. Without a story, ‘landscape’ remains abstract and lacks connection to the greater whole. Without a family line, mutual interests cannot be comprehended. In part 2, the cultural heritage values of the Green Heart landscape are identified in a heritage assessment map. In part 3, golden rules for the further development of the spatial qualities of the Green Heart are formulated. The landscape biography functions as a starting point for the rising challenges. In five online films, the landscape biographies of the Green Heart and its three subsections are told and the heritage assessment map is explained.

https://www.bestuurlijkplatformgroenehart.nl/groene-hart-biografie

Landscape biography Green Heart, 2021

CASE 3

CENTRAL INNOVATION DISTRICT, THE HAGUE

Cultural heritage assessment and recommendations

commissioned by: the Central Government Real Estate Agency and the municipality of The Hague

Visitors to the Central Station area of The Hague all ask themselves the same question: how on earth did this urban void in the middle of a cluster of office colossuses come about? The aim of this cultural heritage analysis is to add meaning to this layered part of the city. The area started its life as a polder and peat extraction site for the Counts of Holland. After the arrival of the Staatsspoor Station in 1870 and the mistake bombing by the RAF, an incredible number of urban plans were projected on this area. In 1975, the entire area was restructured to make room for large building complexes such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Conservatoire. Less than fifty years later, these buildings are again under pressure. How can the existing city be a significant factor in the hyper-urbanisation? This cultural heritage assessment identifies the historical and spatial qualities and opportunities for a selection of designated development locations. Additionally, we have drafted a map of design themes for the future, with guiding principles for reinforcing the distinctive identity of the area. More greenery and water, pleasant urban outdoor spaces, general softness and reuse of existing buildings as a ground layer for the newer high-rise developments can distinguish the Central Innovation District from the many other office districts in the Netherlands and beyond.

Central Innovation District, The Hague
photography P.G. Kempff, Haags Gemeentearchief