Rotterdam - Afrikaanderplein
Because of the important role parks play as meeting places within the city, a national programme was initiated a few years ago for improving public spaces in heavily populated urban areas. A part of the programme was directed towards revitalising the Afrikaanderplein, a large but seriously neglected location in Rotterdam, situated in an area whose residents come from many different cultures. The Afrikaanderplein is characterised on the one hand by greenery - the park - and on the other by the diversity of cultures in the neighbourhood which meet here. The basic idea of the park is a free central area surrounded by a framework of specific functions.
Awards
Exemplary project in 2000 by the Dutch housing ministry (VROM) and the foundation for experimental Housing (SEV)
First price winner of the national Dutch Outdoor space Architecture Award (OAP) 2005-2006
The jury praised the design, among other things, for the high amount of surplus value the investment of money gives to the society of Rotterdam.
