Kultuurstraat Wesselerbrink project (Enschede South). Flagship project for the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM)
Winner of the Ecorys Restructuring Award 2005.
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Creating vital coherence between physical, social and economical functions for a lively, happening neighbourhood in the Wesselerbrink
The goal is to leave enough scope in the plans to allow for socio-cultural facilities and activities. The challenge is, not to tackle each project individually, but where possible make smart crossovers in order to solve the question of socio-cultural spaces. |
Wesselerbrink: focus area
The Wesselerbrink is one of 56 areas listed for restructuring by the Dutch Ministry of VROM. The area has the typical seventies' ambiance, in that it was very functionally built and was designed according to a principle of one function per area. There are many physical challenges, but extensive social problems also play a crucial part. Many people who live in the area have low incomes. It is, moreover, the most culturally divers neighbourhood of Enschede. It's residents form a close-knit community.
Urban Regeneration
Over the next few years, a lot will be happening in the Wesselerbrink. All kinds of projects and initiatives will be contributing to the urban regeneration of the area:
Restructuring 1400 housing units in the northern part of the area, a social and spatial operation: Replacing 400 units with new builds, renovating the remaining ones; At the same time, a so-called ‘integral school' may be set up - a school in which the regular curriculum is complemented by day-care, pre-school and other social facilities as well as courses for parents and neighbourhood residents.
Revitalising the entire shopping area, increasing the total number of shops, improving the ambiance, completely restructuring the surrounding public space.
Building and renovating important facilities like health centres, the Salvation Army and initiatives of the ‘integral school'.
Realising a sheltered housing zone and neighbourhood lounges - small-scale community centres - for the elderly.
Renovating the Wesselerbrink park, making it more a part of the neighbourhood and adding a Dutch pancake restaurant to it - an initiative of the housing corporation.
Important developments in the surrounding areas which will in time reposition the Wesselerbrink: A new economic axis running to the city-centre; Continuing the A12 motorway to the German border; Just south of the Wesselerbrink, a newly developed area for ‘mansion living': exclusive free-standing houses on large estates with public access.
Social and physical
The kind of physical restructuring described above often leaves little room, both spatially and financially, for social and cultural facilities. And yet they are vital to a lively and liveable neighbourhood. For this reason, the local authorities want to ensure that these urban regeneration projects also result in a substantial investment in social and cultural infrastructure. In social and cultural buildings, social and cultural public spaces, social and cultural activities, social and cultural pride and finally in new social and cultural opportunities for the residents.
Kultuurstraat: what is it?
All this is achieved by linking initiatives according to a ‘Kultuurstraat' - literally: Culture Street - concept. Projects are not carried out individually, but when possible, smart combinations are made to solve the demand for social and cultural spaces. The idea comes from the Scandinavian ‘Kulturhus'-concept: a communal building in small towns within which all of the important facilities are located, thus preserving many facilities which would not be able to exist on their own. The Kultuurstraat is not an actual street, but a metaphor we use to combine spatial and economical developments with social and cultural facilities. The reason we call it a ‘street' rather than ‘house' is that it involves not only the buildings themselves, but also the surrounding public space that is needed for social and cultural activities.
Plan of action
In the course of the first seven months of 2004, a plan of action was made in cooperation with residents, investors, artists, community workers, independent experts, council representatives and policy makers. The approach was aimed at gathering information, ideas for the future, visions, initiatives and efforts from the participants, commitment, etc. We deliberately aimed at getting results as close to the underlying vision as possible. Thus, the first plans were achieved even while the plan of action was still being conceived. Most of the projects that were implemented are not being managed by the city council, but by residents, community workers and investors. This is another deliberate aspect of the project: strengthening and embedding existing initiatives, interconnecting them where necessary or useful.
Innovative and creative approach: how do we do this?
The innovative and creative ‘Stipo-approach' was the inspirational basis for arriving at a custom-made Kultuurstraat approach with the Enschede South area. More about this method and the Enschede project can be read in our report ‘Urban Regeneration: From Government to Governance'.
The pillars of the Stipo-approach are:
Co-makers
Key-figures in the neighbourhood, residents, initiators and investors, people with long-term vision for the neighbourhood and policy-makers. Through a specific interviewing method they become co-owners (co-makers) of the plan of action and the Kultuurstraat concept. By now, many co-makers are involved in the project. Right from the start, support within the neighbourhood is built. The responsible council members, too, are involved with working out visions of the ideal neighbourhood.
Future-oriented
All interviews were based on a set of ideals for the neighbourhood. The starting point was the ‘ideal' future of the Wesselerbrink. From there, we reasoned our way back along the years, deducting concrete measures that would have to be taken in order to achieve that ideal. The strategy is to get people to use their imagination, allowing them to rise above the here and now.
Middle-up-down
This method is part of an approach which aims at achieving a practical and liveable action plan. Existing innovative ideas and knowledge are widely enlisted right from the start. The plan is not imposed from above but grows from the bottom. Yet it is more than the sum of a collection of ideas, thanks to a clear steering role of the local government. Not top-down, nor bottom-up, but middle-up-down.
Enhancement
The Kultuurstraat concept uses existing ideas as a starting point, enhancing and strengthening them where possible and linking them up where smart combinations add value. Current projects are not frustrated but encouraged. Local initiatives are not killed by a superimposed plan, but taken as starting point. All of this makes the Kultuurstraat concept's success rate very high from the start.
Cross-sections and creativity
Based on the insight gained through the bilateral interviews people are brought together in round-table discussions, which allows for exiting new combinations as co-makers will connect their ideas and initiatives. Through workshops, interaction is formed between current projects and activities. The common goal is to achieve the ideal social and cultural infrastructure that was formulated by the co-makers and council representatives at the outset of the project.
Integrality as a result, not an assumption
By conducting one-on-one interviews and organising specific ‘cross-section' meetings, the project stays manageable and motivating for participants. Integrality is not a goal in itself, leading to large discussion groups with little active energy, but it can be a result.
Integrate thinking and acting
From the very start, ideals are linked to concrete actions. Pilot projects are set up so the innovative ideas from the Kultuurstraat concept are put into practice immediately. By the time the action plan is finished, a start has already been made with its implementation, making sure it does not stay confined to paper. These are important stimuli for participants to keep the innovation going. The concept is put into practice immediately, enhancing the participants' faith and enthusiasm.
From people to meters
A recurring question in urban regeneration is: how many square meters do we need for these facilities? As part of the Kultuurstraat project, therefore, Stipo has developed the People to Meters benchmark.
This addresses the following questions: How much space should be reserved for the social targets in your community? Which and how many social facilities does your area offer and what does that mean? Because quantitative criteria are closely linked to national legislation, this tool is only available in Dutch.
Results
Currently, a good number of projects are up and running in the Wesselerbrink, elaborating on earlier initiatives. Different cultures in the neighbourhood are brought together, not ad hoc through funding, but structurally, by encouraging trade between the different groups. There is a well-documented relationship between trade and tolerance: if people want to earn money off each other, they are forced to take an interest.
Because this question was raised by the Kultuurstraat concept, the new shopping centre's developer became interested in why, in the heart of such a culturally divers area, no foreign shops were to be found.
A larger-scale example is the new ‘facilities corporation', which will be responsible for the quality, availability and effective use of the ‘facility real-estate' in the neighbourhood. The first steps towards founding this corporation are being taken by the city council's real-estate department and the building societies (who own this ‘facility real-estate'). Thus, the current fragmented structure will be a thing of the past. At the same time, plans have progressed to accomplish multi-functional social buildings, designed to accommodate different facilities in the same rooms throughout the day as well as throughout the years.
More information
More information on the Enschede South project can be found in the report ‘Urban Regeneration: From Government to Governance'.
For questions and/or information you can contact:
District of Enschede-South
Annette Oude Vrielink, project manager Kultuurstraat
E-mail: a_oudevrielink@enschede.nl.
or
Stipo Consult
drs. H. Karssenberg (Hans)
E-mail: hkarssenberg@stipo.nl.