Urban Rehab

Innovative Strategies for Social Engagement

The population of Utrecht is one of the youngest in all Holland, and one of the most diverse, comprised of over 170 different nationalities. The city is experiencing an unprecedented period of expansion, while aiming to keep its title as one of the happiest city in the world, as revealed in a survey of the United Nations. At a recent symposium on urban social programs at the Venice Biennale, part of "Utrecht Manifest 2009” which explores the relationship between design and society, the architectural firm Urban Think Tank (UTT) presented a proposal for the working class neighborhood of Hoograven, built in the 30s of last century to the south east of the city. Together with students of the Hogeschool, Utrecht and Columbia University, UTT led the study URBAN REHAB involving inhabitants, local authorities and public housing construction companies regarding possible alternatives that would allow residents to continue living in their neighborhood. The survey results, presented at a special exhibition, highlight the need to increase the density of the volumes and add new functions to regenerate the district. Starting with the existing structures, the project involves the adaptive reuse of physical spaces, insertion of mixed-use activities and a modification of the neighborhood based on the changing needs of its inhabitants.

A style of planning light-years from past methods, in which the need for social control over the inhabitants was carried out through the creation of homogenous and anonymous quarters. Hoograven is now a testing ground for a new urban condition, one based on social inclusion policies and able to guarantee the respect and the expression of diversity.