Academy of Architecture (2019)

P5 by Felix Madrazo and David Kloet

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The city of Rotterdam, one of the biggest industrial cities of the Netherlands, began buying land and plots south of the Maas in the 16th century, ever since Rotterdam has been expanding territory and acquiring land from different

municipalities. It was only at the end of the 19th century that the first permanent water crossing was built; a bridge from north to south. The first developments along the shores of the river towards the sea, de Nieuwe Waterweg, were industrial. Ship docks, chimneys and factories ruled the skyline of Rotterdam- Zuid for decades. More and more companies started to settle, which meant that more and more employees, dockworkers and their families lived in close proximity. Since the settling of the first workers, the biggest part of the housing in Rotterdam-Zuid has been focused on the working class.

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After the 90’s all of the industries in Feyenoord, an industrial site in Rotterdam- Zuid, were redeveloped into either housing or offices. The Spoorweghaven was turned from a railway dominated industrial area into a living neighborhood. The successful redevelopment of Kop van Zuid, where the Erasmus bridge crosses the Maas gave Rotterdam an economic impulse. Since then the city of Rotterdam has increasingly invested in Rotterdam-Zuid to redevelop existing buildings and industrial areas into new housing projects.

 

Since Rotterdam Zuid has a high unemployment rate and a high percentage of practically skilled workers, keeping industries in the city is vital for the functioning, inclusivity and balance of a city. Industrial areas provide blue-collar jobs which are especially necessary in an area where the biggest percentage of education is practical education. Therefore it is of high importance to keep industries as vital organs in the city, by creating a higher working density and making an ecomically stronger and resilient industrial area.