Circular Public Space Design in Amsterdam

Cooperatively built and run De Ceuvel in Amsterdam Buiksloterham is widely recognised as a pioneering example of sustainable urban development, and recently receiving the title of Zoöp. The entire area of Buiksloterham used to be an industrial shipyard, and De Ceuvel was the first project to repurpose this space. Now, the City of Amsterdam is redeveloping entire Buiksloterham with a circular vision. We studied how De Ceuvel's principles of biodiversity, community, and circularity can inform the design of future public spaces in Buiksloterham. Our project resulted in an advisory report for both De Ceuvel and the City of Amsterdam, highlighting ways to integrate these values into the future redevelopment.   

• Collaborator: De Ceuvel

• Students: Annemarie Westermann, Roos van Oeveren, Dominic Panettieri

• Supervisors: Katusha Sol, Jarik Guijt, Annemarie van Wezel 

• Cohort: 2024

Challenge 

Many neighbourhoods in Amsterdam have been experiencing increasing levels of social segregation, loss of biodiversity, and environmental damage. Buiksloterham, however, has been making strides to combat these challenges, particularly through the initiatives at De Ceuvel. Unfortunately, De Ceuvel has only ever been a temporary project, and its lease with the municipality is nearing its end. The integration of these principles into Buiksloterham's redevelopment is fundamental to continuing the legacy of De Ceuvel's achievements. By implementing innovative public infrastructure, we believe the negative impacts of social segregation, biodiversity loss, and environmental damage can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, Buiksloterham has the potential to become a model for other public spaces, demonstrating how these principles can effectively address urban challenges.  

Approach 

First, we identified key values of De Ceuvel to be preserved in the public space: biodiversity, circularity and community. We conducted surveys to collect community data for the wishes for public space. Additionally, we participated in citizen science to collect biodiversity data at the site of De Ceuvel. We also conducted literature search to collect additional biodiversity data and data behind circular innovations. We then integrated the collected data into suggestions for implementations in public space. Throughout the process, we met with several experts to inform us on the process of public space design and potential areas for improvement. 

Outcomes 

Our project has led to the following outcomes: 

• Insights from visitors, residents, and workers around De Ceuvel on their preferences for public space. 

• A comprehensive overview of the non-human life present at De Ceuvel, which presents biodiversity considerations for the entire Buiksloterham area. 

• Proposed innovations to enhance public space biodiversity, community engagement, and circularity, based on our data and evidence-based examples. 

• Advice to the City of Amsterdam on how to improve participation processes to create more inclusive public spaces. 

Student team