Earlier this year Hans Fuchs interviewed me and Marco van Hoek of Amersfoort Municipality on the different approaches when it comes to intensifying industrial estates in our cities. The article comparing the diffent strategies was published in De Blauwe Kamer magazine for ubanists and landscape architect in the beginning of 2025. While Amersfoort also recognizes the urgency of making space for work they developed an approach of acupuncture within the existing city weave.
Zaanstad however, defines development of a mixed-use city of housing and working as one of the key principles in the Urban Development Plan 2040 ‘Making Space’. At the moment colleagues are developing not only a spatial economic strategy, but also define areas and sectors and related ambitions. For example for percentages in surfaces compulsory dedicated to work. When it comes to industrial sites, Zaanstad proposes intensifying the areas radcially, e.g. Achtersluispolder from FSI 0,6 to FSI 2.0.
Read the article online on the website of Blauwe Kamer magazine.