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summer workshops

Amsterdam 2040: 3 case studies from vision to realization

Jun 8, 2024 – Jun 19, 2024

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Kate Dunham

Almere oosterwold aerial view katherine d. dunham

Research Question

How have Amsterdam’s planning regulations worked to guide development of new urban districts to be in line with the city’s ambitious planning goals for a carbon neutral future?

Overview

In this travel workshop, students will learn about the fundamental relationship between planning regulations (zoning), urban design and built outcomes by studying three highly acclaimed, sustainably driven, new mixed-use districts which exemplify Amsterdam’s Structural Vision Plan 2040: Zuidas, Ijburg, and Almere. The learning goal will be for students to see the fundamental role zoning regulations play in ensuring a desired built outcome of a master planned project. This workshop is designed to expose students to the full story of how a new district is built. In their case studies they will document the initial master plan vision and goals, the urban design, the underlying zoning, the built outcome, and their actual experience of visiting the new district.

Download the Workshop Outline

Methodology and Process

The students in the workshop will be divided into three teams, each responsible for documenting one of the three case study new districts. During the workshop they will have guided site visits, meetings with relevant city planning agencies, design firms and community groups to learn about the planning, implementation and built results of their study area projects.

The three case studies areas have been selected because they are newly developed districts which represent three different conditions of planning: 1] high-density at a new intermodal transit hub, medium-density at the city center and low-density at the city edge (see descriptions in the additional materials). Each case study has a unique set of conditions and strategies to address the six spatial tasks listed in Amsterdam’s Structural Vision Plan 2040 including: › Densify, ›Transform, › Public transport on a regional scale, › High quality of public space, › Invest in the recreational use of green space and water, › Converting to sustainable energy.

In addition to city planning agencies, students will visits institutions, including Delft University of Technology and may include, as well, some of the primary urban design firms involved in the master planning and architecture of the three case study projects: De Architecten Cie., MVRDV, Felixx Landscape Architects and Planners, Arcadis.

Review Selected Case Studies

Outputs and Findings

At the conclusion of the workshop, the students will share their findings in three ways:
1. Report: Each team will produce a report of their case study analysis and findings.
2. Presentation: at the end of their stay in Amsterdam, the students will present their reports to invited guests.
3. Booklet: After the Amsterdam trip, the students will assemble their reports into a booklet to be shared with the GSAPP community and institutions in Amsterdam.

Other 2024 workshops

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Ways of Experiencing: Virgil Abloh	Karen Wong, Sky Gellatly	Across New York City	Jun 24, 2024 – Jun 28, 2024
Searching for Bardo: How to create transformative & totalizing hospitality experiences	Jonathan Kully, Kelly McFadden	Savannah, GA	Jun 17, 2024 – Jun 28, 2024
Exploring Metal Casting and Collaborative Experimental Preservation	Jorge Otero-Pailos, Kate Allen	Birmingham, AL	Jun 10, 2024 – Jun 23, 2024
Real Estate Finance: Incentivizing Capital to Create Better Outcomes in the Built Environment	Chris Munsell	Across New York City	Jun 3, 2024 – Jun 14, 2024