- THE SUCCESSFUL STORY OF AMSTERDAM DENSIFICATION POLITICS
Coping with growth intentions of population in urban areas, what is happening in the Dutch cities is a growth of need for housing. Politically is decided that the transportation nodes & hubs are the best place to do that. Stations themselves, are generally central to urban areas. The Central station of Amsterdam is the really exception to the rule, due to politics and plans that were decisive for the position of the station in the city, though a more central position, would mean a whole different urban agglomeration, a completely different Amsterdam as we know it today. Stations around the city like Sloterdijk, Amstel or Zuidas (the other option for the central station in the 19th century), only are planning to facilitate the urgent need for new homes. With plans to regenerate the whole area and not only better and cleaner connections, while maximising touristic policies, the process has housing and spatial quality consequences that can be achieved in a more mixed used developments adding value to the station itself.
A good example is the Amstel tower where a mixed program of middle rent housing with a hotel and a shared working space, worked as the backbone to regenerate the station and add commercial value in the whole area beginning the debate for a "clean and clear" node of infrastructure. The Zuidas station area is now moving towards an integrated functional mixed use area and Sloterdijk station, a forgotten place for many years, is slowly making the move towards the "greenest" living and working area of the city. Until 2040 the government's plan is to grow by 800.000 households around the country and the areas around the stations are the first ones to facilitate these numbers. What does that mean for the years to come is an amazing construction process putting the pressure to the public space and the green areas, especially where that is needed the most.
THE REAL CHALLENGE NOW IS HOW TO DENSIFY THE URBAN GREEN