RECREATION IN THE CITY OF 2040

Next week, Tuesday July 5th, the symposium 'Planning the future of Amsterdam & New York' will be organized at ARCAM. Five basic life-themes will be discussed: Breathing, Eating, Making, Moving and Dwelling. This week we will address all themes in this blog. Today we will focus on what both 'Breathing' teams in Amsterdam and New York have designed for the exhibition 'Glimpses' now at show at the Center for Architecture NY and ARCAM.

Delva Landscape Architects was asked to make a vision for the IJ estuary in the heart of Amsterdam, while W Architecture in New York was challenged to design the future of leisure on the Hudson.

New Amsterdam in Amsterdam
The vision of Delva with Dingeman Deijs re-imagines the IJ estuary in the heart of Amsterdam as an archipelago. The historic borders of the historic Northern IJ dikes are re-created to allow an innovative water-energy-production-landscape to emerge. Shipping is re-routed to create a central place for the city - a place for living, recreation and energy generation at the center of Amsterdam. The team has been advised by Deltares, a leading innovator in enabling delta life.

Dredgescape in New York
W Architecture has shaped a new recreational place on the Hudson with increased access to the water's edge on Manhattan's Westside, and facilities for boating and learning. Using dredge from the port, W Architecture imagines a series of archipelagos to soften the urbanized Hudson providing launches and landings as well as a habitat for animals and educational experiences along the Hudson. The island groups will be located with respect to edge and bottom conditions, and at appropriate intervals to allow for various experience levels of human powered investigation.

Using dredge materials, W Architecture proposes to create new 'archipelagos' to create a system for refuge and exploration along the Hudson estuary. This system will allow for increased water access by human powered boats, allowing people to experience their enriched local ecology.

The access points for this system will create 'Marine Streets'- places where the urban landscape breaks and eases into more wild one. The Marine Streets mitigate the boundaries between water and land offering increased resistance to sudden storm surges and improved stormwater management.

Both 'Breathing' teams have taken the water base as a starting point for their Glimpse of the future and both teams share a respect for existing ecological systems and reinforce the relation between the people and the waterfronts. Both plans show how recreation and energy generation can be combined within our cities.

Symposium on the Future
During the Symposium 'Planning the future of Amsterdam and New York' Dirk Sijmons (Director H+N+S Landschapsarchitecten and former Chief Government Advisor on the Landscape) will reflect on both Glimpses of the future.
See ARCAM for more information on the Symposium at July 5th.

Marlies Buurman (ARCAM)