Location         : Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

Year                : 2017

Association    : Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam (IHS-EUR),

                         in collaboration with Rotterdam Noord gebiedscommissie and Rotterdam Municipality.

 

Provenierswijk is a vibrant neighbourhood located in Rotterdam Noord district, Rotterdam city, the Netherlands. The neighbourhood is inhabited by 4500 people who come from various cultural backgrounds, income and even educational levels. The neighbourhood is strategically located behind the famous Rotterdam Central Station and was initially designed to accommodate the overcrowded city of Rotterdam that is growing into a major port hub city in Europe since 1870. The neighbourhood is divided into two sections: south-west section for middle-class families and a north-east section for so-called working-class families. This neighbourhood plan, unfortunately, has brought social segregation.

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In order to solve this issue, Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) is in a solid collaboration with Rotterdam Noord gebiedscommissie and Rotterdam Municipality initiated a group work to develop a creative problem-solving proposal. One of the proposed proposals is called, “Colorful Path for Provenierswijk”.

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“Colourful Path for Provenierswijk” is a spatial intervention which attempts to bring residents with common interest together by increasing awareness of all activities and events that happen in the neighbourhood in a regular basis. By this way, inhabitants from different background can get to know each other by doing activities that they like or hobby. This intervention can also be a magnet to attract tourists to this neighbourhood that can improve the local businesses in the neighbourhood as well as at city scale.

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How does this initiation work? It is very simple actually. Firstly, a map of on-going activities and hobby groups are established. This is done through discussions with the community. Then a website is developed to give a complete information regarding this activity (when, where, and contact person). Paint pedestrian path with colourful paint representing the categories. The resident who is the leader or host of a certain activity indicates themselves by putting a sticker with a certain colour on his/ her window and sign up through the website.