Towards a livable neighboorhood: The case of Oranjeboom street Feijenoord, Rotterdam

This Rmit graduation project concerns the translation of aspects of social sustainability to the context of a social housing renovation project, in a neighborhood in Rotterdam city. The result of this project comes in the form of design, which can be used by designers and other actors such as housing corporations and local residents, as a show case with solutions dealing with issues of social safety, cohesion, diversity and life resistance. The researched context is that of a mixed neighborhood with late post-war portiek dwellings and 19th century housing; the neighborhood in Oranjeboom street in the city of Rotterdam is used as a case for study and design. Since the project is concerned with the relation between social functions and physical, spatial properties, and aims to achieve the presuppositions for social sustainability, emphasis is placed on incorporating the perspectives of local residents; both existing and future expected ones, with a particular focus on families with children and working-at-home persons living in the neighbourhood. An integrated intervention pattern is developed, at different levels of scale –from urban to architectural and material scale, concerning built-up area, program, public and communal space and indoor living environment. Design deals mostly with two social sustainability aspects that were deemed most relevant within the specific context .These are firstly social safety, since aspects related to this appear to be the greatest threat to the future value of these neighborhoods. Secondly, possibilities for social interaction, since this is the most important (potential) quality of the neighbourhood. Spatial preconditions for a design that replies to these problems are also strongly correlated. The first issue is translated in solutions for accessibility and usability of public and communal spaces and border treatment, through a clear privacy zoning between public and private space. Solutions for visibility were also important to offer easier social control. The second issue is translated in solutions for communal activities and communal space design; external and internal: the courtyard and the portieks design was the main focus points. The other two issues: diversity and life resistance are treated through solutions for variety in building typologies and functions in the district and flexibility and affordability issues of the housing. Specifically water management and insulation-thermal costs awe remain points of focus. Architectural design proposal is made for a crucial neighborhood part, namely a residential building block, the main traffic structure, and the communal courtyard and public park area around it, to test how the theoretical preconditions and patterns can be translated into a coherent design. Keeping social potential in Oranjeboom street by designing a neighboorhood that enables and facilitates the change of its inhabitant’s social situation, enabling social and economic survival. Research in the thesis plan and two papers (article and reflection paper has led to formulate the desirable and possible characteristics for the design of the district. The application of these design criteria - social safety, cohesion, diversity and life resistance. -dictated specific spatial preconditions in order to enable successful livability of the district. The existing structure however , imposes certain barriers and restricts the possibilities of the solutions to be chosen. On the other hand, re–using the existing values in order to achieve the upper goals is a big challenge that all Rmit projects include. The main goal of the research , and the design in this Rmit project was recognizing the significance of the ensemble and being able to reinterpret its values through the redesign.RMITArchitectureArchitectur