Urban vitality - restoring public life in Amsterdam-Noord

Amsterdam is a city known for its vibrancy, tolerance and diversity. In the last few decades, the city has grown immensely and is expected to continue to grow in the coming years. Therefore, it looks across the IJ-river to redevelop its northern city part. The former harbour, industry and labour-class neighbourhoods need revitalisation after years of neglect. However, current development is predominantly focused on the waterfront and does little to integrate the low-density areas beyond. After years of neglect and isolation, the existing population fear the new developments that attract people with different lifestyles to Amsterdam-Noord. As the pressure to urbanise Amsterdam-Noord increases, it is required to consider how it can be adapted to manage the densification and urbanisation. The gap between new and old (development and people) is striking and needs to be bridged. This thesis explores how by increasing urban vitality, this gap can be bridged.Urban vitality can be experienced in the public realm. It is precisely there where people can meet and mingle. Urban vitality is a quality of cities that stimulates liveliness and liveability. It requires diversity, concentration of people and accessible and inclusive public life and functions. How to achieve urban vitality is researched in literature and by using reference cases. This is then translated into a system of patterns, and these are applied at two strategic locations on 3 sites. The three design explorations have different approaches for increasing urban vitality. Beemsterstraat I strives to fit in the existing urban fabric and activate the nodes to stimulate urban life. Beemsterstraat II uses additions to make a residential neighbourhood more active. Finally, the kampferfoelieweg is more drastic as it incorporates many new buildings to patch up and define left-over space and forms a dynamic link between many neighbourhoods. Although these three approaches vary on the implementation, the intention is similar: to provide meeting places and link communities through public life and awareness of others at strategic locations in a regional network. Operating stakeholder relations, continuous adaptation and maintenance of the built environment, engaging and empowering the local community is crucial to preserve urban vitality.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Science