Team members
| Robin Nieminen, Tim Nigg, Anna Nüesch, Lucas Oliveira Batista, Rebekka Pérez y Ropero, Flurin Pestalozzi, Jannis Pfister, Janine Plüss, Marlon Portmann, Andrea Qualizza, Susan Reznik, Monia Rosenow, Anna Schmidhauser, Philippe Schneiter, David Schnell, Fabia Schönenberger |
That means urban, agglomeration & hinterland
| Rotterdam is known for its universities, urban culture, multicultural community, modern architecture, and its seaport. The port is located at the confluence of the Rhine and Meuse rivers, making Rotterdam an important economic and logistics center. In 2008, 50 percent of the world’s population lived in cities, which means that people are living together in very small spaces. This brings a number of challenges: dirty air, heavy traffic, and high rents. In addition, the development of better transportation has made it possible to live in the surrounding agglomerations and commute quickly to the city. The boundaries between city and hinterland have dissolved. |
Some videos from youtube introduce the topic
More about …
| What is Rotterdam? Rotterdam is a wonderful city. Due to the fact the city was almost flattened during WW2, the city is modern and well laid out with many attractions within walking distance. The Dutch city is known for its universities, nightlife, urban culture, multicultural community, modern architecture, and seaport. Rotterdam has the largest port in Europe, which transformed the city into a major economic and logistic center. What makes the city unique? Well, the unique skyline composited by the modern architecture the city has, and of course, the world-known “Erasmus Bridge”. Urban life Rotterdam’s concrete urban environment has been upgraded with green spaces. The city is home to the largest public roof park in Europe, the DakPark, complete with vegetable gardens and grazing sheep. Urban life is the description of life in a major city. As of 2008, 50 percent of the global population lived in cities. People from many walks of life and from varied racial and ethnic national backgrounds live together in a small amount of space. This does bring a lot of opportunities but does also create a set of Problems of a varying degree from dirty air to high crime rates. Rotterdam has a long-standing tradition of gardening and food production in various places in the city. There is a big increase in shops and restaurants that sell products from the Rotterdam allotment complexes. A growing group of customers likes to buy traditionally made products with a recognizable origin. Agglomeration In the southern Randstad (the urban agglomeration of Western Holland) 23 local authorities bundle their forces in the Metropolitan region of Rotterdam The Hague (MRDH). The local authorities work together to improve accessibility and strengthen the economic business climate. The agglomeration is the area between the city and the countryside. Old villages are next to the industry. Highways and malls are scattered throughout. With the development of better transport facilities, it was becoming possible to live outside the city and commute to the workplace in the inner part of the city. Therefore, more and more people became commuters. Hinterland The Port of Rotterdam is located at the confluence of the Rhine and Meuse rivers, with the Rhine being the most important. It reaches deep into the hinterland and is connected to the economic centers of Germany. One of the world’s largest ports, as well as Europe’s largest, is located in Rotterdam. As the „gateway to Europe,“ the port gained its importance because of its hinterland of densely populated regions with high purchasing power. In addition, the economic system of Western Europe, with its few restrictions, does not hinder international trade. Primarily, the main function of the Port of Rotterdam was the handling of bulk goods, especially mineral oil and ores. Currently, their share is declining, though they handle more containers. This is due to the saturation of the Western European market with bulk goods. An industrial port, it also has refineries, chemical plants, and warehouses. Foreign companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, and Kuwait Petroleum (refineries), as well as the chemical companies AkzoNobel, Alcoa, Lyondell Bayer, and Kemira have settled here. Rotterdam is therefore an important port for the Dutch economy. The industrialization of the port region and the increased handling of container ships generate a high added value and job opportunities. The Rotterdam-Rijnmond region owes 90,000 jobs directly to the port, while 57,000 jobs are indirectly dependent on it. |
Ideas on the topic
| Best of both worlds To get the best out of both worlds, Rotterdam should be connected to the countryside. Within Rotterdam, there could be many different mini-cities/quarters. Within each mini-city, everything you need is available. Grocery stores, various service providers, educational facilities, recreational activities, and a connection to nature. The relation to nature can be implemented by means of small parks and gardens. If there is not enough space, the roofs of the houses should be built flat so that they can be planted. Issue Bike Lanes are oftentimes choppy outside Rotterdam. As someone without a car you are fully dependent on public transport. There should be more safe options for Cyclists to take the trip from their Village to Rotterdam. (Or from Village to Village for Pedestrians)  Solutions Connecting Rotterdam to the Countryside 1. through more bike lanes with sidewalks, two lanes each connecting over a large network, just like the cars. 2. through wide secondary landroads with two lanes each for cars (60km/h max), bikes and pedestrians. Those should be separated by trees and hedges in between and Trees along the way. · everyone can take the trip to rotterdam even by foot · Trees and hedges help create a sound barrier and make for better safety · Crosswalks should be mostly underground · connecting to more roundabouts with traffic lights for cyclists and pedestrians where they can cross the road safely. · The main focus are cyclists and pedestrians · cars are only allowed a maximum speed of 60km/h Example:  3. through better public transport connections (Bus, Train) · More stations in between cities and villages · Higher stopping frequency 4. trough events or attractions at the countryside The social aspect can also help connect the countryside to the city. By organizing events that take place in rotterdams countryside can attract people getting there. Also local attractions like an adventure farm or local markets at the countryside can motivation people from the city to visit the countryside. |
Best of both worlds
To get the best out of both worlds, Rotterdam should be connected to the countryside. Within Rotterdam, there could be many different mini-cities/quarters. Within each mini-city, everything you need is available. Grocery stores, various service providers, educational facilities, recreational activities, and a connection to nature. The relation to nature can be implemented by means of small parks and gardens. If there is not enough space, the roofs of the houses should be built flat so that they can be planted.
Issue
Bike Lanes are oftentimes choppy outside Rotterdam. As someone without a car you are fully dependent on public transport. There should be more safe options for Cyclists to take the trip from their Village to Rotterdam. (Or from Village to Village for Pedestrians)
Solutions
Connecting Rotterdam to the Countryside
1. Through more bike lanes with sidewalks, two lanes each connecting over a large network, just like the cars.
2. Through wide secondary land roads with two lanes each for cars (60km/h max), bikes, and pedestrians. Those should be separated by trees and hedges in between and Trees along the way.
· everyone can take the trip to Rotterdam even by foot
· Trees and hedges help create a sound barrier and make for better safety
· Crosswalks should be mostly underground
· connecting to more roundabouts with traffic lights for cyclists and pedestrians where they can cross the road safely.
· The main foci are cyclists and pedestrians
· cars are only allowed a maximum speed of 60km/h
3. Through better public transport connections (Bus, Train)
· More stations in between cities and villages
· Higher stopping frequency
4. Trough events or attractions in the countryside
The social aspect can also help connect the countryside to the city. Organizing events that take place in the Rotterdam countryside can attract people getting there. Also, local attractions like an adventure farm or local markets at the countryside can motivate people from the city to visit the countryside.
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