How do you turn a transfer machine into a pleasant and urban station area?
Schiedam
Schieveste
Historically, Schiedam station has always been on the edge of the city and has grown over the years into a transport machine where people can – and want to – leave quickly. (Picture: Beeldbank Schiedam)
The Horvathweg forms a barrier between different Schiedam districts.
The station square has no visual connection with the bus stops.
The back of the station has little quality.
Underpasses along the Schie are socially unsafe.
The Horvathweg is dominated by the road surface.
The relationship between the station square and the Schie is not clear enough.
The Schiedam Centrum station area is one of the best-connected development locations in the Netherlands. Situated in the heart of the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam-The Hague (MRDH), it sits on a ‘multimodal node’ on the Schie waterway, within walking distance of historic Schiedam city centre and one of the largest business parks in the region. The node consists of an intercity station where, from five directions, metro and train lines link up with various regional and city bus lines. The station area in its current form lacks cohesion with the city and is characterized by expanses of road surfacing for motorized traffic. You can get out of here quickly – and you want to.
The intention of this vision is to make this area a destination in its own right: a place to live, study, work or meet – and, if you have some time to kill, a pleasant place to linger, with lots of greenery and urban facilities.
The station area has the potential to become a lively urban area with a green public space that better connects the surrounding neighbourhoods through the existing strong urban structures. A station with a more all-round orientation fits in with the character of the adjacent neighbourhoods and makes the station more accessible. Around the station, priority is given to slow traffic, to spending time and meeting in public space.
The four ambitions for the station area are:
1. Stimulating urban life: by densifying the area with housing and urban facilities. This creates a good relationship and interaction between the building and public space, a precondition for urban life on the street.
2. Achieving a healthy microclimate: it’s enjoyable to spend time in a pleasant, cheerful and healthy (micro) climate (cool, sheltered and clean).
3. Enabling the mobility transition: a new hierarchy in public space and mobility creates more space for pedestrians and cyclists, less space for cars. In addition, the mix of functions in the area means that more people can complete their essential daily errands by bicycle or on foot.
4. Anchoring to the city: the station area optimally connects the surrounding neighbourhoods with each other and makes Schiedam stronger.
A transformation into an urban & lively station area
Various urban structures come together in the station area. These are all important carriers of the spatial structure of Schiedam. Each of these structures plays a role in breaking down the barriers in the station area. In each of these structures, the stated ambitions are achieved in an appropriate way, making the station area pleasant to stay in and still easily accessible.
Assignments are linked to these spatial structures, guaranteeing their continuity and strengthening cohesion in the city. Structures intersect at important places in the city. These are typical places of exchange and meeting: the station squares. Each of these places has its own character and spatial role in line with the existing city.
A framework for the public space creates a coherent station area and connects different levels.
The rear of the station will become a fully-fledged frontage looking towards Schieveste and the industrial estates.
The Boerhaave junction provides a good connection from M4H to Schieveste and further north.
The station square will become an attractive place to spend time, as well as transfer.
The underpasses along the Schie have the continuous and unambiguous appearance of an urban interior.
Stationsgebied Schiedam
The Schiedam Centrum station area is one of the best-connected development locations in the Netherlands. Situated in the heart of the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam-The Hague (MRDH), it sits on a ‘multimodal node’ on the Schie waterway, within walking distance of historic Schiedam city centre and one of the largest business parks in the region. The node consists of an intercity station where, from five directions, metro and train lines link up with various regional and city bus lines. The station area in its current form lacks cohesion with the city and is characterized by expanses of road surfacing for motorized traffic. You can get out of here quickly – and you want to. The intention of this vision is to make this area a destination in its own right: a place to live, study, work or meet – and, if you have some time to kill, a pleasant place to linger, with lots of greenery and urban facilities.
Various urban structures come together in the station area. These are all important carriers of the spatial structure of Schiedam. Each of these structures plays a role in breaking down the barriers in the station area. In each of these structures, the stated ambitions are achieved in an appropriate way, making the station area pleasant to stay in and still easily accessible. Assignments are linked to these spatial structures, guaranteeing their continuity and strengthening cohesion in the city. Structures intersect at important places in the city. These are typical places of exchange and meeting: the station squares. Each of these places has its own character and spatial role in line with the existing city.
details
- Project
- Stationsgebied Schiedam
- Location
- Schiedam, NL
- Size
- 16 ha
- Period
- 2020-2021
- Client
- Gemeente Schiedam
- Discipline
- Urban Design
- Program
- Infrastructure
- Status
- Development Phase
- More info
- bd@dezwartehond.nl
