Climate-adaptive city centre
NETHERLANDS
OKRA landschapsarchitecten
Nik Berkouwer
Description
OKRA transformed the central area of the city of Nijverdal into an attractive and lively place that is friendly and welcoming, with plenty of space for cyclists and pedestrians. The redevelopment of the 800-metre-long Grotestraat is notable because of its green-blue structure with climate-adaptive wadis and water-bearing plant pockets around the trees. The revitalisation of the central area and dealing with climate change go hand in hand in this project. Sustainable technical solutions for water management, water collection and drainage make the area climate adaptive and resistant to recent climate developments with periods of extreme precipitation and periods of severe drought and heat in summer. Rainwater is stored under the pavement to provide the trees with sufficient water and to feed a water playground with fountains. For this design OKRA was awarded the Water Resilient Cities Award 2019 for ‘The best sustainable drainage system for rainwater in an urban environment’.
A meaningful place is created by designing a clear identity in the public space, fitting in with thehistorical context of the site and its inhabitants. It is essential to make a space with which people canidentify. The success of this project is partly determined by the residents, users and visitors of Nijverdal. The basis for the success was laid in the preliminary design drawn up with entrepreneurs, owners, residents, visitors, external experts and administrators in three participatory meetings. These meetings were inspiring, active and informative; discussions took place in a workshop-like setting.