Four commandments
ReUrbA’s ‘four commandments’ are an answer to those developments. Only a temporary answer perhaps, as was suggested in one of Mark Reede’s Speaker’s Corner sessions. The project manager for ReUrbA discussed the participants’ methods and projects, and elicited feedback about the ReUrbA approach. Lifestyles, one of the ReUrbA strategies, was the subject under discussion. According to one of the participants, the lifestyle approach can only be a temporary solution. In his view, neighbourhoods will increasingly have their own identities. Like-minded inhabitants will flock together there.
‘It’s all very nice, this lifestyle theory’, was another opinion, ‘but it suggests that you have a choice. Well, you haven’t. In Holland you are doing well if you have a roof over your head.’ In his view, the fact that buyers have been found for all the unsightly houses built in suburban areas in Holland (Vinex areas) demonstrates this point.
He was half right, thought another participant. About half of the Dutch population are in a position to make choices of their own when it comes to housing. But Frenk Bekkers, an urban planner working for the provincial authority of South Holland, sees a shift. ‘In the post-war period, the initial concern was coping with the housing shortage. The Vinex areas were built in the nineties, a decade when people could afford to buy houses. That was why these projects were successful. But there is hardly any housing shortage now, and that is why people are starting to be more demanding. This tendency will only increase in the long term, because the population has stopped growing.’

Branding neighbourhoods
Neighbourhood identity, whether self-invented or not, will become increasingly important in the near future. How these identities – or brands – can be determined quite precisely by government and inhabitants together was revealed during a presentation from the Holland Branding Group.
‘We used to have these consultation meetings where the city council would inform the people about their plans. The people would then explain to the politicians why they didn’t have a clue about what was really going on’, says Frank Bosboom, one of the partners of Holland Branding Group.
To eliminate this ritual, Holland Branding Group has developed a method of looking for the core values the inhabitants or users find typical for their area. Sessions are held in which these values are visualised by an artist. ‘This prevents you from relapsing into the trite urban planning terminology’, says Frank Bosboom.
The outcome of these sessions is set out in a table. ‘Give it to an urban planner and he knows what kind of neighbourhood we are talking about.’

Houses growing with the family
Newcastle has used a similar method in restructuring the Scotwood area. They hit upon the ‘long life, loose fit’ concept: houses that develop with the families living in them. The houses can be bought as a shell, to be ‘filled in’ or extended according to the family’s needs. The Newcastle project would not be viable without another ReUrbA strategy, value-oriented planning. The city has opted for a long-term public-private partnership in which increases in land values yield a return in the long run.
In cities where new projects can only be realised with costly investments in the public space, this method of financing is certainly interesting.

Symbol of hope
Philippa Boardman, the project manager of St. Paul’s in London, had the last presentation of the day, and for a good reason. St. Paul’s Church is the one ReUrbA project that has been completely finished. A derelict church was transformed into a multifunctional community centre. The project was supported by the inhabitants of one of London’s most deprived boroughs. ‘Has the situation in the area improved because of the project?’, was a question from the audience.
‘The church was opened two years ago’, was Boardman’s reply. ‘It is a little early to answer that. But it is at least a symbol of hope. A sign that something good can come about in the neighbourhood. And one thing I can say is that the boys who used to break into my garden are now attending the arts classes in the church.’

Call for post-ReUrbA cooperation
Asje van Dijk of the provincial authority of South Holland was the one to close the ReUrbA project officially. He stressed the need to invest in the cities and called for a new approach, in which all parties, whether public or private, assume their responsibilities. The ReUrbA strategies are useful guidelines: listening to citizens before building according to the lifestyle strategy, entering into smart coalitions according to the governance method and financing according to the strategy of value-oriented planning.
‘The multiplicity represented by this conference shows that you agree with me that this ReUrbA project has produced interesting and inspiring results,’ said Asje van Dijk. ‘I hope that the spirit of collaboration will stay with us. In particular, I wish to thank our ReUrbA partners for their untiring commitment and involvement.’

>>> The benefits for 'London'
>>> The benefits for 'Newscastle'
>>> The benefits for 'Saarbrücken'

'Inspire us!'
The City of The Hague used the closing conference as a platform for feedback on their Area View Plus Binckhorst. During a workshop titled ‘Inspire Us!’ visitors were asked to give their opinion on
the plans for restructuring the Binckhorst business park.
>>> The plan for the Binckhorst (only in Dutch)

Remarks or suggestions on the closing conference? Please mail to info@reurba.org.
Conference organized by Podium (www.podium.nl)