Prize and commission at EUROPAN 11

BASIC CITY are runners-up for the location Amstel III – EUROPAN11. Even if not winning the first prize, we were awarded an exciting commission, by the Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Gemeente Amsterdam, Projectbureau Zuidoostlob. It would give us a chance to tackle the ever more talked about phenomenon of vacancy and explore alternative ways to induce and sustain urban development in the context of the ongoing economic crisis.

The plan proposes a spatial development strategy to tackle and exploit the latent qualities of AMSTEL III, one of Amsterdam’s mono-functional business areas, especially considering a high level of the structural vacancy of its office space.
Having its gradual regeneration as a goal, the proposed concept leads to a truly alternative, yet realizable development model for this, as well as for all other similar areas in the Netherlands and elsewhere.
Respecting the current state of mind of the key players in the urban development, the proposal suggests strategies/projects that can bring them together and harmonize their interests and efforts in a joint regeneration project that is not only beneficial for all the stakeholders, but also outlines the tactic for a genuinely sustainable city (re)development.