A turf under which lies a long history. Lift the turf and see who lived here and how agriculture was practiced. How the battle with the water and the struggle between noble families left their mark on the landscape.
Polder Rijnenburg in the municipality of Utrecht is a “waiting” landscape. The century-old pollard willows are falling over, the ditches are silting up, the bridges are collapsing and no one is taking care of them. Everyone wants to get rich from the planned housing development, but the financial crisis and the subsequent vision to build more in the city itself have reduced development opportunities. The landscape, owned by many small and some large speculative owners, is still waiting.
Goal
The municipality was considering urban expansion in this polder landscape. Before making plans, the archaeologists of the municipality of Utrecht asked DS to make an inventory of the cultural-historical values of the area. The inventory had to be recorded in such a way that it was inviting to be included in the planning studies. The history was therefore recorded on maps rather than in a book.
Design
DS developed a series of cultural history maps and created sample plots. The inventory looked from the present landscape to the past. The external features of the landscape are the result of many centuries of transformation. DS included short sample studies to show that the history of the landscape can inspire designs for possible urban expansion.
Details
The residents of the area have received the inventory on CD (see pdf Polder Rijnenburg). This allows anyone making plans or having plans submitted in their area to respond with knowledge of the situation.
