Nurturing Schorsmolen - A socio-spatial framework for co-creating a liveable future

TEAM PORTRAIT

INTERVIEW
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1. How do you define the main issue of your project in relation with the theme “Living Cities Imagining architecture taking care of the milieus”? And in which way do you think your project can contribute to an ecological and/or social evolution?
In our project “Nurturing Schorsmolen” we tried to take a step back from conventional urban development approaches and we asked ourself: how can people who live a city, also shape and design their own city? And further: how can they contribute to ecological and social evolution in a participated manner, and what is the role of the public sector in this process. In our project we attempted to redesign this dynamic, and we propose a new planning process where local residents (present and future) are enabled by the public sector to deliver change in terms of demographics, ecology, and social behaviour. We see this model as an alternative to the more common re-development of social housing neighbourhoods into higher-end housing segments. A process that more or less willingly tries to replace the existing population and gentrify inner-city areas. We, instead, propose to start with a dialogue with the existing residents. To ask them how to best densify/greenify/transform their block. And eventually to require a shared direction forward.  

2. How did the issues of your design and the questions raised by the site mutation meet?
We find Schorsmolen to be a perfect location to test this new dynamic. It is an existing neighrbourhood that necessitates demolitions to be re-developed. It has modest to good spatial qualities, meaning there is no urgent need to transform and re-build. Moreover, most housing is already owned by local housing corporations, which can form an important middle layer in the communication between single households, and the needs of the local government.

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