| dc.description.abstract | The public space in cauliflower neighborhoods in Dutch new towns are considered outdated, ugly, stony and problematic in different ways. Whereas this public space was the leading force of social interaction and therefore a pleasant living environment in the 80’s-90’s, it is now in need of physical as well as social regeneration. The physical design, based on defensible spaces and informal social control theories has a different meaning in current society. At the same time, the environmental threats as a consequence of climate change are increased and impacting the comfort of being in those public spaces. Renewing the old public spaces of the cauliflower neighborhood offers many chances for climate adaptation to be applied, and climate adaptation in turn offers many opportunities to increase the comfort and quality of the outdated public spaces in a modest but effective way. However, renewing public spaces in this specific type of neighborhood is challenging, considering its spatial characteristics and the social features of those. To ensure that the public space is renewed according to today’s physical, social and environmental needs, the daily users as well as the planners of this spaces need to agree as much as possible on the future plans for the neighborhood. For that, the municipal spatial planning, resident’s local knowledge and ideas need to be combined to ensure the most successful yet dynamic outcomes, considering climate adaptation an effective tool for urban regeneration.
To examine the chances for climate adaptation to upgrade the outdated public spaces in the specific context of the cauliflower neighborhood as an outcome of agreement of the planners and daily users of the public spaces, the following question is the focus of this reaearch:
How can the public space of the cauliflower neighborhood be renewed by using climate adaptation and considering the municipality’s vision on climate adaptation as well as the visions of residents on the puclis spaces in the outcomes?
To answer this question, a variety of methods have been applied on the cases-study Schansen-Noord in the Dutch new town Nieuwegein. Focusgroups with the residents of this cauliflower neighborhood have led to most of the data about their visions, expressed in social values. Furthermore, the municipality’s vision on climate adaptation has been examined by analyzing their main document about climate adaptation and interviewing those who wrote it. Also, short as well as longer conversations with residents during the course of the research have provided information about their view on public spaces, renewal and climate adaptation as a driving force of opportunities to create a more pleasant public space, adapted to current physical and social realities.
The result of this research suggest that there are many different values and believes that play a role in renewing the outdated public spaces of the cauliflower neighborhood, using climate adaptation as the main tool. The most important values of residents reflect how different groups of people see, use and own public spaces. The most successful way to upgrade the different public spaces in this type of neighborhood by using climate adaptation, is to consider user-values connected and adapted to the function of the spaces and experience-values in relation to the appearance of the spaces. This means that green has to be added as well as connected in a functional way, and at the same time needs to improve the general appearances. Existing green and water should be more accessible and connected to create a green infrastructure which will provide a cooling buffer, water retention, dynamic playing and recreational opportunities. In agreement with the municipality’s objectives, this means that a multifunctional spatial planning, higher green fraction and the addition of water and drought resistant plants, are the most successful climate adaptive principles to apply in different public spaces.
For Dutch new towns with similar political and spatial characteristics, this research can be valuable for renewing the public space of the cauliflower neighborhoods by using climate adaptation. However, the values and visions of individual residents are changeable and depending on many other (personal) factors. Generalizing those visions according to a commercial model for efficient planning is a flaw as well as a strength of this research. Future challenges in the field of climate adaptation in urban public spaces should address the current and future wishes and needs of different residents. Nevertheless, agreement should be the focus rather than differences. Clustering residents on their values about public space can be a valuable tool in participation planning techniques, in which the way of clustering should reflect the municipality’s objectives. Lastly, other influential actors can be applied in clustering, for example local businesses, stores and housing corporations. | |
