Future of the area
Like in many other cases of mixing policies, there is a lack of an understanding of the social effects this plan will have for the Afrikaanderwijk. Looking at other neighbourhoods in the Netherlands where mixing policies are implemented, we should prepare for social segregation within the neighbourhood (Smets, 2006). In order to prevent the neighbourhood of having a dual society expression, with the low-income groups and their facilities on the one hand, and the new high-income groups with their own facilities on the other, the subject of social segregation and mixing people on a local scale should be further investigated. In the theoretical framework this topic is researched. In a later chapter about the planning framework, the Parkstad plan and its current and future developments will be discussed more elaborately.
There are a number of plans concerning urban renewal and new built areas in the South of Rotterdam. One of the largest future developments is the plan of Parkstad. This plan aims to develop new appartment blocks for higher and middle incomes on an empty piece of land where old train tracks used to run. Next to this new development, the housing corporation Vestia aims to restructure a part of the existing housing stock in the neighbourhood of Afrikaanderwijk. This Parkstad area will be a green residential area that will contain 1300 new dwellings. Also new facilities will be built, like a Havo/ VWO school, a XL supermarket (Albert Heijn), and more similar facilities for the new inhabitants. With this plan the municipality wants to attract new inhabitants, of a higher income group, to this area.
Financing category Luxurious More luxurious than normal Normal and luxurious between 40-60% More normal than luxurious Normal Study location Transformation task
Luxorious rent: > € 800 Luxorious private: > €245.000
0m
Fig. 4.14 Transformation task in Rotterdam (COS, 2009)
150m
Fig. 4.15 New plan ‘Parkstad’ for Afrikaanderwijk (Vestia, 2010)