The Green Singel_history of the Antwerp Ringscape
plans|stories|dreams
1906_2009
- Title Original : Dreaming of a Green River - the Antwerp Ringscape
- Website : http://www.ludion.be/#/en/architectuur-design/groene-singel
- Notes : Today, the design team of the city of Antwerp projects an ambitious plan on its urban fringe. The project for the Green Singel is part of a liveable and ecologically viable solution for the pressing problem of traffic circulation; at the same time it is in no way a tabula rasa imposed by a totally new spatial reality. Instead it builds on the existing qualities and functions of the various spots around Singel and Ring. The study tells about the history of the Antwerp Ring road, but apart from the sheer architectural point of view it also depicts its environmental paradox: the Ringscape round Antwerp is one of the city's biggest polluters, but it is also the most important green lung without the city might choke. It also tells a humon story, depicting the Antwerp citizens who have experienced the Ringscape throughout history, and how they still do. In this research the analysis of written sources is combined with a contemporary mapping technique. Besides the textual interpretation of historical sources, also cartographical analysis and graphic interpretation contribute to a better understanding of the infrastructure and urbanization project. Historical maps and technical drawings are combined with contemporary G.I.S. data in CAD programs and visualization tools. Reading and mapping, writing and drawing are therefore equivalent and complementary instruments for this research.
- Project start : 0000
- Project end : 0000
- Contact Person : Maarten Van Acker
- Funding Agency : city of Antwerp - university of Leuven
- Image Title : dreaming of a Green River
- Image Desc : Today, the design team of the city of Antwerp projects an ambitious plan on its urban fringe. The project for the Green Singel is part of a liveable and ecologically viable solution for the pressing problem of traffic circulation; at the same time it is in no way a tabula rasa imposed by a totally new spatial reality. Instead it builds on the existing qualities and functions of the various spots around Singel and Ring. The study tells about the history of the Antwerp Ring road, but apart from the sheer architectural point of view it also depicts its environmental paradox: the Ringscape round Antwerp is one of the city's biggest polluters, but it is also the most important green lung without the city might choke. It also tells a human story, depicting the Antwerp citizens who have experienced the Ringscape throughout history, and how they still do. In this research the analysis of written sources is combined with a contemporary mapping technique. Besides the textual interpretation of historical sources, also cartographical analysis and graphic interpretation contribute to a better understanding of the infrastructure and urbanization project. Historical maps and technical drawings are combined with contemporary G.I.S. data in CAD programs and visualization tools. Reading and mapping, writing and drawing are therefore equivalent and complementary instruments for this research.