Urban nature: at home in the city

There are plants that thrive in the (sub)urban environment and can be seen growing in unexpected places. Some of these plants are adaptable species that exploit favourable growing conditions. Sometimes even so much so that they are considered a weed. Other plants can be found happily growing in the urban environment whilst botanists know them to be specialists of a particular growing environment. Some of these plant can be -locally-abundant in the (sub)urban environment whilst very rare in the wild. Urban Areas are now also included in the list of flora districts or habitats of the Low Countries.

Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) is known in America as Fireweed as it's often one of the first plants to reappear after a forest fire. The large flowers are followed by pods that produce large amounts of tiny plumed seeds that drift on the wind and float on water. It has a preference for damp to wet soil and is associated with disturbed ground. Here (shown left) it grows happily in a cracked concrete driveway. Throatwort, or the Nettle-leaved bellflower (Campanula trachelium) is a beautiful plant of woodland edges that was once abundant in coppiced woods. As that practice has been mostly abandoned the plant has become rare in the wild. Sometimes it can be found in a suburban setting in humus rich corners in cool shade. A close relative, the Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides), can be found growing along the side of pavements against north-facing facades. This perennial, that naturally thrives in the dry shade of woodlands and hedgerows, spreads by underground runners and can become a weed in gardens. It is a protected and rare species in the Low Countries, but has become established in several cities.

Typical woodland species can become very abundant in urban parks, graveyards and gardens. Hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica) grows naturally in hedgerows and in the dappled shade of the woodland edge. It can become abundant in parks on rich soil (shown left). Another indicator of rich soils is Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea), an evergreen ground cover that isn't related to Ivy but  rather to Woundwort and Sage. It thrives in moist shady areas, and will invade the sunny turf of a lawn given sufficient moisture. Enchanters' nightshade (Circaea lutetiana) is another species normally found in moist woodland on rich soils. As it tolerates deep shade it is often found in 19th century parks that have become overgrown and as a result densely shaded.

Experimental dwellings: Housing Expo "De Fantasie" & "De Realiteit" Almere

The city of Almere is a New Town built in one of the reclaimed polders of the Zuiderzee as a new satellite for Amsterdam. This makes Almere the youngest city in the Netherlands, and also an example of a completely planned community (Hoofddorp, Nieuw-Vennep, Nagele, Emmeloord, Lelystad and Dronten are other examples). Almere was named for a former lake the Almere, that was roughly located where the new city was proposed. The city was conceived as a multinuclear suburban satellite composed of distinct sections surrounded by green (parks, playing fields, woodland etcetera). On land drained in 1968 (and known as the South Flevoland Polder) development of the first section Almere-Haven (Almere Harbour) started in 1976.This section was built as a self-sustaining village with its own little centre and amenities. In 1980 work started on Almere-Stad, the central section. Development progressed with Almere-Buiten (1984), Almere-Hout (1992) and Almere-Poort (2000). Plans are now being developed for Almere-Pampus.

The new high-density city centre of Almere as viewed from across the Weerwater lake. There are plans to move the power lines that now cut across the water.

As part of a rethink dubbed Almere 2.0 the idea is to make the city into a "true city" with a clear high-density centre. This will be developed along the northern edge of the Weerwater (a large artificial lake) and connected via a new "urban loop" around the lake's edge to a new, equally high-density mixed office and residential development near the motorway dubbed "the hub". The goal is to grow Almere to a city of 350,000 inhabitants by 2030. For this the local council is looking at increasing employment opportunities, as the city is basically a sleeper or commuter town.

Some of the towers of the new city centre and the way these new buildings are used to frame a view across the adjoining artificial lake.

Almere is known for its neighbourhoods of similar housing in a style typical of the building period. Owner-occupied and socially rented housing are mixed, as is usual in the Netherlands. As such most of the housing developed up to the 1990s is seen as bland and suffering from sameness and a lack of imagination. As land was cheap, it all belonged to the state as it was once the bottom off a bay,  Almere was seen as a good place for experimentation. So two experimental neighbourhoods De Fantasie (The Fantasy) and De Realiteit (The Reality) were developed. This sounds impressive but these experiment were at a diminutive scale compared to the normal housing production. A third architectural experiment called De Eenvoud (The Simplicity) is nearing completion.

Two of the winning entries of the first design competition "De Fantasie", are located next to the Weerwater. These temporary dwellings have been expanded to become proper houses.

In 1982 the design contest titled "Ongewoon Wonen" (= unusual housing) was declared by the Committee De Fantasie. The central theme was to design an experimental dwelling without foundations as a temporary structure. Building regulations were waved. For the selected submissions 10 plots near the Weerwater lake were set aside by the Rijksdienst IJsselmeerpolders (the municipality of Almere had not yet been established) for a period of 5 years. The idea was to take the dwellings down after this exhibition period. They remained however, and have even been extended in parts.

The entries that were built for "De Realiteit" are equally adventurous, often displaying a typical Postmodern signature. On the left a house built from reused materials. On the right the house on stilts to evoke the fact that soil level is below sea level called "Boven de zeespiegel" (Above sea level) by Wagenaar & Weysenfeld.

Due to the success of the first design competition, it was followed in 1985 by a second one with the motto "Tijdelijk Wonen" (= temporary housing). Each winning entry was given a 20 by 20 metres square plot along a street with a building subsidy of 10.000 guilders. Along a street dubbed De Realiteit 17 structures were erected. Like the houses on The Fantasy, the buildings on The Reality have not been torn down, although they were meant as a temporary showcase of experimental housing solutions. As such these examples are comparable to housing expo's of the interwar period, like the Weissenhofsiedlung and the Werkbund Siedlung.

Another example of Postmodernism from "de Realiteit" called "De naam van het huis" (the name of the house) by Hans Hammink.

Following on from these experiments, it was decided in 2006 that there should be a third instalment called "De Eenvoud". Another design competition was launched; again focussing on creative new ways of (re)using materials and realising -relatively- cheap and simple freestanding dwellings. New was a focus on energy neutral living. The houses are being built on 12 plots located on the edge of a housing estate aimed at self-builders called Noorderplassen - Noordwest (North Lakes - Northwest).

Urban nature: wild in the city

Apart from the often extremely stony en mostly built-over areas of town centres and large cities, the urban landscape provides numerous habitats as a result of human intervention. Some are famous amongst botanists, such as railway sidings, for their unique flora. Other habitats are more accidental and more often than not involve changes to the soil or drainage situation. Since the 1980s local authorities have been cutting back on maintenance, so now many lawn are cut less often creating a habitat for specific grassland species.

On a sand depot left to settle as a foundation for a new tramway many pioneer plants of sandy soils have found a favourable growing environment. On the left the Yellow Sweet-clover (Melilotus officinalis) is a sweetly scented biannual that likes well-drained open soils. The close relative, Bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), in the middle, is a common legume found mostly in sandy grassland vegetations. Many insects depend on this plant for food and nectar. The Biting stonecrop (Sedum acre) is mostly found on dry sandy soils and along roadsides as it can tolerate gritting salt. It is a low growing groundcover perennial that benefits from mowing in dry periods as every succulent leaf can root on bare soil and quickly establish a new plant.

Another plant that is often found along roads is Sheep's bit scabious (although I know it as Little blue bonnets). This plant (shown on the left) often found on seaside cliffs and open heathland, is generally short-lived, often is grows as an annual. This relative of the bellflowers is highly attractive for bees. Bellflowers have become increasingly rare in the wild due to changing practices in agriculture.  The Rampion bellflower (Campanula rapunculus) was once used as a foodplant and eaten like spinach. Now it is rarely seen in dry meadows and increasingly along roads and motorways, as shown in the middle. Speedwell (Veronica chamandrys) also grows in roadside verges and other grassland, as long as the soil is somewhat moist and not too rich in nutrients. It is often seen as a weed growing in lawns as it tolerates mowing. That does prevent it from flowering. Any park with suitable soil deserves sways of these lovely blue flowers...

Brandevoort part 2, the suburban estates or "Buitens"

The suburban estates or "Buitens" of Brandevoort are themed urban fields separated from each other by green fingers. This makes each suburban estate a distinct spatial unit. In the themed approach of New Urbanism each estate has been given a theme that has been translated into distinct characteristics that have in turn been written down in a Quality Plan that all buildings and public space has to adhere to. Here a view across some fields along the Eindhoven Shipping Canal towards the "Stepekolk". 

The theme for "Stepekolk" is the rural vernacular. The old farmhouses along the narrow country lane of the same name are the reference for an architecture that is best characterised as eclectic vernacular. These whitewashed semidetached houses for instance refer clearly to garden villages of the 1920s and 1930s.

The layout of the streets is reminiscent of historic garden villages. The streets lack the green verges of the "garden village standard", but to be fair in a lot of Dutch examples they are also absent. Small street trees are a must however. The same goes for front gardens. The hedges have been prescribed in the Quality Plan. The same is true of the orange clay roofing tiles that are a feature of this suburban estate.

The detailing in the buildings also varies. It ranges from the truly rural vernacular -shown on the right- with mostly thatched roofs, sawtooth frieze in brick and wooden window shutters, to a garden village aesthetic -shown on the left- with small dormers on low roofs with rounded awnings. These awnings are known as "markies" in Dutch (that name translates as marquis and is derived from an sun sail over an officers tent).

In several places the garden village layout is used to evoke the desired rural feel. Here linked semidetached properties are placed around a large green. There has been some effort to emphasise the corners, but this isn't done with the classic Unwinesque treatment. Here some of the pre-existing trees have been saved and used in the public space.

From the edge of "Stepekolk" the neighbouring estate of "Brand" can be seen across the nature conservation area along the Schootense loop (the stream that ran here before the development of the housing). Again orange clay roof tiles have been prescribed for all roofs on this estate. The detailing, use of materials and colours differs as the theme for "Brand" is colonial housing.

In this estate all the roads have wide grassy verges planted with trees to evoke a New-Holland feel. The houses are spaced wider apart and are arranged in a more formal manner along the streets. The roofline follows the direction of the streets, except on corners were the buildings are often higher with a lunette vaulted roof (or roofs).

The colonial theme is prescribed for all architecture. All houses have a white picket fence along a green verge. The upper section of the building is clad in wood, painted white, above a lower section in brick. Verandas, porches and balconies in wood are added as a feature and ornament. The semidetached house (left) also has awnings on the first floor above the porch balcony. The building has an I-shaped floor plan. The detached dwelling on the right, has several balconies above porches, one of which has been extended to support a lunette vaulted roof.

In the estate "Brand" some of the old buildings of the hamlet of the same name have been incorporated. The name "brand" refers to a peat moor where peat was cut for fuel. This naturally wet area demanded extra measures for a sustainable drainage system after development. So here the verges have been excavated. These dry ditches are used to collect rainwater from the houses an pavements and store it temporarily so it can drain into the soil or run into the stream further along.

The Brandevoortse Dreef (= Brandevoort Drive) is a wide tree lined road that is sunk slightly below the surrounding area. This major road is part of the new ring road of Helmond. Along the banks on each side a free lying cycle path has been incorporated, as is the norm for such roads in the Netherlands. These cycle paths are usually red in colour (this isn't a legal requirement mind you!).Here this ring road separates the estates of "Brand" and "Schutsboom".

The Estate of "Schutsboom" is located east of the ring road and has also been themed. Here the Quality Plan prescribes buildings in the style of "those cosy days gone by" in effect garden village architecture from the 1920s and 1930s.The emphasis on variety can be clearly seen in the variation of roof shapes of these detached properties. All buildings share the brick facades (in natural earth tones or whitewashed) with roofs covered with grey clay tiles.

The little chapel of Saint Anthony, the patron saint for the recovery of lost items, holds a very old wooden statue. The chapel itself was rebuilt after WW2. The chapel was -and is- a pilgrim destination and stands on a large village green. In other places similar greens have been incorporated into the layout of the housing estate (see example on the right). This gives the whole a clear connection to garden city models as defined by Unwin, Muthesius and Feenstra.

The treatment of the streets is rather varied in this section of Brandevoort. More than in other estates pre-existing country lanes have been incorporated into the layout. The original buildings of the hamlet of Schutsboom have also been incorporated into the new housing estate. Here an example of a narrow one-way street with a two-way cycle path -in red- alongside a wide green verge planted with trees.

The architecture follow the Quality Plan very precisely. This is the result of strong quality control by the local council. The buildings in the estate of "Schutsboom" either have an 1930s aesthetic with brownish brick-built facades, white roof trims, dormers and robust (but short) chimneys; or reference the  whitewashed housing of garden villages or workers housing with high gable ends culminating in a chimney.

Some residential squares, resembling garden city closes, have been included in the plan for this estate. The narrow alleys with high -prescribed- hedges on either side evoke this 1930s garden village feel really well. The small green at the centre creates a nice focus for the rather loosely arranged buildings around it. The spatial distribution of the houses has been optimised for efficient land use not for Unwinesque spatial effects.   

The white housing is located in separate sections, so every neighbourhood within the estate has a distinct identity. These houses are rather similar in appearance. They all share the same floor plan but differ in the options chosen by the buyers. So some have dormers, others have roof lights. Some have awnings (again "markiezen"), wooden shutters or larger feature windows. The curve and the situation along an elongated green creates a sense of place.

Another example of a green, here used for playing. More in keeping with historic examples the buildings have been arranged in terraces or as linked semidetached houses. The latter type has been popular in the Netherlands since the 1930s. The houses feature the trademark high end gables, resembling spout gables, dormers and square bay windows on the ground floor. In places these neighbourhoods of Brandevoort come across as a pastiche of historic examples of garden villages, but overall the spatial and visual qualities are well above what is usually found in typical Vinex large-scale housing projects.