Ambition document ‘Interweaving of village and polder’
The housing shortage in Nagele is palpable. The village would like to expand, but how do you do that in a responsible way that is both appropriate to the iconic character and future-resistant? We drew up an ambition document together with Dérive architecten and the North-East Polder local authority.
Location
Gemeente Noordoostpolder
Principal
Gemeente Noordoostpolder
Partners
Dérive architecten en de gemeente Noordoostpolder
Surface Area
5039 ha.
Design Year
2023
Implementation
2023 -
The ambition document provides the building blocks with which Nagele can once again become the polder village of the future. A key element is the collective set of ideas on the basis of which Nagele was once designed. The ambitions are formulated, illustrated and collected in the document ‘Interweaving of village and polder’. The residential planning commission of the local authority appreciates our vision and ambitions and hopes that the further elaboration will offer residents of Nagele and starters the opportunity of living in one of the more than 300 dwellings that could result from the development.
Interweave, Improve, Collaborate and Innovate. These are the four ambitions with which Nagele intends to work on its expansion for housing. This can be achieved by expressly not regarding the land earmarked for the expansion as nothing but a building plot. This creates scope for interweaving with other functions. It is the opportunity to use the development as a lever to tackle the collective challenges of the village and the polder together. It is important to continue working on Nagele and to keep on telling the unique story. This will be a plus point for new residents and tourists and a catalyst for work, new facilities and the attractiveness of the village, which has been characterised by its sense of community. Working together and living together in a qualitative way is thus one of the four ambitions.
Nagele has a unique story. The urban layout was designed in the 1940s and 1950s by a joint ‘laboratory’ for designers of the functionalist New Building movement. Innovation is embedded in the village’s DNA, and innovation will remain important for the village in the future, for example by anticipating changes in housing – bio-based and nature-inclusive – and mobility, with an improved position for pedestrians and cyclists in relation to the car. This will create more space for meeting places and social life.
In compiling the ambition document we held discussions with, among others, Wouter Veldhuis (Board of Governmental Advisors), Anita Blom (Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency), Zef Hemel (University of Groningen) and residents (Nagele Village Interest). The illustrations in the document are by studio Knetterijs / Megan de Vos.