Borne-Zenderen link

Atelier Overijssel is a workshop dedicated to improving and maintaining the spatial quality in the province of Overijssel. There are many developments taking place that change the appearance of the province and the various zones within it. One of the projects targeted by Atelier Overijssel is the 'Roads around the Village' project. Atelier Overijssel invited Strootman to conduct design research in the form of a quick scan for the projected A35 road link between Borne and Zenderen. From the workshop we learned that too little attention is paid to the new spatial qualities of the road, to new landscape synergy between the road and its surroundings, and to the developments to which the road gives rise in the near and distant future.

The direct reason to reflect on a new road near Borne is a rigorous measure proposed in the Borne Expansion Structural Plan (2002). That plan included the decision to remove a part of the provincial N743, namely between Bornsche Maten and the centre of Borne. The vision ‘Spatial design Borne/Zenderen road link’ outlines in three models a possible solution for the new route that takes the qualities of that landscape and future developments into account. Seven principles are formulated with which the models must comply, such as putting little pressure on the existing landscape, reducing traffic in the area, and use of the road as a structural support for urban developments.

The three models show which qualities can result from an integral approach to the area and which can emerge when attention is paid to the new spatial qualities of the road. Designing a new road is an opportunity to plan an attractive route that enables optimal enjoyment of the landscape. In the light of new urban developments, adopting an integral approach to the area in planning the new road also offers opportunities to strengthen the landscape itself.