Smart Urban Mix

The Netherlands is facing a pressing need to create 1 million homes by 2040, but the demand for workspace is equally urgent. In the logistics sector alone, around 35 million square meters of real estate is needed by 2050. This challenge extends to production, office space, and creative industry. Simultaneously, cities need to be more sustainable, climate adaptive, inclusive, and diverse despite limited available space. The Smart Urban Mix (SUM) concept emerges as a comprehensive solution to these complex issues.

Project
Powered by Brainport / Slimme Stedelijke Mix; bedrijventerreinen als woonkans
Location
Veldhoven, The Netherlands
Year
2023
GEVA BV
Woonbedrijf
Municipality of Eindhoven
Municipality of Veldhoven
Fontys University of Applied Sciences
Architectuurcentrum Eindhoven
Stimuleringsfonds Metropoolregio Eindhoven, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie
ABT, Alba Concepts, DGMR, Erasmus University, Fakton, Goudappel, Merosch, NulZes, Stec, Tauw, Techniplan
Design lead: Eric Frijters
Project leader: Elmira Jafari
Team members: Wesley Verhoeven, Jin-Ah Duijghuisen, Duong Bui, Chiara Tobia, Zaïd Mouhmouh, Lauren Antoine, Amin El-Didi, Ichen Hung, Rona Kong, Arina Novikava, Jaiho Park, Noshike Akabueze, Geneva Smith, Stefania Saridou, Lefkothea Spartioti, Igor Verbeeten, Ewa Ziemicka, Yuwei Zhao

“Smart Urban Mix is not only the foundation for an attractive urban environment for residents and entrepreneurs, but also maximizes opportunities for health, sustainability and economic growth.”

— Eric Frijters

In response to the pressing urban challenges and the urgency of urban densification, a new urban typology is needed. This typology addresses societal challenges, including environmental sustainability, energy transition, and circular economy principles. Its primary aim is to establish a new urban system that not only enables the coexistence of working, learning, and living without mutual interference, but also fosters synergy amongst them. The final result is a SUM prototype, which not only represents an intellectual framework, but also a concept, that is tested with stakeholders on a concrete location.

SUM envisions the creation of miniature cities where individuals can live, work, and learn harmoniously. Unlike traditional monofunctional or partially mixed neighborhoods, the success of SUM relies on diversifying collaboration among industry, government, knowledge institutions, and potential future users, including residents, entrepreneurs, businesses, workers, and students. This inclusive approach is essential for achieving the multifaceted goals of SUM in transforming urban spaces to meet the evolving needs of rapidly growing cities.

A new approach to urban planning

This study has been initiated by different parties including FABRICations, Woonbedrijf, GEVA Vastgoed, the Municipality of Veldhoven and Eindhoven, Architectuurcentrum Eindhoven, and Fontys University of Applied Sciences. In accordance with the triple helix concept, a consortium of stakeholders has been formed to promote collaboration among industry, government, and educational institutions. In order to allow the multiple helix stakeholders and experts to work together, the process of urban planning had to be redesigned. Innovative but complex in itself, this process aims to overcome the barriers that have both legislative, technical and process-oriented aspects in a hands on and interactive manner. It explores the possibilities of creating a new urban prototype in which high-quality living environments are designed next to manufacturing and makerspaces, all leading to a urban vision that is more sustainable, economically vital and desirably livable for residents, workers and visitors.

Testing the concept in a realistic setting

This study focuses on Brainport Eindhoven, an innovative ecosystem composed of high-tech industries, knowledge-based companies, and educational institutions. The region's future relies on attracting new talent, making it crucial to provide sustainable working and living spaces.

To address this need, the development and testing of the SUM prototype is introduced in the core of Brainport, where work includes development, manufacturing, experimentation and testing. Here, the project initiates a new living lab in De Run, an industrial park in the south of Veldhoven, where the prototype is being implemented.

This study leaves from the assumption of ‘doubling the city’. A living city is directly put on top of a working city. The resulting prototype is the outcome of testing the SUM concept in a realistic setting, with the aim to generate valuable insights, solve challenges and raise new questions. The realism is provided by projecting SUM in a real location together with the actual stakeholders and expertise knowledge. In the reimagining of our traditional urban blocks, a multidisciplinary team of experts has come together to undertake a comprehensive design process. They explore potential opportunities and solve apparent challenges in mixing various functions from different perspectives of environmental zoning, building regulations, logistical and mobility, financial and economic aspects, building physics, circularity, sustainability, and the critical examination of social dynamics.

“In order to allow the multiple helix stakeholders and experts to work together, the process of urban planning had to be redesigned.”

Challenges and opportunities

Mixed urban developments have the potential to offer many advantages: they form the foundation for an attractive urban environment, maximize opportunities for sustainability and circularity by facilitating exchange of energy and material flows between various functions, stimulate a thriving economy, address climate change, reduce working-living distance, and provide diversity and social inclusion.

However, achieving a successful function mix represents a multifaceted challenge in both architectural and urban planning realms. It goes beyond simply designing a new urban block; it necessitates a comprehensive revaluation of its seamless integration into the existing urban fabric while incorporating considerations for energy, waste, water, and material flows. Additionally, specific urban principles and strategies must be employed to ensure the adaptability and long-term resilience of a mixed neighbourhood.

Besides, the combination of production spaces with housing also brings new challenges, particularly in the domains of environmental zoning, building regulations, financial considerations, mobility and logistics, building physics, structural engineering, and urban planning. This study, through the categorization of these challenges into 12 distinct topics, has formulated guiding principles to transform these challenges into opportunities for sustainable development.

Future perspective

The transformation of large isolated industrial areas in the Eindhoven region should be seen as an integral part of a broader strategy contributing to the future economic development of the entire region. The implementation of the SUM prototype goes even beyond the Brainport region, serving as a catalyst for sustainability and economic growth.

The SUM prototype offers a practical solution for the renewal of industrial zones and business parks throughout the Netherlands' urban centers. In the face of urban expansion and the pressing need for efficient land use, the SUM prototype offers a pragmatic solution that fosters the harmonious coexistence of production activities and residential communities. This integration not only enhances the quality of life for residents but also provides opportunities for businesses to thrive in a collaborative environment.

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