Rotterdam – Detroit: Can Less Be More?

Explore Lab at TU Delft offeres graduate students a framework in which they can embed their thesis project. This framework consists of a ‘research by design’ contribution to one of the four themes of the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam 2012 (IABR). Supervisors of this TU Delft research are prof. Wouter Vanstiphout and Samir Bantal. After graduation there might be opportunities for finalizing and preparing the overall TU Delft contribution to the IABR.

The Twin Cities concept used in this biennale is aiming at studying four essential planning challenges with validity nearly all over the world, in four times two diametrically opposed contexts, in order to create the possibilities for serendipitous inventions, and to better understand the nature of these challenges and develop methodological tools both local effectiveness and broad validity. In the case of this studio Detroit and Rotterdam will be studied thoroughly. Not only through desk top research but also research ON SITE.

In seemingly two parallel universes two cities show an extremely accurate and similar evolution. Therefore the third Twin City is about the challenge faced by Rotterdam and Detroit to create a vibrant, metropolitan urban atmosphere and economy, while the city as a whole is not growing, even might be shrinking, and has an extensive, even fragmented structure. A city facing this challenge needs to make strict choices about concentrating program in certain places, needs to sometimes trim and triage underused buildings and infrastructure, in order to concentrate the existing program in such a way as to become vital and attractive again. After negative experiences with top down urban renewal projects, this process of optimizing the structure of a city in relation to its size, needs to be done in a responsive way however, making use of the existing actors and political dynamics; and of the existing urban and landscape qualities and heritage, while also imposing a strong and comprehensive new program on the city. This the challenge that both the city of Detroit and the city of Rotterdam are facing the coming years.