Rotterdam South is developing and the municipality of Rotterdam is continuing to take steps to make Rotterdammers feel at home in the South of the city. This Manifesto supports the development, offering inspiration and concrete proposals to make the South even better with a focus on increasing the quality of life.
We are a group of people with a big heart for Rotterdam South and together we wrote this Manifesto. A year and a half of talking, discussing, visualizing and sketching the environmental and spatial development in the South from all perspectives has resulted in this Manifesto, including a number of concrete sketches. We are happy to offer this to the city, in anticipation of and as an extension to the surrounding vision. This is because we want to make Rotterdam more beautiful by making the South a better place: living, learning and working in Rotterdam South, taking care of your own business, becoming who you aspire to be and working together.
A lot is happening in the South. There are beautiful surroundings and new construction developments such as Feijenoord XL, Feyenoord City, Hart van Zuid, ‘Perspective on the South’ by Mecanoo, the City Parks and the plans for the development of the Waal, Maas and Rijnhaven. Housing associations, project developers, architects and the municipality are making great plans and realizing them. There is good infrastructure in the fields of health and education.
Urban development requires big thinking and action from a joint perspective. Together with initiatives such as the National Program Rotterdam South, new educational locations, improving the housing stock and the above-mentioned initiatives, the next step can now be taken towards the delivery of Rotterdam South in all aspects. In the past, South Rotterdammers made the development of the port of Rotterdam possible, and equally now the current inhabitants are essential for the future of the city. The targeted investment in building is an investment in a good living environment and must aim at opportunities that improve the quality of life. In this way, unemployment in Rotterdam South and social problems can be reduced.
After all, beautiful plans are not an end in themselves. It's about the people in the South and how they can increase their prospects. Now is the time to take action and proceed. We look forward to the future and want to connect and strengthen existing initiatives with the ten points in our Manifesto.
1. Giving the residents of Rotterdam Zuid perspective: education, work and living.
2. Connecting the South with an innovative and healthy harbours.
3. The waterfront: a 10 km dike park that is easily accessible for neighbourhoods and the harbours.
4. Three focus areas on both sides of the Maas.
5. Round heart of Rotterdam: 5 km of walking and cycling via Maastunnel and Erasmus Bridge.
6. The renewed Oude Lijn with an Intercity Station for South: traintracks will be covered and become Stadium Park.
7. New metro station Charloisse Poort and metro station Slinge as an attractive centre for Pendrecht and Zuidwijk.
8. Transformation of Waalhaven and introduction of Campus Charloisse Port.
9. A high-quality public transport network in the short and long term, lines for the superbus, trams and metro.
10. Maashaven transformation and the construction of an informal bridge connection between Katendrecht and Tarwewijk.
Download and read full document 'Manifest Rotterdam Zuid'.
Francine Houben, Mecanoo
Gijs van den Boomen, KuiperCompagnons
Jesse Flink, Hart van Zuid
Hamit Karakus, Feijenoord XL
Maurice Unck, RET
Maria Molenaar, Woonstad
Ron Kooren, Albeda en VNO-NCW Rotterdam-Rijnmond
Marco Pastors, NPRZ
Wietske Vrijland, Maasstad ziekenhuis
Dominic Schrijer, betrokken burger Rotterdam Zuid
Ron Bormans, Hogeschool Rotterdam
Bob de Baedts, BOOR