Vibrant Villages Westerveld
Renaissance of the countryside. Krasse Kernen examined how innovative residential environments can contribute to the vitality of landscape and villages in Westerveld, Drenthe.
The municipality has a housing task of about 800 homes until 2030: an increase of 9%. The area is rich in nature, heritage and protected village sites, which forms the basis for the residential environment valued by residents. How do new homes relate to these qualities?
The study summarised spatial values in village passports, as a quality framework for developments. Recipes for residential environments were developed from the passports. Ranging from new village edges (L) to infill on vacant sites and inner-village densification (M), to the smaller scale of topping up and transforming buildings (S), densifying linear villages and splitting homes (XS). Each recipe shows how the housing challenge can be linked to place (housing types, density, scale), landscape and spatial quality (landscaping, greenery, water), sustainability and circularity (food, materials, water, resources, energy) and connection to existing villages (routes, amenities, social cohesion).
The recipes were calculated based on data and statistic parameters and evaluated for feasibility. This provided insight into the theoretical possibilities in housing numbers per recipe and the estimated development space per villages with respect to infill and expansion. The study shows that both large and small-scale recipes can meet the housing challenge.
Year: 2022
Type: regional vision, design research, landscape and urban planning
Partner: municipality of Westerveld
Size: approx. 283 km2 of study area
Status: research completed
The design research was made possible by a grant from the Dutch Creative Industries Fund Industrie, under the Voucher Scheme Spatial Design – Vital Villages and Cities.
