With the redesign of the central Piet Soer square, Havelte has gained a green and accessible village center. In the middle of the square, a spacious and lush area has been created, bordered by a green “necklace”. Gentle slopes and topography with natural planting refer to the moraine landscape of the Havelterberg. As many as 50 new trees and spacious borders of perennials provide pleasant shady places to stay and biodiversity. The slopes are bordered by a natural stone seating edge surrounding the square. As a result, automobile traffic is more of a guest and primarily uses the edges of the square.

In the square floor, the historic aviation route (Amsterdam – Batavia in 1933) of aviation pioneer Piet Soer is made legible in the form of a line in the pavement. With this, the cultural-historical significance of the square has received more attention. In redesigning the square, a more modern look was deliberately chosen as a contrast to the historic ‘brink’ elsewhere in the village.

Year: 2019
Type: public space, participation
Client: Municipality of Westerveld
Size: 11,500 m2
Status: executed, completed and opened in May 2019
Partners: Havelte village community, Citeg
Photography: Nadine van den Berg