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Contents
There
is a lack of diversity and variety throughout the
District of Overvecht
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Lack
of pride in place
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Difficult
to feel proud of the local green and open
spaces
- improve
so that people can cherish them
- the
idea of a Green Overvecht is a major component
of the District's potential to become something
special within Utrecht
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Appearance
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Improve
impression of Overvecht
- Overvecht
is dull to look at
- the
District lacks any wild looking
areas
- strengthen
its image as a 'good' place in which to
live
- needs
to be recognisable as an attractive place in
which to live if problems relating to social
exclusion are not to take over
- there
needs to be more differentiation in the
housing
- neglect
of external environment
- consider
developing north Overvecht as a particularly
green looking area and the southern part as a
more urban looking area - more active - make
them look like different 'places'
- reduce
the regularity of the views
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Lack
of visual variety and delight
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- described
as boring and dull by many local
people
- trees
look the same -
monoculture and mono age rules
- little
colour in the landscape particularly in winter;
the buildings too are colourless
Cannot
easily see or experience the other local
landscapes
- the
Forts
- the
rural landscape
- the
river landscape
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Lack
of human scale
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- The human
scale should be central to the redesigning of
Overvecht
- including: slower traffic and ultimately lower
buildings
- reduce width of roads
- make pedestrian crossings which give priority
to people not cycles and vehicles
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Lack
of things to do/places to go
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Nothing
to do in the local open spaces
- no
round walks utilising the local landscape
features
Cannot
easily get to the other local landscapes
- the
Forts are perceived as inaccessible and once
there, there is "nothing to do"
- the
rural landscape is inaccessible because of the
road
- the
river landscape is underused as it is not
possible to make a walk directly along the river
bank
- lots
of greenspace but needs linking into a more
obvious structure - the paths through it need to
go somewhere - schools, sports areas,
etc.
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Lack
of nature
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No
variety of natural habitats across the
District
- area
between Polderweg and de Vecht should be kept
for nature
- little
variety in wildlife across the District
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Lack
of art
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Little art in
Overvecht
This
is not entirely true as there are many sculptures -
but it is difficult to find them.
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Lack
of a visible structure
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Everything in
the District has to 'fit together'
- eliminate
dead corners and 'left over' spaces
- the
external environment should support what the
users want, just as much as the
buildings
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Lack
of any 'Sense of Place'
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Lack
of 'sense of place'
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The
District could be anywhere in the
Netherlands
- in
many parts of the site a person could be
anywhere within it - no visual clues to 'the
place'
- spaces
too anonymous
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Lack
of landmarks
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Difficult
to understand where one is within the site
- so
many buildings are the same (despite the efforts
to paint them different colours)
- easy
to "feel lost"
- lack
of local focal points at walking speed and at
eye level
- lack
of local focal points at driving
speed
- redesign
Einsteindreef and Brailledreef- Zamenhof as
entrances to the District
- consider
making more of corner of Zambeziedreef as a
landmark
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Lack
of safe/secure outdoor space
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Many
people feel unsafe outside their homes and in the
parks, particularly at dusk and after dark
- many
older people do not go out at night as they do
not feel safe
- many
children are not allowed out of their apartment
to play as parents consider the 'outside'
unsafe
- more
lighting needed where people cross roads and
along any cycle and walkways
- any
dense planting should be well back from edge of
walkways
- Overvecht's
main roads so wide that it is frightening to
move through the space at night especially for
slow moving older people and those with
disabilities
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Lack
of users in greenspace
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The
lack of people in and moving through many of the
spaces increases insecurity
- busy
space is safe space
- greenspace
should be lively
- parks
are not lively enough - improving their
usability would attract many more people into
them, so they are used in daytime and in the
evenings
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Lack
of sense of history
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There
is history surrounding and underlying this District
- make the local people and visitors aware of
this
- the
Museum of Utrecht should be involved in
interpreting the Forts
- historic walking/cycling route
possible
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Lack
of differentiation between public and private
space
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There is no
clear demarcation between private and public space
in the areas immediately adjacent to people's
homes
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confused ownership/responsibility - who has the
right to control use and, therefore, people's
expected behaviour in local open spaces
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Lack
of outdoor 'meeting places'
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Nowhere
to sit near home
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Few
places to walk to near the home, lack of places to
stop and sit when walking to shops
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places one would hope to meet familiar faces for a
chat
- places just to sit and watch the world go by
- places to rest in while the children play
- places which feel safe and no one feels
threatened
- places which both old and young feel attracted to
use
- few sitting spaces near bus stops
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Nowhere
to sit on way to and from shops, etc.
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Few
sitting spaces and fewer still which feel safe and
inviting to use on the way to and from the shops/
schools/work
- make lots of small meeting spaces along main
walking routes
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Lack
of community owned outside spaces
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Greenspaces
need to belong to specific houses
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Summary
of the particular problems faced by the different
age groups and culture groups in relation to local
greenspaces, and possible solutions
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Older
people
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Many
people feel unsafe outside their homes and in the
parks, particularly at dusk and after dark
- many older people do not go out at night as they
do no feel safe
- no provision for short, middle and longer
distance circular walks
-set up a special system to help older people look
after the green areas adjacent to their
homes
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Children
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Many
children are not allowed out of their apartment to
play, as parents consider the 'outside' unsafe
- spaces adjacent to houses are boring for
children
- need 'indoor' sheltered play facilities adjacent
to the play areas
- more places needed to support informal play near
the home
- provide more of the 'controlled' playgrounds and
extend their opening hours
Note:
many of the present play areas and sports areas are
'brutal' in scale, style and appearance due to
perceived need to make them vandal
proof
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Youths
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More
meeting places needed for young people but spread
these out so as to avoid any dense concentration of
young people; place near other facilities, not too
isolated
- have special facilities for 12 to 15 year olds -
girls as well as boys near the "Speeltuinen"
(existing adventure play areas)
- the
present hangout areas alienate older people; need
new better quality spaces fro youth integrated into
the main greenspaces in locations which are well
used by the whole community
- eradicate 'youth only'
spaces
- set up a
system whereby young people can do something useful
for their community, so that they too can feel
ownership of spaces and places
- allow the young people to feel a sense of
achievement through building something and looking
after it
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Other
adults
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No
specific issues mentioned by the inhabitants -
surveys rarely address the particular needs of this
age group.
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Summary
of the particular problems of the parkland and the
adjacent rural area, and possible
solutions
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Parkland
areas
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Encourage
more use of parkland
- make the parks more noticeable and greener and in
places more open
- more lighting in parks
- more supervision in parks
- more active recreational and play
possibilities
- encourage neighbourhood clubs which use the
parks
- encourage catering facilities - tea room and ice
cream parlour
- areas of concentrated use within the
greenspace
- reactivate the open air theatre
- locations with specific 'busy ' recreational
functions
- make a bigger distinction between the parks and
the surrounding greenspace to draw attention to
parkland as different from the housing land
- use more fences
--the
parklands have the potential to support a greater
level of biodiversity
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Park
de Gagel
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Park
de Gagel does not look like a 'special place': it
should be the heart of the northern part of the
District
- pond and central" area need much upgrading and
improvement to become a special attraction
- more supervision of the park area needed
- improve catering facilities - including a terrace
for drinks and snacks
- extend opening hours of the enclosed
playground
- artificial snow
(winter play needed)
- better access for wheel chairs and prams
- improve the level of maintenance immediately
- improve the 'furniture' and add more
- more parking needed for visitors
- areas of wet and marshy soil in north need
dealing with
-the
Park is an ecological desert for an area of this
size - increase the range of natural habitats
within the Park to enhance biodiversity
- dogs in Park make many people afraid: fence park
to keep them out
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Park
de Watertoren
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Park
de Watertoren does not look like the focal point it
should be in Overvecht: it could be the heart of
the southern part of the District
- it must stay green looking and well treed
- animal pasture should be kept and made more like
a city farm
- passage of cycles and 'brommers' (mopeds) should
be controlled better
-facilities should be improved
- have a terrace for drinks and snacks
- more landmarks needed
- longer opening hours for the successful
Bouwspeeltuin (adventure play)
- use
proximity to Centre and redesign Park to encourage
people out into it, but do so in a way that does
not make anybody nervous to go into the Park
- improve access for prams and wheelchairs
- redesign the area near Mosel and Marnedreef to be
a part of the Park in which people stay - rather
than just pass through; this will make the Park
feel safer to use
- improve the present standard of maintenance
and
supervision
- the roads through the Park threaten people and
discourage its use
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areas of wet and marshy soil need dealing
with;
these have the potential to be developed into areas
with a different sort of natural habitat (different
plants and animals)
-the Park is an ecological desert for an area of
this size - increase the range of natural habitats
within the Park to enhance biodiversity
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dogs in Park make many people afraid: fence park to
keep them out
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Children's
Farm/City Farm
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City
Farm - the present "kinderboerderij" centres in the
parks could be amalgamated and upgraded to make one
high quality City Farm with good access for all -
this could be associated with green management
training schemes for the local people
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Park
de Klopvaart
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More needs to
be made of the potential of this linear park - it
needs clear connections to other parts of the
District
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the edges of the canal have the potential to
support a special range of plants and wildlife and
to aid in the enhancement of biodiversity in this
part of Overvecht
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Park
de Vechtzoom
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Park
de Vechtzoom has potential to become somewhere very
special within Utrecht City; it needs to be
redesigned so that its focus is the river, as a
riverside Park
- improve access to Park from the east and
south
- have an old people's home overlooking the river
and nearby have a children's crèche
- have houses along de Vecht - high quality
buildings
- make a crossing over the river for pedestrians
and cyclists to Zuilen and the city centre (away
from the main roads)
- dogs in Park make many people nervous: fence park
to keep them out
- make more open looking: accentuate the river
- use part of hospital site to link Vechtzoom Park
into the rest of the District's greenspaces - at
present it is as if it is separate
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there are areas within this Park where small
extents of natural habitat could be introduced with
benefit, but for safety ensure that there is no
dense planting near walkways or cycle
routes
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Norderpark
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Make
good links to the proposed Norder Park
- safe crossings needed - frightening at
present
- more links and entrances
- make Norder park part of Overvecht
- make links from the District's greenspace system
into the Park
- consider making a bridge across the main
road
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Other
potential parks
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Park
Shanghaidreef has a landscape with a special
character; to maintain this needs special
maintenance and upgrading solutions
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Forts
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Make something
special of the Forts (from the Napoleonic period) -
something children can learn from: fort as history,
etc.
- make round walks/cycle routes
Link
Forts adjacent to the District with others further
away - cycle routes with interpretation of points
of interest
-the areas forming the Forts have the potential to
carry a wider range of natural habitats within the
Parkland to enhance biodiversity
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Fort
de Klop
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Make a
'harbour' in the Fort
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Fort
Blauwkapel
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Blauwkapel Fort
presents a real opportunity to enhance interest in
the area
- it needs to be connected with Overvecht so that
it can be perceived as part of the District's
greenspace system: at present there is no obvious
route to get into it
- it needs picnic places, restaurants and cafes to
make it a special place to go to
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Summary
of the particular problems of the Parkway Roads,
Parking Areas and Access Roads , and possible
solutions -
see
also Traffic issues
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Parkway
roads and the main highways
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Make the
landscape of the main roads so that they give a
strong visible structure to the District
- add housing along Carnegiedreef
to
make it look more urban
- use the spaces set aside along the major roads as
ecological corridors, but ensure that only low
growing flowering meadows are created where people
cross through the areas on foot or cycle
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Parking
areas and access roads
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Many
of the parking areas are 'brutal' in appearance
- lack any intricate 'doorstep' meeting and waiting
spaces
- lack of plant material
- many trees look unhealthy
- lack of 'delight'
- lack of privacy for bottom windows
- make more interesting
- make a better quality environment
- people would like their own parking bay
- parking areas have to be safe places for people
and cars
- parking areas take too much space - consider
garages (note: safety implications)
- make parking areas more private"- have barriers
to restrict access and differentiate from other
road surfaces
- make more urban street-like areas
- residents do not want to see too may cars at
once
- reduce hard area; provide more private spaces
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there is space within many of the Parking
courtyards to develop small areas of wildlife
gardens; although these are not naturalistic
habitats they can support a range of insect (e.g.
butterflies) and bird life
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Summary
of the particular problems and opportunities
associated with the greenspaces within and near the
houses and apartment blocks and in the Central
area, and possible solutions
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Doorstep
greenspaces and open space
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Municipal
landscape solutions of the type and style found
next to almost all the housing within the District
cannot function as a landscape to support the
activities of those who live in the housing
blocks
- outdoor recreational opportunities are needed
near the home
- make the "binnenhoven" more interesting and
greener
- the quality of the greenspaces needs improvement
and they need linking into the main greenspace
structure
- make greenspaces near buildings more usable- this
will increase social control
- more supervision of spaces needed
- make a small local park, Rio de Janierodreef, fit
into adjacent greenspaces
- investing in these spaces outside the housing
will increase social and economic value
- make the spaces next the home multifunctional and
more usable
-- children
and older people to be encouraged to work together
to tidy and maintain their local spaces, perhaps
even on a regular basis
- the present lack of private space is not
compensated for by the extent of public space
within the District - they are two different
things; more private/'controlled' space is
needed
- strengthen open and greenspace near homes - make
good public/private distinction
- more multi- functional and flexible use of spaces
needed
- do not segregate people, rather encourage
interaction
- make the spaces next to the buildings more
beautiful and perhaps more productive
- use the local community to reorganise and improve
its greenspaces
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many of these spaces have 'shadow' problems from
the high buildings and large trees; redesign to
make maximum use of sunny corners in the winter/
spring and summer periods
- many of these spaces are very overlooked which
deters people from using them as general daily
spaces; redesign to allow much more diversity of
spaces and so increase the number of people using
the areas
- add lighting for evening/night safety - not
municipal lamp posts but special garden
lighting
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it would be possible to have small specialist
vegetable/ herb growing areas within any redesigned
'Doorstep Greenspaces'
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there is space within many of the greenspaces
adjacent to housing to develop small areas of
wildlife garden; although these are not
naturalistic habitats they can support a range of
insects (e.g. butterflies) and bird life which can
be a source of delight for those living nearby
- it would be possible to build small winter
gardens (conservatories) adjacent to places
occupied by older people; these could be heated in
winter by waste heat from building blocks
- consider local storage of water from roofs for
watering plants in these spaces
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Allotments
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There is a need
for places to grow vegetables within the housing
areas, despite the large area of allotments to the
north of the District
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possibility of different ethnic groups growing
specialist vegetables/herbs near their homes could
be explored, as could using waste heat from
building blocks to warm small
greenhouses
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Private
gardens
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Making screens
too high around the private gardens gives a fenced
in feel for passers-by
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in many places it would be possible to redesign the
garden boundaries to reduce the number of small,
left over plots of grass between the footpaths and
the garden fence
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Local
Centres
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The local
centres need redesigning totally - make more focal
points - concentrate more activities there
- do not leave empty premises: if no takers change
into housing quickly
- consider setting up workshops for young local
entrepreneurs
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Sports
facilities
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Create
more very local sports possibilities
- little features like jeux de boules
- sports clubs need encouraging as places to
meet
- existing sports facilities need improving
-
raise the quality of the local landscapes around
the sports fields: make more friendly; improve
lighting; investigate having more supervision and
increase use by sports clubs
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Ice
rink area
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Make more of
the proximity to the ice rink and develop the
potential of that part of the City to support day
recreation; add a cinema - there is good parking
there
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Water
areas
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Make
a water plan - water is a beautiful element in any
scene; water areas should be treated carefully and
in conjunction with the greenspaces through which
they flow - make the link between water and green
into a special feature
- housing by water is a missing element here - have
an area like Waterrijk Boskoop
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the water areas have the potential to be the core
for introducing a wider range of naturalistic
habitats
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de
Vecht river
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Make
more of de Vecht river
- de Vecht river needs to be perceived as part of
the District of Overvecht, a distinctive element in
it
- a pedestrian route is needed along the river edge
and a bridge for cycles and pedestrians over the
river
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de
Klop canal
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New
urban villa housing along the canal
suggested
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de
Watertoren canals
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de
Watertoren canal system needs
improvement
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The
Centre
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More needs to
be made of the Centre of the District; it needs to
be a special place
- free parking is an advantage
- needs a sports facility - allow football/kick
about, etc. to be played - perhaps on roof of
parking garage or warehouse. Needs to be well lit
and with lots of people around if it is to work and
not become a threatening place
- improve the quality of all the public spaces in
and around the Centre
- make more high quality open space outside
- need special elements to give sense of being in a
particular 'place' - a style of design, style of
furniture, paving and signing
- make more of the outside spaces and the
canals
- make a special square
- use proximity to Park de Watertoren and redesign
to encourage people out into the Park - but do so
in a way that does not make anybody nervous of
going into the Park
- build student flats nearby
- connect station with shops - make into a
promenade with shops
- poor link between offices, shops and the road -
redesign
-business is taking more and more land and now
parking has become a problem - this needs sorting
out
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The
Station
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More needs to
be made of the station to encourage people to use
the train system - it needs to appear more
important
- make more of the route between the station and
the Centre
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Schools
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Too much litter
is produced by school children - this problem needs
solving
- make more of the schools' facilities for the
whole community; this could be organised by the
Wijkbureau
- make a public biological garden near a school for
children and adults - all segments of the community
to be involved in making this facility, so they
learn to work together to make their environment
better and more stimulating
- encourage links with local businesses
- improve school yards - make greener
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Special
ideas and features suggested for the District by
the local people, which impinge on greenspace and
its use
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Pride
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Allow
local people to feel proud of Overvecht
- communicate this pride to others
- people need to identify with their home
environment
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'Drop-in'
centre
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Somewhere
a local person can go just to make a suggestion
about a place or about a facility and to inform the
District when a particular maintenance activity
needs to be increased in frequency
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Information
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Need
to keep local people informed as to
changes
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Use
of Cycles
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Encourage
local people to use their cycles
- cycle track users should have priority over cars
within the housing area
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Local
work projects
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Keep
local youngsters busy
- the present level of youth unemployment is having
an impact on local people's feelings of safety when
they are outside their homes
- encourage local small enterprises to start, and
use local labour
- encourage more local involvement in the market
and particularly ethnic groups who might initially
sell specialist foodstuffs
- provide more opportunity to work from home or in
small local workshop in blocks of flats/disused
buildings - more flexibility by planners needed to
enable this multi-use of land
- encourage a telework complex
- catering facilities in the Parks could be small
local businesses if given financial incentives
- recycling businesses could be encouraged on
appropriate sites and with good controls
- could encourage more car servicing facilities
- link small local businesses and schools
- encourage small business, e.g. bookshop, into
Centre - the shops are not varied enough
- make training opportunities for those who want to
learn to work with 'green'
- provide cheap and easy access to basic workshop
space for local inhabitants wanting to start a
business
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Set
up a "Stichting" (Foundation) to help older people
stay in their homes
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There
is a need for a special organisation which older
people can contact to get help with gardening and
maintenance and with little jobs such as: laundry,
shopping, joinery etc.
- need a contact point to phone
Provide a 'Work Pool' for all ages so people can
volunteer to help others and ask for help when they
need it
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Use
Forts as special places and features
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Have
facilities in the Fort areas : work places, play
areas, recycling facilities/shops, bed and
breakfasts
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Art
Route
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Have a special
'Art Route' through the District:
- permanent and temporary exhibitions outside and
on walls, with the possibility of visiting artists
in their studios or buying art
- opportunities for youth to work with artists - an
Art Centre
- could become economic activity - art courses for
all age groups
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Cars
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Overvecht
should remain a place in which cars can move freely
- as distinct from the traffic control necessary in
other high density developments
- traffic drives too fast along some roads and some
are congested
- improve the links to Overvecht North
- the new District Traffic Plan has too many slow
roads
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Liveability
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Make everywhere
more liveable to increase social cohesion
- increasing use of parks makes them safer
- more catering facilities - cafes, restaurants,
but not too near homes because of noise
- be positive about keeping the District clean of
litter - find a means of monitoring it
- the present level of litter in parts of the site
detracts from liveability
- blowing litter could be caught in hedges as long
as they are regularly cleaned; empty yellow bins
more often
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Traffic
Issues
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Safe
walkways
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Structure the
walking routes
- there should be a safe walk linking the parks and
major greenspaces - with bridges over the main
roads and priority to pedestrians along the
route
- a crossing over de Vecht river is needed
- round walks are needed - use de Vecht and the
Forts as focal points on one route; if such a walk
passed the Centre then walkers could pick up a
picnic there - link activities along the main
routes
- connect station with shops - make into a
promenade with shops
-
make lots of small meeting spaces along main
walking routes some with interesting things to do/
experience
- consider
easily walkable bridge over Carneigiedreef
- make all crossings friendly to people of all
ages
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Safe
cycle ways
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Lay out a high
quality cycle route with links to business areas,
the Centre and out into the surrounding town and
rural area
- have cycle parking facilities at Overvecht
station and at major bus stops
- need clear signing and easily recognised route
ways for the cyclists
- provide smooth surfaces cycle route - coloured
for easy identification
- need good cycle route from station to business
areas - this should be as straight as possible to
allow for maximum speed
- all road crossing points should be cycle and
wheelchair friendly
- for safety along the Carnaigiedreef the cycle way
should be two way - along this road the cars ignore
cycle priority, but this has to change - cars must
be slowed down
- a cycle way is needed along Brailledreef
- the green crossing light for cycles should give
them priority for longer at all main road
crossings
- have a crossing over de Vecht river in the area
of the Park
- connect station with shops
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Vehicular
traffic
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Traffic noise
is a problem in the housing adjacent to the main
through roads
- make all crossings friendly to people of all
ages
- slow vehicles down if they move through the
District - allow them to go fast round the edge of
the District, so as to change driver road use
patterns
- improve signs
- reduce Carnegie, Einstein and Zamenhof-dreef to 1
lane width to make cars move at very low speed
through the District
- Overvecht should be a slow traffic zone and safe
for non car users
- Hanoidreef has a vehicle 'rat run' problem
- Karlmarxdreef and Albert Schweitzer dreef have
become part of the City ring road system - traffic
in the District needs reorganising accordingly
-
redesign Einsteindreef - make it more for people
and remove the barriers to north/south
movement
- traffic jams on the roads leading to the District
slow down access
- more slow roads needed: too many are over
dimensioned and encourage speeding
- consider easily walkable bridge over
Carneigiedreef
- can Albert Schweitzerdreef be lowered so that
walkers and cyclists can easily and safely bridge
it? - consider building over the road at high
density to pay for lowering
- traffic changes have not been well managed -
often an improvement in one place causes a problem
in another
- Loevenhiutsedijk is not a logical entrance to
Overvecht - needs rethinking
- Overvecht is cut off from the main town of
Utrecht
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Public
Transport
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Needs
improving
- buses - lots more bus stops/picking up points
- bus system needs to be designed to meet user, not
bus company, needs - add a circular bus route
through the Wijk (District)
- facilitate park and ride as well as parking
cycles at station
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Housing
issues
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Housing
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Overvecht is
dense enough - it does not need more people, but
the whole District needs restructuring to work
better for its inhabitants, particularly the
outdoor spaces
- could gradually add more low rise housing as high
rise removed
- the 10 storey flats feel threatening
- the outside environment is increasingly
alienating
- a lot of older people are in ground floor flats
and the view out the window is often dismal
-
consider making Overvecht an example of residential
living in the future - Note: this has to be made to
work if Compact City idea is to be achieved
- give people more gardens
- add penthouses to blocks of flats - roof
gardens
- knock some flats together to make bigger and
provide more diverse living units
- create more mixed development
- more houses along de Vecht and near sport fields
needed
- any more closure of balconies needs careful
consideration
- consider using the building walls for art
- housing should be in sustainable buildings in
sustainable greenspace
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Summarised
by A. R. Beer 2001 © Utrecht
City
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