Urban Renewal & Placemaking Tour #1

Living Lab Buiksloterham

Amsterdam likes to profile itself as a city of the future. In order to achieve this, progress has to be made in the field of sustainable architecture and city life. Collectively developed zero energy neighborhoods and new urban concepts, such as the Circular City, contribute to the search for new approaches to sustainability. An area where this can already be seen is Buiksloterham in the north of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam-Noord lies on the "wrong side of the water" and used to be a harbor area and an enclave for working class families. Over the last 5 years, however, a rediscovery of Noord has started. More and more well-educated young families are moving to the North, and the former industrial areas on the shores are increasingly used for temporary, creative projects. Buiksloterham has the ambition to become the first "circular" neighborhood in Amsterdam, with closed circuits for waste and energy. The city appointed plots for individually and collectively developed houses. Many examples of energy-neutral buildings are being realized, on private initiative or in development groups.