On 10 March in Pamplona, Joan Moreno Sanz, lecturer on the Urbanism III course at UIC Barcelona’s School of Architecture, gave a presentation entitled "Amsterdam between Bijlmer and IJburg: One city, two models" as part of the series of talks that form part of the 11th Course on Urbanism "Refocusing on Planning", organised by the Basque-Navarra Association of Urban Architects (AVNAU), part of the Basque-Navarra Professional Association of Architects (COAVN).
Photo: Structuurvisie Amsterdam
During his talk, Moreno Sanz analysed modern urban planning in the Netherlands which started at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1901 the Housing Act was passed, a document that would open up the debate about the need to plan the urban development of the western Netherlands on a regional scale. Against a background of large demographic fluctuations, two regional structural models were put forward: the city-metropolis, based on growth through extending the existing traditional cities; and the garden city, based on a new polycentric system of satellite cities. The struggle between these two models, as well as their multiple hybrids, has dominated Dutch urban planning for the last century, right up to the present day.
The purpose of the 11th AVNAU Course is to analyse the strategies for approaching and reengaging with urban planning at this time of incipient recovery.
