
Location: Koog aan de Zaan, Zaanstad, Amsterdam metropolitan area
Population: 0.2 million
Metro: 1.5 million
Extent: 370 m (Length) 22,500 m(Area)
Right-of-way: Elevated 27 m
Context: Mixed Use (Residential/Commercial/Institutional)
Cost: 2.1 million EUR (2.3 million USD)
Funding: Zaanstad Municipality
Max. Speed: 30 km/h
Overview
Koog aan de Zaan is a town in the Amsterdam metropolitan area, located 10 km northwest of the city. In the 1970s, a new freeway was built, brutally dividing the town’s urban fabric.
For many years, the area had been neglected and was mostly used for surface parking.
The project aimed to restore the connection between the two sides of town and to activate the space under the elevated freeway.
A participatory process that involved residents, business owners, and the local government led to a proposal to redesign space underneath the structure to include a supermarket, a flower store, a fish shop, and recreational facilities including a park, a skate park, and a watersport marina that would reconnect the two sides of the city and link them to the nearby river.