08:30 - 22:00
Do you want to explore the Netherlands from a new angle and view familiar sites through a spatial sciences lens?
Every year, the Faculty of Spatial Sciences organizes tours through the Netherlands for our exchange students, and you can join!!
The excursion starts at 8:30, and we will return to Groningen before 22:00. You are expected to be present at 8:15 in front of the train station. Optionally, you may leave the excursion in Rotterdam at around 18:15 and stay in the Randstad region. The price is 30€ per person.
“Randstad Holland” is a unique polynuclear city, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and many other cities. The name “Randstad” is directly related to the “Green Heart” situated in the middle—an “oasis of green, peace, and rest.” Should the Green Heart be (partly) sacrificed to allow for continued urban growth while maintaining acceptable levels of liveability in the Randstad?
The tour introduces various aspects of the (limits to) growth of the Randstad. Site visits to Amsterdam (the 1960s Bijlmermeer neighbourhood and the Zuidas business district) and Rotterdam (the seaport and inner city) are included, as well as an attempt to locate the “Green Heart.”
Why and how did the 1960s Bijlmer expansion of Amsterdam turn into a social and planning disaster? Is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol located in the wrong place? What exactly is the “Green Heart”? Does it really exist? Should it exist? What makes the city of Rotterdam function effectively? Is Rotterdam still a port city? Where do you place your bookshelf in a cube house?
These and many other questions form the narrative of this excursion, offered by Chris Diederiks and Reinier Schoep (tour guides, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen). The excursion focuses on the separation of functions in the Western Netherlands and discusses the ongoing debate about development options for the Randstad cities and the so-called “Green Heart.”
After signing up, you will receive a confirmation email with further instructions one or two days before the excursion.
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