Project R-15110

Architectural Heritage Frameworks 'Zwartberg' (Research)

Garden cities and so-called mine 'cités', originally conceived as innovative and social housing models, are in urgent need of renovation. Despite their social foundation, the focus on architectural and urban heritage, contemporary energy and housing needs, and the broader social and ecological impact risks being overlooked. The project 'Architectural Heritage Frameworks Zwartberg' aims to develop an inclusive design language that connects heritage, climate, energy efficiency, and social and ecological justice. We analyze the impact of the energy transition on the garden city and how local communities experience the heritage value and care for the houses, gardens, alleys, squares, and avenues. The garden city is thus considered as 'living heritage,' where we not only look at how the garden city was originally conceived but also at the ways in which the neighborhood has been appropriated and transformed over the years. Special attention is given to participation with residents, local organizations, policies, and experts from various disciplines. Through gathering insights from literature, in-depth interviews, fieldwork, mapping, and co-creation workshops, guidelines are developed and tested, and participation strategies are formulated to implement the framework together with local actors in a broad and purposeful manner. The results are compiled into an atlas 'Zwartberg 2.0 Heritage Frameworks.'

01 September 2024 - 30 April 2025