Hoograven

The modernist ideas that dominated 20th century planning too often favored “tabula rasa” approaches to urban renewal, which were socially destructive and failed to accommodate dynamic growth. The Dutch municipality of Hoograven is a prime example of this phenomenon. There, local leaders invited U-TT to develop an integrated revitalization strategy for restoring and retrofitting the deteriorating post-war blocks that housed a predominantly North African immigrant community, as well as introduce new mixed-use social infrastructure.

U-TT proposed an array of projects focused on accommodating increased density, cultural-hybridity, and street-level informality. The designs include kasbah-inspired housing, multifunctional culture hubs, and parasitic rehabilitative interventions that plug-in to the existing urban fabric through a flexible, modular system. Clustered into “hot spots”, the intention was that these accupunctural projects would serve collectively as a catalyst for responsible growth, as well as contribute to the improved integration of marginalized immigrant groups.