25. Amsterdam

“Amsterdam grew into a city of unusual size. The town was built on the mouth of a river. On each side of the Amstel a dike was erected, forming the foundation of a very modest settlement. Along the ridges ran the narrow main streets; stretching down to the river wharves were rows of merchants’ houses.

From this nucleus, Amsterdam was to expand in an unusual organic fashion. Around the original dikes and canals, new dikes and new canals were laid out in advance so that there would always be effective water connections with all houses. In this new city great architectonic unity was created by the rows of wealthy burgher houses along the canals. The tree lined canals and the unified block fronts of solid, unpretentious houses reflected the diligence and energy of this Dutch community.

(Next a further series of canals was planned) built in rings, one beyond another. First to be carried out were the three broad concentric canals, innermost the Heerengracht, then the Keizersgracht and finally the Prinzengracht. With rows of houses on either side of the canals, between the houses and the canal on each side is a broad quay street paved with various kinds of cobbling… and just outside the houses is a special area called the ‘stoep’, partly pavement and partly threshold of the house.

The walls of the houses are built of small dark red bricks. The woodwork stands out clearly from the dark walls…with the buildings frequently spruced up with paint and oil, you get a colourful street scene aptly suited to this maritime city. The houses are tall and narrow. They lean a bit forward. The storeys diminish in size and at the top there is a loft for storing merchandise and a large hoisting beam projecting from the gable.” *

The typical street scene in central Amsterdam is described photographically by Steen Eiler Rasmussen.

The Old Town is little changed with the ‘old side’ and ‘new side’ around the Singel Canal.

It retains its colour and vitality within the Grachten-gordel, easily traversed on foot or by water.

Whilst the Dam Square acts as the gathering point, Centraal Station now is the main hub of the city from which its efficient modern transport system radiates outwards.

With its series of original wharves and docks dug and angled inwards from the River IJ, one never loses sight of the water with its pervasiveness in this flat low-lying geography.

Of special significance after dyke protection, are recent infrastructure developments with continued land reclamation in IJmeer and new tram and rail extensions.

Maritime activity continues around the port areas of Westpoort and Eastern Docks as new development areas are also emerging.

These include new areas on the northern side of the IJ, where Noorderpark is being developed and the former ship building district with its modern cultural institutions such as A’DAM gravitating around NDSM.

The city has developed in waves according to different development plans, not least under plans for satellite garden cities and new neighbourhoods.

New areas such as Lelystad, Almere and Haarlemmer have taken hold and further development around Zuid Station is planned and on outwards south-west towards Schiphol Airport.

This is resulting in extension around the periphery and evolution and creation of newer poly-nodal centres.

*Steen Eiler Rasmussen – Towns and Buildings – MIT Press, 1951.