Het bouwblok in de oude stad. Een methodische verkenning

Abstract

Every city is defined by the sum of infrastructure and urban fabric in the form of blocks. The block is the ideal intermediate scale between the city as a whole and all the individual plots and is an important link between historical town planning and building history. The key focus of this survey was the relation between the size of the city and the number of blocks, and the nature and form of the blocks in relation to the constituent plots and their buildings. In order to study this, a method was developed whereby blocks could be systematically defined. The survey employed the oldest cadastral map dating from 1832 and the cadastral numbers on that map played a key role. The resulting uniformly defined assemblage of blocks formed the basis for this primarily quantitative survey. The study of the relation between the size of the city and number of blocks revealed a remarkable ratio with only a few large cities and a sizeable middle group having between 11 and 20 blocks. For the forty largest cities, the relation between the sum total of blocks and solitary buildings, wet and dry infrastructure was studied. The consistent 4:1 ratio between the total number of blocks and dry infrastructure is a particularly significant finding. Also considered were the average size of a block, its composition, and the arrangement of the buildings within the block. It was found that while one city might have private front steps another did not. The article also proposes a refinement of the concept of the ‘closed block’, with the introduction of ‘perimeter blocks’ (with inner courtyard), filled blocks, and blocks with passageways or rows of charitable housing, dubbed ‘dooraderd’ (veined) or ‘doorregen’ (marbled). The difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous blocks (with atypical inclusions) is also discussed, whereby it is argued that heterogeneous blocks are more susceptible to erosion. Following these theoretical aspects the article concludes with a case study of the city of Deventer, where a block atlas was used to chart the building-historical values in this city. A comparison between older and more recent cadastral maps combined with an analysis of existing buildings, made it possible to identify buildings with hidden values. Those findings have since been incorporated into the city’s redevelopment policy. In addition, the study yielded a more accurate estimate of the number of buildings in Deventer that might contain an older historical core.