Pattern 25: Access to Water

Europe has a great relationship to water. Though tumultuous through most of history, Europe’s main sanitation byways have turned into major attractions and assets for the cities they’re found in. The prime example in my mind is Amsterdam. During my time abroad, my class took a trip to Amsterdam and were given an assignment to determine why the city is so appealing to so many people. Obviously, the liberal stances on the three vices; sex, drugs, and alcohol have contributed significantly to Amsterdam’s identity but without the vast connection to water, such an identity could have easily been applied to other cities like Berlin, Copenhagen, or Rotterdam.

Amsterdam is laid out on concentric ringed canals that define the old downtown area. Along these canals run small one-way avenues with many bridges and boats crossing and traversing respectively. Although prime real estate, the houses along the canals are traditional 4-5 story, narrow buildings either preserved from decades ago or tactfully integrated into the architecture. The small avenues with classic cobblestone paving discourages speeding and even driving to a certain extent. It is much more common to encounter pedestrians or bicyclists on these and other streets. This arrangement of architecture and infrastructure preserved the canals as a cultural asset.

Early in the pattern, Alexander mentions what happens all too regularly to city water ways;

“Either roads, freeways, and industries destroy the water’s edge and make it so dirty or so treacherous that it is virtually inaccessible; or when the water’s edge is preserved, it falls into private hands.”

The only way that I could see for Amsterdam to improve their waterways is to create direct access. Currently, water access is proximal meaning that you can see and hear it but zero chance or motivation to feel it. The idea is a little unreasonable, especially on the inner-city canals but not completely unheard of. In Copenhagen, Denmark, there is a public Harbour Bath built by BIG architects in 2003. Located on the harbor, it’s a precursor for a transition from industry to cultural asset that Amsterdam has already fully embraced.