Corridor DevelopmentThe corridor as design question

Introduction

The PhD research Corridor development, the corridor as a design question focuses on both planned and unplanned corridor development. Corridors can be described as urban development along lines and flows in the landscape. These lines and flows can be material like roads, water or rail as well as flows of data, power etc. Corridor development is a form of urbanisation that, for a range of reasons such as merchandise, production, socio-economic and military/strategy, has occurred through the whole history of urbanisation. The concept of the corridor was introduced halfway the nineteen sixties both as an evolutionary development of the landscape (Whebell) and as planned urban development axis (Friedman e.a.). The last decade corridors have been mainly researched with a focus on economy and transportation, though in the Netherlands halfway the 1990’s an(other) attempt was made to introduce the concept as urbanisation concept. In this PhD research the corridor is studied as an urbanisation concept located between the nodes of multipolar urban networks and taking into account economic as well as social and ecological features. New technological developments in fields as transport, ICT and logistics plus the associated flexibilisation of labour, production and mobilisation contribute strongly to the development of multi-polar networkcities. This form of urbanism is an important trend in the post-fordist urban paradigm which is now being constructed. Urban development of these networks appears not to be restricted to the nodes. Together with the upcoming and consolidation of the networkcity comes the corridor or belt development along infrastructures between the cultural, business and production nodes in the network. The research aims to find the conditions (economic, geographic, urban, planning, etc.) of corridor development and explore what new forms and functions (mixed space-use, sustainability etc.) are or can be developed in corridors.

Methodology

The research focuses on the (dialectic) relationship between theory and praxis resulting in a creative action and places research and design in a dynamic relationship with each other and with (spatial) policy and (spatial) praxis.On the theoretical side there are ‘paper’ plans/concepts, urban-, spatial- and economic theories etc. On the practical side there is the planning and design practice and the actual spatial/urban developments and processes. During the research three case studies will be made, including one “design casestudy” in which earlier results and ideas can be tested and discussed. The case studies integrate both theory and praxis.

The case studies focus on the following fields• The history of the spatial/urban development of a region.• The morphology of the build environment.

Relation (city)space - infrastructureRelation buildings - infrastructureDivision build - unbuild space

• Experiments; new forms and functions• The economic structure and dynamics of a region.• Concept development and spatial planning in a region.• Influence of different actors on planning(processes)

At the base of the research are some concepts developed or explored by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. Characteristic for their thinking is that it is a ‘nomadic thinking’; based on dynamics, movements, flights. This thinking is explicitly spatial: ”thinking always takes place in the relationship of territory and the earth” (What is Philosophy, p.85). Besides this spatial dimension also time plays an important role and often is inseparable form the spatial dimension. Deleuze speaks of a continuous variation of matter and a continuous development of form. The thinking of Deleuze and Guattari also focuses on relations, flows, merging and clashing of powers; especially State/major power and Nomad/minor power. Major and minor are here not (just) quantitative classifications but rather different strategies or concepts of power; static and hierarchical (treelike) versus dynamic, fluent and rhizomatic. This way of thinking seems to connect to the current urban condition which is strongly determined by flows of matter, power and data. It also connects to the progressing recognition of (urban) design as process or strategy instead of static and blueprint.Leading concepts for the case studies, derived from the ‘nomadic tinking’ of Deleuze and Guattari are: Nomadism, flow, rhizome, concept, smooth and straited space, de- and reterritorialization, lines of flight. These concepts are used as tropes or metaphors aiming on the production of fresh perceptions and insights.

Case Studies

M4 Corridor in the UKThe first case study of the research was a short study of the M4 Corridor from London to Bristol.In this ‘unplanned’ corridor a cumulation and spin-off of (indirectly) related functions created the corridor. The development of the corridor started as a movement from London to the west by companies in search for space and workforce and started to boom when military R&D centres started to develop commercial spin-of companies. Also the car/airplane industry turning towards a more post-fordist organisation of production and a good quality of living in the corridor contributed to its development. Special about the M4 Corridor is that spatial and economic development partly preluded on the construction of the M4 motorway and the fast intercity train.

Frankfurt Rhein Main RegionThis case study is now in process. The Frankfurt Rhein Main Region was selected as a case study for several reasons.Maps of the region showing the build and unbuild surfaces clearly show a concentration of build surface over time in a linear zone along the east-west orientated infrastructures. Besides this, the Frankfurt Rhein Main Region was selected as a case study because of the regions; intensive bundels of infrastructure: river, rail, road, integration in a larger multipolar urban network, history of service economy and trade/transport, transition of traditional industrial production into a more flexible organisation of production, tradition of urban and regional planning.

The Rhein Main Region is not clearly spatially defined and is divided in three governmental units. Planning for the Rhein Main Region is therefore often based on voluntary participation of the three planning units. This makes regional planning difficult and has resulted in a lack of vision and spatial conceptualisation. Regional plans that have been made focus eighter on radial or linear models.Two recent spatial plans are the Flächtennützungsplan, based on a concept of decentral-concentration and the Regionalpark RheinMain, a plan to link the green spaces and settlements of the region with a network of ecological corridors.

The region has a still growing need for houses, workspace (mainly in tertiary sector) and recreational green-space. Besides densification of the historic cities of the region the places between these historic cities of the region develop their farmland and expand, forming axes along the regions road and public transport network. Besides the east-west orientated concentration between Aschaffenburg and Mainz several north west orientated axes can be distinguished, though those south of Frankfurt are more clearly defined as the ones North of Frankfurt.

TU/e Eindhoven University of TechnologyPresentation for USO-Built Workshop21-23 March 2002, DarmstadtIRU 1: The post-industrial LandscapeHerwin Sap, PhD Student Urban Design

Corridor Developmentthe corridor as design question

Introduction

Post-industrial/Post-fordist urban conditionFlexible productionTransport and ICTImage and quality of lifeNetwork cities

CorridorUrban development along lines or flows within/between networkcitiesPlannedUnplanned

History of linear developmentPremodern - military / merchant Mondern - linear citiesPostmodern - corridor

Changes in urban planning / designPlanning as process or strategyTranscendent - immanentRegional planning

Focus/aims of researchresearch-by-designconditions for corridor developmentnew urban forms and functions

IRU 1: The postindustrial LandscapeHerwin Sap - PhD Student Urban Design - TU/e Eindhoven

MethodologyResearch by design

Theory and praxis

Nomadic thinking• Continuous variation of matter and continuous

development of form • Dynamics in relations, flows and power• Concepts aiming on the production of fresh perceptions

and insights

Case studies2 Analysing case studies1 ‘Aanalysis and design’ casestudy

Components

studentprojectehv.-tilb.

design andcasestudybrabant

ontologydeleuze

designphilosophy

practice ofplanning

history

casestudieslondon-m4frankfurt-rm

concepts

praxis

theory

creative action/design

praxistheory

Corridor Developmentthe corridor as design question

IRU 1: The postindustrial LandscapeHerwin Sap - PhD Student Urban Design - TU/e Eindhoven

Case studies

M4 Corridor- linear growth through search for space and workforce- cumulation and spin-off of military and car industry - transition to post-fordist organisation of production and postindustrial service economy- preluding on construction of M4 and intercity train.

Frankfurt Rhein Main Region- concentration of build surface in a linear zone along the east-west orientated infrastructures- planning for the Rhein Main Region based on voluntary participation of three planning units- current leading concept ‘decentral concentration’ and network of green nodes and corridors- corridordevelopment by densification and competing towns transforming farmland

Corridor Developmentthe corridor as design question

IRU 1: The postindustrial LandscapeHerwin Sap - PhD Student Urban Design - TU/e Eindhoven