In this series of ‘Return to Beautiful Architecture,’ we visit a Holland neighborhood built according to New Urbanism and New Classical architecture.
In A.D. 98, Emperor Trajan granted what is now Holland’s Nijmegen (the largest city in Gelderland) the status of a Roman imperial city—one whose citizens were equal to citizens of Rome. Almost two millennium later, work commenced on Holland’s true masterpiece of urban expansion in over a century.
Located outside the small city of Helmond, Brandevoort’s recently built planned neighborhood is a vital reconnection with the Dutch architectural tradition that evolved out of that millennia old heritage.
Vinex-Locations
Brandevoort was built in response to the 1991 Dutch Ministry of Housing’s “Fourth Memorandum on Extra Spatial Planning.” Colloquially abbreviated as “Vinex” (from its Dutch title), the memorandum was based around a few key points. A Vinex-location (master-planned suburb) needed to expand existing urban areas while protecting rural regions and include residences, stores, and offices to maximize resident’s ability to live locally and create closer communities.
