Álvaro Siza’s Negotiated Code: Meaningful Communication and Citizens’ Participation in the Urban Renewal of The Hague (Netherlands) in the 1980s

In the 1970s, the participation of citizens in processes of urban renewal was championed by several North-European municipalities as an attempt to re-connect housing policies with their social significance. The main goal was to bring together the city and its citizens, collective interests and indiv...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Nelson Mota
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cogitatio 2019-09-01
Series:Urban Planning
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/2120
_version_ 1811336978760728576
author Nelson Mota
author_facet Nelson Mota
author_sort Nelson Mota
collection DOAJ
description In the 1970s, the participation of citizens in processes of urban renewal was championed by several North-European municipalities as an attempt to re-connect housing policies with their social significance. The main goal was to bring together the city and its citizens, collective interests and individual aspirations. Citizens’ participation was used as an instrument to bridge the gap between the planner/designer and the citizen/user. This article examines a case that illustrates the threats and opportunities brought about by this new paradigm in design decision-making. The article discusses the design process of the Punt en Komma housing complex, a project designed by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza, developed between 1984 and 1988 as part of the urban renewal of the Schilderswijk district, a neighbourhood in the Dutch city of The Hague. The article is divided into two parts. The first part examines Siza’s plan for Schilderswijk’s sub-area 5 (deelgebied 5) and establishes the background against which citizens’ participation played a role in the urban renewal of the district. In the second part, the article examines Álvaro Siza’s project for the Punt en Komma housing blocks in detail, focusing particularly on the participatory design of the layout for the dwelling units. Using Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model of communication, this article concludes by highlighting the importance of using a negotiated code to enable meaningful communication in citizens’ participation.
first_indexed 2024-04-13T17:47:24Z
format Article
id doaj.art-df25ee66efb640119a42d278c805dfe2
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2183-7635
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T17:47:24Z
publishDate 2019-09-01
publisher Cogitatio
record_format Article
series Urban Planning
spelling doaj.art-df25ee66efb640119a42d278c805dfe22022-12-22T02:36:55ZengCogitatioUrban Planning2183-76352019-09-014325026410.17645/up.v4i3.21201184Álvaro Siza’s Negotiated Code: Meaningful Communication and Citizens’ Participation in the Urban Renewal of The Hague (Netherlands) in the 1980sNelson Mota0Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft, The NetherlandsIn the 1970s, the participation of citizens in processes of urban renewal was championed by several North-European municipalities as an attempt to re-connect housing policies with their social significance. The main goal was to bring together the city and its citizens, collective interests and individual aspirations. Citizens’ participation was used as an instrument to bridge the gap between the planner/designer and the citizen/user. This article examines a case that illustrates the threats and opportunities brought about by this new paradigm in design decision-making. The article discusses the design process of the Punt en Komma housing complex, a project designed by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza, developed between 1984 and 1988 as part of the urban renewal of the Schilderswijk district, a neighbourhood in the Dutch city of The Hague. The article is divided into two parts. The first part examines Siza’s plan for Schilderswijk’s sub-area 5 (deelgebied 5) and establishes the background against which citizens’ participation played a role in the urban renewal of the district. In the second part, the article examines Álvaro Siza’s project for the Punt en Komma housing blocks in detail, focusing particularly on the participatory design of the layout for the dwelling units. Using Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model of communication, this article concludes by highlighting the importance of using a negotiated code to enable meaningful communication in citizens’ participation.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/2120Álvaro Sizaarchitecturecitizens’ participationhousingThe Hagueurban renewal
spellingShingle Nelson Mota
Álvaro Siza’s Negotiated Code: Meaningful Communication and Citizens’ Participation in the Urban Renewal of The Hague (Netherlands) in the 1980s
Urban Planning
Álvaro Siza
architecture
citizens’ participation
housing
The Hague
urban renewal
title Álvaro Siza’s Negotiated Code: Meaningful Communication and Citizens’ Participation in the Urban Renewal of The Hague (Netherlands) in the 1980s
title_full Álvaro Siza’s Negotiated Code: Meaningful Communication and Citizens’ Participation in the Urban Renewal of The Hague (Netherlands) in the 1980s
title_fullStr Álvaro Siza’s Negotiated Code: Meaningful Communication and Citizens’ Participation in the Urban Renewal of The Hague (Netherlands) in the 1980s
title_full_unstemmed Álvaro Siza’s Negotiated Code: Meaningful Communication and Citizens’ Participation in the Urban Renewal of The Hague (Netherlands) in the 1980s
title_short Álvaro Siza’s Negotiated Code: Meaningful Communication and Citizens’ Participation in the Urban Renewal of The Hague (Netherlands) in the 1980s
title_sort alvaro siza s negotiated code meaningful communication and citizens participation in the urban renewal of the hague netherlands in the 1980s
topic Álvaro Siza
architecture
citizens’ participation
housing
The Hague
urban renewal
url https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/2120
work_keys_str_mv AT nelsonmota alvarosizasnegotiatedcodemeaningfulcommunicationandcitizensparticipationintheurbanrenewalofthehaguenetherlandsinthe1980s