Organizers: Universiteit van Amsterdam and Universiteit Antwerpen
During the academic day, the ESRs had the opportunity to explore interactions and tensions between theory and empirical application through a hands-on workshop where the ESRs participated in an exercise to formulate, reflect, and get feedback on their individual theoretical frameworks. In addition, through four presentations the supervisors addressed challenges and opportunities they have faced when using theory in their own research.
The Policy Workshop brought together the ESRs, supervisors and non-academic partners from partner organizations like AREP, Labo Ruimte, UUM, NS Stations, European Passengers’ Federation, ROVER, Institut Paris Region and Knivsta Municipality to discuss contextual qualities and local concerns in TOD, as well as social ex/inclusion in TOD.
On the field trips in Belgium and the Netherlands, Prof. Stijn Oosterlynck shared the following experiences on his social media:
“Last week’s TOD-IS-RUR Network workshop compared and contrasted Flemish and Dutch contexts and strategies for transit-oriented development in rural-urban regions.
Regionet Leuven was our Flemish case. We started in the rural municipality of #Bekkevoort, which has the ambition to become a node for qualitative densification along the road between Leuven and Diest, but is crucially dependent on decisions of the public #bus company for its success. Daan Van Tassel, a strategic urban planner at the Leuven City Council, then guided us around the Leuven railway station area to explain the aims of the ‘Knoop van Kessel-Lo’ masterplan. We finished the Flemish part of the tour in #Leefdaal, a municipality just outside Brussels, which faces the choice to either #densify in the village center itself (along the narrow Dorpstraat which connects neighbouring settlements) or one kilometer away along the N3 road to Tervuren and Brussels.
In the Netherlands, we explored the North-Holland-North area, where public transport corridors are planned and implemented to respond to the extreme pressures on the #housing market in Amsterdam. We explored the #Zaandam corridor and visited Zaandam (the postmodern interpretation of ‘Zaanse’ houses makes for an interesting contribution to an exhibition, but to actually build this ... ?) and #Heerhugowaard (are they trying to capture part of the profits generated in the Amsterdam metropolital housing market or providing affordable housing to essential workers?). We also spent a day in rural #Spanbroek, which is not located on the corridor but has excellent #biking infrastructure, and assessed the desirability and feasibility of TOD for the town.”
