Lunetten
Encyclopedia
Lunetten is a neighbourhood in the southeastern part of the city of Utrecht
, that has approximately 12,000 inhabitants. It is mainly a residential area, since there is no significant industry present. Lunetten was constructed as an urban experiment mostly during the 1970s and 80s. It was designed and planned by a combination of students of architecture and urban planning and the then foreseen future inhabitants. The most striking result of this was the use of a ring-road with many circular bifurcations running back onto themselves or with dead ends. In Dutch this is called a Bloemkoolwijk ("Cauliflower-neighborhood"). This urban setup results in the whole neighborhood becoming like a single living street
, much like a distinct village within a city.
Lunetten has a network of alleyways connecting the inner courtyards of the urban blocks. This creates a child-friendly neighborhood with many playing spots. There are also many sportsfacilities within and around Lunetten.
Lunetten is surrounded by major railroads and highways. To cope with the noise and pollution a giant park was created to surround and insulate the neighborhoud. Current infrastructural plans are however posing a threat to the park.
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, that has approximately 12,000 inhabitants. It is mainly a residential area, since there is no significant industry present. Lunetten was constructed as an urban experiment mostly during the 1970s and 80s. It was designed and planned by a combination of students of architecture and urban planning and the then foreseen future inhabitants. The most striking result of this was the use of a ring-road with many circular bifurcations running back onto themselves or with dead ends. In Dutch this is called a Bloemkoolwijk ("Cauliflower-neighborhood"). This urban setup results in the whole neighborhood becoming like a single living street
Living street
A living street is a street in which, unlike in most 20th century streets, the needs of car drivers are secondary to the needs of users of the street as a whole. It is a space designed to be shared by pedestrians, playing children, bicyclists, and low-speed motor vehicles...
, much like a distinct village within a city.
Lunetten has a network of alleyways connecting the inner courtyards of the urban blocks. This creates a child-friendly neighborhood with many playing spots. There are also many sportsfacilities within and around Lunetten.
Lunetten is surrounded by major railroads and highways. To cope with the noise and pollution a giant park was created to surround and insulate the neighborhoud. Current infrastructural plans are however posing a threat to the park.