Rotterdam in development

hat is the case for market interest in two plots, the ground waiting to be developed on both sides of Rotterdam Central Station, on the Conradstraat and the Delftseplein. “Until recently there was little interest in these plots,” says Jan- Cees Blok, Rotterdam Central District Project Manager with Stadsontwikkeling Rotterdam (Rotterdam Urban Development). “But since the beginning of last year you can see movement in the market; you notice everything starting to blossom again. There is fresh demand for new additional facilities in the area, and businesses are starting to invest in accommodation again. We want these two plots to challenge the market to come up with new concepts, including a role for residential use.” “We really want to stimulate the mix of living and working here,” says Blok’s colleague Kees van Oorschot, Rotterdam Central District Overall Project Manager. “We recently held a market consultation which showed that the city is ready for homes close by the station. There’s a demand for that. There’s nowhere closer to the station than this for living and working, so we’re thinking of a combination of functions in a single building – for example homes, offices and a hotel.” Adding homes to IF THE RECENT ECONOMIC REVIVAL CAN BE SEEN ANYWHERE, IT IS IN ROTTERDAM CENTRAL DISTRICT. THE AREA SURROUNDING ROTTERDAM CENTRAL STATION IS THE BUSINESS CARD FOR ROTTERDAM: THIS IS WHERE PEOPLE ENTER THE CITY BY TRAIN. THE AREA IS BUZZING WITH A SENSE OF PURPOSE, HOME TO BUSINESSES FROM MULTINATIONALS SUCH AS UNILEVER, SHELL AND NATIONALE NEDERLANDEN TO MANY SMALLER START-UPS AND GROWING COMPANIES. EMBEDDED IN THE URBAN HEART OF ROTTERDAM, THIS AREA CAN BE SEEN AS THE THERMOMETER FOR THE URBAN ECONOMY: WHEN THE ECONOMIC WINDS ARE FAVOURABLE, THAT IS IMMEDIATELY VISIBLE HERE. 25 R O T T E R D A M I N O N T W I K K E L I N G | 2 0 1 8