SPRAWL by RubenE
Like the rest of the Netherlands, Rotterdam was preoccupied in 1945 with postwar reconstruction. Following the ideas of modern twon planning, the four functions of the city - living, working, traffic and recreation - were assigned to seperate urban zones. New residential districs sprang up around the margins of the city (e.g. Kleinpolder, Pendrecht, Lombardijen, Alexanderpolder and Ommoord). Old villages in the vicinity, such as Hoogvliet and Capelle aan den IJssel, were simultaneously transformed into large-scale housing developments to accommodate Rotterdam inhabitants moving to the periphery. A point of departure for the design of the new residential areas was an idea which had just arrived from across the Atlantic: the Neighbourhood Concept. Instead of the massive and confused big city, the residents were now quartered in well-defined, orderly districs, each with its own center replete with shops, community spaces and medical facilities. The Neighbourhood Conceptfound its interpretation in the stempel (literally, a 'stamp') or repeating pattern. The stempel consisted of residental blocks of various sizes, intended for different population groups. The blocks, both low-rise and multi-story, were arranged around a communal garden. Each residental area developed its final layout through repetition of the stempel .
