The Dutch layer approachturn-of-the-century phenomenon or fundamental approach to urban design and planning tasks?

Jeroen van Schaick

Ina Klaasen

® beeldleveranciers.nl

Working paper

The Dutch layer approach

…are you familiar?

…are you familiar with the critiques?

…what is it?

Not one answer…Common denominator:

(part of an) approach to spatial planning that distinguishes three layers on which to tackle a planning task:

Substratum (soil/water/under ground); Networks; Occupation patterns

This presentationResearch project: time-oriented approaches in urbanism

Short introduction to the layer approach: 1998

Our focus:

Research question

Key documents: variations

Promotion in professional practice: variations

Some major points of critique

Discussion: Hype or fundamental?

Research project: time-oriented approaches in urbanism

Source: Drewe 2005

Focus:

expert opinions on incorporating time in spatial planning and design

Introduction layer approach: 1998, the 1st model

- Model to categorize existing plans for national spatial development

- The regional scale

- Working philosophy

- Normative model: a model for choosing between priorities

- The longer the time horizon, the more the tasks on that layer sets conditions for planning tasks on the other layers

- Sectorally coloured problem definition on each layer

- Spatial planning as integrator

…it had a nerve in spatial planning practice

> Conditioning spatial planning> Facilitating spatial planning

- Creating synergy between interventions

Coherence

25-50 years-Accommodating spatial claims and shrinkage in relation to values and attractivity

OccupationLayer 3

50-100 years- Strengthening the position of the Netherlands in international networks-Control and steer the growth of mobility

NetworksLayer 2

100-500 years- Dealing with the physical effects of climate change-Modernising the water management system

SubstratumLayer 1

Time horizonDesign and planning tasks

Source: De Hoog, Sijmons & Verschuren, 1998

Introduction layer approach: 1998, the 1st model

What variations of the original layer model have been constructed since 1998?

In what ways have these variations enriched or neglected time-oriented thinking in urban design and planning?

The working paper – research question

The working paper –

analytical-interpretative viewpoints

The trends that can be distilled from policy documents and otherdocuments from planning practice

Variations in the interpretation of the theoretical basis of the Dutch layer approach

Key documents

Promotion in planning practice

Some major points of critique

Behind the critique: interpreting variations on the original model

The working paper - our focus: 1998-2009

…not an exhaustive overview of applications in practice, but focussing on key ‘promotional’documents and exemplary documents from spatial planning practice

Some key documents: 1998 and 2001

1998: national spatial planning tasks prioritized

2001: the layer model as basis for analysis in Fifth Memorandum on Spatial Planning

2001: substratum (under ground, soil and water) on the agenda

…and the stage was set for implementation, interpretation, amendments, transformations, etc.

‘weighting’

‘slimming down’

Variations in key documents (1/5)

…..was the layer approach not viable to begin with?

Source: RPD (2000)

The first occurrence of the layer approach in an official policy document

Embedded in a whole range of discourses related to the ESDP

Adapted to include “the cultural dimension”

Adding layers, linking to other discourses in spatial planning

IPO, 2003 Stadsgewest Haaglanden, 2003DCMR, 2004

Promotion in professional practice: since 2003

“towards a sustainable spatial quality”

“advice about content, process and implementation of regional structure visions”

“Guide for environment in spatial plans”

Variations (2/5)

Images by Peter Dauvellier; www.ruimtexmilieu.nl (2004 and 2006 versions)

But what role does the layer model play in these guides for planning?

…getting a bit too complex?

A model to make choices:

One layer setting conditions for planning tasks on the other

Analytical tool to widen the view of planners (and specialists) vertically and horizontally

Description of reality

Planning process tool

Variations (3/5) maps > scheme > process

2001

Source: Provincie Noord-Holland (2002)Source: Ministry VROM (2001)

2002 2003

Source: Stadsgewest Haaglanden (2003)

…but it is not a linear development

national regional local

2009, in one single document

Variations (4/5): adding layers, new content

Source: Provincie Overijssel (2000)

The natural layer

The layer of agricultural landscape

The urban layer

The pleasure and leisure layer

>100 yrs50-100 yrs5-50 yrsProvincie Overijssel (2009)

Slightly dynamicModerately dynamic

Highly dynamicSenternovem (n/a)

>100 yrs20-80 yrs10-40 yrswww.ruimtexmilieu.nl (2006)

Slow/longtermNot mentionedNot mentionedVROM (2006)

50-500 yrs25-100 yrs10-40 yrsWerksma (2002)

50-100 yrs15-50 yrs5-15 yrsSijmons (2002) on planning horizons

20-200 yrs10-30 yrs5-10 yrsSijmons (2002) on temporal scales

>100 yearsFaster than substratum

1 generation/cycle on the building market

Provincie Noord-Holland (2002)

Not mentionedNot mentionedNot mentionedVROM (2001a)

50 - >500Not mentionedNot mentionedRPD (2001)

High rate of changeModerate rate of change

Low rate of changeRPD (2000)

100-500 yrs50-100 yrs25-50 yrsDe Hoog, Sijmons, Verschuren (1998b)

Dynamics on the substratum layer

Dynamics on the network layer

Dynamics on the occupation layer

Source

Variations in key documents (5/5)Different ideas of the time horizon

Interpreting variations on the original model

‘The’ layer approach seems to be ‘everywhere’…

local level, provincial level, national level

…each in its own way pragmatically adjusted…or not?

Justifications for variations and adoption of the approach in a certain context are often lacking

At times, rather:

- Different views on hierarchy of planning tasks: what first?

- Different roles attributed to the layer approach: what works?

- Different scales of time and of space: what is the ‘appropriate’ scale?

- Different adopted histories: legitimization-after-the-fact?……more details in the paper

And here and there it is already starting to give way to other frameworks…

Some major points of critique: based on literature review

- The constructed link between time horizon and layers is not valid, and by default the hierarchy of planning tasks neither.

- Abandoned after using it for analysis

- By focusing on physical-spatial questions, disregarding ‘user aspects’ (e.g. daily life)

- Inflexible by ‘weighting’ the substratum layer

- Not suitable to produce a spatial plan or design

Critique on the critique:

- No distinction between the original ‘layer model’ and the ‘layer approach’

- Disregarding the variations on the layer approach since 2001

- Ignorance of other layer-based approaches

- Critique-less copying of constructed histories

- No overview of applications available

- No detailed analysis of the principle assumptions of the approach available

Some major points of critique: based on literature review

……we have tried to tackle these, but further work is necessary

Recap

…our focus: the variations on the original layer model

> Pragmatics, but also different views on the underlying theory and principles

> Poor in further theoretical development after 1998

…and the way in which these variations influenced time-oriented thinking in spatial design and planning

> Approach often abandoned in plan making after a layer-based analysis

> Still narrow concept of time: transformation of physical space, no user aspects

Discussion: Hype or fundamental?

Persistent in next generation of structure visions

Shifting of focus to other approaches on a national level

Elements of the approach are surviving: ongoing conversation, major planning tasks in NL

A more fundamental debate necessary on the time concept underlying the layer approach, related to network theory

The Dutch layer approachturn-of-the-century phenomenon or fundamental approach to urban design and planning tasks?

Jeroen van Schaick

Ina Klaasen

® beeldleveranciers.nl

Working paper

More information:

www.bk.tudelft.nl/users/schaick/internet

j.vanschaick@tudelft.nl