Groen, ruimte en licht

Hoe één utopie leidde tot twee stadsgezichten in Amsterdam-Noord

Samenvatting

At barely a hundred meters apart, two completely different neighbourhoods were built in Amsterdam-Noord: Tuindorp Oostzaan and the Molenwijk. This article demonstrates that the two neighborhoods were respectively inspired by the utopias of Ebenezer Howard and Le Corbusier. While these utopias fundamentally aspire to the same goal – greenery, space, and light for the worker – they differ significantly in their practical implementation of this ideal. This study shows how the historical context influences the practical execution chosen by urban planners. In the 1920s, Howard’s ideas took hold in Amsterdam, while in the 1960s, those of Le Corbusier took precedence. This explains why the two neighbourhoods in Amsterdam-Noord differ so greatly from each other, despite their shared utopian ideals.