The GWL-Terrain, Amsterdam

• Completed in early 1998
• Former water supply site
• Located in Westerpark
• 3 km from the city center
• At the fringes of the medieval city
• At the end of a tram line
• 600 dwelling units, half owner-occupied, half publicly subsidized housing
• Non-obligatory declaration of support for the car-free nature of housing
• Apartment for disabled children and the aged
• Studio apartments for artists


Parking at GWL Terrain

• 110 residential & 25 visitor parking spaces distributed by lottery
• Allows 20% of the residents to own a car
• Residents without onsite parking forced to sell their cars because the surrounding neighborhood requires a permit for onstreet parking
• 110 people had to sell their car because they weren’t able to get a parking space
• The project leaders recommend getting rid of all parking for residents in any future projects to eliminate the conflicts


Carsharing at GWL Terrain

• Autodate, a car rental company keeps two cars at the terrain for members use
• About 60 people from GWL use these cars; each have their own key
• Cost are deducted once a month from the users bankaccount
• Costs 5 guilders ($3) an hour and 50 cents/km
• Kilometers travelled measured by a computer in the car


Ecological Considerations

•  Landscaped public and private space
•  Less paved areas than conventional development
•  Landscaped rooftops
•  Rainwater use in toilets
•  Ban on timber from non-sustainable production
• Composting


Amenities Provided

• Small shops and services, internet café, TV studio and large café & restaurant on site
• Car sharing vehicles on-site
• Extensive bicycle storage facilities
• Community center



The Plan (courtesy Henk Bertelkamp)
 


The site before construction (courtesy Henk Bertelkamp)


The site after completion (courtesy Jan Scheurer)


Another Aerial Photo of the site (courtesy Henk Bertelkamp)


Café on-site at GWL-Terrain (courtesy Jan Scheurer)
 
 


Shops at GWL-Terrain (courtesy Jan Scheurer)



The Cafe-Restaurant Amsterdam, in the old waterworks building. (It seats 270.)
 


Traffic calming on the perimeter streets (courtesy Jan Scheurer)

Sources:

• Jan Scheurer, Car-Free Housing in European Cities
• Tim Beatley, Green Urbanism, Island Press, 2000




Next Section
Back to Main Car-free Page