MONTE CHRISTO Vision on the urban development of

Presentation September 2015for the board of city trust Namibië

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO 1. INTRODUCTION

Sketches from arch. Leon Krier

TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE, SMART AND SEXY CITY 2.0 :

Looking at similar contemporary urban projects, we can conclude that it is not easy to find a good reference model for a large-scale spatial development that starts from scratch. Most new cities are restricted to a simple, easy to copy geometric pattern. These predestinated models have the tendency to fragment urban functions, to scatter green structures into unappreciated small green areas, and to exclude every reference to a historical center or integrated space for social interaction.

We intend to design a more liveable city on a human scale, therefore we must plan and design with modesty. Historical cities such as Florence, Salamanca, Valletta, Sienna, … are built with a vision, a minimum of spatial and architectural rules to harmonize the overall city structure, but rarely without an overall rational plan. Therefore these cities gather the impression that they have grown spontaneously. A modest urban developer must recognize this historical spontaneity, and must not be ashamed to copy these great examples. We are convinced that good city-planning starts from historical configurations that have proven to be successful over time. This can be a center with a square or a park, interacting with a variety of other squares and parks (e.g. the city of Ostend in Belgium, the city of London ...).

Successful squares correspond not only to special rules, but also to multiple criteria that are difficult to define. They are not only aesthetically attractive (e.g. the number of photographs taken by tourists), but above all they are perfectly organized on a social and economical level. Therefore they not only include the right form, scale, proximity, the ratio of surface-facade height, the ratio of openness ... but their morphology also integrates the right variety of functions such as economic activities and leisure, different architectural entities, and so on.

A successful city is also flexible enough to adapt to unknown changes or future development, therefore the city-plan needs to be ‘open’(e.g. The open society, The open city – Richard Sennett). For example, the implantation of the “Facebook village” in Silicon Valley has already proven to be a profitable concept, combining modern work, living and entertainment in close proximity to each other and with respect to their historical surroundings.

BASIC PLANNING PRINCIPLES :

1. Evidence based development :

The first concept for our master plan departs from a basic principle, which is that wedon’t have to reinvent city planning, but need to learn from historical examples that have proven to work. This we call ‘evidence based development’.

2. Advantage of a slower development :

A second important principle for the creation of our master plan is a sociological concept called “dialectics of lead” (by Jan Romein). This theory suggests that getting an initial head start in a given area may become a handicap in the long-term.

New cities have the advantage of not needing to correct wrong choices, made by most cities during the last hundred years. Therefore they can come with new solutions for

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known contemporary problems such as; the problem of the increasing dominance of the car, the growing impact on our natural environment, the lack of open space within a dense urban environment, the lack of flexibility for change or growth, and so on. Conclusion : ‘fractal city design’.

These basic planning principles lead to a spatial concept for the Monte Christo development that is radically different from the known modern planning. Instead of looking for a complete overall design, we will propose a concept in which a variety of well-designed squares and parks interact with each other, structuring the city with small scale manageable developments.

The more rural settlements will be integrated in a number of enclosed fractal villages, which can grow naturally according to the need for housing over time, and are connected to a city-wide green circle park. Following the same basic principles, we will organize public and private transport, environmental aspects, waste treatment, telecommunications, … making Monte Christo a SUSTAINABLE , SMART AND SEXY CITY 2.0, built on a human scale.

BASIC INVESTMENT PRINCIPLES :

1. In the problem we find the solution :

Two examples:

1. Within the group we have a lot of specific know-how to link waste to energy production. We can find local solution for the waste problems, making it even profitable by harvesting energy or fertile soil from it.

2. The absence of some basic building elements can be solved with high tech alternatives, based on local raw material or organic crops. These alternatives can become large scale economical practices which provide new knowledge and work for the local people.

2. Financial security :

We will develop a master plan where each phase can generate financial resources to fund the next phase. This approach is essential to attract (international) investors. Our group has the know-how to support this problem with sophisticated financial models.

When preparing investment projects, multiple variables will also be taken into account.(E.g. the development of certain urban functions assume a sufficient coverage area. Both aspects cannot be easily developed synchronously.) Also the role of the government, as well as the role of “third party finance” (investments financed through future earnings) will be considered essential in this project.

Patrick Goossens and Jan De VloedOn behalf of ASA / DETOOgeneral concept and study coordination

Vision on the urban development project of MONTE CHRISTO

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO 2. MACRO SPACIAL STRUCTURES

ROAD STRUCTURE RAILWAY AND AIRPORTS

P

P

P

C 28Walvis Bay

B 6GaboroneJohannesburg

C 26

B 1Keetmanschop

B 1Etosha National Park

Highstreet

ca. 20kmMonteChristoRoad

WINDHOEK

MONTECHRISTO

Windhoektrainstation

Indu

stry

Monte Christotrainstation

industryknowledge

Eros Airport

Windhoek Hosea KutakoInternational Airport

TransNamib Trainto Mariental

TransNamib Trainto Okahandja

TransNamib Trainto Gobabos

WINDHOEK

MONTECHRISTO

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO 2. MACRO SPACIAL STRUCTURES

WATER-GREEN STRUCTURE RELIEF

Circle Park

Ranches& lodges

Daan ViljoenReserve

Avis DamReserve

Otjiseru River

Otjiseru River

Goreangab Reservoir

Reservoir

Wat

erfro

nt

Von Bach Dam

WINDHOEK

MONTECHRISTO

CENTRAL PLATEAU

WINDHOEK

MONTECHRISTO

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO 3. PROGRAM

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO

MONTE CHRISTO

14/05/2015

TOTAL AREAleft river side 1.400 ha

right river side 2.400 haTOTAL  3.800 ha

EXPECTED HOUSING PROGRAMhigh density 15.000 dwellingslow density 35.000 dwellings

TOTAL  50.000 dwellings

A. LEFT RIVER SIDE 1400,00 ha

Luxury Hills and Game reserve 500 dw 1400,00 ha 0,36 w/ha 28000 m²/dwelling

B. RIGHT RIVER SIDE 2400,00 haB.1 : Housing and commercial area's

Downtown 10.000 dw 200,00 ha 50,00 w/ha 200 m²/dwellingRiverlane (Croisette) incl incl

Waterfront incl inclMain square (with arcade) incl inclCommunicating squares incl incl

Sheltered Market incl incl

Center of Excellence ‐ Crystal Valley  500 dw 3,50 ha inclWellcare Center 500 dw 10,00 ha incl

Experience Center 0 dw 10,00 ha inclArts & Crafts Center 500 dw 15,00 ha incl

Main street Parking spaces 0 dw incl

Iconic Buildings (state, culture, religion)  0 dw inclEvent Hall 0 dw incl

Fractal VillageFractal village (35x1000 w) 35.000 dw 1000,00 ha 35,00 dw/ha 286 m²/dwelling

Free town  2.500 dw 120,00 ha 20,83 dw/ha 480 m²/dwelling

TOTAL  49.000 dw TOTAL  1320,00 ha55 %

B.2 : LARGE GREEN AND RECREATION AREAS

River Lane 0 dw 5 % 120,00 haCircle park (and inbetween space) 0 dw 25 % 600,00 ha

TOTAL  0 dw TOTAL  720,00 ha30 %

B.2 :  INDUSTRY AND SMALL ENTERPRISE

Building Center 500 dw 15,00 ha 33,33 dw/ha 300 m²/dwellingOther industry and enterprise 0 dw 345,00 ha

TOTAL  500 dw TOTAL  360,00 ha15 %

TOTAL  50.000 dw TOTAL  3800,00 ha

TOTAL AREA

DEVISION BY RIVER AND RELIEF

CA. 2400 ha

CA. 1400 ha

CA. 3800 ha

PROGRAM RATIO

30%

gree

nan

d re

crea

tion

15%

Indu

stry

35.0

00 lo

w de

ns

15.0

00 h

igh

dens

500

luxu

ry

2. PROGRAM

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO

HIGH STREET

HIGH

STR

EET

Otjis

eru R

iver

Otjis

eru R

iver

HIGH

STR

EET

Monte

Chr

isto

Road

HIGH

STR

EET

- B1

TRAN

S NA

MIBI

AN R

AILW

AY

Monte

Chr

isto

Road

LUXERY HILLS & GAME RESERVE

1400 ha500 dwellingsca. 0.35 dw / ha

DOWN TOWN

200 ha10.000 dwellingsca. 50 dw / ha

MAIN STREET

20 ha0 dwellings

RIVER LANE

120 ha 0 dwellings

CIRCLE PARK

600 ha 0 dwellings

01

02 04

05

03

06

09

08

07

10

1112

16

18

15

17

1314

1920

21

22

23 24

25

26

27

29

32

31

33

3435

30

28

BUILDING CENTER

15 ha 500 dwellingsca. 33 dw / ha

DOWN TOWN CENTERS

Center of Excellence : 3.5 ha / 500 dwWellcare Center : 10 ha / 500 dwExperience Center : 10 ha / 0 dwArts & Crafts Center : 15 ha / 500 dw

INDUSTRY & SMALL ENTERPRISE

345 ha 0 dwellings

FREE TOWN (Matatura)

120 ha 2.500 dwellingsca. 20 dw / ha

FRACTAL VILLAGE

1000 ha35 x 1000 = 35.000 dwellingsca. 35 dw / ha

3. PROGRAM

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO

P&R

P&R

P&R

P&R

P

P

P

P

Center of excellence

DOWNTOWN

FREE TOWN

B1 TR A

NS

NA

MIB

IAN

RA

ILW

AY

INDUSTRY &SMALL ENTERPRISE

CIRCLE PARK

RIVER LANE

MA

IN S

TREE

T

FRACTAL VILAGELUXURY HILLS & GAME RESERVE

Buidling center

Main square

CityhallW

ater

fron

t

Wellcare center Experience center

Arts and crafts

Arts and crafts

LUXERY HILLS & GAME RESERVE

The mountain landscape on the left side of the river is not suitable for dens urban planning like the Down Town area or the Fractal Villages. Although the steep landscape can be an ideal area for scatterd large houses and lodges who do not ask for direct connection to urban infrastructure.

With a wise planning, the open, natural space between the houses can become a local game reserve, supporting local wildlife and eco-tourism.

DOWN TOWN

Down Town, between River Lane and Main Street, will be identified by it’s clear boarder between the inside and outside, narrow streets and a more dens morphology than the Fractal Village. Related to historical city centers, the organic little streets of Down Town will get structured by a Main Square, multiple smaller squares and key locations such as : Center of Excellence (Chrystal Valley), Wellcare Center, Experience Center, and Arts & Crafts Center. This variety of public space will provide multiple urban functions including bars and restaurants, recreational shopping and lessure, making Down Town attractive for locals and tourists.

MAIN STREET

The Main street (part of the Monte Christo Road) is the entrance to the city of Monte Christo. A “Boulevard” with large iconic buildings such as museums, a library, a town house, ... and the City Hall as the center of urban ambiance.

FRACTAL VILLAGE

The fractal town can be divided in 35 fractal willages, each structuring 1.000 dwellings. With a proposed 4 to 5 persons per dwelling each fractal will provide housing for 4.000 to 5.000 persons. We think this is a managable number for city developpers and a right density for a vital community.

Each fractal will have recreational, commercial and community infrastructure such as small schools, a market place and local shops, etc. A polyvalent shelter in the center of each fractal village makes the public space flexible to the specific needs of each community.

FRACTAL SUBCENTERS

Every 7 fractal villages are connected to 1 fractal subcenter. In addition to the fractal centers, this subcenter provides larger infrastructure such as highschools, distribution centers, social survice, churches, ... . The centers can be build higher than the village buildings so they become recognised landmarks within the fractal city.

The fractal subcenters can become ideal hub-locations for soft transit and communication between the fractal villages.

FREE TOWN (Matutura)

A percentage of individual parcelling housing with a less formal planning restrictiones. This houses can form a sepered zone in the fractal village.

RIVER LANE

The part of the circle park that moves along the Otjiseru River we call ‘River Lane’. Because of the proximity to the water and the possibility of an open view towards the mountain landscape, the atmosphere of River lane will be unique compared to the other part of the circle park.

The Waterfront of the Down Town area will symbolise the transition between the urban enviroment and the river, becoming a ideal space for lessure and recreation.

CIRCLE PARK

A circular park connects the various parts of the city and provides space for slow traffic, green infrastructure and recreational functions. During the steady growth of the city the circle park can become a continious structure for social interaction and pleasant idle.

We intent to connect as many fractal villages as possible to the circle park, making this infrastructure reachable for all inhabitants without using hard traffic.

INDUSTRY AND SMALL ENTERPRISE

Available rental space for material and energy production, telecomunication, water- and foodproduction, distribution and Large office buildings. Close to main road infrastructior and possible railway connection.

Other than common Industrial areas we will search for an interesting natural embedded structure.

BUILDING CENTER

A Building Center with 500 dwellings for local workers can provide the materials and knowhow in an early stage of the city development. In this startup location local workers can learn the building practice and international enterprises can connect to the local workforce.

While the city is growing, teh Building Center will expand within the larger Industrial area.

4. STRUCTURAL CONCEPTS

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO 5. NEW OLD TOWN

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO 5. NEW OLD TOWN - Mayor square and Riverfront

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO

1-ßoor units

WellnessCureServices4.000m2

1013

713

113

710

10 127 131 127 10

10,2 ha totaal

127 151 127

137

151

137

424

405

1020

1071

1020

10

10 20 10 71 10 20 10

3,5 ha totaal

215

163

7,5 148 7,5

7,5

200

7,5

3-ßoors

Crystal centerOfÞce + leisure10.000m2

mai

nen

tranc

e

San

Mar

co S

quar

e

100

150

ARTS & CRAFTS CENTRE: TOTAAL: 1,23 ha & 0,84 ha

SQUARE50 m x 90 m

(cr Plaza Real)

ARTS & CRAFTS56x 100m2

(2 floors)

FURNITURESHOP

30.000 m2

(2 floors)

BUILDINGMATERIALS

SHOP20.000 m2

(2 floors)

Parking lot

Parking lotCONCRETE

PLANT20.000 m2

(1 floor)

storage

storage

storage

storage

WAREHOUSES30.000 m2

(1 floor)

BUILDING CENTER: TOTAAL: 13,18 ha

333 UNITS (3 floors)

ARTS & CRAFTS CENTRE: TOTAAL: 1,23 ha & 0,84 ha

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE - CRYSTAL VALLEY3,8 ha 500 units (15.000m2)Office/Leisure (10.000m2)

BUILDING CENTER3,8 ha500 units (15.000m2)- Furniture Shop (30.000m2)- Building Materials (20.000m2)- Warehouses (30.000m2)- Concrete Plant (20.000m2)

ARTS & CRAFTS CENTER1 ha56 units (3.400m2)Workshops (2.300m2)

WELLCARE CENTER10,1 ha 500 units (25.000m2) Wellcare (4.000m2)

5. OLD TOWN - Center development

Care

IN COLLABORATION WITH

DETOO 6. FRACTAL VILLAGE