Re-Store

THE UPLIFTING OF POST-WAR RETAIL STRIPS IN THE NETHERLANDS

1. PROLOGUE
Retail strips in post-war (residential) areas in the Netherlands
are failing because of two main concatenated phenomena and,
as a consequence, their preservation becomes an important
economic, social and architectural issue (Soeterboek, 2005).

on them anymore. Improving the attractiveness of the

shopping experience by re-designing the built environment,
allowing for expansions, landmarks and events, may allow
the catchment areas to grow beyond the neighbourhood
boundaries.

1.1 Change in demographics and (subsequent) shift in

consumers demands and habits
Change in demographics includes not only the complex
immigration phenomenon, hence people seeking completely
new and different products (new demands), but also the
simple rejuvenation and aging of the population which has new
habits and needs, new means and ways to purchase things.
Improvement in technology has led to increasing enormously
the shelf life of perishable commodities (mainly food, but also
pharmaceutical drugs, etc.) and the consequent possibility for
consumers to store many items at once for very long time.
This has led consumers to favour bulk purchases (weekly
and monthly) over single-item acquisitions (daily). Since retail
strips were supposed to answer the daily necessities (mostly
food-related) of the neighbourhood, we can see how this shift
in consumers habits has led to the perishing of these local
stores. In general retail strips have shown over time to be
unable to compete with the new challenges of retail.

1.3. Preservation of character and role

The downward spiral of these shops reflects (and it is reflected
by) the downward spiral of certain aspect of neighborhood
life, mainly in social and environmental terms. The detriment
of these shops leads to the detriment of the surrounding
physical and social environment, increasing segregation and
crime phenomena, with the consequent loss of living quality
and property values. Some of these buildings have also an
historical value as they show a nuanced and complex picture
of the development of the modern movement, the rise of
the modern city and its influence on society. In some cases
(see the cases of Dr. Struyckenplein in Breda and Houtweg
in Emmen) the buildings have already been transformed or
torn down, but while we may lose some of the architectural
features of these modern-historical neighborhoods, we have to
preserve the essence of the context and the role of the retail
strips within it (Wagenaar, 2011).

1.2 Competition from historical cities shopping centers and

shopping malls
The historical cities shopping centers and the shopping
malls can usually rely on good location, recognizability,
accessibility and amenities (recreational features). Usually
the historical shopping center strength relies on proximity,
shops complementarity, products quality and beautiful setting.
The recognizability is expressed by the specific character of
the site. On the other end, the shopping malls rely mainly
on convenience in terms of price (big storage facilities) and
location (easily accessible by car and located along main
road arteries). The recognizability relies on the sheer size and
visibility of these conglomerates along the landscape and
highways. In addition the shopping experience inside a mall is
not affected by adverse weather or safety conditions.
1.2.1 Quality of the shopping experience
All these factors affect the quality of the shopping
experience. In part, the lack of appeal in the retail strips
shopping experience is due to the physical context in
which the shopping happens, which cannot compete with
the charming and thrilling experience of the historical city
centers. In part, the lack of appeal is due to the poor array
of offered products, which cannot compete with the range
of produce, with the vast and complete retail experience a
shopping mall can offer. It is a matter of attractiveness (of
the surrounding environment and the store itself) and scale
(size of store facilities, variety of products and prices).
1.2.2 Consumer catchment areas
Failing to attract customers, retail strips have further reduced
their, already limited, consumer catchment areas, so that
not even the neighborhoods for which they were built rely

2. PROGRAM
In order to rescue the retail strips and restore their leading
role within the neighborhood life, we need to tackle their
current weaknesses and follow specific principles of economy,
feasibility and sustainability. If we succeed we may be able
to instill new life and social relevance into these stores
(Raatgever, 2014).
2.1 Dealing with the stores image, hence attractiveness and
recognizability
The retail strips need to present not only an organised and
attractive stores, but also a charming and recognizable urban
context. Public spaces and areas facing and surrounding the
retail strips need to be redesigned to receive and welcome
customers: more greenery and amenities, partial sheltering
from bad weather conditions, coziness. Often the retail
strips do not offer the sense of coziness and security that
historical city centers or shopping malls are able to provide:
these elements are determined by building proximity (scale
and relation between open and closed spaces), sheltering,
people proximity, urban furniture, greenery, quality of natural
and artificial lighting. To achieve the desired result, besides
intervening on refurbishing the existing, in some cases it will
be necessary to add new simple structures, such as canopies
or enclosing elements which can be prefabricated and
adaptable to the different location settings.
2.2 Maximizing the shopping surface, both internally and
externally
On the one hand the stores need to use as much space
available inside the buildings in which they are located, hence
conceivably using also the second level (usually intended
for residential purposes, but often vacant). On the other
hand, the areas just outside the stores have to take part and
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foster the shopping experience (reaffirming again the need

for public space refurbishment). Increasing the shop surface
would not only allow for the establishment of different
kind of businesses, but it would increase also the storage
facilities (allowing stores to have bigger stocks of products
and produce), hence it would lower buying and selling prices
(increasing competitiveness).
2.3 Organizing the stores within a retail strip to work
complementarily
The single shops should not compete against each other, but
should work together to offer customers the best and possibly
the most complete shopping experience. Retail strips need
to be organised in programs and have common design and
communication features. A retail strip should have a theme
which would form the character that distinguishes it from other
retail strips as well as from historical centers and shopping
malls.
2.4 Inserting new functions besides selling products or
services
Often retail strips are in connection with residential areas that
are essentially dormitories: a better mix of functions could
provide more life to the neighborhood. New functions could
include cultural and art spaces, social and communal locations,
temporary event areas. These functions could be located in the
vacant part of the buildings, which are often the apartments
above the shops, and partially invade the shopping strips and
the surrounding public space.
3. PROCESS
After subdividing the given locations into 24 study cases,
we studied the morphological features of each one to better
understand their configurations. From the collected data
and subsequent analysis, we were able to identify specific
typological features and collect them into 4 groups by retail
surface and 4 groups by morphological configuration (see table
1).
The grouping by retail surface gives information not only
concerning the character of the stores, but also about their
fragility: retail strips with less surface need help the most
since are composed mainly by independent owners and local
stores. This may give a guidance in term of urgency and scale
of investment. The grouping by morphological configuration
gives information concerning the environment which then
leads to defining the spatial features of the proposal.
The analysis highlights the fact that we are tackling very
different cases, from tiny retail strips composed of local stores,
to complex and large retail venues with major retail chains
and supermarkets. Although the retail strips might face the
same ill fate, they belong to very different urban and historical
contexts, therefore needing different and tailor-made solutions
which must stem from common concepts and principles.
3.1 Data integration
To make sense of all these collected data, we built a matrix
to cross the 4 retail surface groups with the 4 morphological
types to obtain 16 different settings (cells). We placed each
study case on a corresponding cell and decided to analyze
a plausible approach for 4 of these settings. We chose the 4
settings so as to include one time all 4 retail surface groups
and all 4 morphological types (see table 2).

4. PROPOSAL
We foresee and propose 4 ways of intervention (see table
3). These interventions can be seen as separate, individual
actions or in combination with each other. They can be part of a
chronological sequence where the subsequent ones substitute
or complete the preceding, but they can also be seen as
cyclical interventions. The advantage of progressing in steps
would mean the possibility to test market and neighborhoods
before adopting a definitive solution.
4.1 Urban refurbishment
Upgrade and refurbishment of the public space facing and
surrounding the retail strips, through affordable and rapid
interventions which use paving, vegetation, urban furniture,
lighting, colours and graphics as their tools.
4.2 Follies - Space Invaders
Insertion of temporary elements, structures and pavilions
(space invaders or follies) into the shopping areas to raise
interest, increase sociability, improve the shopping experience
and test new products and stores (Jodidio, 2011).
4.3 Canopies
Insertion of light sheltering structures (canopies) to give the
shopping areas not only protection from adverse climate
conditions, but also character, continuity and unity.
4.4 Landmarks
Construction of permanent new structures (landmarks) which
combine all the previous elements to present a new and
improved topographic surrounding, a new and recognizable
shopping experience.
4.5 Framework
Over the past decades many faceless commercial areas and
anonymous or troubled public spaces within European cities
have faced foreclosure and abandonment. Often the solution
to regenerate these areas and the commerce in them has
been through urban design and public space refurbishment,
inserting new structures which are usually remarkable
for ingenuity and aesthetics. Sometimes these urban
interventions have had a temporary and artistic approach,
sometimes they have had a more significant and permanent
architectural character.
There are many recent examples of how temporary or
permanent canopies, for example, have radically improved
commerce and social life in neighborhoods, whether as
an artistic installation or a visually striking building. The
Umbrella Sky installation by Sextafeira Produes at
festival Agitagueda in the city of Agueda, Portugal (2012)
or a similar installation along the Cheonggyecheon River or
the Mecenatpolis Mall in Seoul, South Korea (2014) have
temporarily turned shopping and pedestrian areas into
engaging visual experiences (Lerner, 2014). The Metropole
Parasol canopy in Seville, Spain (2011) by architect Jrgen
Mayer-Hermann has reawakened an entire dying neighborhood,
giving it a new identity. It has brought back businesses and
shoppers creating a space that people adopt and adapt to
their own requirements. These are only few examples (of
many) on how visually striking structures (whether temporary
or permanent) can foster economy and social relationships in
perishing urban areas.

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5. PROSPECTIVE
We foresee our proposals as feasible and sustainable, each as
an expression of our guiding principles. These concepts should
be further studied and researched involving actors from the
public, private and civil sectors. So for now we limit ourselves
to suggest architectural elements and features of our ideas
more than a precise and definitive design.
5.1 Urban refurbishment
Many retail strips face directly the road without much available
public and pedestrian space around. In these cases, it would
be difficult (if not impossible) to insert massive structures
without radically modifying the modernist setting. Keeping in
mind, the necessity of preserving and restoring the cultural
identity of a place and a community, after years of neglect,
refurbishing the public space and introducing more greenery
becomes a respectful, affordable and swift way to proceed and
tackle the problems at hand.
5.2 Follies - Space Invaders
The follies, ingenuous little pavilions, should be light enough
for transportation and be simple to build and dismantle, using
light materials such as wood, aluminum and carbon fibre for
their main structures, and materials such as textiles, fibrecement and plastic for their cladding. Stemming from similar
principles and prefab components, they could be combined
or declined in different ways to make each unique. Working
as a network, we suggest designing 24 and have them travel
each month to a different (chosen) location in groups of 12:
two simultaneous retail strips would receive them and make
this an event. The follies (transportable pop-up stores and
cafs) would be useful to test the market with new concepts,
events, social happenings, stores and products (see the recent
examples of the Smith Pavilion by Studio Weave in 2014, the
Endesa World Fab Condenser by Mergen-Lab in 2014 and the
Popped Out Shop by Pencil Office in 2010).

easily dismantable, but not temporary. They would use mainly

wood and steel as their structural materials, textiles, glass and
transparent recyclable polymers as their translucent cladding.
5.4 Landmark
These permanent buildings should capture the attention
of the customers for ingenuity and quality. They should
crystallize and combine the concepts and ideas tested with the
previous interventions, using some of the same elements in a
permanent setting. Their ambition is to maximise and explore
the retail surface while creating a suggestive and unique public
environment. The type of buildings that are able to achieve
these goals are usually evocative in the way they embrace
space and topography, mixing private space and public
surrounding, business and sociability, transforming buildings
into landscape.
5.5 Actors and stakeholders
The process that leads to rescuing the retails strips involves
necessarily government, market-based actors and the civil
society (including non-governmental organizations): they
should work with a common vision, a network-based approach
and clear goals. While the public and civic actors would
essentially be the same on each case, the private actors,
depending on the size and characteristics of each location,
could shift from major project developers, retail chains and
product brands (industry leaders), to single owners. The
process should involve a collective learning process in which
data are shared, cooperation is encouraged and solutions
are tested (experimentation, learning and adaptation through
design). The government together with the private sector
should produce new data analysis, regulation and market
incentives that may encourage businesses to flourish,
while the civil society should provide feedback and ideas for
innovation (Hofmann, 2015). Design should be both a tool for
investigation and the embodiment of solutions that serves all
actors.

5.3 Canopies
A canopy is able to define and give a character to a public
space without needing to enclose it (see the recent examples
of the Marseille Vieux Port Pavilion in 2014, the Ghent Market
Hall in 2012 and the Sandnes Lantern Pavilion in 2010). It is
an affordable and suggestive way to shelter and make unique
the shopping experience. Canopies should be removable and

References
Hofmann S., Architecture is Participation, Jovis, 2015, ISBN 978-3868593471
Jodidio P., Temporary Architecture Now!, Taschen, 2011, ISBN 978-3836523288
Lerner J., Urban Acupuncture, Island Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1610915830
Raatgever A., Winkelgebied van de Toekomst, Platform 31, 2014
Soeterboek R., Een tweede toekomst voor winkelstrips, HBD, 2005, ISBN 90-6946-587-6
Wagenaar C., Town Planning in the Netherlands, 010, 2011, ISBN 978-90-6450-682-6

Umbrella Sky (2012)

by Sextafeira Produes

Metropole Parasol (2012)

by Jrgen Mayer-Hermann

Smith Pavilion (2014)

by Studio Weave

Endesa World Fab Condenser (2014)

by Margen-Lab

Popped Out Shop (2010)

by Pencil Office

Marseille Vieux Port Pavilion (2014)

by Foster & Partners

Ghent Market Hall (2012)

by Robbrecht & Daem Architecten

Sandnes Lantern Pavilion (2010)

by AWP
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Am s terd am

3600

1400

38

7500

36

4
8,5

3-A

2-C

14,5

4-A

1300

130

15

3
3-C

90

A p eldoorn

10

3800

5600

14

19
4-B

1,5

4600

28

160

3
1-C

3-A

15

1-C

3-D

5,5

5600

17,5

34

17,5

730

3-B

17,5

4-D

4-D

10,5

4200

1280

24

4-A

30

11,5

3-C

2-A

17,5

Utrecht

810

2
2-A

40

13

Na ge l e

90

10800

50

13

Lei dschendamVoorburg

2
1-B

630

1390

64

5
1-B

17

3
1-C

54

2-A

8,5

Category & Frequency:

Legend:
building length:
variable

building
storeys

facing building
proximity

facing a square /
large pedestrian
public space

retail surface
(m2)

frontal public space

(m)

parking
building / large
parking area

category
(see Category
Matrix on the
following page)

TABLE 1

3800

D en Haag

Maas t richt

16

180

15

1-A

4,5

Emmen

1800

2-A

15

De n Bos c h

27,5

480

14

2
2-C

5,5

1050

3-A

12,5

Groni ngen

680

77

45

Hengelo

1450

20

2200

47

13,5

B red a

5100

4000

45

Retail
Surface (m2)

Frequency

Morphology
Type

Frequency

1200
1201 - 2400
2401 - 4800
> 4800

6
7
6
5

A
B
C
D

10
4
7
3

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TABLE 2 CATEGORY MATRIX

Retail Surface (m2)

Morphology type A
Simple elongated retail blocks facing the road

Morphology type B
Simple retail blocks enclosing a
pedestrian area

Morphology type C
Simple retail blocks facing a square
or open public space

1200

Schubertstraat

Noorderwinkels
Zuiderwinkels

Haverkamp
Joseph Haydlaan
Herderplein

1201 - 2400

Pieter Calandlaan II
Burgemeester Sweenslaan
Terra Cottaplein
Hndelstraat

2401 - 4800

Burgemeester de Vlugtlaan I
Pieter Calandlaan I
Van Lenneplaan

Vondelstraat

> 4801

Burgemeester de Vlugtlaan III

Petterlaarseweg

Mercatorplein

Morphology type D
Complex retail blocks with massive
shopping and parking facilities

Burgemeester de Vlugtlaan II
Dr. Struykenplein
Nolensplein
Dillenburgsingel

Houtweg

Statenweg
Het Kleine Loo

IDEA 1: URBAN REFURBISHMENT

IDEA 2: FOLLIES - SPACE INVADERS

Example: Amsterdam - Pieter Calandlaan II

Retail Surface 2
Morphology Type A

Example: Emmen - Houtweg

Retail Surface 3
Morphology Type D

Superkilen (2012)
by BIG

Mariahilferstrae (2014)
by Bureau B+B

Paleys upon Pilers (2012)

by Studio Weave

IDEA 3: CANOPIED SHOPPING PASSAGE

IDEA 4: LANDMARK

Example: Apeldoorn - Mercatorplein

Retail Surface 4
Morphology Type B

Example: Den Haag - Haverkamp

Retail Surface 1
Morphology Type C

World Design Capital Pavilion (2012)

by Aalto University Wood Program

TABLE 3

Florianopolis Market Canopy (2016)

by WK Arquitetura

WKCD Arts Pavilion (2014)

by XML

Re-creation in Venice (2014)

by Oopeaa

Praa de Lisboa (2013)

by Balonas & Menano Arquitectos

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