Part-time Archivist, Almere Archives
With Michel Langedijk we spoke about the making of Almere, how city planning utopia is affected by real-life needs and decisions, about weerwater artificial lake in the city center, and about Michel’s favourite and fragile drawings of Almere that he found in the archive collection. It is an interview that narrates the story of negotiations between imagination and rationality.
Maritime Archaeologist
In this interview with Yftinus van Popta, we unpack the title Shallow Waters concerning Almere, what treasures the reclaimed land hides and what a boring day for a maritime archaeologist looks like. This conversation touches upon the broader notion of archives and Yftinus tells us a fascinating folk story of doom from the region.
Mechanical Heritage Volunteer
In this interview with Jaap Hospers, a volunteer with the Mechanical Heritage Center in Dronten, we discover the mechanical tools that are used to make the polder in Flevoland. What does it mean to live in the polder? What are the things you can find in the ground where there used to be water? Where else than in the Flevoland polder is it possible to find an old metal boat in the ground of your backyard?
Retired City Planner
According to Jan Frans de Hartog, water cannot be destroyed. No expensive housing can be easily built on top of the water, so making a lake in the middle of a city will lead to inhabitants always seeing the horizon above the lake. A story of building Almere Haven from one of the city’s founding fathers. A memory of young people with little experience but lots of enthusiasm, discovering that the polder’s emptiness is a paradise for city planning.
Urban planner & Landscape architect
With Ria and Anette, we spoke about the ideals of the current Urban planners and landscape architects that form the city of Almere. How do you make a city where nature can have also a strong voice in the planning? Because what makes Almere a good city is its blue and green base. A good example is the new neighbourhood in Almere: Duin.
Retired Civil Engineer and soil researcher
Imagine you arrive at a huge empty landscape without any buildings and only sand and some vegetation. What kind of city will you build in this space? With Bouwe we talk about the soil that is the base for the city of Almere and the work of a civil engineer. What is the role of water in de engineering of a new city?