Why health is the cornerstone of new development in Utrecht

What makes for a healthy citizen? In Utrecht, this question isn’t just for doctors but architects, engineers and planners.  

The city has embedded ‘Healthy Urban Living’ into all its policies. In the words of its Mayor Sharon Dijksma, “we centralise the objective of building a city of healthy residents in a healthy environment – interconnected with a flourishing economy”. Utrecht’s stats for happiness, health and life expectancy have overtaken larger Dutch cities, alongside its figures for GDP and population growth. 

All urban developments have a stethoscope held to their heart, assessing their fitness for human well‑being. As well as being car‑free, the mammoth new Merwede neighbourhood, for example, is designed to stimulate the eyes and brain: a mandated variety of width, height, material and style across adjacent buildings, alongside plant‑enhanced walls, attempts a collage of visual texture to cheer any neurologist.  

Double-height ground-floors avoid the feel of top-heavy structures, and foster flexible spaces for commerce and community. Instead of car parks, attractive hubs for bicycle storage are in the works. Utrecht is the national leader for cycle use, with more than half of all journeys into its centre made on two wheels (nearly all citizens own at least one bike).  

The Catharijnesingel, the city’s medieval moat-turned-canal, was drained over 50 years ago to make way for a motorway, in a disaster for Utrecht’s public realm. In 2002, the city held a referendum on bringing back the entire canal ring – crucially, the government had laid the ground with some prior restoration of small stretches of water. This ‘proof of concept’ convinced voters, and the canal now flows fully once more, with nature-friendly foreshores and walking routes. 

In a new district near the central station, Utrecht’s blueprint for bio-diversity has found expression in Wonderwoods, a tower described as a ‘vertical forest’, incorporating 360 trees and 5,000 plants. This living architecture will follow the seasons, awakening with white, yellow and pink in spring, before dense summer greens turn to orange and reds – a sense of spectacle richer than any digital screen. 

Images

Top: plan for Utrecht’s Merwede district (image: Marc Koehler Associates)

Middle: Catharijnesingel in Utrecht (image: Stijn Poelstra, courtesy OKRA)

Bottom: Wonderwoods (image: Stefano Boeri Architetti)