Zuiderpark stadswalzone 's-Hertogenbosch

The restructuring of the Zuiderpark Stadswalzone derives from two main problems: first of all, the inner city faced increasing gridlock and parking issues, and wished to improve the accessibility by both motor vehicles and non-motorised traffic. Secondly, rising waterlevels threatening the historic city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, due to the neglect of the (water) defence works.
By combining underground parking at the rim of the inner city with restoration of heritage assets, as well as increased visibility and experience value, the project has economic viability while also contributing to reintegrating heritage values into the urban fabric. It restores the visibility of an important aspect of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, a well-known walled town in Dutch history for the prolonged sieges and the adaptive use of water to protect the city from attacking armies. The parking garage has integrated a small exhibition, that allows for a diachronic vision of both the landscape and the city, from the Late Pleistocene until modern day.
The main stakeholder is the municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, that is both owner of the parking garage as well as the exploiting party. During the construction phase several other agencies were involved, due to the fact that this approach (on this scale) was a perfect test for new techniques. By doing the exploitation themselves, the municipality generates revenue from this unique heritage project, which in turn can be invested in new (heritage) projects.