Mixed-use development: Theory and practice in Amsterdam's Eastern Docklands

Abstract

During the last few decades mixed-use development has become an important planning paradigm in various European and North American cities. However, the concept of mixed-use is ambiguous in both theory and practice. In this paper a typology of mixed-use developments is revealed to identify its major components. This typology is then applied to the case study area Eastern Docklands in Amsterdam which is a major urban transformation area in which the concept of mixed-use development has been implemented. It is concluded that in this area there is a good deal of mixing between housing and employment, but it is still unclear whether the strategic goals are reached.

Acknowledgements

The research was partly funded by the Municipality of Amsterdam and Habiforum Centre for mixed-use development in the Netherlands. The authors would like to thank Dominic Stead for his constructive comments on an early version of this paper, and three anonymous reviewers.