Leiden is growing

Schilperoort Park as an example

On March 6. the go-ahead was given for the redevelopment of the Schilperoort Park. A leafy and green living environment in which trees are preserved and planted, a playground and pond are laid out and the park paths are made of beautiful baked clinkers. At the same time, a place within walking distance of Leiden Central Station with more than 1,500 homes and where 15,000 people will soon live, work and study. Transformed buildings of the former Cité Médicale and new buildings up to 40 and 70 meters alternate. There will be a total of fifteen buildings, three of which are currently under construction and the last one is currently being designed.

With its 12 hectares, the Schilperoort Park is a relatively small part of the larger Leiden Bio Science Park (LBSP). It finds its importance in transforming the LBSP from a business park into a lively campus where different functions such as education, research, facilities and housing reinforce each other and where the landscape is the great connector. The Schilperoort Park and soon two other residential areas contribute to the liveliness of this campus, even outside office hours and on weekends.

I was supposed to give a short speech that day in March. For that occasion, I dived into some numbers to place the Schilperoort Park in the Leiden context. This showed that the area is more Leiden than I could have imagined and possibly exemplary of the opportunities to densify the city within the existing boundaries.

Densification in Leiden: the numbers tell a story

Leiden has a population of 56 people per hectare. That is more than 10 times the Dutch average (and 100 times the world average). This means that Leiden scores high on the list of most densely built-up municipalities in the country. Only The Hague is more densely built. In itself, it doesn’t say much and there are much more compact cities outside our country. Moreover: full is not a priori worse than empty. A dense city next to an open landscape, sea or meadow can of course also be beautiful. It approaches the ideal of the compact Dutch city bathed in the openness of the countryside.

But that’s where the shoe pinches. The Hague and Leiden are not only our most densely built-up cities, they are also top 5 municipalities with the relatively smallest rural area. Only Capelle aan de IJssel, Rijswijk and Oegstgeest are even less fortunate. Leiden is close to the municipal boundaries with its buildings. The margins are (almost) gone.

Leiden can already feel the storm coming

Now that Leiden is going to grow further, everyone can already feel the storm coming. It will be a choice between two evils. Or eat the last green edges and thus kill the landscape. Or densify within the existing city and thus kill the character of districts and neighbourhoods.

If you ask me, it will be condensing. And of course not to put pressure on Leiden’s qualities. On the contrary, I would say. It is a challenge to intensify the city and strengthen it at the same time. In that respect, it is illustrative that the historic city centre is not only the most valued part of the city, but with 110 inhabitants per hectare it is by far the most densely built-up. Within that is Marewijk as the absolute outlier with 216 inhabitants per hectare! Apparently, in the city center it is possible to connect quantity with quality. Buildings and space reinforce each other.

More red and more green

So the future profit can be achieved. By giving pale areas more colour, with more red (buildings) and greener at the same time. Where necessary, to seek the height to save space, with respect for the history. In the Schilperoort Park we are already making a contribution. More than 2,000 new Leiden residents will soon live here; some with their feet in the green, others high above the trees. After the Marewijk, the Schilperoortpark will be the most densely populated neighborhood in Leiden for the time being and the city is also giving a park as a gift!