After the Second World War, Papendrecht grew explosively. The village of dike builders and fishermen gracefully meandering along a kilometre-long dike ribbon at the majestic confluence of three rivers was expanded with the Kraaihoek district. Post War modernism along the Veerweg that connects Papendrecht with the hinterland.
The original Kraaihoek district consisted mainly of social housing, partly low-rise, partly stacked. Over time, the edges have been filled in with smaller neighbourhoods with a wide variety of housing types, together 60 hectares in size. In the end, the district had 2,600 homes and 5,600 inhabitants.
Ten years ago, the need arose to renovate and remediate the corporation property of Woonkracht10. Initially, a programmatic division was made into south, middle and north and numerically the renewal started.
From 2021, the administrative course has been set towards a Caring Neighbourhood Kraaihoek. The transformation of the neighbourhood is shaped from a vision of living together and looking after each other, in which a balance is explicitly sought between carriers and demanders.
In line with developments in the neighbourhood and in society as a whole, the Caring Neighbourhood provides an answer to the increasing pressure that is placed on care. At the same time, this way a connection is made with the strong community spirit of Papendrecht. The municipality has a rich club life, many denominations and volunteer work is widespread.
The Caring Neighbourhood Kraaihoek is designed as a garden village, with lots of green outdoor space and buildings that relate to their surroundings. A long and no-obstacleroute for cyclists and pedestrians leads through the district to the centre of Papendrecht.
In a manifesto, all those involved have named the joint principles, before subdivisions are drawn in phases and the Caring Neighbourhood Kraaihoek will see the light of day step by step. The renewal of Kraaihoek goes hand in hand with densification and greening. In addition, life on the sidewalk is stimulated with small private doorsteps in front of the houses, lots of greenery in the street profiles and parking that largely solves out of sight. Everyday life is given plenty of space in the Caring Neighbourhood Kraaihoek.