Kanaleneiland

Atmosphere and specifics

• This neighbourhood was built in the 1960s, as part of the large-scale expansion of the city and council of Utrecht at the time.
• Broadly situated neighbourhood, with lots of greenery and high-rise buildings. Characteristic are the porche flats with four floors.
• Together with the construction of an industrial estate on the edge of the neighbourhood (also Woonboulevard), a big shopping centre, schools, houses for the elderly and a church, Kanaleneiland was supposed to become a city in its own right where the residents could stay and live for the rest of their lives.
• The initial admiration for Kanaleneiland was soon replaced by being condemned. Because of the lack of more spacious low-rise buildings, the middle class soon left the area. The council did not invest in renovation of the existing facilities. Local shops were vacated and public gardens and parks were badly kept and also a popular target for urban planners to build more houses, schools and sport fields.
• The turnaround came in the late 1990s. The council realised that the neighbourhood did not meet the standards of the 21st century and started with plans for large-scale improvements.
• Renewal plans, on the axis between Prins Clausbrug and the shopping centre, significant changes have been planned (houses, As van Kanaleneiland/Your Urban Space). Also, lots of existsing houses are renovated.