Amsterdam, Slotermeer – Dienst der Publieke Werken, 1952

DESIGN OF THE GARDEN CITY SLOTERMEER

“Amsterdam. Uitbreidingsplan Tuinstad Slotermeer” colour offset print published by the Dienst der Publieke Werken (Amsterdam department of public works) in 1952. Size.: 54,5 x 115 cm.

In November 1927, the municipality of Amsterdam decided that the lands west of the railway line around the city would in principle be designated for single-family housing. The Amsterdam housing department was instructed, together with department of public works, to develop a plan for the construction of an area of about 400 hectares.

The neighbourhood was to be executed in the style of the garden villages being built at the time, such as Betondorp, Nieuwendam, and Tuindorp Oostzaan. However, by then plans had already been developed for a general expansion plan for the entire area of Sloten annexed by the municipality, and it was deemed undesirable that urban expansion should result in a patchwork of partial plans. The discussions between the Housing Department and Public Works led nowhere, and the plan was shelved. Talks continued only about a small triangular section of 23 hectares situated between the ring railway, the Haarlemmerweg, and the never-realized connecting curve to the Haarlem railway line. This plan formed part of 1,500 dwellings, which also included extensions in the northern part. In this reduced plan, linear blocks were envisaged, modeled on the Neue Sachlichkeit style of the new housing estates built in Frankfurt am Main in the 1920s. This plan, too, failed due to disagreements, and it was decided to await the General Expansion Plan.

As a result of the Second World War, the construction of Slotermeer was delayed by more than ten years. The first pile was driven on December 1, 1951. In the autumn of 1952 the first houses were ready for occupation. On October 7, 1952, the first Amsterdam garden city outside the railway ring (Ringspoorbaan) was officially opened by Queen Juliana.

The first residents were mainly workers from the crowded inner city or from the countryside. In this post-war neighbourhood there was abundant space, greenery, and water, creating a pleasant living environment.

Price: Euro 275,-