Rotterdam - Tuesday 22 May 2007

After enjoying a delicious lunch in 't Gemaal the fourteen groups of the masterclass dispersed to explore the sites in Rotterdam-Zuid.
Lloyd Muskiet (architect at the municipality) guided four groups (3xBerlage, 1xETH) around Bloemhof and Hillesluis. Lloyd started with an explanation of the situation on the Afrikaanderplein where the mosque couldn't add a new minaret as a consequence of former Alderman Marco Pastors’ somewhat paranoid political combat against so-called foreign architecture. The four teams continued their tour investigating the neighbourhood. Maybe because of the beautiful weather or the peaceful scene of mothers with children walking by, some students commented that nothing seems to be really wrong here. Lloyd explained that Bloemhof and Hillesluis do suffer some structural problems. The urgent need for well functioning community centres is one of them.
The first actual site visited was Wielslag (Bloemhof). This is a former 'red spot', where small seedy bars thrived and junkies hang out. Recently the local authorities demolished some of the buildings to create space for a multifunctional accommodation (MFA), a community centre combined with educational and day care facilities. The sad story is that the drug problems and related crime activities found a new zone in the street across, where several private homeowners exploit their property by renting it out to dealers. Another problem of this site is the odd functioning of the traffic junction and the lack of proper water storage after heavy rainfall.