Yesterday I was at the city office to renew my driving licence. What a crush it was getting there, and what obstacles. For as long as I can remember, it's been different every time I arrive at the station area.
Contents
The west side
Downstairs in the city office, you can clearly see what that building site is now for. There are scale models of the plans and large visual information boards. You can't help getting enthusiastic. The west side is increasingly on the rise. Lombok & Nieuw Engeland are more popular than ever. For ages, these were neighbourhoods you'd rather not live in. But more and more people are discovering the charm and advantages of this area. You're quickly on the main roads out of town, a few minutes from the station, and there are lots of characterful houses. There's also room to cool off, and there are great parks.
Building plans
Living, working, eating popcorn. The west side is becoming the city centre of the future. There will be more connection with the city. Where the Jaarbeurs side of the station was for a long time the ugly, tucked-away side of the station, it's now becoming the part where you get the feeling of a world city. Innovative, sustainable and 'real' city life. Hoog Catharijne was outdated; it was a mess and, in the '90s, a paradise for junkies. When I came to study in Utrecht myself, I always walked through the patatstraat (the 'chip street') to my student house. The station was a grey mass of concrete. There were still many roads running through the city. Doing nothing wasn't an option. It had to become nicer. Bite the bullet and do everything at the same time. So that afterwards the station area would become a really nice place.
A city of stature
The historic city centre is a major attraction, but the pressure of use there is high. So something really had to happen. We're far too many houses short. But we don't have that much space. The city centre needs an extension. Only then can the city centre keep meeting current demand. So the centre has to be expanded. The centre will expand in two places: the Lombokplein and the Beurskwartier. Around 3500 homes will be built, interspersed with workspaces, places to eat and drink, culture and local shops, 2 parks for the Beurskwartier and a square on the water for the Lombokplein. The Leidse Rijn is also being made navigable and extended as far as the Catharijnesingel. The buildings are designed around Healthy Urban Living. There will be vertical gardens, large green public spaces and more water.
Utrecht West increasingly popular
The west side is becoming a hip & sustainable addition to the city centre. With the ever-growing group coming from Amsterdam and the central location of Utrecht West in relation to Amsterdam, Lombok & Nieuw Engeland will only become more popular. Pijlsweerd and the Bloemenbuurt also benefit from this. With the arrival of Wisselspoor and the Cartesiusdriehoek, these neighbourhoods are being connected to each other. All the developments will give the west side an enormous boost. Especially once the Merwedekanaalzone has been redeveloped too. Lombok, Nieuw Engeland, Pijlsweerd and the Bloemenbuurt are expected to become more and more popular in the coming years. This has a favourable effect on house values. Smart to anticipate this now and buy a home here!
