ALMERE MASTERPLAN, NETHERLANDS, ALMERE, 2007

A New City Centre for the City of Almere

Almere, now over 100.000 inhabitants, has existed less than two decades. In that short time the city has demonstrated enormous potential and vitality. It has shown a commitment to architectural innovation and experimentation. Almere will soon reach the critical mass that will enable it to redefine its ambitions; ten years from today, the population will approach that of an average medium-sized city. Then it will be possible to make the quantum leap from an agglomeration of distinct "equal” centers, each with its own concentration of facilities, to a city with a recognizable hierarchy in the programmatic development. This growth will provide the city center with the basis for a number of essential facilities; such as a cultural nucleus (museum, library, theatre) and large scale retail facilities.