Neighborhood Design around Delft: Visits to Oost Tanthof and Delfgauw

Today we had the chance to get acquainted with Dutch urban form at a neighborhood scale while visiting Oost Tanthof and Delfgauw, residential areas of Delft, by bike. The Oost Tanthof neighborhood dates back to the 1980s, while Delfgauw, an area developed in the 90s which continues to functionally serve the Delft municipality. The latter consists of a higher-income demographic and more modern architecture. Unlike most of the residential areas of the United States and Canada, these Duch neighborhoods do not privilege sprawling development and autocentrism. Oost Tanthof enables circulation throughout the neighborhood and connectivity to the rest of Delft by supporting multi-modal mobility through walking, cycling, and bus transit. Delfgauw displays half automobile/ half bicycle infrastructure.

Lack of side friction in a typical American residential street encourages speeding. In addition, few sidewalks and bike paths and few services/ places within close proximity to go limit walking or cycling. 

 Tanthof applies the slow streets concept through speed bumps and the narrowing of streets, also known as 'road dieting'

Tanthof resembles the village-like built environment upheld by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and works as an admirable example of a 'walkable, sustainable community'. Notice through the photos how much attention is paid to diversity of housing types, mixed- use development, greenery, and modest density to accomodate families and senior citizens alike. Schools, shops, and recreational facilities exist within close proximity (1-10 minute walking distance) from homes. Although the central shopping strip did not contain much variety, with only a Jumbo supermarket, bakery, and hair dresser in sight, to name a few, it surely fulfills the basic needs for those living nearby. For more choices, residents can easily bike to central Delft.

Clearly, planners tried fitting in multi-family housing into as small land parcels as possible, without overwhelming the area with density and threatening its tranquil, residential character. Blocks are kept short and permeable through narrow walkways between housing developments. Traffic calming techniques are also applied through small speed bumps and road narrowing. Roads rarely impede connectivity, as leveled walkways connect buildings to each other-- for instance, at a school and an apartment building.

 Duplexes enable land use efficiency but the private entrances and backyards resemble those of a detached home. Privacy and density increases are reconciled by enabling a bit of room for backyard space with good access to natural green space. 

Shopping trips can be made most conveniently by bike, as few car parking spots are available and travel distances are kept to a minimum.

Narrow walkways enable pedestrian flexibility across the neighborhood and adhere to human scale 

The Emerald development in Delfgauw harbors more modern housing and a shopping mall-like center, with a few essential stores, like a bakery, large grocery store, hair salon, and some other specialty shops. The community felt less mixed use, as the shopping center was centralized, perhaps explaining why the neighborhood lacked some vibrancy. Nonetheless, the neighborhood still ensures walkability and bikability. Although the parking lot size and form resembled that of a typical American supermarket's, Emerald's lot could be accessed by bikes through ramps and contained sufficient bike racks.


The development contains a range of housing typologies. Some blocks had large enough lots for semi-detached duplexes and row housing with room for parking in front and back gardens. These 'houses' had their own entrances and could be accessed from both the front from the street and back from a narrow walking path. In this sense, it resembled a hybrid of an American suburb with the density of an old English suburb. Apartment complexes also existed nearby. The mixed demographic mirrors the diverse housing types: children, older couples, and young teenagers and students all frequented the streets of this neighborhood. In terms of traffic patterns, this neighborhood, although slightly less bike friendly and more car friendly, felt safe to cycle around and drivers were always cautious and yielded to us as we crossed roads on our bikes. Thank the speed bumps and narrow streets, which slow vehicle speeds, as well as Dutch laws which hold drivers fully accountable for any accidents.

For more information on cycling and traffic culture in the Netherlands, read here

The Emerald shopping center parking lot resembles that of an expansive American parking lot, with the exception of bicycle transport accommodation

The Emerald's mid rise development with rather green frontages and car parking offset further from homes to make room for a sidewalk at the entrance.

Sustainable Community Systems in the Netherlands: First Impressions from Delft

I attended a Critical Mass communal bike ride a few years ago. The event called "Go Dutch" ended with volunteers handing out t-shirts with the slogan "Get in touch with your inner Dutch". This all makes sense after visiting Holland, especially for the second time. The Netherlands boasts one of the most advanced cycling, water transport, and rail infrastructure systems, worthy of admiration by European municipalities and world cities alike.

Upon entering the Netherlands this time around, I was surprised by the proximity between cities. In fact, these cities make up an urban agglomeration comparable to Paris and other major European metropoles. Amsterdam, the Hague, Delft, Leiden, and Rotterdam can all be reached within an hour and half train ride of each other. When I went to Delft, what stood out most for me was how human-scale the neighborhood is; biking and walking comprise the dominant forms of transport.  As a planning and urbanism student, I noticed how the small scale architecture fits well with the small scale (although expansiveness) of the road network, but I wonder how much had to be adapted to the cycling. Each municipality is connected to others through the waterways and rapid bus and cycling transportation infrastructure.

One of my primary interests in the field of planning is gender mainstreaming within urban landscapes through design. Many cities, especially North American ones, do not consider the needs of women and children, especially with regards to safety and well being. Through Holland's bike system, engaging in risky behavior like riding a bike on a busy road full of cars isn't necessary. Thus, Delft's infrastructure does not limit women and children's mobility in the city. In addition, other safety considerations are taken into account, for example, the strong surveillance of bike parking facilities and separated bike paths (differentiable by pavement surface type and color). Delft offers a sound model of feminist planning in practice. 

Below are some highlights from today's bike tour of Delft: 

An advisory path that enables cyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles to share the road, but cyclists are still given preference. This ensures that cyclists remain the dominant form of transport and  These road networks are part of a larger regional network across the northern-eastern Netherlands and Germany. 

A woonerf, the Dutch word for "living street" creates a car-free residential zone and fosters a pleasant neighborhood experience. It is quiet, surrounded by greenery, and safe for play and recreational activities for families and individuals from all age backgrounds. At the same time, it is accessible to commercial use areas and transportation hubs like the Delft Central Station. 

A well-designed covered bicycle parking facility at the Delft Central station ensures that bikes can be parked safely and conveniently. It alleviates messy bike parking and cluttering of bikes on the streets, which would otherwise inconvenience other cyclists and pedestrian. Electronic monitoring helps keep track of how many bike parking spaces are available. To save space, bikes can be 'parked' on two levels. The facility is video-monitored and well-lit to ensure "eyes on the street".