Stay/Play/Connect

Studio L A was commissioned by the O team to make a plan for the connection of two separate neighborhoods in Amsterdam South-East. The municipality predicts that the construction of a more expensive neighbourhood, separated by the railway from an older, less prosperous area, will lead to gentrification and segregation in the future. Studio L A was specifically asked to improve the cycling infrastructure that runs under the tracks in order to create a more natural flow of people between the two neighbourhoods. Through a new typology of cycling paths — in which they become public spaces — we created a situation which requires residents on both sides of the railway to use the entire area in their daily lives. This enables them to become part of each other’s urban environment, resulting in a better connection between the demographic of both neighbourhoods and a more sustainable sharing of the space.

Design team: Lorien Beijaert, Arna Mačkić, Aina Roca Mora, Lorina Hoxha