{"id":10976,"date":"2021-09-20T10:32:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T08:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rotterdammakeithappen.nl\/verhalen\/icon-connector-and-a-platform-for-everyone\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T00:42:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T22:42:25","slug":"icon-connector-and-a-platform-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"verhaal","link":"https:\/\/rotterdammakeithappen.nl\/en\/stories\/icon-connector-and-a-platform-for-everyone\/","title":{"rendered":"Icon, connector, and a platform for everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_custom_heading]25 years Erasmusbrug[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]<strong>Rotterdam in the 1980s.<br \/>A city still rebuilding after the devastation of the Second World War.<br \/>Civil servants had their own visions for Rotterdam, harbor barons viewed the Maas River, which split the city in two, as their private domain, the North looked down on the South, and the South embraced its role as the outsider.<br \/>But some people saw something different \u2014 a bridge that would unite Rotterdam into one city.<br \/>An icon that would put Rotterdam on the map, far beyond the Dutch borders.     <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<blockquote class=\"br-custom-quote\">If the city council hadn\u2019t dared to take the risk and stick its neck out, Rotterdam would have become a completely different city.<\/blockquote>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_column_text]One of those people was Riek Bakker, who had just been appointed Director of Urban Development for the Municipality of Rotterdam. When she first presented her ideas, she remembers ashtrays flying across the meeting tables \u2014 not everyone was convinced of the need for a bridge that would connect two completely different halves of the city. A bridge that would become an economic engine and a catalyst for Rotterdam\u2019s growth.<br \/>A bridge that would make possible the development of Kop van Zuid \u2014 the former, neglected harbor area on the south bank of the river.<\/p>\n<p>It was there, in Zuid, that Riek began her lobbying and planted the seed for her ambitious vision.<br \/>And the people of Zuid said \u201cyes.\u201d They wanted to move forward \u2014 and not just a little.<br \/>They said yes to this no-nonsense woman with vision, a determined doer they could relate to \u2014 as Rotterdam as it gets. Their South Rotterdam was about to be turned upside down, and Riek showed them what it could become \u2014 that it was necessary and that it could be done. So they joined her on the barricades. Sleeves rolled up, mouths open \u2014 true Rotterdam style. Then came a city government that saw the opportunity and had the courage to invest in the version Riek had fought for. Very different from what the city was used to: a bold design by young architect Ben van Berkel, costing 365 million guilders. And that, Riek says, was the turning point in the whole story:<br \/>\u201cIf the city council hadn\u2019t dared to take the risk, Rotterdam would be a completely different city today.<br \/>The lesson other cities can learn from Rotterdam? A government that, even in times of crisis, dares to invest in an entire district \u2014 half a city \u2014 that everyone thought was hopeless. That seizes the moment and says: now is exactly the time. Combined with participation \u2014 because if you don\u2019t bring your residents along, it simply won\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<blockquote class=\"br-custom-quote\">\u201cDe Erasmusbrug is een manifest van die tijd: een oprecht geloof in de kracht van een onderscheidend ontwerp en dat inzetten om een plek op de kaart te zetten.\u201d<\/blockquote>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_column_text]Architect Michiel Raaphorst, from V8 Architects \u2014 the firm behind the Dutch Pavilion at the World Expo in Dubai \u2014 witnessed the construction of the Erasmus Bridge up close. Before setting up his office at the foot of the bridge, he lived there as a young architecture student in an anti-squat apartment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven now, I look at this bridge every day with awe and admiration. What continues to amaze me is how timeless yet expressive this structure is. Some designs eventually fade into their surroundings \u2014 but not this one. The Erasmus Bridge always stands out; it\u2019s a true icon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Raaphorst, the bridge embodies the ultimate Bilbao effect \u2014 an architectural design that lifts its surroundings out of obscurity, just as the Guggenheim Museum transformed Bilbao into a must-visit destination and gave the region an economic boost.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Erasmus Bridge has that same effect, especially on what\u2019s happening in Rotterdam South. It\u2019s not just a symbol of courage, audacity, and strength \u2014 it\u2019s a manifesto of its time. A sincere belief in the power of distinctive design, and in using that design to put a place on the map. That\u2019s how design should always work: not bogged down by procedures and regulations, but driven by vision and ambition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He draws a parallel with the Dutch Pavilion his team designed for the Dubai World Expo 2020:<br \/>\u201cThat project shows what happens when you are given \u2014 and give \u2014 space to create. Three years ago, our client, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, gave us that freedom: \u2018Develop a pavilion where water, energy, and food come together. Build a team, here\u2019s the budget \u2014 construct it, and later take it down again.\u2019\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<p><blockquote class=\"br-custom-quote\">&#8221;The<\/blockquote>[vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_column_text]The Erasmus Bridge not only made the development of Rotterdam South possible but, as Riek Bakker had foreseen, became a driving force for the entire city.<br \/>&#8220;The heart of the city had been destroyed during the Second World War and forgotten ever since. The intervention and investment in Kop van Zuid \u2014 with the bridge and the surrounding infrastructure, including the metro station \u2014 turned out to be a new lifeline for the city, one that revitalized the city center as well. Yes, the bridge was expensive, but it has brought the city back threefold in return.\u201d<br \/>And indeed, Rotterdam has flourished. Today it\u2019s hailed as the coolest city in the Netherlands, a paradise for architects, \u2018Manhattan on the Maas\u2019 for investors, and a cosmopolitan hub for expats. Even Amsterdammers are crossing over to 010, drawn by the sense of space \u2014 physical and mental \u2014 that they miss in their own city.<br \/>But the bridge\u2019s impact goes far beyond economics. It has emotional value:<br \/>Rotterdammers are proud of \u201ctheir\u201d bridge and identify with it deeply. Seeing \u2018The Swan\u2019 means coming home after a trip. The idea that the bridge didn\u2019t exist just twenty-five years ago feels almost unimaginable.<br \/>The Erasmus Bridge has become both an icon and a metaphor.<br \/>Just as the Euromast (1961) symbolized a city rising from the ashes, the Erasmus Bridge stands for the new Rotterdam. For architect Michiel Raaphorst, it\u2019s a universal symbol of the future \u2014 representing everyone who makes the city rich and diverse.<br \/>\u201cThe bridge doesn\u2019t just connect north and south; it connects all kinds of people and moments. Everything happens on that bridge \u2014 the New Year\u2019s Eve fireworks, the annual marathon watched around the world, the Eurovision Song Contest, and even demonstrations.<br \/>Whether you\u2019re for or against something, the bridge is always there \u2014 a stage for everyone.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][br_custom_quote text=&#8221;When it comes to the best ideas, it doesn\u2019t matter who they belong to or where they come from.<br]When it comes to the best ideas, it\u2019s about what you do with them and what you achieve.<br \/>Do you have an idea? Do you see an opportunity? Take the space. And go for it.<br \/>Rotterdam. Make It Happen.&#8221;><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_custom_heading]25 years Erasmusbrug[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]Rotterdam in the 1980s.A city still rebuilding after the devastation of the Second World War.Civil servants had [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3842,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10976","verhaal","type-verhaal","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Icon, connector, and a platform for everyone - Rotterdam Make It Happen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rotterdammakeithappen.nl\/en\/stories\/icon-connector-and-a-platform-for-everyone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Icon, connector, and a platform for everyone - 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