In its ‘strategic vision 2025’, Wijchen, a medium-sized municipality of about 40,000 inhabitants, has pronounced its aspiration to enhance its socio-economic position. Amongst other things, this has led to the revitalization project of the city centre area of Wijchen. In 2007 MTD landschapsarchitecten was commissioned to elaborate various aspects of this project, such as an outline structure plan, an image quality plan for the architecture and advertising, and a design for the redevelopment of the public space of the city centre area. Moreover, MTD was responsible for the communications and participation process aimed at achieving a sustainable consensus with shop owners, residents and the hospitality industry as well as the political decision-making.

the design
The design for the redevelopment of the public space sought to augment the green character and the village-like intimacy of Wijchen. The castle, the Sterrebos, the surroundings of the church vicarage and the monastery park are connected to the core shopping area by means of new and improved pedestrian and bicycle paths. The public space has a high-grade layout which is also sustainable and full of atmosphere, because of the application of special dark petit granit in the strip of the street furnishings and the expressions of the squares. By applying clever lines of natural stone and baked clinkers in the street profile and in the surfaces of the squares, an obvious zoning and use of the public space comes about with which Wijchen can live up to its cycle-friendly ambition for accessibility of the city centre. The new carpet of baked clinkers is blended in a special way with three shades and a meticulous detailing of line gutters and solutions for differences in height, ensure a maximum amount of comfort for the shopping public and for the visitors of the many terraces in the public space. Specially designed street furnishings like benches, lighting columns and butterfly racks give the centre of Wijchen a contemporary appearance, without affecting the village-like and intimate character that Wijchen is so proud of.