De Zwarte Hond has drawn up a development perspective for the area around Rotterdam’s Alexander station, commissioned by the municipality of Rotterdam. This will transform the functional 'Alexander node' into a place: a highly urban city centre for the Rotterdam Oost district. This means a transition from a functional transfer machine and peripheral shopping centre to a green, vibrant urban place with a contemporary mix of living, working, studying and shopping. 

The area around Rotterdam Alexander station is in need of improvement. Existing functions such as shops and offices require a quality impulse. Residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods do not regard it as ‘their’ centre. To turn the Alexander area into an inviting, pleasant environment, a solid spatial transformation is required, with attention to the human dimension, health, and climate adaptation. To achieve this, 8.000 homes and cultural and social facilities need to be added and buildings with closed façades should change into mixed-use complexes with an active plinth.

This transformation provides the ideal conditions for a mobility transition. The Alexander is and will remain a transport junction, too. Because in many cases daily life can be organised closer to home, more people can walk, cycle and use public transport. A finely woven pedestrian and bicycle network and a cleaner public transport network will be created in the area and partial mobility will be encouraged. At the same time, the car also continues to play an important role.

In this way, we create a self-reinforcing mechanism consisting of 6 Principles: by Densifying and Mixing functions, space is created for Spending Time and Greening, and we can Refine the urban fabric and make the Alexander area more Sustainable.