IDENTITY (S) OF THE DISTRICT

Every Rotterdam neighbourhood is unique, but what does this unique character consist of? Which places, people and activities contribute to the uniqueness of a neighbourhood? And what opportunities and threats does one see for the neighbourhood? These questions formed the starting point of an exploration of the identities of sixteen Rotterdam neighborhoods. An identity of the neighborhood is not a fixed thing. A neighbourhood, like a city, changes every day. Moreover, a neighbourhood identity is formed by the perspectives of many different people together. So the challenge was to formulate an identity that the entire neighbourhood could agree with.

Shared starting position
Since mid-2022, the neighbourhood councils had been working with local partners on their area’s Neighbourhood Agreement. This is a document in which wishes and concrete plans for the district are described. By mapping out the identity of the neighbourhood together with neighbourhood council members and residents, a collective starting position was created. In this way, concrete tasks in the neighbourhood agreement could be well aligned with the unique characteristics of the neighbourhood. The importance of various projects could also be reinforced, because they could be placed in a broader context. Veldacademie and Stichting Wijkcollectie were asked to map out the identity of the neighbourhood, in collaboration with the neighbourhood councils.

Perception of neighbourhood users
Precisely because the city changes a little every day, it is valuable to reflect from time to time how the city is experienced today. An approach was chosen where the neighborhood identity is highlighted from the perspective of people, places and activities. Who or what makes a neighbourhood special? What actions are taken by neighbourhood users for the neighborhood and what does this say about the opportunities and threats people face in a neighbourhood? What values do people share in a neighbourhood? What connects various residents with each other or what stands between them? By bringing all these different perspectives together, a layered image of the neighbourhood identity was created, in which both the individual and the shared experience were made visible. In that respect, it might be better to talk about neighbourhood identities.

Multi-method research and neighbourhood reporters
By applying a multi-method research method, an attempt has been made to do justice to different perspectives and voices from the neighbourhood. Existing municipal profiles and documents about the district were consulted as a starting point. Subsequently, the perception of neighbourhood users about the neighbourhood was requested via a digital questionnaire that was distributed via the digital participation platform My Rotterdam (with more than 2600 respondents). Subsequently, a workshop was held with each district council. Veldacademie brought together the results from these different perspectives in a neighbourhood analysis for each neighbourhood. In addition, the Stichting Wijkcollectie visualised six illustrative stories per neighbourhood, about places, people and activities that give the these places their character. This selection of stories is small compared to the endless number of stories that a neighbourhood may have. Nevertheless, they are exemplary for the identity of the neighbourhood, because these are places, activities and people who form an important part of the neighbourhood through the eyes of several neighbourhood users. They are, as it were, 'carriers' of the neighbourhood identity(s).

Shades of gray give a neighbourhood color
The sixteen neighbourhood analyses with accompanying exemplary stories showed the strength and involvement of a large group of residents and entrepreneurs in the Rotterdam neighbourhoods. In every area, people were committed to the neighbourhood and its residents. A striking observation was that the identity of the neighbourhood is mainly formed by people and places that focus on the quality of life in the neighbourhood. The identity of the neighborhood becomes visible where people come together in the neighbourhood. In response to the question of what respondents found characteristic about their neighbourhood, many people thought of squares, community centres, playgrounds and parks. Typical Rotterdam eye-catchers and architectural icons were hardly mentioned. Respondents painted a picture of the neighbourhood with both negative and positive stories. In contrast to a black and white image of the neighbourhood - which is often formed from the outside - the identity of the neighbourhood consists of shades of gray, which all belong to it. “A cozy multicultural family neighbourhood. At first glance, unfortunately often unkempt and dirty, but behind that beautiful people, great initiatives and friendly.” All the different characteristics taken together is what makes a neighbourhood something to be proud of.