The AAI is delighted to present the 2023 UCD Urban Design Masterclass Lecture by Jeroen Mensink, kindly sponsored by Henry J Lyons Architects.
In the early 1990s, the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment published the supplement to the fourth report on spatial planning. This policy document achieved fame and notoriety under its Dutch acronym, Vinex. In its wake, hundreds of thousands of dwellings were erected throughout the Netherlands in what became known as Vinex districts. Sometimes eulogized, often vilified, they have always been a source of debate.
Jeroen Mensink is a practicing architect, author, and head of his firm JAM* architecten in The Netherlands. JAM* works on a wide variety of projects, from architecture and urban design to infrastructure and interiors. He is also the co-author of the renowned Vinex Atlas (2008), which provides an overview of the history and implementation of Vinex, as well as a detailed description of the project’s output, an includes an exhaustive essay on the genesis and implementation of the Vinex program.
In the book, the total construction project has been meticulously mapped out for the first time. 52 vinex neighborhoods are described in detail with historical aerial photos, maps, information about the location, site data and recent photos of the streetscape. Together with the extensive introduction to the genesis and implementation of the Vinex program, the Vinex Atlas is a complete reference work of this unique spatial assignment in the Netherlands.
In this lecture, Jeroen will share his insight into Vinex, which has greatly impacted the Dutch approach to urban expansionary development, as well as some of current projects related in urban design and infrastructure.
General Info