The transport hub as catalyst for sustainable urban development: the Municipal Council of Alkmaar approved our Development Plan for the Alkmaar station area. The plan, commissioned by NS Vastgoed, envisions a series of possible spatial, programmatic, and organizational interventions for the upcoming 15 years. Per subarea the vision will be further adjusted and evolved.

Alkmaar links the larger Metropolitan Region Amsterdam to the northern part of Noord-Holland. Alkmaar Station is already an important gateway to the city and the region, and the whole station area will become even more important after the implementation of the High Frequency Train system. The Development Plan offers the potential to solidify the city’s position as a transit hub and stimulate economic growth on both regional and local scale, and at the same time increases opportunities for more housing and workspace in a green neighborhood.

The current bus station will be relocated to a mixed-use building north of the station that also houses commercial functions and a parking garage equipped for shared mobility. The Wognumsebuurt street will be moved closer to the tracks, this reduces noise pollution and frees up space for a park and traffic free green zone right next to the residential area. The Helderseweg runs underneath the railroad tracks to ensure fluid traffic flows. Where the train tracks used to be a barrier, three new pedestrian bridges make the station easier and safer to reach. These walkways will also create better connections between the various Alkmaar neighborhoods and the city center.

The Alkmaar station area will become much more than a node for sustainable mobility: an attractive and vibrant mixed-use space to live, work, connect and meet, that improves the quality of life in this city.

Development Plan Alkmaar station area

Alkmaar (NL), 2021