Stadsblokken Meinerswijk
Few Dutch cities are as beautifully situated as Arnhem, nestled between the Veluwe and the Lower Rhine. Yet while its relationship with the Veluwe is strong, its connection to the Rhine has long been neglected. Two former industrial sites have blocked the relationship between the city centre and the river floodplains. In this lake-dotted landscape, now largely reclaimed by nature, beavers build their lodges, herds of wild horses roam freely, and a handful of hamlets remain hidden away. Like the rest of the area, they had largely gone unnoticed by the people of Arnhem.
In 2013, we began developing a plan for a place the city would truly embrace. We succeeded: in 2016, the citizens of Arnhem voted in favour of our plans for Stadsblokken Meinerswijk with 65% support in a public referendum — a project that had previously been considered impossible, after thirty years of failed proposals.
By turning these two remote places into two higher, lively and natural islands in the riverbed, Arnhem turns towards, and even jumps in the river Rhine.
This plan cherishes what is already valuable while transforming the weak points — Stadsblokken and the former Meinerswijk industrial site — into vibrant islands where nature, culture, recreation, housing, hospitality, and sports come together. These peninsulas form the missing link between the city and the river landscape, allowing Arnhem to finally make the leap into the Rhine.
A new side channel gives the Rhine more room and transforms the former Meinerswijk industrial area into a peninsula. On this wooded, undulating island, several existing industrial brick buildings will be repurposed, while carefully secluded wooden homes will be added among the trees on the higher forested areas. A piece of Scandinavia along the Rhine — a place where living feels like being on holiday all year round.
Before, future and work in progress: spring 2026
In this plan, it is not nature that is isolated, but people. The new side channel, an ecological enhancement for Meinerswijk, will become a place for swimming and boating. At the same time, it beautifully separates the more dynamic islands from the rest of Meinerswijk. This 300-hectare floodplain landscape — currently fragmented, partly inaccessible, and still half-owned by developer KWP — will become one continuous nature reserve through this project. Ownership of the entire area will ultimately transfer to the municipality of Arnhem.
Although Stadsblokken, located opposite the city centre, appears from the Rhine embankment as a wooded island, it is in reality a largely paved and somewhat hidden area that few residents of Arnhem had ever visited. With respect for its harbour history, the area will be transformed into an active island featuring a variety of urban atmospheres and water-oriented programmes around its harbours, including a marina, restaurants and cafés, harbour-inspired architecture, a terraced park, and a permanent home for the historic shipyard that has now settled in the old ASM harbour.
Industrial remnants that still remain will gain new meaning within the public space, such as the old shipbuilding gallery. At the tip of the island, adjacent to the iconic John Frost Bridge, a spectacular river dune landscape will emerge — a place for sports, festivals, and a beach pavilion welcoming the people of Arnhem.
Stadsblokken Meinerswijk will thus become Arnhem’s great new city park for generations to come: a vast river landscape with two dynamic islands where people can play sports, visit the beach, attend festivals, live in a spectacular and sustainable way, enjoy food and drink, and experience wild river nature — all in the heart of the city.
