Cartesiusdriehoek Blue District Utrecht, Dutch Development, Holland Architecture Images
Cartesiusdriehoek Blue District in Utrecht
New Dutch Building in former Dutch Railways marshalling yard, Holland ? design by Mecanoo architecten
12 Jul 2018
Cartesiusdriehoek Blue District in Utrecht
Architects: Mecanoo architecten
Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
Cartesiusdriehoek Blue District in Utrecht
Winning proposal for Cartesiusdriehoek Blue District in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
The Cartesiusdriehoek in Utrecht, a former marshalling yard of the Dutch Railways, will be transformed into the first urban blue zone.
The masterplan for this new residential neighbourhood with 2,600 homes, a large central park, a school, a supermarket, catering and various other facilities is inspired by a scientific theory about areas around the world where people live longer, healthier and happier lives, the so-called blue zones. The area is set to become the most healthy, well-connected to public transport and bicycle-friendly neighbourhood in the Netherlands.

Blue Zones
The blue zones are five areas around the world ? Okinawa, Nicoya, Loma Linda, Sardinia and Ikaria ? where many residents live exceptionally long and healthy lives. These zones attracted international attention when they were featured in a 2005 National Geographic article titled ?The Secrets of a Long Life?, written by Dan Buettner. Investigations about the residents? habits that had positive health effects found nine common characte...