ABSTRACT
The WiMBY! (Welcome into My Backyard!) project for urban renewal of the postwar satellite town of Hoogvliet has been a seven-year long experiment (2000–2007), involving a series of what could be termed contextual projects of urban design, architecture, and culture. 1 But WiMBY! drastically extended the meaning and scope of what people normally regard as context in urbanism, stretching it to cover virtually every aspect of contemporary urban life. Not only the physical context, but especially the social context was given a serious role in defining WiMBY’s program and projects. By activating and involving residents and users in the regeneration of Hoogvliet as active agents, it became possible to develop new collectives and communities. The knowledge and energy of inhabitants and entrepreneurs led to the realization of schools, housing projects, and a park, which were all based on their concepts and initiatives. The working method developed by WiMBY! was posited as a serious competitor to the conventional practice of top-down policy, involving demolition followed by new building. WiMBY! was a modest attempt to develop a realistic alternative to the tabula rasa approach, which was still dominant in Western European urban renewal practices. Within the working organization of the WiMBY! foundation, members of Crimson Architectural Historians (among them the author) were responsible for the initial concept and definition of the program, as well as—in later years—the management and supervision of the actual building projects.
