经过半个世纪，乌特勒支的历史中心再一次被水与植物环绕。乌特勒支老城周围的运河结构保护工程是车站区总体规划的重要部分之一。五十年前，为了建造一条十车道机动车道，运河被填埋。如今，通过重新开挖，原始的历史水系得以保留。现在的项目区域是一片绿色的坡地，生态、水上娱乐和交通被精心地整合在了一起。通过设置亲近自然的前滩，花朵植被拥有了更多的生长空间，将绿色带回了城市。

After half a century, the historic center of Utrecht is once again fully surrounded by water and vegetation. The restoration of the canal structure around the old city of Utrecht is an important part of the Master Plan for the Station Area. To this end, the original, historical water structure was restored by re-excavating the canal, where it was filled fifty years earlier for the construction of a ten-lane motorway. The project area now has a green and sloping character in which ecology, (water) recreation and traffic have been carefully integrated. Thanks to the nature-friendly foreshores, there is more space for flora and fauna and a lot of greenery has been brought back into the city.

▼运河鸟瞰，aerial view of the canal

历史背景

HISTORIC CONTEXT

乌特勒支建立与罗马时期。几个世纪以来，城市被防御性城墙和名为 Catharijnesingel 的外运河围在中间。逐渐地，城墙由于年久失修而塌毁。十七世纪，J. D. Zocher 设计了一座公园，占据了过去防御工事的大部分空间。

Utrecht was founded in Roman times. For centuries, the city was surrounded by a defensive wall and an outer canal, named the Catharijnesingel. Gradually, the defensive wall fell into disrepair and was demolished. A park, designed by J. D. Zocher (1791-1870), was laid out on a large part of the former defenses.

▼历史上的运河，the canal in the history

1958 年，为了完成建造新环线的野心，Catharijnesingel 运河面临消失的风险。经过数年讨论，运河的一部分于 1969 年被排干，让道给主要的交通干道。尽管这在当时是一个有争议的决定，但大部分人认为这是让城市适应现代需求的必要改变。

该工程与七十年代的其他城市开发项目一起，给乌特勒支市中心的公共空间带来了灾难性的后果。随着汽车交通的出现，机动车通行成为了优先考量。对游客和汽车交通的单方面关注忽视了当地居民的感受。人们举行了许多保护运河的活动，以表达对水体消失的反对。

In 1958, the Catharijnesingel threatened to disappear altogether to satisfy the ambitions of a new ring road. After years of discussion, it was partially drained in 1969 to make way for a major traffic artery. While it was a controversial decision in its day, it was deemed necessary to enable the city to adapt to modern times. This, among other urban developments of the 70s, had disastrous consequences for the public space in Utrecht’s city center. With the advent of car traffic, automotive accessibility was prioritized. Residents felt overlooked by the one-sided focus on visitors and car traffic. A lot of resistance remained against the disappearance of the water, with many campaigns to restore the canal.

▼运河被填埋成车道，the canal was filled to construct a new road