In the Griftpark between the Vogelenbuurt, Tuinwijk and Wittevrouwen you will find nature, a skating rink, playground, restaurant and petting zoo. The location used to look very different. There was a municipal gas factory, built on a garbage dump. When the factory closed its doors in 1960, the area was empty. Residents fought for a park, says urban sociologist Frans Soeterbroek who made the podcast ‘The soul of the Griftpark’. “They missed greenery in the neighborhood. But there were several options on the table, a highway was one of them.”
From toxic park to green heart of the city: a quarter century of Utrecht’s Griftpark
