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All 9,866,539 buildings in the Netherlands
Bert Spaan
All 9,866,539 buildings in the Netherlands is an online interactive map showing all buildings in the Netherlands shaded according to the year of construction - buildings built before 1850 are red, while buildings built this century are dark blue.
For centuries on end, the Dutch have built their towns along rivers, canals and lakes - on this map the land and water are both black, but the map clearly shows the importance of water throughout Dutch history. At this exhibition, four sections are shown:
Haarlem. This section shows the medieval city of Haarlem with the river Spaarne running through it. In the west, connected with a single road through the dunes, lies the seaside town of Zandvoort. In the east, one can see the canal surrounding the polder of the Haarlemmermeer.
Stadskanaal. In the beginning of the 19th century, a canal was dug from the city of Groningen to the bogs in the south-east of the city. The canal was used for peat transportation, and along this canal typical linear peatland settlements like Stadskanaal were founded.
Almere. Now the 7th largest city in the country, Almere was founded in the 1970s, and lies on reclaimed land in the former Zuiderzee. In the south, one can see the old sea coast and the fortified town of Naarden.
Amsterdam. Amsterdam was founded in the 1200s around a dam in the Amstel river. The city expanded in the 17th century when the canal rings were built around the city medieval center. Amsterdam's harbour used to be located on the waterfront just north of the old city - these days, people live there in modern apartment buildings and the harbour has moved west of town.
Waag Society, institute for art, science and technology, develops creative technology for social innovation. The foundation researches, develops concepts, pilots and prototypes and acts as an intermediate between the arts, science and the media. The map was made using only open data and open source software.
Amsterdam
code.waag.org/buildings