Rotterdam inner city in detail: The emergence of high-rise buildings in five maps (1940–2030)

The emergence of high-rise buildings in five maps (1940–2030)

Abstract

This article analyses the emergence of Rotterdam as the Netherlands’ foremost high-rise city by examining the development of high-rise buildings in the city centre between 1940 and 2030. Using an atlas-based methodology, the authors present five map series corresponding to distinct periods of urban transformation: 1940–1970, 1970–1985, 1985–2000, 2000–2015 and 2015–2030. Buildings taller than 70 metres—the municipal definition of high-rise—are visualised in three dimensions, allowing shifts in spatial distribution, function and scale to be studied over time.

The atlas combines cartographic analysis with policy documents, planning debates and key architectural projects to trace how ideas about high-rise buildings have evolved. In the post-war reconstruction period, high-rise buildings were embedded in modernist ideas of city formation and functional separation, often resulting in monofunctional environments and negative perceptions of living at height. From the 1970s onward, criticism of these modernist principles led to a temporary slowdown in high-rise development and a renewed focus on urban livability.

From the mid-1980s, high-rise buildings re-emerged as instruments for economic revitalisation, densification and city marketing. Office towers initially dominated, followed by a strong shift towards residential high-rise after 2000, as the municipality sought to reintroduce housing and urban life into the city centre. Throughout the article, attention is paid not only to what was built, but also to who shaped the discourse—municipal authorities, architects, developers and critics—and how power relations influenced outcomes.

The article concludes by situating the current temporary high-rise moratorium (2023–2026) as a moment of reflection, highlighting ongoing tensions between skyline ambitions, housing demand and the quality of the urban living environment.