Quay on the River IJssel, Doesburg
Case study
Quay on the River IJssel at Doesburg
Project data
Project name: IJssel quay
Location: Doesburg
Date completed: Design process: 1997–2005
The project was constructed in different phases: quay completed
in 2001; residential area completed in 2005
Cost: €7.2 million (excluding VAT) cost level in 2001
Area: 5.4ha (length of the quay approx. 500m)
Designer: OKRA landscape architects
Clients: Johan Matser Projectontwikkeling bv
Municipality of Doesburg
Rhine and IJssel Water Board
Overview
In the town of Doesburg on the River IJssel, a split-level quayside has been designed to provide flood
protection. The concept is very simple, and is fully adapted to the river: a low quay to provide mooring for
shipping, and a high quay serving as a promenade. With its abrupt changes in elevation, the new ground
level for the higher-lying residential area provides a new perspective on the relationship between town and
river. Thanks to the view over the ‘Veluwe massief’ from the higher of the two quays, there is a tangible
contrast between the two sides of the river: quays on one side, floodplains on the other.
But the quay provides a lot more than a defence against the river. It also becomes a place for living and
working, for mooring, and merely for strolling. By becoming an attraction in its own right, it brings new
spirit to this former Hanseatic town – just at a time when interest in the towns of the Hanseatic League
is undergoing a revival.