After a lengthy battle, theme park Madurodam has recently secured approval from the city council of The Hague for its expansion, even though its previous expansion was allowed on the condition of no further expansions into the Scheveningse Bosjes—Scheveningen Forest, a public park. The expansion into the park is the reason many people disagree with the plan; they feel that green space should not be sacrificed for tourism. Estimates say that at least 100 trees will have to be cut down for the current plan, which calls for a 6,000m² enlargement.
Earlier plans were aiming for 42,000m² and 17,000m². The 6,000m² compromise is the main reason that several parties in the city council, who were against earlier plans for expansion, now voted to allow Madurodam to expand. Some parties are against the current plans and several nearby residents’ organizations are planning a protest.
But I say: why compromise at all?
In this case, we should be able to have our cake, and eat it, too. Take a look at the Bosco Verticale tower in Milan. It’s a set of towers that hosts over 900 trees in their 111 and 76-meter heights. It proves that buildings and green space can integrate beautifully.
One winter evening I was inspired and did a quick Photoshop of how Madurodam could expand without taking away from the Scheveningse Bosjes—even adding trees to the current stock. It’s not great in terms of artistic quality, but the point is that I think it should be doable to allow a Madurodam expansion without the negative consequences. It would keep the owners of the park, as well as the city council and residents happy. Not to mention the trees!