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The White Ribbon The White Ribbon is a design for the bypass road around the city of Zutphen. In 2008, the city wrote out a competition asking whether it would possible to make the N348 bypass into a new Parkway and combine art with landscape design. According to Atelier de Lyon | Rietveld Landscape, the new Parkway should make for a clear connecting line or ribbon. The infrastructure is currently highly fragmented; the design ties these fragments together by means of a clear road profile and visual language for all elements. As such, the Parkway also forms a statement against the endless fragmentation and meaninglessness of the Dutch “N-road” system. The White Ribbon derives its name from the characteristics of Zutphen and its surroundings. In addition to the distinctive White Riverfront and the white bridges across the Twentekanaal, Zutphen will have a six-kilometre line of white thorn that is in full blossom only three weeks a year. The trees planted askew refer to the knotted hedges characteristic of the region and also form an ecological connection between Zutphen and the outlying area. Because of the low embankments in the relatively narrow cross direction profile, motorists will experience the road as a separate area while still being able to enjoy a view of the surroundings. At the same time, the embankments prevent light pollution in the adjacent National Ecological Network. The regularly changing road profile and the different planting distances optimise the motorist’s experience of the surrounding area. Client: CBK, the province of Gelderland Design: Atelier de Lyon | Rietveld Landscape Location: ZutphenLength trace: 6 kilometersStatus: competition won, completion 2011 |