The redevelopment of the Demer, Rechtestraat and Hooghuisstraat officially started on Monday. It means the end of the well-known red stones in Eindhoven’s city centre. In the near future, these will make way for fifty trees.
“It should become the greenest shopping area in the Netherlands,” said responsible alderman Rik Thijs. Actually, the official starting shot was supposed to have been given a week ago, but the cold and frozen ground made that impossible.
The alderperson and Jan Verhagen, board member of the ‘Stichting Detailhandel Binnenstad Eindhoven'(retail association), hung up a banner on Monday morning. This gesture was a symbolic start to the further greening of the city centre.
Cobblestones and asphalt
Besides greenery, the shopping streets will be divided into three sections, with bricks on both sides and an asphalt lane in the middle. Stratumseind was tackled in the same way earlier. The new pavement stones have a special design and refer to the local soil.
Shops and restaurants in the city centre will remain accessible by footbridges. Meanwhile, the first red paving stones have left the street. Work will continue until October 2025, after which the remaining streets with red paving will follow.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Martijn
