'A campus without a bookshop is like a village without a pub'

Yes we know: a real supermarket with a wider choice of groceries and, above all, cheaper. This is what the Utrecht Science Park lacks. But an Appie, Jumbo, Aldi, Lidl, Plus, Dirk or Hoogvliet does not suddenly make the USP an attractive place. You don't come from the city centre for a beer just because you can do your weekly shopping there. You need more than that.

It is also known that many want the tram to run to the USP on weekends. This will make it easier to reach the 3,300 or so current residents - a number that will increase with the High Five student flats. Hopefully, says the Province of Utrecht, by 2026. Then the accessibility will be better. But even then you won't be there.

Change the name back to De Uithof? After all, Science Park sounds highfalutin and rather clinical, not really the name of a district where you expect people to live. And perhaps the old name will also remove the suggestion that the USP is becoming a problem area. It's a possibility, but it's obviously about the amenities that do that, because what's in a name? 

So we asked our DUB panel what other amenities they miss, apart from the supermarket of course. Something, we hope, that can really make the USP more attractive. Those who responded are not residents, but panel members who work at the USP or come here to study.

Randomly placed? Photo DUB

What are we whining about, philosopher Floris van den Berg seems to say. De Uithof is great! Too bad it is a 'no place'. Appearance, he says, is what is missing. Feng Shui, says Laura Hompus from the IT Academy. Take this philosophy as an example! Or look at other campuses. How have the universities of Rotterdam and British Columbia managed to create nice campuses? A choice, says Frank van Rijnsoever from innovation studies: “It's a choice not to have a lively campus.” 

Psychology student Levi Bierhuizen knows from his studies what people need, if anything: green spaces with seating. There are some lawns, but more trees, plants and bushes would add to the atmosphere. "I would also like to see more benches or picnic tables in the green areas, for example between the tram and the cycle path, or between Heidelberglaan and Bolognalaan, or in front of the Minnaert Building. This is good for everyone’s well-being, he thinks. "I find it very relaxing to sit in the sun for a while with friends or colleagues, with a bit of nature around me!"

Kirsten Buist, who works as an associate professor at Clinical Child and Familiy Studies at USP, particularly misses the ‘gezelligheid’. She thinks that one or more restaurants or (food) cafes with a cosy indoor and outdoor area could make a difference, especially if they were open in the evenings.

Studenthousing High Five, photo DUB

Technical Support Assistent Mies van Steenbergen thinks the USP as a workplace would be improved if there was more focus on affordable, sustainable food. So no fast food, he emails. Cigarette butts should also disappear from the streetscape. This could be achieved by better enforcement of the no-smoking policy.

“The supermarket answer is not allowed, so there is nothing really left, except perhaps more greenery”, writes lecturer at Social and Behavioural Sciences Casper Hulshof in an e-mail. But after a moment's thought, that dormant annoyance of years comes to the fore: draughts. "De Uithof is becoming more and more of a draught hole because of the succession of high-rise buildings. The RIVM building is new, the new student residence is a colossus. I have noticed this for years and it is getting worse."

And he is not the only one. Laura Hompus, lecturer at the IT Academy, also finds herself regularly knocked off her picnic bench by a gasp of wind. It's set up here as one long artery, with properties on either side where the magic happens. “Break the bite,” she thinks. A challenge, she admits, because the bus lane is the bus lane, “like an A2 running through the middle of the Domplein”. The open spaces between the high-rise buildings are therefore mainly for movement, not for coming together, stopping for a moment, for living. 

Then comes her heart's cry: “I miss greenery, more organic forms and a more playful use of open space. Break up the long, straight pipe-drawer effect of the bus lane, and more Feng Shui. The Chinese philosophy of designing your environment to make you happier as a person really works, she writes. And a food court with more (affordable) places to eat. Colour, seating. I want more thoughtful design than a random picnic bench here and there, and the ability to sit down without being blown away.”

Like an A2 running through the Domplein, photo DUB

Philosopher Floris van den Berg doesn't really want to complain. "I'm happy with the facilities at De Uithof, with the Botanic Gardens, the sports field, the library, the restaurants, the cafes and Olympos. I wish De Uithof was greener, with more greenery and walking paths and nicer paving, like the campus in Rotterdam." 

De Uithof, he says, is great. "Too bad it is a no place. A place without character. This is mainly due to the ugly architecture and the lack of attention to aesthetics. De Uithof is an ugly paradise. Give De Uithof the character of a park with statues and an open-air theatre.” And: "An (academic) bookshop! A campus without a bookshop is like a village without a pub". He concludes, as we know Van den Berg best: "And I also think that De Uithof should be completely vegan.

Finally, Frank van Rijnsoever, associate professor at Innovation Studies, takes us on a journey. "I myself spent a few weeks last year at the University of British Columbia in Canada and the University of Wollongong in Australia. What I learned there is that having a non-lively campus is a choice. Both campuses have cafes with terraces where you can have lunch and work. The sandwiches are made fresh and there are different concepts and cuisines. There are also bars, some of them run by students, where you can have a nice and cheap meal or a beer. 

"In Utrecht, we're also trying to get this going, but it's not always successful, because a lot of the eateries fall under the central tender and have very limited opening hours. I would particularly like to see more entrepreneurship in the food and drink sector.” 

Do you have another good idea for making Utrecht Science Park more lively? Please leave a comment below this story.