Noorderterras to become Kaailine, Antwerp’s New York-inspired High Line

The Noorderterras or Northern Terrace along the Scheldt Quays in Antwerp will be completely renovated in 2022 and will be laid out as a dune landscape. The so-called ‘Kaailine‘ (yes, some odd mix of the Dutch word kaai for quay and the English word line) is intended to give the walking terrace new grandeur.

The name is an ill-conceived pun on New York‘s High Line in Manhattan. Why not ‘Quay Line‘ then?

Originally, the intention was to first make the pedestrian terrace between the Zuiderterras (Southern Terrace) and the Steenplein greener. However, research has shown that the quay wall must first be stabilized at this location. And for that, the Zuiderterras must be closed to the public for a while.

So the city government decided to tackle the Noorderterras first. A study will look into the hangars’ roofs. Maybe they can be opened up, says Alderman of Urban Development Annick De Ridder (N-VA) in Gazet van Antwerpen.

In addition to the quay road under the terrace, the area under the hangars will also be given a new. By making the roofs of the hangars transparent, there should be more light.

Brackish water

For the new Kaailine, plants that thrive near the Scheldt with its brackish water will be chosen.

There will be a mix of grasses such as verbena or large pimpernel, which change into shrubs and shrubs with a maximum height of one and a half meters. In addition, there will be zones with plants such as sea kale, cypress herb and bluespirea. The planting areas are constructed in such a way that they can buffer rainwater.

City side

“Because the planting areas are along the city side, the view of the Scheldt is preserved”, De Ridder says. “The seating furniture, both free-standing and as part of the planting areas, is also placed with a view of the Scheldt.”

Works should start after the summer. The Kaailine is part of the central part of the Scheldt Quays, between Noorderterras and Zuiderterras.

2024

A design for the quay area is being drawn up for that part. The reconstruction of the quay plain between Noorderterras and Steenplein, i.e. below the pedestrian terrace, is planned from the spring of 2024.