Natura sola Magistra

isn't it ironic that in a man-made region such as Holland, the word and the entity of Nature are of great importance for the livability, health, and happiness of its inhabitants? Probably not. What is exceptional in Amsterdam is the high quality of certain spaces that are inevitably dictated by natural elements: water and vegetation. Not surprisingly, those are the basic features for life on earth, and now finally (again) for sustaining life in a city—the preferred human environment. Amsterdam is represented by the teaching of Nature: Water canalization for mobility and balancing with the low land. Vegetation for soil maintenance, air mitigation, and a necessary spiritual presence. The lesson that Amsterdam learned from nature consists of hidden gestures operated by engineering and urban design. Poetry and technique merge in a great urban environment. The postcards represent three symbolic and provocative interventions necessary to improve the natural city we all like to live in. The covering of the A10 ring generates new spaces for leisure and decrease unhealthy mobility emissions. A multi-layered natural park behind Central Station to compensate for the forthcoming growth. Urban densification by the literal gesture of replication of the canal house typology, with the addition of an intermediate layer of glasshouses to increase horticulture and self-production awareness.