Evaluation of Deck Terraces in the City of Rotterdam

The municipality of Rotterdam introduced in 2014 an initiative to stimulate the horeca activities in the city, namely the deck terraces. These removable terraces can be installed from June until October, 15th each year in front of horeca serving businesses on one or more parking spaces. As it is a relatively new concept, this research tried to discover the effects of the deck terraces on the horeca and the city. This was done by conducting survey interviews with 46 managers of local businesses in Rotterdam; 20 horeca businesses (mainly café’s and restaurants) and 26 shops in the surrounding of the horeca businesses. The interviews were carried out during September and October 2015. The main result of the research suggests that deck terraces have a positive effect on the horeca businesses. Other findings were that the surrounding area also somewhat profited from the deck terraces and that the deck terraces have a positive effect on the attractivity of the city.