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It has been 25 years that the city centre of Gemeente Zaanstad has been transformed radically: The #Inverdan project. This total conversion based upon a design by Dutch architect sjoerd soeters replaced a dull area around a train station and a parking garage following modernist urban principles with a cheerful pedestrian based city centre that has been visited and photographed by millions of tourists and proud locals ever since. ‘Colleagues call it #Disney – I take it as an enormous compliment’, the designer replies to the critics.

Babel Zaans architectuurplatform published a vivid documentary of bit more of an hour that tracks down the main protagonists from this miraculous metamorphosis. From initial and fundamental scepticism towards rightful pride of what was completed eventually this film is an inspiring portrait of what urban design, administrative vision and political leadership are capable of.

The movie has been shown multiple times publicly. Continuing audience enthusiasm made us arrange a special viewing for the employees of the municipality within the Training Program #NieuwZaanstad some days ago. And yet another fully booked auditorium, followed by an inspiring discussion with urbanist Miranda Reitsma (also featured in the movie), strategist Jan Schreuder and manager of urban development Annette Nicolas Gnodde Gnodde.

The documentary ’#25jaarInverdan’ is a wonderful base to learn more about this successful urban transformation, but also a great starting point to discuss visionary minds, public-private-collaboration, entrepreneurship and the power of urban design. The maker’s website has details for additional screenings: https://lnkd.in/ewA4QZ_d

In times of global urgencies and new spatial claims for #climateadaptation, #energytranstion or #mobilitytransition – to name a few – #spatialquality and the power of strategic and holistic #designthinking is more needed than ever. Until June 2026 Ahmad Attar will do research on how the role of #cityarchitect (in Dutch ‘#stadsbouwmeester’) can contribute to this quest.  

The research project focusses on how municipalities ensure spatial quality by the means of a city architect, and how such a spatial expert is placed in the organisational network. The research is carried out at the Strategy Department at Gemeente Zaanstad headed by Wouter van der Heijde. With his qualitative research Ahmad will conclude his studies of public administration at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Having worked in the role of a stadsbouwmeester myself for some time now and having exchanged professional views with others in the field I was intrigued by the variety of the meaning, extent and impact of this role throughout the Netherlands. Also, I was surprised about the little collaboration, exchange and evaluation. It is great to see that the College van Rijksbouwmeester & Rijksadviseurs is also conducting an additonal study, in order to highlight the added value of these particular spatial professionals, after their earlier research by noud de vreeze and Max van Aerschot in 2010. ‘Every city deserves a city architect!’

*The image above is a fragment of the cover of the CrA publication from 2010.

Cast off! Last week Jet Munster started her research and design on urbanism based upon the perspective and experience of women. Within her final year of urbanism at the Academie van Bouwkunst Amsterdam this project is entitled ‘#DesignForTheUnseen’.

It focusses on formal and informal spatial networks for women in #Amsterdam South East. Situated in the post war urban development in Amsterdam that became famous as ‘#Bijlmer’ is an incredibly interesting case study, as it has been designed from scratch originally in the 70ies and has since then been heavily redeveloped, too.

It’s always an honour if a former student reaches out to ask if I want to accompany his or her #finalproject. But it is even more rewarding to work together in a team with Jessica Hammarlund Bergmann and Wouter Pocornie of Bijlmer Believers 3.0 (Bijlm3r), both experts in either the area or the topic of Jet’s research.

Our first meeting was delightfull and a thoughtful discussion based upon first research results and we are looking forward to the coming months when the project will fully unfold. Set the sails!

*The collage is a part of Jet’s project description cover.

WORKING ON HEALTHY URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Do you also take time in January 2026 to reflect upon what went well in 2025 or what could have gone better? An of course now is also a good time for looking ahead! Despite the global and geopolitical transitions there is so much to look forward, too. May I briefly name three within my working field?

Firstly, the project #buildingforwellbeingtoo kicked off following up an initiative by Frank Suurenbroek and Pascal Wiggers Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Happy to be part of this four-year research together with the cities of Gemeente Utrecht, Gemeente Rotterdam and City of Amsterdam, Gemeente Zaanstad next to Ymere, Eigen Haard, Rochdale, Parteon, Amvest, AM, Woonin, Woonstichting Lieven de Key, Woonstad Rotterdam, BMC, PBL Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving, Rijksorganisatie voor Ontwikkeling, Digitalisering en Innovatie (Ministerie van BZK), Daan Roggeveen and Steven Delva.

In my role as #cityarchitect (#Stadsbouwmeester in Dutch) I am looking forward to contribute to the spatial development of #ZaanseSchans, the nr. 2 #touristattraction in the Netherlands, togehter with Danny Jansen and others, upon request by our colleague and new director Damir Dulovic (congrats!) and guided by Joris Blokpoel.

Together with supervisor Edzo Bindels, Marian van den Brink and our urbanism experts invited by Annette Nicolas Gnodde we will look into the further development of Zaandam #intercitystation and one of the key projects in the Spatial Development Plan ‘Making Space’ (#RuimteMaken in Dutch).

Finally I am excited to share that NVTL asked me about my vision upon #healthyurbandevelopment in order to be published in their first newsletter of this year. I am honoured, and humble at the same time: Such a big topic to address! In any case, I hope that I can inspire some professionals within the spatial domain, and maybe also in other industries, too! Have a healthy 2026!

Last week the final presentation of students at the University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam was quite a fundamental experience. In my role as commissioner and lecturer I was impressed: One group delivered a systematic methodology aka a ‘tool box’ for how to write an appropriate prompt for an Artifical Intelligence application instead of a spatial design for the given riverbank location. The AI eventually delivered the design proposal, snuggly fit into a photograph of the exisiting location. No sketches, drawings or models needed.

This made me wonder: What is an architectural or urban design? Does it need measured elements and defined materials, must it be based upon social and spatial analysis? Or can it also be a clever prompt for the AI as the latest instrument of creative creators?

In this case the AI render was re- and reworekd by the students (by adjusting the prompt) like in a design process and its result was not bad at all. And to a large degree the relevant ingredients and thoughts that an architect would have considered during the process had been formulated beforehand. The goals, ingredients and elements were weighed in a matrix and discussed before put and adjusted in the prompt.

This is definitely a first. Students have been using AI in the past two years to create reference images, generate ideas, give suggestions and get themselves started. But the final product had always involved handwork of a person, using a computer or not: sketching, measuring, drawing and modelmaking.

This design project was not a complex high-rise building, or a complicated program for a cultural centre or a hospital. It was ‘only’ a design for a public space along a river. But as soon as there is an AI that can properly make plans, sections and elevations from that rendering, or a proper 3d model with the tables and lists of the building materials needed for the project we are ready to build it right away. Some students thought, they could fix that for me, too.

Super excited to speak and lead a workshop together with Hanneke Van Lindert and Lisan Adolf on the long term benefits for health when it comes to nature inclusive cities as part of the Congres Natuurlijk on 27th of November.

We have written an article about our research on the long term benefits for health, with a focus on #natureinclusivecities. On the congress we will talk about inquality, determining factors for health and the typical approach in Gemeente Zaanstad. To top it all off we will work on nature inclusive designs within the interactive format of the workshop. So join us and see you there!

Curious about our findings? Read the A4 summary of the article here.

How to #makespace for urban growth with quality was the topic of a recent session for municipal professionals I was honoured to host. Themed ‘#RuimteZat!’ (Sufficient Space!), based upon eleborate research by KAW architecten we dove into accomodating spatial and social improvements in the existing city weave, next to a minimum of 25% extra houses, without sealing open landscapes or nature areas in Gemeente Zaanstad.

Being serious about co-authoring an urban development plan for a city comes with the responsibility to watch over it’s realisation when you are a strategist or city architect. It’s even more relevant when space is limited, and creating social return (#SROI) is a serious goal.

In this quest we are happy as a team to invite inspiring experts that help motivate colleagues and partners within our executive training program #NieuwZaanstad. An exceptional contribution was the key note lecture of Reimar von Meding of KAW architecten earlier this week. We even had to move into a different location to fit in the growing audience, appropriately into the largest room in the city hall.

The lecture is part of the excecutive training program set up by: Marc den Hertog, Lisa Schouten, Meike Westers, Hilde Bloemers, Frida Ruhulessin, Rianne Kleine Koerkamp and Lennart Graaff

How to deal with #climatechange and #biodiversityloss on monumental and protected sites? This question was central to a #natureinclusive design atelier by Provincie Utrecht that I was invited to chair earlier this month. The atelier was setting the agenda for the due renewal of the public space in an exceptionally picturesque small Dutch village. Kamerik, a true gem, and because of it’s beauty State protected village since 1966.

And indeed: urban heat islands, sagging-in soil and heavy rains are current urgencies that are also relevant in locations protected due to their historic visual quality. It was great to see the experts Jip Louwe Kooijmans, Hiltrud Pötz and Marieke de Keijzer lining up multiple suggestions and improvement porposals for sustainable development based upon #natureinclusive design.

Im am truly thankful for their contributions, and the comprehensive introduction of the case by Mariëlle Wetter. I was glad to collect so much relevant input for the team of Gemeente Woerden (of which Kamerik is a part of). Thanks also to Felix Klaar for his dedicated companionship and tracking down the input for the future design for the public space to be made by landscape architect BoschSlabbers landscape architects. The feedback of the client is encouraging: They are enthousiastic about the results, and want to hold more #natureinclusive ateliers for other sites in their municipality!

Image source: Geneanet / Utrecht Open Data

A returning topic when it comes to #longterm #spatialplanning is the further future of the majestic open polder landscapes in the Netherlands. In the area where I work those landscapes are often peaty and swampy and entirely below sea level. The show an idyllic and typically Dutch image of black and white cows in green meadows. It is a wonderful view, but highly vulnerable.

Climate is changing, rains are getting heavier, and the soft soil is sinking in. At the same time the beautiful wide panoramas that we all cherish so much pop up as locations for other future purposes. Industrial estates, forests, and a parking area for roughly a million cubic meters of peak water that fell as heavy rain elsewhere in the country. The most recent potential claim is the Federal government looking for space to put electric masts, cables and transfomer stations.

Once I got a newspaper cut-out which said: Don’t worry, the future comes later (De toekomst komt later wel). Like the ‘Snooze’ button on your alarm clock this may soothe you into sleep. But I would argue: being prepared is better. And yes, we wrote a spatial vision until 2040 which clearly states: Build within the city, but keep the landscapes open and strengthen their nature’s value. But already then we were trying to think further ahead: What can be a vision for 2050, or even the year 2100?

Recently, we looked into possible far away futures for some of the polders of Zaanstad. We did that with Steven Slabbers of BoschSlabbers landscape architects, eldermen René Tuijn and Wessel Breunesse, colleagues Els Lenting, 🍀 Elise Bos Eyssen, Jouke van der Werf, Jan Schreuder, Bregt Balk, Alphons Rommelse and others and a wonderful group of motivated citizens in the completely over-booked former Town Hall in Assendelftamidst those polders.

We shared information, listened to each other talking about history, business, beauty and worries. We discovered that landscape has always been changing. But we also thought of strategies and possible scenario’s for the further future, and how to team up with each other. And how to be prepared for a future that mistakenly seems far away.

Do you recognize missing the right words to describe how to work on #futureproofcities? We talk about the need for more ‘#green‘, sure. But what kind of ‘green’ works when we design, plant and maintain our streets and buildings to make cities more liveable?

And then there is this Dutch saying that a great idea is “spreading like an oil stain” (in meaning similar to “spreading like a wildfire”). Being either fossil or fairly catastrophic both sayings are far from appropriate when you want to describe the positive impact of sustainable #designthinking.

So we have been thinking about writing a little dictionary about #natureinclusivecities. Not a thick book, but some essentials: A first step into finding the proper words in a conversation, and to better understand each other.

I am super happy that Provincie Utrecht has embraced this idea and has agreed to publish this ‘Little Natural Dictionary’ (‘Natuurlijk Woordenboekje’). Many thanks to Wendy van Poppel, Nancy Rullens en Pim Kimenai. The publication will be a co-production with them and co-author Jip Louwe Kooijmans. An expert commitee of Harry Boeschoten, Maike van Stiphout and #youngprofessionals will review and advise the proces. The publication is due in the beginning of 2026. Keep you posted!