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Right on time for the vacation my latest publication has been delivered today! A joyful summer-read this booklet entitled ‘#Natuurtaal‘ (language for nature) is helping us find the appropriate words when it comes to @natureimnclusive cities.

The booklet is conceived and written with Jip Louwe Kooijmans for Provincie Utrecht, commissioned by Wendy van Poppel and supported by Nancy Rullens and Pim Kimenai as part of the Utrecht #agendanatuurinclusief.

Many thanks for the wonderful graphics by Floor Wesseling and for mental support and fun by our feedback board, Maike van Stiphout, Harry Boeschoten, Julia Klapwijk and Anouck Fietje. Happy summer!

Right on time before the summer vacation the team of #NieuwZaanstad presents the programme for Q3 of this training program for holistic urban development of #gemeente Zaanstad.

The program is open for staff of the municipality of all departments, and for partners who are collaboraters on the further development of the city. Wonderful events ahead! Many thanks to Marc den Hertog, Lisa Schouten, Aisha Fouad, Meike Westers, Frida Ruhulessin, Koert-Jan Van Hees, Rianne Kleine Koerkamp and Ellen Vlottes!
 
The new season continues to have a wide and inspiring focus on #holisticurbandevelopment. Some of the highlights of the last months: A study trop to the wonderfully transforming Gemeente Den Helder, led by Edzo Bindels of West8 and Frits op ten Berg, and with inspiring contributions by Annika Wessels, Paul Franssen and Falco Hoekstra; an interactive workshop on dementia and perception of the city with Henri Snel; or a well visited lecture in the city hall by Esther Reith of City of Amsterdam, Krista Schram of Inholland University of Applied Sciences on public space that is particularly safe and user-friendly for #youngwomen. The clou of the latter is: Public space designed for women as target group has no downsides; it improves the city for all user groups!

This week students of the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Studies (AMS Institute) presented their research into the improvement of public health. Interestingly the multidisciplinary teams did not explore offering better food or better public space. The question was: How can high quality public transport contribute to the #wickedproblem of #health and the huge differences in #experiencedhealthyyears by citizens?

Research object was the anticipated #HOVZaanIJ #metrobus (#brt) from Amsterdam into Kogerveld. Guided by Yawei Chen of Delft University of Technology and Daniel Scholten of Wageningen University & Research the groups came up with the inspiring vision and strategies for a #PositiveHealthCity.Thanks for reaching out, Karin Peters! As a commissioner at Gemeente Zaanstad I was impressed by the wonderful results of the Master students.

To mention just one as a representative: An entire strategic game called ‘#NextStopZaandam’ was wonderfully designed, crafted, lasercut and 3d printed. A game suitable for children between 10 and 12 years, by students’ suggestion also a for newly elected eldermen of the involved municipalities 😊

Many thanks to my colleagues Lisan Adolf and Hanneke Van Lindert and the students including Coco Wolfs, Amelia Chelsoi, Hannah Kleine, Joris Vromans, Abraham Villanueva Cuellar, Max K., Jany Yungsu, Judith Riet, Emma van de Beek, and many others!

How can spatial claims for #mobility, #green, #energy and #climateadaptation next to #safety, #health and #equality fit into limited public space? Together with Baljon landschapsarchitecten and Goudappel Gemeente Zaanstad developed a holistic methodology.

Not an endless list of policies and demands, but a practical method that maps and combines ambitions and fuels a fruitful dialogue. The three-step-model maps the strengths, envisages the ambition and thirdly points out design ingredients how to get there. The wonderful tool can be used with experts and laymen, policymakers and citizens.

It was great to be involved as a strategist and city architect in steering upon this commission. And it is even better to see that colleagues are using this ‘Ontwerpaanpak’ more and more. Congrats to Marie-Laure Hoedemakers, Marco Aarsen, Thomas Besselink and Bas Govers but also Marieke Zijp, Sander Verhaar, Hans Kortstee and the team at Zaanstad Municipality.

What if you use this method for entire urban developments? Join us for the Public Space Congres later this year on September 3rd via sicongres.nl. If you want to know more, watch the short video:

How can you use an #urbanriver as a key feature when it comes to #energytransition?

What an honour to receive so many great design ideas by the students of Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences earlier this month! With an unprecedented high number of international student teams a wide array of options and designs have been explored, with the river #Zaan as given site. Many thanks to Joram van Otterloo and Erik Anton de Graaf for requesting my guidance, and happy summertime for the hard working students! Image by group 3 (Federica, Laura, Mamdouh, & Sina).

With the summer approaching the academic year comes to an end, and it is time to harvest the student work. It was a great pleasure to give #feedup, #feedback and #feedforward to 2nd year’s master students at the Academie van Bouwkunst Amsterdam this week as part of their #compulsoryannualassessment (CAA).

And what an immersive experience! Literally all walls in the assessment room of the academy were fully covered with plans, models, screens and loads of sketches.

Compliments to Anna Gasco, Joyce Brouwer, Henri Snel and the team of the academy for preparing our team of assessors thoroughly to be fit for this great moment – even with probably 30 degrees inside and outside the building! Thank you to my co-assessor Hein Coumou of City of Amsterdam Amsterdam. Enjoy a well-deserved summer vacation, students Evania ten Hove, Arya Su Yaşar, Mohammed Othman and Daniël Steen!

Happy to share that after six inspiring lessons I successfully concluded a course by the Dutch Ruyteninstituut on the #futureproofplanting of trees. This interdisciplinary course is much more, and highly recommended for professionals in architecture, landscape and urbanism – either within a government, a design office or real estate. Next to the convincing theory by Frits Ruyten, the hands-on workshops and the wonderful setting in Belmonte Arboretum in Wageningen are great set up. The guest lecturers are true marvels within the field. Grateful to have learned more about “#greendata”, a shared vision on ecosystem thinking, or the use of native planning mixes for public green areas. Many thank to, among others, Jojanneke Bijkerk of Cruydt-Hoeck, Dirk Voets of Friedenau Society and Wil Jacobs of GAES (green as a service). Thanks for the lovely collab with Anne Floor Timan on our bold design project

Looking forward to teach at the Academie van Bouwkunst Amsterdam this fall again! Upon invitation of Anna Gasco, head of the urbanism at the academy and head or urban at MVRDV we will take a closer look into #citiesasaresource. With a focus on existing period Dutch city weave from the 70ies and 80ies we will challenge students how these typical parts of cities can develop with quality. This strategy is applicable to many cities in the Netherlands and would be a true alternative to building ten new cities in green fields… Happy to prepare the design studio together with Robert Younger, who will guide the group of students in the parallel O3 research course.

Ever been to Fort Honswijk (www.forthonswijk.nl)? Part of the UNESCO#WorldHeritage site Dutch Water Defence Lines this jewel of #DutchHeritage and nature is a wonderful place to visit!

I was coming to this nature inclusive spot upon invitation of #NRP, #NationalRenovatieProgrammma, in order to contribute to their annual alumni day. This year #natureinclusive design, building and of course renovating was addressed.

Upon request by rutger oolbekkink I spoke about the latest research into the cost and return of nature inclusive building. So many gains! So much money to save by investing in nature inclusivity and climate adaptation instead of spending it on climate damage such as floods or heat waves.

Or think of our increased productivity and less sick leavew in working environments.  And what about the huge spendings repairing health care, while nature inclusive building provides benefits such as reducing stress, stimulate physical movement and e.g. more diverse play of children; so much more to share, and to make a business case work.

I found it quite a thing to kick off this day with a diverse and highly professional audience, including province, municipalities, housing corporations, builders and project developers. And so glad to see them inspired and enthusiastically participating! Many thanks NRP (www.nrp.nl) !

How can we develop our cities in a holistic way, and how can we collaborate beter? We are happy to host the ‘#RuimteInDeDrukte’ congress on #publicspace on September 3rd this year in Gemeente Zaanstad, co-organized with ELBA\REC in the #Fluxus #Verkade Factory in Zaanstad.

Based upon the thinking developed in our Urban Develoment Plan ‘#RuimteMaken’ (Making Space) we are inviting experts to jointly explore possibilities and synergies of making space for current urgencies and transitions.

We are pleased to do this with excellent speakers including fellow city architect Michiel Van Driessche and Anne Geertje Bouman. Wonderful to have developed the concept for this congress with 🍀 Elise Bos Eyssen and many others and seeing the invitations being sent out no! Sign up and let’s meet later this year: Sicongres.