Last week I went to Utrecht. Utrecht is the fourth city of the Netherlands, centrally located. A friend, Emilie, asked me to help her start up a project. Emilie finished her studies on the Utrecht School for the Arts (HKU) a year ago. Today she calls herself a location marketeer. Finding new uses for derelict… Read More
The Sport Axis (1)
What are the possibilities to revitalise an area with sport facilities? How important is sport to attract and connect talent to your city. I try to answer these questions in my newest Amsterdam project. In the Southern part of Amsterdam, between the new business district the ‘ZuidAs’ (South Axis) and the ‘Amsterdamse Bos’ (Amsterdam forest),… Read More
Twente (2) – Models for future growth
Twente is a metropolitan area in the east of the Netherlands. Metropolitan maybe a big word here, these three cities, Almelo, Hengelo and Enschede have a mainly industrial past of textile and machine building among them while around 650.000 people live there. Twente is on the eastern border of the Netherlands, 200 kilometers from Amsterdam.… Read More
Italy (1) – New School Working Areas
I’m in Locri. This is the south of the south of Italy. It’s hard to get here. My plane came from Rome and late in the evening it arrived in Reggio Calabria. Beautiful view from the air. Sicily and the Etna on one side, lots of boats in the sea below us and the airport… Read More
Interview with Richard Florida in Maastricht
During the the Biennale of Redevelopment in Maastricht, Richard Florida was one of the speakers. Friday morning November 4 Richard Florida was interviewed by Ester Agricola. Ester Agricola is the director of the Amsterdam Monument and Archeology Office. I taped the interview and typed out an extract. This is what was said. During the time that I… Read More
Richard Florida and the Biennale in Maastricht
Last week brought us the Biennale of Redevelopment in Maastricht, Netherlands. The program started some weeks ago in Amsterdam with lectures and the kick off meetings of several studios where different projects of redevelopment were discussed. It ended this week in Maastricht with an interesting program of lectures and visits. See their website at http://www.biennalemaastricht.nl/… Read More
What makes a successful project?
Standing in front of an audience and talking about regeneration projects everywhere in the world I very often feel scepticism. People are listening and even though they may like what I say many of them are constantly thinking: yes, but, things are different here. It may be easy to do that where you come from… Read More
Amsterdam harbour (1)
We went on a harboursafari yesterday evening. The safari is now running for the third year. It’s an idea that I had a few years ago to bring the city and the port back together. Yesterdays safari was almost the final one this year, next week we will have the last one. The weather is… Read More
Twente (1) – Emscher park and Hengelo
Yesterday I went to Emscherpark. I have been going there at least twice a year, since 1992. I remember the first time I arrived in Duisburg Nord Meiderich. The new park by Peter Latz was under construction. I couldn’t believe my eyes, so overwhelming that I didn’t want to see it, it was simply too… Read More
Creative Cities 