Finding Warmth in Winter: What Fenix Plein Taught Me About Public Space
As we venture into spring, I can’t help but feel grateful for one place I sought comfort in during Rotterdam’s cold and wet winters, a season that often discourages me […]
Rotterdam, unpolished love
When I return to Rotterdam, I feel my feet land on something firm and familiar. Perhaps it’s the design ambition that lives openly across the city: visible, imperfect, and unashamed. […]
The Power of Storytelling in Placemaking
Earlier this summer 2025, Placemaking Europe invited me to take over its Instagram account for a week. These handovers are more than just a social media campaign, they are a […]
Unrooted economies: How digital nomads reshape cities without settling in
How can placemaking ease the tensions that arise from expats and digital nomads—not just as consumers, but as engaged residents.
Don’t shoot the gringo: On the recent protests against gentrification
It’s always easy to discredit legitimate arguments when those making them seem to contradict themselves. Radical right-wing commentators love posting pictures of housing activists or anti-tourism slogans next to vacation selfies from the pyramids of Egypt, the beaches of Indonesia, or the ruins of Tulum. But maybe we’re aiming at the wrong target.
Why cultural institutions are meant to take a central role in the housing crisis
Reflections after participating in the 2025 Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) Annual Convening, hosted by the Music Center in Los Angeles. A gathering on the future of cultural districts—held in a city where the housing emergency can’t be ignored.
Why we keep organising Placemaking Week Europe
Looking ahead to Reggio Emilia and the values that guide us
Placemaking the ‘Smart City’: Can We Humanize Technology the Same Way We Humanize Cities?
What happens when humans and technology work together? When humans are able to intervene in automated decision-making processes? And when technology, too, can become “lighter, cheaper, faster”?
Time Machine Tidal Park: Place Futures and Libraries
How do speculative design and libraries intersect in building viable urban futures? From two workshops during Placemaking Week Europe 2024 emerge manifold visions of what Rotterdam’s Tidal Park Keilehaven might look, feel, sound, and smell like in 2050.
What if recovery after a climate disaster comes from people and place?
Lessons from the Oldest Legal Institution in Europe for Post-Flood Recovery in València
