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. […]
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
12 European Cities Embracing Placemaking to Tackle Urban Challenges
Against division, their mayors and deputy mayors choose to foster public spaces for equity and democracy. They commit to this by innovating policies and processes, involving citizens, and mobilizing place-based investments.
Power of Place: An Introduction to Designing Places For Life
THe Placemaking Europe community is invited to participate in Really Regenerative’s signature regenerative learning journey, Power of Place. Power of Place host and course designer Jenny Andersson, spoke at our gathering in Rotterdam last Autumn and has created a special invitation and offer to the Placemaking Europe community.
