Articles

Large-scale transformation or redevelopment of (urban) areas with many different existing owners is a question of collaboration. Our world is changing very fast and unpredictably through global investment flows, technological disruptions, political shifts, societal movements and consumer trends and demands. Cities are immediately and strongly impacted by these changes and plans and business cases for urban development projects may be outdated before they are even finished on paper. This makes …

Approaching urban planning and development integrally is nothing new. Already for a while, our cities have become increasingly complex organisms facing many different challenges and transitions at the same time. We cannot address the spatial aspects separately from the economic and the social, and even if we did focus on only the spatial that would still involve multiple topics that all influence each other. Not only buildings, public space and …

Although in collaborative urban development and transformation there is much focus on process and engagement, there is still a very important role for spatial planning and design – albeit in different forms and emphases throughout the process. Instead of designing the final image, like in traditional urban design, we need to design a transformation path towards our goals.   As pointed out in earlier blogs, in transformation areas with a …

Successful urban transformation strongly depends on the active involvement, initiatives and investments of many different owners and other stakeholders. And all these stakeholders depend on each other as well, as I’ve discussed in more detail in an earlier blog. These dependencies limit the control over the exact outcomes and timelines of an area’s transformation. You cannot simply design a new future vision and superimpose it on the existing situation. You …

How you start an urban transformation process and how big or small the steps are that you can take, depends on many factors. One obvious factor is the economic situation. In times of economic decline or crisis there is less available capital and less trust in predicting the future. As a consequence, less attractive urban areas – the ones that are outdated, deteriorating, facing vacancy and generally in most need …

In this blog we dive into the notion of stakeholder interests and mutual dependencies. They are crucial drivers of successful urban transformation. Profoundly understanding and incorporating these into the core of your project will help you to smoothen the process and optimise results.   Perhaps even more than a collection of buildings and spaces, urban areas are a collection of perspectives, interests and dependencies. Especially in areas where the property …