The dynamic environment cannot be captured in a single area of expertise or a single working method.
What is our area of expertise and what do we do?
- area development with lasting value: we help develop areas and transform existing districts, and in doing so combine social, human, cultural and sustainability value with long-term economic value
- sustainability, climate adaptation and the energy transition: we bring together the networks at the district and municipal levels to urge them to take action on sustainability, and ensure that policy, technology, support and action are harmonised in the district
- public space on a human scale: we aim to improve the city at eye level, on streets, squares, parks and plinths in existing and new areas; and we use placemaking for short-term action and long-term strategy
- transformation of buildings for social impact: from incubators to start-ups, social enterprises and the manufacturing industry, we help to transform buildings with the aim of strengthening the city
- top-down and bottom-up co-creation: we bring together investments and policy with district initiatives; we speak the language of investors, developers and authorities, as well as residents, entrepreneurs and initiators; not participation as an end in itself, but ‘creating the city together’, in terms of both talk and action
- integrated approach – ‘software – hardware – orgware’: we work on spatial development (hardware), fuelled by and intended for social and economic use (software), using a multi-annual strategy , coalitions and instruments (orgware)
- translating and connecting expertise and practical experiences from elsewhere in the world by investing in international networks. As (co)initiator, we enrich our expertise and approaches by learning from our network partners. We are involved in: Placemaking Europe, The City at Eye Level, re:Kreators and PlacemakingX.
Based on our expertise and approach, we offer the following services:
- Manage projects, programmes and processes
- Formulate opinions, strategic concepts and visions
- Conduct field research, analyse the place and the community
- Work on co-creation, participation, community building and area coalitions
- Organise training, workshops, lectures and presentations
- Write and publish books and publications for the purpose of knowledge development and knowledge sharing
- In addition, we work a lot, on our own initiative, if the city needs it, on the redevelopment of buildings under the entity of CoMaker
- As driver of knowledge exchange, we organize training courses, conferences and excursions for our networks to actively share the wealth of knowledge with each other. Not only in the Netherlands, but also internationally.
Who are our clients?
We work for:
- Municipalities
- Project developers
- Investors
- Resident and entrepreneurial groups
- Social initiatives and institutions
- Provinces and ministries
- Knowledge institutes
- Anyone who recognises the importance of lasting quality and the human scale in cities and areas. We often work for a combination of clients.
Every problem needs its own, unique set of disciplines. That’s why we have an extensive network of specialists at the heart of our operation.
- Fellow public developers and citymakers with additional expertise, from planned economy to managing vacant buildings
- Initiators in the field, artists and other creative people, social enterprises
- Knowledge partners, such as the University of Amsterdam, TU Delft, the Hague University of Applied Sciences and & KTH Stockholm, as well as national expertise centres such as Platform31 & Pakhuis de Zwijger
- International partners: UN Habitat, the Centre for the Future of Public Spaces, PPS, PlacemakingX & Think City.
Who are our partners?