We shape places in Utrecht that make you think: nice here.*
*with nice we mean shaped in a dialogue, sustainable, impactful, creative and community-led.
We are City Makers and Storytellers
focused on public space design through community-led approaches and creative thinking.
Our passion lies deeply in people, their relation to cities, and how to empower citizens
to shape cities in a manner that allows all users to be accounted for.
What we do
We work on the intersection of Placemaking and Storytelling through community led-approaches.
Placemaking
Creating places in a dialogue. That means shaping it with the people, sharing responsibility, and making it inclusive. Yes, you can be visionary, we even invite you to but it needs to be practical, flexible, and adaptable. It’s about turning a house into a home.
And we all know it, there is no place like home.
Civic Engagement
In order to create cities that are open to everyone, inclusively designed and perhaps have something playful in store we need to acknowledge the importance of involving citizens in the process. We involve the citizen in the process of action-taking and doing research, linked together by critical reflection.
Storytelling
We all carry an imperative to imagining cities for all, to engage more meaningfully with different urban actors and their different sensibilities through their stories. Storytelling for us, is a playful tool to induce understanding and compassion and, most importantly, motivate people to take action.
Action Design Research
Focusing on understanding the needs of people and the context in which they live, and then using these insights to inform the design of interventions services. It is an iterative process to help stakeholders identify problems, understand the underlying causes, and design solutions that are tailored to their local context.
Projects
(coming soon)
'Rewild' transforms Utrecht with a hands-on course empowering participants in permaculture and green city development. Co-created with Buurthuis De Leeuw, DOCK, and permaculture experts, Rewild promotes understanding of regenerative practices, equipping changemakers to bring back nature to urban areas.
Using community centers as examples, participants explore permaculture with an urban twist, learn about resilient cities, and engage in placemaking. Together we plant new green spots and connect locals with nature and each other to create a 'rewilded' city.
