For my graduation project I spent 6 months researching how governance can be designed to support bottom-up urban area development. The project takes place in the Keilekwartier, one of five sub-areas of the Merwe-Vierhavens (M4H) in Rotterdam. The Keilekwartier has organically developed into a community of makers, cultural institutions, and socially oriented entrepreneurs, and is now at a critical moment: the Municipality of Rotterdam, the Stichting Keilekwartier, and the Keilecoöperatie are jointly trying to build a governance model that can sustain this community as the area develops further.

I wanted to understand how strategic design can contribute to a domain dominated by policy, real estate, and law. Specifically: how can a designer add value in a context where the actors at the table all share the same ambition but operate from very different constraints, financial logics, and organizational mandates?

Currently in progress — full case study coming soon.