November Talks 2024

Integrated urban re-development

In 1989, I once wrote “Urban design is about almost doing nothing”. This statement is based on the approach that the act of urban design must first consist of identifying, inventorying and, if possible, protecting the existing qualities and valuable traces, both physical and programmatic. A second approach is to view the situation of an area not as a static “current state”, but as a snapshot of a continuous transformation. The act of urban design is therefore only one phase in this process. These two approaches result in a design attitude of “inversion and subtraction”, in which all existing boundary conditions, including interest groups and laws, are seen as positive limitations of the design variants, and the urban design becomes a resultant of a complex, dynamic force field.

Prof. ir. Kees Christiaanse, as founder and partner of KCAP, focuses on urban assignments in complex situations and guides urban processes. Kees is a visionary who sees clearly where a project should go. His hands are in many things and his ideas come from many sources of inspiration. He is always dedicated to the long-term quality of a project and is committed to making cities better for everyone living in them. He is a caring expert regarding the revitalisation of former industrial, railway, and harbour areas, the development of university campuses, and the supervisor of several international urban developments. He is a pioneer of the profession, an innovative thinker, and a trendsetter on the future of cities he contributes to improving.