Pınar presents Living Lab Vrederust at 2023 Dag van de Ontwerpkracht
On July 6, the second Dag van de Ontwerpkracht took place in Rotterdam, organized by Platform Ontwerp NL. A year after the launch of Platform Ontwerp NL and Mooi NL, spatial designers and consultants have been working on the future of the Netherlands on many fronts. One of the bigger challenges that the Netherlands- and many other European countries- faces is the transformation of post-war neighbourhoods into just and liveable urban areas, while also finding space to construct new affordable dwellings for a growing population. This debate needs to address environmental and social issues simultaneously and look for new ways of designing, communicating and decision making.
During the masterclass on the future of post-war neighbourhoods, Pınar presented ‘Living Lab Vrederust’ as an example project which uses a design methodology that is defined based on the theory of spatial justice. This working method puts residents in the centre of the process and works closely with them at all times. It emphasizes spatial design and visual representation as a way to ensure a democratic decision making process. Various techniques of digital story-telling such as film and digital twin are used for transparent and effective communication about the content and the process of the project. During her presentation Pınar invited all spatial professionals to work towards a practice in which justice is the principal consideration and evaluation criterion in urban policy making, instead of growth or economic profit.
A few remarks made during the panel discussion which inspired further thinking for Pınar were on how to involve future residents as much as the current residents into the process of densification projects in post-war neighbourhoods, and how to find alternative financing to transform the public spaces of these neighbourhoods into pockets of urban nature.
Read more on Dag van de Ontwerpkracht 2023 here. (Available only in Dutch.)
Read more on the project Living Lab Vrederust here.