NEB ambition

The ultimate ambition of the New European Bauhaus is to achieve transformation. To do this, the NEB Compass has identified specific levels of ambition that outline the desired outcomes for each of the NEB values.

Action areas

These areas refer to the five key domains of intervention that CrAFt's New European Bauhaus Impact Model considers essential for guiding and evaluating complex urban initiatives.

Participation level

The participation level refers to the degree or extent to which individuals or groups are actively involved or engaged in a particular activity, project, or process. It assesses the depth of their involvement, contributions, and commitment, ranging from minimal or passive participation to active and dedicated participation.

NEB values

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) aims to promote the values of sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion in the design and transformation of urban spaces. It emphasises the integration of environmental, social, and economic considerations to create harmonious and innovative living environments.

Implementation Stage

According to the Smart City Guidance Package, there are seven stages to plan and implement smart city projects. These stages propose a logical and coherent roadmap for city initiatives involving many stakeholders.

Beyond placemaking: The role of arts and culture in shaping the sustainable city of the future

In this interview, Karel Koch, Lab Lead of Sluislab and Associate Lector at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, discusses the role of arts and culture in Amsterdam’s Sluisbuurt development. He explores how citizen engagement, creative interventions, and the New European Bauhaus principles are shaping the neighbourhood’s future while balancing flexibility and strategic urban planning.

Takeaways:

  • Engaging citizens early in development: Sluislab’s approach highlights the importance of involving citizens, local businesses, and cultural institutions in urban project planning and development stages. This early engagement fosters a sense of ownership and community, helping to ensure that new neighbourhoods are shaped with the needs and desires of residents in mind, rather than being imposed top-down.
  • Incorporating arts and culture into urban development: Integrating artists and designers into the development process, as seen with initiatives like the "Buurtkoffer" and Broedplaats "Baggerbeest," can offer creative, alternative methods for public participation. This approach can help generate more inclusive and democratic solutions to urban challenges, moving beyond traditional planning methods to engage diverse perspectives.
  • Balancing flexibility with strategic vision: Flexibility in urban development is crucial for accommodating future needs, yet it must be strategically embedded in policy from the start. The idea that 10% of an area should remain adaptable for future changes allows for ongoing innovation and responsiveness to the evolving needs of the community. This balance ensures that long-term projects can incorporate new ideas and practices as they emerge without becoming rigid or outdated.

On 11 July 2024, Karel Koch, Lab Lead at Sluislab and Associate Lector at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, sat down for an in-depth discussion with Melissa van der Lingen, pilot coordinator of CrAFt at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). Koch, who is deeply involved in the research initiative Sluislab, aims to bridge the gap between citizens and the large-scale urban development projects in Amsterdam, particularly the transformative Sluisbuurt neighbourhood. In this interview, we delve into the role of arts and culture in shaping these development processes and explore how the New European Bauhaus (NEB) principles are being integrated into Sluislab’s initiatives.

Could you describe the new Sluisbuurt in Amsterdam and the governance structures in place?

Sluisbuurt is one of Amsterdam’s largest new urban development projects, aiming to create homes for 10,000 residents. This ambitious initiative will see the construction of skyscrapers within the city’s inner ring, marking one of the first high-rise developments in this area.

At Inholland, we are actively involved in this development. One of the first buildings in the neighbourhood will be designated for our new college. As a key player in the project, we have established Sluislab—a city lab to explore how we can contribute to the area’s development as a University of Applied Sciences. Rather than waiting until the buildings are complete, we are already engaging with citizens, the community, the municipality, cultural institutions, and local businesses to establish connections.

Our goal, within the framework of placemaking, is to make a critical contribution to the development of Sluisbuurt. After four years of active involvement, it’s become clear that, despite initial perceptions of an empty space, the area is rich with history, heritage, identity, and activity. This advantage is rooted in our direct, on-the-ground presence.

We operate within a large-scale urban project involving numerous real estate investors and significant construction efforts. In addition to the housing challenge, many other interests are at play in the area. How do we ensure these diverse perspectives are heard while the area is still being developed? We aim to do this through design-based, practical, and artistic research. We want to involve artists and creative professionals in developing alternative methods for citizen participation.

What value do you see in involving artists in the area’s development?

Societal issues are often complex, with many stakeholders and perspectives. There is rarely just one solution. A multi-perspective approach encourages more democratic outcomes and fosters co-creation and collaboration. We can offer multiple solutions to the same problem by working iteratively and experimenting collaboratively. This trend is becoming more common in universities, where trial-and-error, experimentation, and making are increasingly integrated into research. Artists and designers play a crucial role in this process.

Our impact lies in strengthening neighbourhood connections and trust within the community, which we achieve through small creative interventions with citizens, students, and designers.

One example is the “Buurtkoffer,” a pop-up meeting place designed by a student. It’s placed in busy areas to facilitate informal conversations and gatherings for people who may not typically attend the formal neighbourhood meetings organised by the municipality.

Buurtkoffer by Emma Stoop

We also co-developed the Broedplaats “Baggerbeest” with several partners and Urban Resort. It offers affordable workspaces for artists and designers contributing to the neighbourhood’s development. What sets Broedplaats Baggerbeest apart from other temporary cultural spaces funded by the municipality is its ‘learning placemaker’ policy, which emphasises that the creation process itself generates insights that help include citizens’ perspectives and inform future development plans.

Are there challenges to influencing the neighbourhood’s plans through design-based research?

Yes, there are challenges. Given the scope and duration of the project, there is limited room for a guaranteed facilitation arts & culture in the long term. Part of a larger transformation process lies also next to the new Sluisbuurt – the Free Space of Baaibuurt West. Before the creation of Broedplaats Baggerbeest, this space provided a less regulated environment for artists to live and work but now faces potential redevelopment, threatening the community’s stability. In response, the community proposes alternative development plans to preserve the area’s identity, implement more sustainable practices, and meet the municipality’s housing targets.

While we are also part of the broader development—our university building is opening soon—we strive to create long term, sustainable space for initiatives like Baggerbeest and mediate within this process. However, the municipality often faces challenges in including alternative voice while executing its plans, sometimes leading to unmet promises. For instance, the municipality sometimes organizes participatory meetings where certain key stakeholders, such as the Baaibuurt Collective, have not always been included. This can unintentionally contribute to feelings of frustration and diminish trust among residents, who may feel that important community voices are not adequately represented.

In the Sluisbuurt project, the project bureau Amsterdam is responsible for executing urban planning. They follow formal public participation procedures, such as informative evenings where plans are presented and feedback is gathered. However, there is limited space for real grassroots initiatives, such as the Baaibuurt West Collective. This limits the potential for alternative plans and fosters distrust among citizens, who often share broader visions aligned with the municipality’s goals and the New European Bauhaus (NEB) principles. We are actively seeking ways to mediate this.

The challenge stems from the municipality’s organisational structure. It is crucial to create room for alternative plans and collaboration from the start. The outcome of urban development projects often depends on who is in charge of making the plans and who is responsible for delivery. Typically, this falls to engineering firms and project agencies, which may have different perspectives. However, many of Amsterdam’s strategic visions support a more holistic, integrative approach.

What is Sluislab’s role in this process?

At Sluislab, we’ve taken a different approach. Instead of positioning ourselves as opponents in conflicts, we have focused on building a network of trust among various stakeholders. This approach has proven effective in fostering collaboration and dialogue.

That said, there is a risk of our involvement contributing to gentrification, where art and culture are seen as solutions without addressing underlying social issues. While this is not our intention, we must remain vigilant to avoid becoming part of the system. However, many initiatives aim to make long-term contributions to the neighbourhood, and we must ensure they are not overlooked or replaced by new developments.

How has CrAFt impacted the Sluisbuurt project?

CrAFt’s impact on the Sluisbuurt project has been more indirect, focusing on context and alignment with broader European initiatives like the New European Bauhaus. This approach allows for cross-project learning between European cities that share similar goals. The integration of creativity—through artists and designers—alongside inclusivity and sustainability has been a critical aspect of this initiative.

For example, the CrAFt Consortium Meeting in February 2024, with visitors from Norway and beyond, highlighted this. Discussions around Marijn, our artist-in-residence, who was also part of the Baaibuurt Collective, underscored the value of engaging with someone who was both a resident and an active participant in the project. Exploring the neighbourhood with them further emphasised our unique, localised approach to implementing broader strategies within Amsterdam. This distinct local engagement adds an additional layer of interest and value to our work.

Karel Koch as guest speaker at the CrAFt Consortium Meeting in Amsterdam in February 2024

How can the New European Bauhaus principles be better integrated into municipal processes?

It would be valuable to explore how the New European Bauhaus concept can be embedded in municipal processes from the outset of area development projects. This is a complex challenge, but a critical first step is investigating how NEB principles can be integrated into municipal infrastructure and organisational processes.

Currently, we are applying tactical measures based on NEB principles, focusing on local engagement within the neighbourhood and city. However, strategic integration of this approach into urban developments like Sluisbuurt and Zeeburgereiland could significantly enhance sustainable improvement.

Our creative space operates under a 10-year concession, serving as a temporary facility that will eventually be phased out. Within this timeframe, we aim to foster a culture rooted in aesthetics, inclusivity, and sustainability. Our hope is that this cultural foundation will leave a lasting influence on the neighborhood’s future development, even after the creative incubator completes its temporary role.

Cities are in a continuous state of transformation, with incubators playing a vital role in shaping this evolution. Allocating 10% of an area as flexible space for future development is essential to meet the changing needs of residents. However, the true challenge lies in ensuring this flexibility is not just a concept but fully embedded in urban policy and practice. Currently, the designated open space in Sluisbuurt is set to function as a temporary placemaking site, with further development postponed for the time being.


Written by Melissa van der Lingen, CrAFt pilot coordinator at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Copy edited by Jose Rodriguez, CrAFt communication manager at the European Cultural Foundation
Photos by Karel Koch and CrAFt team members