Sign-up links for all off-sites will be sent by email to conference registrants only in late September. Advanced registration required. Capacity: 20.
State of Flux and
De Modestraat present an interactive program, tour and workshop about the connection between short-term creative placemaking and longterm development. Visit the ugliest public area in Amsterdam to learn about the beautiful possibilities of co-creative, place-led city development.
Het Buikslotermeerplein is an area with one of the biggest shopping malls in Amsterdam with great economic potential, but the old-school look of a place that is build around the car. It’s declining under a planning-process that began in 1999 and has not yet led to the investments that are so desperately needed. While new housing and office space is in development near the subway line, after four urban plans there are still no ideas for the shopping mall itself.
De Modestraat, a so-called "Broedplaats" or arts incubator, replaced an old complex of restaurants in 2013. There they made a place for artists and the neigbourhood with studios, a lunchroom, and space for activities. De Modestraat strives to make the daily environment more beautiful and liveable and works on the interaction between creatives and residents that results in neighbourhood improvement.
State of Flux, based in the north of Amsterdam, is an agency specialized in placemaking with co-creation and mixing of disciplines at its core. In 2015, it decided that the time for waiting was over: De Modestraat and other neighborhood stakeholders should work together to start on what can be improved now. As a result, they programmed a diversity of activities and started with small steps in redesigning the area. In 2017, however, State of Flux had to end its efforts to connect the short term and long term due to insufficient funding.
The Buikslotermeerplein case shows how independent creative placemakers can make a difference. It also shows how an informal setting of co-creation has a great impact on the understanding between different parties that leads to shared vision, immediate action, and fewer conflicts.
