Placemaking Week

Sign-up links for all off-sites will be sent by email to conference registrants only in late September. Advanced registration required. Capacity: 40 (FULL).

In this deep learning workshop, attendees will learn about the Zuidas district from local stakeholders, and observe firsthand the connections between place and innovation.

How can public spaces, including the lobbies of key buildings, become places to stimulate new ideas and inspirations—an important precursor to innovation? We will discuss and examine this with the case of Zuidas Kenniskwartier in Amsterdam South. Zuidas, six minutes from Schiphol and well connected with the city center, is the legal and finance hub, and home to a large academic hospital, medical research center, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Zuidas is also transforming into an innovation district, where anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups and others to magnify innovation output that can be commercialized for the market.

Participants will quietly observe spaces to see how spaces are used and how people are interacting, talk to local stakeholders, and make observations about how place can become a powerful platform for innovative and inspirational thinking. Julie Wagner will introduce research on innovation districts and the centrality of place- and people-led strategies.

Food and refreshments will be served at 14:30, and the program will begin at 15:00 sharp. Dinner provided.