The publication is freely available so feel free to pass by at our shop at Het Nieuwe Instituut, order your free copy now!

This is the continuing story of the Europan 15 NL competition in Rotterdam that kicked off in 2019. The housing crisis, the climate crisis and the increasing unaffordability of urban centres were on the agendas of all major European cities. The competition’s theme, the Productive City, sought to address these problems. After a 2 year’s period of Covid 19 pandemic this publication presents a story that is both catalogue of the projects as they were when they were submitted in 2019, and a reflection on the continuing process in Rotterdam.

Nevertheless, by March 2020’s Europan 15 NL award ceremony for the Rotterdam sites, this progressive course of action was about to hit some turbulence. The Covid-19 world pandemic had surfaced in Europe, spreading illness, fear and uncertainty. Since then, life has changed, how we live in cities has changed, world markets have crumbled, the cost of building has skyrocketed and we continue to weather climate disasters and humanitarian crises the likes of which we have never seen before, and some we thought we would never see again. The plan unravelled, as even the best plans do.

But we adapt, we develop, and we remain committed to working together to solve challenges that are larger than individual ambitions. The Europan NL 15 competition has become the success that it is – in spite of the extenuating circumstances – not only due to the incredible projects the teams delivered, but also because of the commitment of the public and private partners who weathered these storms alongside the wining teams. Together, they pursue new solutions through dialogue and collaboration, giving a new ‘taste of this way of making a city’ (Esther Heemskerk, City of Rotterdam). This is the continuing story of the Europan 15 NL competition, and this publication presents a story that is both a catalogue of the projects as they were when they were submitted, and a reflection on the continuing process, collecting insights to apply as we engage in a new bread of city making.

The publication is freely available so feel free to pass by at our shop at Het Nieuwe Instituut, order your free copy now!

This is the continuing story of the Europan 15 NL competition in Rotterdam that kicked off in 2019. The housing crisis, the climate crisis and the increasing unaffordability of urban centres were on the agendas of all major European cities. The competition’s theme, the Productive City, sought to address these problems. After a 2 year’s period of Covid 19 pandemic this publication presents a story that is both catalogue of the projects as they were when they were submitted in 2019, and a reflection on the continuing process in Rotterdam.

Nevertheless, by March 2020’s Europan 15 NL award ceremony for the Rotterdam sites, this progressive course of action was about to hit some turbulence. The Covid-19 world pandemic had surfaced in Europe, spreading illness, fear and uncertainty. Since then, life has changed, how we live in cities has changed, world markets have crumbled, the cost of building has skyrocketed and we continue to weather climate disasters and humanitarian crises the likes of which we have never seen before, and some we thought we would never see again. The plan unravelled, as even the best plans do.

But we adapt, we develop, and we remain committed to working together to solve challenges that are larger than individual ambitions. The Europan NL 15 competition has become the success that it is – in spite of the extenuating circumstances – not only due to the incredible projects the teams delivered, but also because of the commitment of the public and private partners who weathered these storms alongside the wining teams. Together, they pursue new solutions through dialogue and collaboration, giving a new ‘taste of this way of making a city’ (Esther Heemskerk, City of Rotterdam). This is the continuing story of the Europan 15 NL competition, and this publication presents a story that is both a catalogue of the projects as they were when they were submitted, and a reflection on the continuing process, collecting insights to apply as we engage in a new bread of city making.