Rotterdam

Urban Living Lab – Rotterdam

How can TRUSTMAKING empower young people to become co-creators in Urban Design challenges in the Feijenoord neighbourhood in Rotterdam)?
How can we establish trust and develop together with locals a co-creation process that will help them feel empowered in urban changes in the Feijenoord neighbourhood, Rotterdam?

The Urban living Lab of the Netherlands is placed in Rotterdam, the second biggest city of the Netherlands and known for having the biggest harbour of Europe. The urban living lab is created in the HEF house located in the neighbourhood Feijenoord, close to the iconic Hef bridge. The HEF house is a youth Hub organized by Erasmus University, the municipality of Rotterdam and other partners to support the L.E.S. foundation in creating a space for the community centred around innovation and learning. The goal of the HEF house is to connect students and local youth, a perfect place to create our Urban Living Lab.

The Feijenoord neighbourhood is an area where a lot of development is happening right now. Currently the housing stock exists for 90% of social housing. The vast majority of its residents have a migration background. A lot of young people are struggling, as they for example find it hard to finish their education. Because of the great number of residential developments happening in the area at the same time, the municipality has a fear of gentrification taking place. Local residents have started distrusting the municipality and don’t feel heard anymore. How can local youth be included in the redevelopment of the Feijenoord area?

During the year this TRUSTMAKING project will take place, local youth and students of the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture will co-design places through a participatory process where they will get to know the neighbourhood through their local buddies and a series of communication training sessions. To achieve true co-creation capabilities, trust needs to be formed. The soft skills to achieve both trust and capabilities will be thought/gained through a series of meetings (formal and informal) and training sessions given at the HEF house. This capabilities approach ensures self-trust in the participants. The goal of this Urban Living Lab is to create more trust between its participants which will create a truer form of co-creation.

Partners

The Urban Living Lab Rotterdam is organized in the HEF house, created by Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design, Albeda College and the municipality of Rotterdam. The program within this youth hub is offered by the L.E.S. foundation. This TRUST MAKING Urban Living Lab project is created by the TU Delft.