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The City Architect Studio, what is that?

The City Architect Studio is where we will exchange knowledge, contribute ideas and inspire each other in the coming period. We visualise and discuss opportunities and alternatives. We organise regular activities such as excursions and debates, and we invite inspiring speakers.

Studio Agenda 2023-2026

Over the next 3 years, we will use design research to devise future scenarios about how we can use our space in the municipality of Leeuwarden smartly. What kind of city, village or landscape are we aiming for and what is required for this? And what should we leave as is, what should we protect?

9 workshops, 9 themes

We work according to the Workshop Agenda. This agenda consists of 9 workshops and 9 themes. We highlight one theme per workshop. The 9 themes are the themes presented during the opening of the City Architect’s Workshop, refined by the input of visitors and a group of professionals who help us think about the workshop. We head for 3 workshops per year: 1 in the spring, 1 in the summer and 1 in the autumn. And for each workshop we appoint a ‘workshop master’, a specialist from the professional world who acts as a guest curator for that workshop. Of course, we also occasionally organize ‘separate’ activities, when current events require it. View the Workshop Agenda 2023-2026 with the mission, themes and rough planning for the next three years.

Atelier 2

Alderman Hein de Haan will be opening Atelier Stadsbouwmeester’s new premises in the new Obe building on Wednesday 10 July with the exhibition ‘De Compacte Stad in 2050’ (The Compact City in 2050). De Compacte Stad in 2050 is the subject of the second workshop of Atelier Stadsbouwmeester with GEAR as workshop master. GEAR architects will present a new growth model for Leeuwarden during the opening. After the presentation, the Atelier Stadsbouwmeester will talk to two city experts, Joren van Dijk and Remco Deelstra, about whether this growth model will work. Afterwards, we will end with snacks and drinks and you can admire GEAR’s exhibition. In the evening, from 6pm to 8pm, there will be an Attiek lecture by environmental psychologist Joren van Dijk on his take on the future of the compact city. More information can be found on the website of Attiek.

What has happened lately?

Open house on June 23 and 24, 2023

There was an Open House at City Theatre De Harmonie on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 June. You could come and joint in the discussion about the future of the city of Leeuwarden, the surrounding villages and the landscape.  The local authority’s urban planning supervisor Loes Oudenaarde created an interactive future perspective with images of the possible future of the City of Leeuwarden. In collaboration with the Ministerie van Maak! there are also 10 models on display from different design firms presenting ideas on how to build 10 x 10,000 houses in a future-proof way in the three northern provinces.

Exhibition until Friday 14 July 2023

The Ministerie van Maak!’s scale models and urban planning supervisor Loes Oudenaarde’s interactive future perspective were there for all to see at City Architect Studio’s exhibition at City Theatre until Friday 14 July 2023. All-comers could visit this exhibition free of charge from Tuesday to Friday between noon and 5pm.

Mobility Café Tuesday June 27, 2023

The City of Leeuwarden organised a Mobility Café on the future of traffic and transport in Leeuwarden during the City Architect Studio. That is because the local authority is drafting a new mobility policy framework this year. This plan sets out how we want to deal with traffic and transport in Leeuwarden in the coming years and what it involves. More information? Go to the mobility page.

Workshop on Thursday 14 December 2023

The first Stadsbouwmeester Atelier was on December 14, 2023. The first theme on the agenda is ‘Inner City as an extended living room’. We zoom in on a fascinating greening concept and the contemporary character of the city centre, with surprising structures and construction compared to other cities in the Netherlands.

Atelier 1 The inner city as an extended living room

In the first workshop, we looked at the subject of ‘The historic city centre’. Where the city centre used to be mainly for working and shopping, more and more people are going there to live. In this workshop, we focus on how the city centre works as an extended living room in 2050. How do you meet each other, and are there opportunities for that? And how do we ensure a healthy environment, for both people and animals?

Summary, presentations and studies

We have summarised and translated everything studied, designed and discussed in this workshop into ‘Inner city as an extended living room, lessons learned from Atelier #1. Presentations and studies have also been added.

  1. The inner city as an extended living room (Lesson learned, Atelier #1).
  2. Inner city compared with other inner cities (Nathan Kooistra).
  3. Leeuwaarden inner city work book (Minke van Asperen)
  4. What if the city belongs to me? (Fardau Nijboer).
  5. Green vision Leeuwarden inner city (Maike van Stiphout).
  6. Green living rooms in the city centre (NHL Stenden).
  7. Meeting in public space (Gerben Helleman).

Stay informed!