Reflecting on 2023

As I almost close my laptop for a few days of rest after a very intense year, I stare at my to do list and smile at the checked boxes ✅. One is still empty: “write 2023 reflection’. Geez where to start. By the end of 2022 I had no work. I had left the …

Culture as placemaking – museums as magnets for urban vibrancy

Throughout my career I’ve been lucky to have been involved in the experience design of quite some cultural experiences like museums, festivals and cultural neighborhoods. What I thoroughly enjoyed about these projects is the interesting mix of urban design and experience design, in a context of community engagement, celebration of cultural heritage, placemaking and social …

The city as service: Teaching Urban Service Design in Thailand

Two weeks ago I returned from hosting a masterclass at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. The topic of the masterclass was ‘The City as Service’. The attendees were 40 Master of Urban Strategy and Urban Architecture students from Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Canada, Nigeria and China. The …

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Why real estate developers should embrace MaaS

Real estate developers and operators should embrace Mobility as a Service as a core capability in their offering. Real estate developers are slowly but steadily moving away from seeing buildings as their core strategic asset. They see that buildings are merely the physical stage on which the lives of residents and tenants unfold. Providing services …

The pros and cons of co-creation

Co-creation seems to be the staple diet of the service design practitioner. ‘If it isn’t co-created, it doesn’t really exist’ seems to the prevailing opinion. But I’m getting my doubts. A ‘yes, but’ kind of feeling 😉I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say I’ve been in over 500 co-creation sessions throughout my career and …