August 13, 2026 News
With one of the longest histories of any city in the world, Athens has faced numerous moments of reinvention and rebalancing. However, the last few decades of explosive growth have led to infrastructural problems and a socio-cultural imbalance, resulting in a decline of the city centre. The economic challenges have affected the quality of life and the environmental conditions, leaving Athens in need of revitalisation.
The town of Huizen is located in a prominent area on the Gooimeer. With a long coastline and Het Gooi region as the hinterland, there was a lot of untapped potential to strengthen the relationship with the water. For that reason, the municipality asked us to create an integral vision for the entire length of its coastline. Following the approval of the vision, the first implementation followed. The Zomerkade coast was transformed into a surprising urban beach that is now finally connected to the urban environment.
Once part of a bustling connecting road between Zwolle and Enschede, Grotestraat green-blue streetscape in Nijverdal witnessed a constant flow of fast traffic with no local destination, penetrating the heart of the town. The introduction of a new tunnel provided an opportunity to redirect the focus of the street towards residents and slow traffic. That ambition was taken as the starting point for a connection of the centre to the surrounding landscape, but our ambition went further.
South Holland coastal framework 2070 is a collaborative initiative. The Hague, Leiden, Delft, Zoetermeer, the provincial administration, and key local knowledge institutions are brought together to tackle the critical spatial-economic challenges that the region will face in the future. The current spatial constraints in this region require an integrated approach and vision formation to provide spatial solutions for this densely populated region. To address the major spatial and landscape challenges for the coming decades, we proposed a strategy “Kennisregio aan Zee 2070: A landscape-based approach.”
With no less than five national landscapes within the provincial borders, the province of Utrecht is rich in landscape qualities. At the same time, it’s a densely populated growth region that is constantly evolving. To balance these two characteristics, we have developed the Utrecht regional landscape quality guidelines. We take the reader through a factual analysis and various stories that shed light on the most important aspects of the landscape, delving into the history of the current landscape.
Located in the heart of Mechelen, Korenmarkt square is considered the city’s origin. However, the value of Korenmarkt to the city had been lost over time. We took up the challenge to transform what had been relegated to a widening road with some parking into a valuable square with a comforting quality and an appreciation for history.
The Shantou Estuary forms a valuable natural setting from the mountains to the river and the sea. The area comprises the inner bay of Shantou, covering an overall design area of 117 square kilometres. This includes 54 kilometres of the bay coast, the city centre’s urban area, harbour and the redeveloping of old industrial sites. Like many large Chinese cities, Shantou is under pressure from urbanisation and climate change. Our team objective was to develop a design vision for a resilient urban landscape for Shantou’s Inner Bay.
Grünewald green neighbourhood, situated within Luxembourg’s new European district in Kirchberg, has been developed on an urban plan based on a geometric grid. The district’s composition of building blocks, private gardens, and squares takes on the form of a chessboard, creating a dense but harmonious and interconnected fabric with playful contrasts between buildings and open spaces, public and private. Nestled on the edge of a plateau, Grünewald negotiate the slope and the height difference between the urban centre of the plateau and the green valley at its feet.
The Mient Kooltuin landscape stood as one of Katwijk’s last frayed edges, situated between National Park “Hollandse Duinen” and the new town development of Valkenhorst. To define the future character of the area, we crafted a vision that defines possible land use, landscape character and circulation based on its rich history.
Mient Kooltuin landscape vision centres on reinforcing the identity of the place and its surroundings. This will not only enhance the ecological resilience of the adjacent dune area but also elevate the quality of life for the surrounding residents. Our vision for Mient Kooltuin will serve as a recreational destination for the existing towns as well as the new Valkenhorst town. As one of the gateway areas to the National Park “Hollandse Duinen,” it serves not only to provide access to the National Park, but also to buffer the recreational pressure from its ecologically sensitive core areas.
Recreational landscape
We envision Mient Kooltuin as a recreational landscape composed of a variety of public and private leisure and recreational developments. It boasts a gradient from a public, forested landscape bordering a Natura 2000 nature reserve, a transitional zone providing space for a variety of recreational programs and an open area with its parcelled out characteristic, separating the main recreational area from the new Valkenhorst residential area that is currently under development on the former Valkenburg airfield.
A wooded zone surrounding the barracks forms the region’s main public leisure area and offers recreational opportunities which include outdoor adventure trails, horseback riding and off-leash dog walking. These activities are not possible within the more sensitive adjacent Natura 2000 territories. A transition zone between the wooded sections will host various recreational functions, serving as a link to the highly valued open meadow landscape that will be further enhanced and accessible.
Future impact
As the area gradually transforms into a recreational landscape, the ecological values in our vision for Mient Kooltuin will be reinforced, not only protecting the Natura 2000 dune area but also improving the ecological role of the Mient Kooltuin itself. Serving as a recreational and hydrological buffer between the dune area and Valkenhorst, Mient Kooltuin’s vision will combine recreational development with the preservation of the natural values within the area.
Building on a rich heritage
In our vision, we combine elements of the area’s rich natural and cultural heritage such as the dunes, the horticultural tradition of bulb cultivation and WWII military history with new recreational uses.
The monumental WWII barracks, disguised as a farmering village, will become the recreational heart of the area and form a link to the surrounding military heritage of Atlantikwall. In addition, new uses of the area will include education on the rich biodiversity of the dunes and the purifying effect of the dune complexes for potable water extraction.
Through a participatory design process we explored several options of the vision together with local residents.
Guiding a natural transformation
The vision for the Mient Kooltuin’s landscape is not a blueprint but rather a starting point for a gradual transformation. Our vision sets the direction for a stronger identity and zoning to support recreational needs and to protect and enhance ecological values around the area. This transformation will remain largely with the different landowners in the area, allowing the vision to help Katwijk facilitate and guide this process.
