INTERVIEW
Train your imagination for the city of tomorrow
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Hofplein 19 is home to more than just the new premises of Unilever Netherlands. Occupying the first two floors is LaatBloeien, a base of operations for unconventional entrepreneurs. Jorn Wemmenhove (37) is one of those entrepreneurs. The co-founder and creative strategist of Humankind, above all he is passionately inquisitive about the most creative ways to tackle society’s thorny urban planning problems.
massive challenges. For one thing, Rotterdam has to become more sustainable in order to cope with the consequences of climate change. We also need to build more neighbourhoods to accommodate growth. But build Feyenoord City, and you impact working class Hillesluis. So, what do you do?” By the look of it, Jorn isn’t discouraged. In fact, his eyes light up. “Climate change is a fact. Urban expansion is a fact. The challenge consists in how the city of tomorrow, the Rotterdam of the future, will respond. With each of these questions, and when answering them, our focus lies on the people who
‘Hello. We are Humankind. Agency for urban change.’ reads
live here, on the human dimension, not on the concrete and
the intriguing greeting on the website of Humankind. The
infrastructure. The philosopher Aristotle articulated this
word agency alliterates with the word energy, Jorn explains
long ago when he asked what is good for that human. What’s
over a cup of coffee in the snug café of LaatBloeien, where
certain is that buildings outlive people, and will influence
we’ve arranged to meet. “The way we work is energizing; we
generations to come.”
TEXT Eduard Voorn
PHOTOGRAPHY Iris Planting
inject energy. To change existing processes and systems, we go in search of the question behind the question. But then we
STORY-CATCHE
go a step further. If we’re going to shape the city of the future,
The way to build a human-centred city is not through spread-
there’s no sense approaching that new city from our current
sheets and a fixation on profit margins, Jorn stresses, but on
thinking, with our current systems and processes. We need to
a foundation of mutual trust. “When developing the Schie-
do it all differently. That’s why Humankind is a network of not
block, you have to take account of the noise level. That’s a
only urban planners and architects, but also psychoanalysts,
given. And the city of the future needs some rough edges,
social entrepreneurs and communication specialists.”
too. The fact is, it can never be perfect. Accept that that
CHALLENGE
is unachievable, as well as being quite personal. To get the people living here on board, you need to have a story that
Rotterdam is a melting pot of nationalities and cultures, but
can show it will be better for everyone. How do you get that?
also of haves and have-nots. In the next few decades, the
Well, you can hire a ‘story-catcher’ to listen to inhabitants
port city will face the tremendous challenges of bridging gaps
with a different ear. But also by firing up our imaginations to
and integrating cultures to ultimately transform into a safe,
try to envisage the city of tomorrow right here and now. It’s
clean and inclusive city. “Urban centres are grappling with
a muscle you have to train.”
