Innovation District Zuidas

RESPONSE

We started by immersing ourselves in the complexity of this public-public partnership. The city of Amsterdam’s innovation district strategy identifies 18 districts, including Zuidas. We mapped this against the city’s spatial strategy, the VU University campus masterplan and the ambitions of the Amsterdam University Medical Centre, which is undergoing portfolio integration. Our aim was to identify common approaches, sensitivities and opportunities to accelerate progress.

Next, we applied our partnership-building expertise to shape the district’s positioning through the intrinsic strengths of the ecosystem. While development often focuses on bricks and mortar, we prioritised stories and programming opportunies. We identified a coalition of the willing and hosted events with over 50 medical professionals, educators, entrepreneurs and community members to collectively refine the district’s positioning. We asked them how they could bring this narrative to life through research, education, events and exhibitions, resulting in a conceptual placemaking roadmap.

Finally, we co-created three principles to guide development: belief in the power of the built environment, create a testbed for positive health innovation, and embrace valorisation as a mindset. The implementation of these principles in the further urban development of Innovation District Zuidas will ensure its wider significance and societal impact.

THE IMPACT

The City of Amsterdam, the VU University and the Amsterdam University Medical Centre are currently engaged in a series of design workshops to create a common development agenda for their respective land positions. This is one of the pillars underpinning the joint positioning as landed in this project, alongside broader regional relevance and more local short-term activation.