Public space is a mirror. It reflects who we are, what we value, and who we choose to see. Across the Netherlands, that mirror still doesn’t reflect everyone equally. In 2024, reports of discrimination and violence against LGBTQIA+ people rose by 37%. Behind those numbers are lived moments — the small hesitations, the places you scan before reaching for someone’s hand, the feeling that visibility still isn’t the same as belonging. At the same time, many people and organisatio

With spring just around the corner, perhaps you can already picture yourself on a warm, sunny day—lying on a blanket in a park, stretching out on a patch of sunlit grass. Or maybe it’s a bench that invites you to recline, or a quiet corner where you can pause and let the world pass by. There’s something deeply human about lying down—a moment of surrender to rest, to be at ease, to feel safe enough to let go . However, how many public spaces do you know designed specifically f

Sitting is something we do without much thought. Yet, as humans, learning to sit is one of our first great milestones - a moment of balance, independence, and discovery. But soon after we master it, it’s not seen as an achievement anymore. It becomes second nature, something we do without noticing. And yet, in public space sitting is anything but insignificant. It shapes how we experience the world around us, how we interact with others, and how welcome we feel in a place. A

Standing in public space does not sound like anything too exciting, right? What probably first comes to mind is waiting for a bus, a friend, or for a traffic light to turn green. But what if I told you that standing could actually be the time to take rest and find peace in the hustle and bustle of everything else we do in a public space and not only a boring act of waiting? Have you ever considered how a well-designed public space can transform standing into something meaning

Can public spaces create a feeling of home  for everyone? Is that feeling a constructive tool for city-making?  In recent projects in which we work to improve the livability or, better, the quality of life of cities, we find that the issue isn’t necessarily a technical one. It hardly ever is solely a parking solution that makes the neighborhood better, and its residents happier. Challenges, and opportunities, are networked.  More often than not, we find that the conversation

When was the last time you went for a walk just for the pleasure of it? Perhaps it was a stroll with your dog, a casual loop around the block during your lunch break, or a quiet moment with your baby in a stroller. Moving is one of the simplest and most natural things we do, yet it’s also one of the most enriching. We often think of moving as a means to an end—getting from point A to point B. But what if it didn’t have to be? What if moving could simply be about the journey i

I think way too often when we hear the word “play” we think just about children. And it is true, children like to play, but… don’t we all? As we grow up, we forget how relieving a laugh feels and how liberating playing can be. While there are responsibilities to adult life, as adults we are also burdened by societal superstructures and stereotypes: we cannot cross the pedestrian crossing jumping from white stripe to white stripe with only one foot, we cannot pretend to follow

Think about the last time you exercised outside. Maybe it was a refreshing jog through a park, a spontaneous football match with friends, or a calming yoga session in a quiet green space. What made that experience enjoyable? Was it the fresh air, the openness of the space, or the simple fact of feeling your body move around free? Public spaces play a huge role in shaping how we move, exercise, and connect with others through sports, and often it’s the little things—like shade

AI in Design and Participation at the Municipality of Amsterdam Last Thursday, September 12th,, we had the opportunity to present our Good Public Space at an internal event hosted by the Municipality of Amsterdam , which focused on the state of the art of Artificial Intelligence in the design and participation process. The event showcased various initiatives by the municipality, aimed at harnessing AI in an ethical, sustainable, and human-centric manner. Presentations also f

If you now close your eyes and imagine taking a bite of your favourite food what would it be? A juicy hamburger, cheesy pizza, creamy pasta, a fresh salad with best quality vegetables or maybe ice cream? I hope your mouths are watering already… But if I asked you to think about it again, where do you actually see yourself? Your favourite restaurant, your grandma’s home, your own kitchen or… maybe a specific spot in your city? Eating and drinking is an inseparable part of huma

Ever had one of those days where the hustle and bustle of city life just gets too much, and you crave a serene spot to unwind? Whether it's lounging on a park bench with a book or simply stretching out on grass, finding a place to relax is essential for our mental and physical well-being. And the way our public spaces are designed can make all the difference. It turns out our brains are wired to find relief in nature. In an article on Urbact, Tamas Kallay (2020)  highlights t

Three weeks ago, my colleague Irene and I were running through our pre-Urban Future checklist. Irene had stains of blue in her hands from spraying, among other things, a blowdryer and a comb in our signature Humankind blue. I had more than ten windows open on my two screens, and was still sending emails to Elke at the Urban Future team (shoutout to the great Elke, and the whole UF team!), confirming drop-off information to make sure that our barber chair and mirror would arri

Let's face it, we all love catching up with friends—whether we're venting about a disastrous day or sharing some thrilling news. And guess what? There's solid science behind why these chit-chats make us feel so good! A bunch of clever researchers, Ascigil and colleagues (2023) , found that even the tiniest interactions, like saying "hello" or a quick "thanks," can give our health and well-being a nice little boost. So, next time you stop to chat, remember: it's not just small

Over the past few weeks we have been exploring the topic of public space, diving into the spectrum of publicness: that where on one end we find the “public” and on the other the “private”. We have been dwelling on terms such as “negotiability”, “ownership” and as a consequence, reflecting on our perception of space. Is there that much difference between a park and a station hall when it comes to the publicness of these spaces? The entire conversation about why some spaces are

Drawing from the background research and practical experience in using Good Public Space Analysis in different formats and contexts, we have developed a practical, interactive Public Space Analysis workshop featuring the technology of UrbanistAI . The workshop is a three-fold session exhibiting elements of the original model. The starting point is an analysis of the public area –through a space assessment exercise– from a variety of points of view. The aim is to bring parti

When I joined Humankind a year ago my first assignment was the development of Good Public Space Analysis (GPSA) , something that excited me deeply as I would be able to contribute to the company’s goal of creating human-centered cities. From the very begging we established that our definition of good public space is a space that primarily facilitates health and well-being . But what does that even mean? I took on the quest and started digging into the literature. Given how

One of the world's biggest annual design events, Milan Design Week, took place in April along Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone. Here are six installations that especially caught our attention – mainly because of the questions and reflections they triggered. Alcova installation in Viale Molise by Sagittarius A. 1. Alcova This independent design platform (Valentina Ciuffi, Studio Vedèt, and Joseph Grima, Space Caviar) took over a former slaughterhouse in Via Molise. The instal

Exactly one week ago, I was setting up my computer on a high table at Laatbloeien, our office in Rotterdam. I needed everything to be ready for the Zoom call we were about to have with transport entrepreneur Robin Chase, who was connecting with us from Boston, United States. She was about to speak to the 15 participants of Beyond Flying Cars, our first Masterclass on the future of urban mobility. Lunch break ended, everyone came back into the room, Robin spoke for thirty minu

We all know we need to rethink and redesign the way we build our streets. But the real challenge is – how? How to make them accessible, livable and safe for all? How can we transition to a more human approach when we create our cities? What are the drivers of change and the accelerators of transformation? During two weeks, and together with the Technical University of Munich and EIT Urban Mobility, we had 35 enthusiastic urban planners from around the world taking part in a

I arrived at Ghent University in Belgium in 2019 planning to begin research investigating the relationships between commuting and human well-being. Then, just as it disrupted normal life in nearly every way, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, putting an end to many commuting trips, completely transforming travel behavior for those still traveling to work, and presenting huge obstacles for undertaking this type of research. In Flanders, we found ourselves in an incredibly strict