Photo: HollandFoto / iStock.com
About 7.5 years after the start and an interim facelift, a completely new Stadszaken website went live today. The innovation is not just about the form; In terms of content, we work with a sharpened focus. And we present the first six of twelve new columnists.
The focus of City Affairs moves from ‘the physical living environment’ to urban development. The mission of Stadszaken is to contribute to making better cities. City Affairs is organized thematically around six main themes: housing & real estate, economy, climate & sustainability, public space, mobility and smart city.
We always approach topics from the perspective of the city, with a spatial and/or area perspective, from an integrated focus. Socially, physically and economically.
In addition to regular news, Stadszaken offers professional information that readers can immediately apply in their daily work practice: the ‘how and what-then’. Stadszaken wants to keep readers sharp by raising critical questions, with different perspectives, opinions of authorities and lessons learned.
Furthermore, we just want to show beautiful things, the best practices that deserve to be passed on. Whether in Rotterdam or in Heerlen, because they stand for something bigger that transcends local interests.
New columnists
We do not make city matters alone. We are starting with a group of new columnists who will help promote the City Affairs sound. In the near future we will introduce a number of new authors. Today these are:
- Anita Nijboer, partner/attorney in environmental law at SIX Advocaten, is experienced in Environmental Law. She started her legal career twenty years ago with Phon van den Biesen, one of the founders of the environmental law legal profession. Since then she has continued to work as a lawyer in environmental law. From September 2022, Anita will be a partner at the SIX lawyers firm in Amsterdam, specialized in environmental and real estate law. In addition to her legal work, Anita teaches environmental law for judges and other lawyers. In 2021, Anita wrote the book ‘Environmental law in practice’, the second edition of which will be published this autumn.
- Marije Groen, Senior Consultant at Buck Consultants International (BCI), studied General Cultural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. She started her professional career as an economics policy advisor at the province of South Holland. Marije has been working at BCI as a senior consultant since 2007. She specializes, among other things, in the transition to a sustainable and circular economy and knows how to translate this spatially.
- Monica Wichgers, first deputy mayor of Culemborg, has been alderman for housing, spatial planning and economy and director in Culemborg since 2018. The Gelderland town is experiencing increasing pressure from its location in the middle of large cities. Before she became alderman, Wichgers was a councilor for many years, first for the VVD and later for the local party CVN (Culemborg van Nu). She was the leader of both parties.
- Jan-Willem Wesselink, program manager of the Future City Foundation (FCF), was trained as a planner and was editor-in-chief of trade journals on urban development (predecessors of Stadszaken) for many years. Over the past 15 years, Jan-Willem has focused on the transition that cities are undergoing through digitalization and technology. According to him, this transition can only succeed if designers, administrators and technology specialists think together about and work on new visions, processes and products. On behalf of the FCF, Jan-Willem is program manager for the City Deal ‘A smart city, this is how you do it’ and ‘Smart Customization.’
- Roel van Dijk, director of the Steenbreek Foundation, was trained as a journalist and has been editor-in-chief of the trade magazine Groen for many years. In addition, since 2019 he has been director of the Steenbreek Foundation, a national knowledge and network organization that provides support in the sustainable greening of our living environment.
- Gert-Joost Peek, Lecturer in Area Development and Transition Management at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, is an authority in the world of area development. In 2006 he obtained his PhD in managing the redevelopment of inner-city station locations, after previously working at the development department of NS Vastgoed. After his PhD and a short research career, Gert-Joost started working as director of research at ING Real Estate Development. Afterwards he was a knowledgeable manager at Fakton. Since 2013, Peek has been a lecturer and owner of Spot-on Consulting, from which he advises, speaks, chairs and writes about urban area development and supervises projects. Hagenaar Peek is also chairman of the I’m Binck Foundation, which aims to ensure the redevelopment of the Binckhorst business park on the right track.
The who and what section provides quick insight into that difficult term or official that you may not know yet. We will expand this further in the coming months. In addition, we will be adding more new functionalities to Stadszaken in the near future.
Questions or comments are always welcome at redactie@stadszaken.nl. We also like to receive relevant press releases there.