Bringing Smart Urban Mix to the Big Screen
Through the documentary Werkende Woonwijken, produced in collaboration with RearWindow Films, we show how mixed urban environments are already becoming reality across Europe. With this film, we’ve found a way to present our approach to city-making to a broader audience — as a way to spark dialogue about the future of our cities.
Film still from Werkende Woonwijken. Foto: RearWindow Films.
Space in the Netherlands is limited, while the need for both housing and workspace is urgent. To respond to this, we developed Smart Urban Mix, a concept exploring how living, learning, and working can coexist within the same neighborhoods.
At the same time, combining living and working remains a spatial challenge. What conditions make them compatible? Can it create jobs for local residents without causing nuisance?
These are some of the questions we explore in Werkende Woonwijken.
Easier Than Often Assumed
During a road trip through the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, Eric Frijters explores the cities of Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Brussels, and Paris. He engages in conversations with experts such as Merten Nefs, Kristian Borret, Leo van Broeck, Martine Gossuin, Gabin Jouquan, and Alessandro Gess, in search of innovative ways to combine living and working in the city.
From the road, Frijters discovers that this combination is easier than often assumed. In Belgium and France, successful examples have already been realised, where residential functions are stacked on top of workspaces. This results in an attractive and livable urban environment for a diverse range of people.
To further encourage this development, a new role is required for clients, governments, and designers. Their involvement can contribute to a more dynamic city — one that is more vibrant than before, fostering sustainable interaction and exchange.
This teaser offers a glimpse of the documentary, which is now being shown at various locations across the Netherlands. The film is in Dutch.