Breda University of Applied Sciences Portal

Zegers, K

de Wijs, S

We all have things 
that we feel could be improved in a 
place. Perhaps there is a neighbourhood cut in 
two by a busy car-filled street; maybe a local 
play park does not suit the needs of local 
children; what if the city council has no policy 
for promoting local organisations and events? 
Sometimes in order to see a change in a city, 
we need to make that change for ourselves. 
Your challenge is to instigate an intervention, 
which will bring about the change you feel the 
place needs.
This quote is the first paragraph of the study 
guide for the Social Intervention Project, 
a challenge for third-year Urban Life and 
Placemaking students. During their semester 
abroad they live in various European cities and 
attend online classes that support them in 
their local projects. For the Social Intervention 
Project students choose an issue, map it, and 
connect with stakeholders to design and 
execute a social intervention. This academic 
year (2024-2025) students have focused 
on oil pollution (Stavanger), neighbourhood 
community (Turin), use of and relationship with 
the river (Bilbao), and overtourism, shifting to 
international communities supporting residents 
after storm DANA and the ensuing floods 
(Valencia). Previously, students' focus included 
safety for women in nightlife (Turin), car use in 
school districts (Porto), promoting the sharing 
economy and reducing street waste (Leipzig).
Mapping the chosen issue aims to deeply 
understand it, the stakeholders involved, and 
previous actions taken to tackle the issue. This 
research and mapping part culminates in an 
international conference, held both online and 
on the BUas campus in Breda. The conference 
is an explicit part of the learning process of 
students since they present the mapping of 
their issues, receive feedback, 
and enhance their knowledge and network 
through workshops, panel discussions, and 
keynotes. This year’s conference theme was 
the impact of social interventions.
In this article we share the lessons learned 
from the panel discussion of the conference, 
discussing how social interventions can be 
impactful. Jesse Jop Jorg, Amanda Sperger, and 
Matthijs van Muijen reflect on how they were 
able to make an impact with their initiatives 
and interventions. 
Benches collective
Jesse, founder of We the City, a creative agency 
for urban change, initiated several projects 
including a rooftop 
Visit the website, 
share your bench, 
invite the neighbours, 
use the pavement 
as a shared space, 
and serve coffee. 
48
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Kristel Zegers and Simon de Wijs are involved in the 
design and teaching of the Urban Life and Placemaking 
programme at Breda University of Applied Sciences.
Impact of social 
interventions
Lessons learned from front-runners
 festival, 
and Pop-Up Parking 
Service. The impactful project he highlighted 
is Benches Collective, which encourages using 
pavements as shared living rooms, creating the 
world's largest open-air cafe. Participants share 
their benches, invite neighbours, and serve 
coffee, thus fostering community connections. 
Since the start, this initiative has seen 8,000 
benches in 24 countries, with 1,800 in 2024 
alone. On average,  participants meet 15 people 
on a bench. About 70% of the participants got 
to know their neighbours, and 60% stayed in 
touch. Originally focused on one Amsterdam 
neighbourhood, the project went viral, 
influencing communities globally, even as far as 
South Korea. The simple, easily scalable concept 
effectively strengthens neighbourhood bonds. 
Schwimmverein Donaukanal
Amanda introduces the Schwimmverein 
Donaukanal, a project to revive urban swimming 
in Vienna's Danube Canal, a former transport 
canal. The Danube, Vienna's main river, is popular 
for water activities but is 30 minutes from the 
city. The Danube Canal, once neglected, now 
has cafes and bars but remains underutilised. 
Swimming in the canal was common until the 
World Wars and pollution halted the tradition. 
In 2020, four students from the University 
of Applied Arts in Vienna discovered it was 
legal to swim in the canal and formed the 
Schwimmverein Donaukanal association. They 
gained media attention, hosted events, and 
engaged with experts. Now with 300 members, 
the association organises regular swims and 
community activities, collaborates with urban 
gardens for infrastructure, and advocates for 
official recognition and support. Their goal is 
to make urban swimming a convenient and 
enjoyable part of city life.
Placemaking in The Hague 
Matthijs works for The Hague's housing 
department, focusing on impactful projects 
like improving inner gardens with housing 
corporations and utilising vacant estates for 
social projects, sports, and homework spaces. 
One of his ambitious targets is eliminating 
homelessness in The Hague by 2030. A specific 
project is located in The Hague Southwest, 
within a housing 
complex owned by Haagwonen. 
This project faces several challenges, including 
adding more housing, creating attractive 
public spaces, and fostering social interactions 
among residents. To meet community needs, 
Matthijs is involved in activities around culture 
and expositions, creating green areas and 
play spaces, and addressing homelessness 
by adding more housing. He emphasises the 
importance of starting with small projects and 
gradually expanding them, while communicating 
possibilities and giving space for citizen 
initiatives. His efforts aim to create a more 
inclusive and vibrant community in The Hague.
Creating impact 
Reflecting on their initiative's impact, Jesse 
and Amanda highlight the power of their story. 
Media coverage expanded their projects, 
emphasising social cohesion and reclaiming 
public space. Jesse notes that “The Bench 
Collective went viral.” This attention increased 
involvement, showing that local initiatives can 
inspire global participation. Jesse stresses the 
importance of a clear story, a good website, 
and engaging images to facilitate participation. 
Their message is clear: it is not just about a 
bench or swimming, but about connecting with 
neighbours or citizens and reclaiming public 
spaces. Media attention supported a growth 
in the number of people wanting to be involved 
in the initiative, demonstrating the potential of 
local projects to have a broader impact.
Amanda reflected on how a small swimming 
initiative organically grew into a large cultural 
association by giving community members 
freedom to contribute to the initiative. She 
emphasised taking a step-by-step approach 
and trust the community to take responsibility 
for executing their own ideas. Members came 
up with ideas like adding food and offering 
ice swimming. This led to a shift in role for the 
four initiators: from being the organiser of the 
initiative to the facilitator providing support to 
every idea that made sense. 
Starting small and giving room to other ideas 
is also one of the lessons learned by Matthijs 
who is engaged in larger placemaking projects. 
The redevelopment of a neighbourhood and 
the construction of new houses is impactful 
for residents. How to tap into the energy that 
is present in the neighbourhood? Matthijs 
stresses building connections and giving 
space to citizen initiatives. “Start with a little 
project, communicate about the possibilities 
you offer, and give the initiatives time to grow. 
As a government we need to see how we can 
support it.” Matthijs therefore brings together 
colleagues from different departments, and 
invites them to step out of the town hall, to 
interact with local communities, understand 
the needs, and implement ideas in the design. 
“In the end, it is a mix of giving opportunities 
and having our own ideas about what can be 
successful in this place.” 
Experts reflect differently on the role of the 
government within their placemaking initiatives. 
While Jesse experienced an original ‘no’ as 
an answer from the local government as to 
whether an open-air café would be allowed, 
he managed to find a way around agreeing 
that complaints would directly be sent to him. 
Matthijs, knowing the ins and outs of local 
government well, advises developing the skill 
to translate the demands and the wishes of 
people in the right way with the right frame. 
“There is always enough money at the town hall 
to make it a success,” is his conviction. 
Be humble, be curious 
At the end of the panel discussion, panellists 
were asked for some crucial tips and lessons 
for students and other placemakers to use in 
follow-up steps of their interventions. 
•  Gather information and go where the 
energy is: Understand the existing energy 
and ideas in the location. There is already 
a past in any location. There are already 
people with ideas and energy. Try to soak 
up that information first. 
•  Community involvement: Make the project 
valuable for the people involved, rather 
than imposing ideas on them. Public spaces 
should reflect the needs and desires of the 
community, and continuous engagement is 
key to achieving this. Projects should thus 
be collaborative efforts.
•  Effective framing: Presenting ideas in the 
right way (with the right words) can help 
secure funding and support.
Thus, when you aim for impactful social 
interventions, be humble, have a sincere 
interest and curiosity, be smart with framing, 
and do it together!
Photography 
• Amelie Schlemmer (page 49 top)
• Christopher Mavric (page 48 top)
•  Hiske Midavaine – Benches Collective 
(page 48 bottom)
We found out it 
is legal to swim, 
called ourselves 
Schwimmverein 
Donaukanal, and just 
started to do it.
49


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