Let’s re-imagine places together
Suzan Christiaanse
What is Placelift?
Changes in our immediate living environment are not always easy to process. Imagine that your favourite cafe, sports club or the only facility in the village closes. Imagine that your view will be ruined by a large new construction project. Or even worse: a flood or earthquake in your village or city. How do we as a society, policymakers and spatial designers deal with strong feelings and uncertainty about what the future holds for us? How do we create support for sustainable solutions in spatial planning? This is not an easy task. Scientific research shows that listening carefully and giving people a sense of control over their living environment can help to temper emotional responses, but too often this step is skipped.
Placelift was founded in 2019 by Suzan Christiaanse, with the aim to bridge the gap between spatial science and spatial design while taking feelings and different perspectives into account. This website shows both her scientific research and the projects executed as a consultant in collaboration with various partners. With Placelift, Suzan is committed to an inclusive approach in research and spatial planning, suitable for any spatial context. From city, village, neighborhood, street or park. The focus lies on the places where we live, work and meet. It is possible to involve people in thinking about their living environment for spatial designs as well as in scientific research. Together we create, research and imagine the best solutions for a sustainable future.
I can support the development of:
- A sound setup for a scientific study
- Inspiring workshops and lectures
- Creative ways to engage with stakeholders
- Strategic solutions for social-spatial problems
Output can be a written report, 3D model, maps, images, website, serious game and many other formats that we can come up with together.
Suzan Christiaanse
Hi, I’m Suzan! I am fascinated by the interaction between people and places. I specialise in place-based research and alternative methods of spatial development in which stakeholders have a voice.
In 2011 I graduated cum laude from the TUDelft as an urban planner. I wanted to be an architect from an early age, but I soon realized that I don’t want to be the ‘omniscient designer’ who decides for others what’s good for them. For my graduation-project I developed a framework for co-creation in which citizens can design their own living environment: small-scale, personal and flexible. During my PhD research at the University of Groningen, I studied the impact of the closure of local facilities (such as the supermarket, school or sports facility) on people’s daily lives. During my time at the UG, I also acquired funding for various research projects that directly benefit local communities. One of the projects I led was “Facilities-Wise”, an analogue serious game that supports the planning process with local and regional issues regarding facilities and services. This project builds on my earlier work in which I developed serious games as a co-creative method for urban design, and on my extensive experience in leading workshops and managing group processes.
I see it as a challenge to look for innovative and inclusive solutions for socio-spatial issues, such as the closure of local facilities, large construction projects, sustainable energy projects (such as windmills) or urban regeneration. What makes me unique is that I do this through a combination of (1) solid research, (2) an eye for emotions and (3) an approach in which I involve stakeholders. I invite residents and other stakeholders to participate in a creative and interactive process, in which everyone is heard and in which we work together towards a sustainable solution. I use both quantitative and qualitative methods and my research approach is multidisciplinary: social geography, environmental psychology and spatial design.
I currently work as a consultant with Placelift, and as a scientific researcher at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB).
Method of working
A collaborative and innovative approach can be applied to any project, including scientific studies, workshops or spatial plans. Depending on the project there can be collaboration with various partners, and a tailored approach to engage the relevant stakeholders. My method of working always consists of 5 stages:
Partners
Partners in Previous projects were:
Partoer
Fries Sociaal Planbureau
Geodienst Groningen
University of Groningen
Buro Bries
Marleen van der Werff participatie en cocreatie
Play the City
Two projects in the spotlight
Serious game Facility-Wise
'Facility-wise' is an analogue serious game for collaboration and participatory planning of facilities and services, using a game board with various discussion elements around a topographical map of a specific case.
Rural facility decline: A longitudinal accessibility analysis questioning the focus of Dutch depopulation-policy
In the debate about rural depopulation it is frequently assumed that population decline goes hand-in-hand with the decline of facilities and services. Hence, spatial policy for rural areas often focuses on the provision of key services of general interest in areas experiencing population decline.
