David Dooghe works as a researcher, strategist and designer on urban development.
The resulting projects can be temporary or long-term designs and strategies. These projects combine different scales and are characterized by their strong connection with the spatial, cultural, social and economical context of where they occur.
For David Dooghe the city is organic. Questioning the city and understanding its working principles is the path to a sustainable project.
For more information, click on the Project numbers:
P31_The New City Gates / P3o_Island Nijmegen-Lent / P29_World Port Days / P28_Water Garden / P27_the International Perspectives / P26_Economics of Beauty / P25_the Vibrant City / P24_CityGallery Cool / P23_Defining the Metropolis / P22_House DDR'dam / P21_Soundpiece @ Schouwburgplein / P2o_between Space and Place / P19_the top is within reach / P18_Transformation as Inspiration / P17_the Art of an Urban Culture / P16_Youth and the City / P15_IFF@R'dam / P14_We love to build / P13_the Rotterdam urban theatre / P12_Caribbean Summer @Afrikaanderwijk / P11_Festivalscity_Rotterdam / P1o_TimeLine R'dam / Po9_Moving East / Po8_Keep it, Green it, Live in it! / Po7_Morpho-Logic / Po6_Luik, Liege,Luttich / Po5_House FDU'sel / Po4_Shelter / Po3_New Alliances / Po2_Tria / Po1_Loft for Rent
Since the NewCanvas©Poetry&Art, part of the 37 Poetry International Festival, there is a sound-installation, the Soundpiece, under the floor of the Schouwburgplein, Rotterdam. This installation was placed by the artists Jasper Niens, Kamiel Verschuren en Thijs Ewalts.
By order of Rotterdam Festivals, the new owners of the installation, a strategy was made for a sustainable use of this installation. The Soundpiece has the ability to make the Schouwburgplein the urban cultural foyer of Rotterdam. By sound, the rich and divere cultural life of Rotterdam is spread in the public space.
More information about the program / more information about the use of the Soundpiece/ to become a Facebookfriend.
2oo9, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
The owner of the apartment has a busy life and wants his apartment therefor to have a light, open atmosphere, a place to relax and to come to ease.
This L-shaped apartment therefor has a minimal of materials and colours. In the main open space objects are put which define different places. These objects are placed so the sunlight can fall deep into the apartment.
Plywood has been used as the combining factor. The floor becomes a layer above the kitchenblock, becomes a part of the built-in closet and turns up the wall to become a desk.
2o1o, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
De Aanschouw Rotterdam started July 6th 2oo1 and is the first of art show-windows. It is located in a cultural area of Rotterdam. The show-window is attached to the exterior of a bar called 'de Schouw’. Since 2oo1, almost 4oo artists (national and international) have shown their works at 'de Aanschouw'.
CityGallery Cool sees Rotterdam as an open air museum and exhibits a new way to experience this museum, by drawing the attention of the spectator to the richness of detail that can be seen by walking through the city.
These details can be: proportions between the architecture and the details of the use of a building, personal expressions in the public space, natural versus cultural,...
De Aanschouw will be the starting point from where the total CityGallery Cool, positioned in the neighbourhood of the district Cool (Witte de Withstr., Boomgaardsstr., Kortenaerstr., Eendrachtstr.), can be experienced.
2o1o, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
In 2oo9 Rotterdam was the first European youth capital. This created a lot of energy in the city around problems of youngsters and opportunities for youngsters. Within different local authorities was examined how this generated energy can be applied in the future policy.
In co-operation with Donica Buisman, project manager European Youth Capital at the Rotterdam Institute for Art and Culture, dKC, an analysis of the current situation of the problems of youngsters and opportunities for youngsters in Rotterdam was made by literature study, interviews and brainstorm sessions with different youth organisations. Next to this the tendencies of youth culture in general was investigated.
The analysis was converted in conclusions and recommendations how to make Rotterdam an attractive, young and creative city.
Rotterdam has all the potential to become an attractive, young and creative city. There is, especially within the offered cultural activities, a strong basis to attract the youngsters. The main recommendations for Rotterdam were that the authorities have to stake more on the top talent and anchor youth participation in the programming, the organisation and the communication.
The advice (only available in Dutch) can be requested by emailing to mail@daviddooghe.com
2oo9, Rotterdam , The Netherlands
Four development scenarios on how youth culture could improve the dynamic in the central city of Rotterdam.
The Rotterdam Institute for Art and Culture, dKC, worked on advice for the strong cultural structure for central city. David Dooghe was asked to give input on how the central city can become more culturally attractive for the youth of Rotterdam.
Four development scenarios were made, each starting from a different group of young users of the central city: the youngsters growing up, the students, the starting creative class and the second/third generation allochthonous.
By creating cultural research and development facilities with spaces to interact with the public, by using the public space as podium and by connecting education and business, more possibilities are anticipated for the youngsters to develop and express their own youth culture in the central city, creating a breading ground for new art.
Culture is becoming more and more a part of identity of youngsters; it is a way to express and to identify themselves. Therefore they should always be seen as the ambassadors of their culture.
The advice (only available in Dutch) can be requested by emailing to mail@daviddooghe.com
2oo9, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
The World Port Days is an annual festival that takes place along the river Maas in Rotterdam. The organisation has the ambition to locate the festival not only along the river, but also in the inner city.
The Schouwburgplein is one of the first squares that visitors pass on their route from the Central Station to the river and in the design of the square are many references to the Port. This makes it the perfect space in Rotterdam in the inner city to host the World Port Days.
The square becomes an open air exhibition that informs the visitor about the activities that occur in the port on one hand, this through exposing products produced in the port, and about the story behind the design of the square on the other hand, this through highlighting the elements on the square that refer to the port.
Related projects: P22_Soundpiece@Schouwburgplein, P11_Festivalcity_Rotterdam
2o12, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
How did the piecing together of different initiatives gradually give rise to the urban cultural foyer at Schouwburgplein? In an article for the online magazine CITIES The Magazine issue #02: “EMERGING CENTERS”, David Dooghe describes the progress of the project Soundpiece, from initiate idea to the current situation, and reflects on the lessons learned.
Soundpiece, a permanent open sources sound-installation in the public space, has from start been an experimental project. It is a project that has a clear goal: strengthen the Schouwburgplein as the urban cultural foyer of Rotterdam. To achieve this goal however no directions have been outlined. Over the years, an open and flexible approach towards new ideas made the installation on one hand more connected with the life that occurs on the square and on the other hand gave new meanings to the square. On top of this Soundpiece is a project that is strongly dependant on other participants for its success. Due to these 3 reasons, an open, experimental and participative bottom-up approach was necessary.
With its clear goal and an open, experimental and participative process, the projects bottom-up approach has been rewarding. The open, experimental approach has ensured that Soundpiece stays current. The participative approach connected Soundpiece with new cultural stakeholders. During the process Soundpiece gradually strengthens the Schouwburgplein as the urban cultural foyer of Rotterdam.
CITIES The Magazine issue #02: “EMERGING CENTERS” examines how recently urban research and explorations have shifted attention to ‘bottom-up’ initiatives mitigating the impacts of ‘top-down’ approaches to urban development.
picture: Rosaria Macri
In Europe the groups single adults without children and couples without children are the largest groups of private households by household composition and these groups are increasing. Therefore the question; how to create housing that supports their needs is significant.
Looking more specific to the group of young people starting on the real estate market, it is important to understand that for them the identity of the district, the building and the interior is important. Furthermore the private, collective and public space needs to allow opportunities for social interaction with friends, neighbours and people who share interests. Lastly, its importance to create choice, in the type of house, the surrounding amenities and the mobility.
Currently, due to the high prices at the real estate market and the insufficient regulations concerning alternative ways of living, the cities of Flanders are not attractive for a big part of the groups: single adults without children and couples without children. This is a dangerous situation for these cities because the households with children already have the tendency to move out of the city, unless they have a very positive relation with the city.
Rotterdam Examples.
Youngsters between the age of 15 and 20 are a larger part of the Rotterdam population than they are in any other larger Dutch city. However, youngsters between the age of 20 and 30 are a larger part of the Amsterdam and Utrecht population than they are in Rotterdam. Therefore the Rotterdam municipality, together with housing corporations and developers, are setting up different projects to attract young people to the city.
1. Top Students.Rotterdam universities select their best graduates to participate in a contest organised by the municipality, different housing corporations and developers. The winner of the contest can rent an apartment with a discount for the first 2 years. From the 3 year on, (s)he needs to pay the full rent. These apartments are in iconic buildings in the centre of the city, near amenities and public transport.
The other selected, but not winning students also get an interesting offer from the organisation.

2. Starters on the real estate market.
Some years ago, a Rotterdam housing corporation started with a new format to attract starters to live in the inner city of Rotterdam near amenities and public transport.
The principle of the format is that the corporation sells their former rental houses at a price between 80 000 and 120 000 euros, they keep taking care of the external facades, roof and collective spaces, they offer a cheaper insurance for the house and guarantee they will buy the house if the starter would like to sell it again.
If the starter sells the house after 1 year then 50 percent of the added value is for the starter. Every year he stays longer, 10 percent is added until after 6 years, the whole added value is for the starter.
One eighth of the former property of the corporation is sold using this format. With the money received from selling these houses (approximately 50 000 euro a house), the housing corporation reinvests in their property.

3. Young Couples
Succeeding a popular TV Show ‘The Block’ in which several young couples are renovating an apartment in a building block, the Rotterdam municipality together with housing corporation, offered cheap houses in more deprived areas of Rotterdam to be renovated by private initiative. Young individuals or couples have to register at an office who first checks if they meet the requirements and during the renovation process coaches them. After one year the house has to suffice minimal renovation requirements and the new owners have to live there at least 3 years before they can sell the house.

These initiatives are successful and support the strategy to attract young people to live in Rotterdam. However, at the moment these initiatives are still separately organised, isn’t there more to gain with a long-term strategy (supply, financing and regulation)?



