We are the makers

Old and New Mathenesse are two adjacent urban areas in Rotterdam, that due to recent and future developments, are growing further apart.
While the area of Old Mathenesse has been neglected by the local municipalities for ages, New Mathenesse will be redeveloped into a ‘Makers District’, an exciting high-end new place to settle for creatives and tech companies.

At the same time, it is Old Mathenesse that typically houses (immigrant) people who work skillfully with their hands with artistic, creative and business potential, in contrast to the office workers that will be inhabiting the New Area.

A connection that seems so clear, has been totally overseen by city planners.
By starting a political campaign ‘We are the Makers’, we argue that if Old-Mathenesse’s residents are included in the municipality plan, both parties could benefit from each other.

The campaign aims at reducing social isolation in favour of collective cultural growth and guaranteeing that any individual, group or new arrival in the area can feel welcome, respected, supported and valued. The campaign comprises posters with the slogan ‘We are the Makers’ in all languages present in the area and a set of postcards on which, in a playful way, everyday situations illustrate interactions that can take place in the recomposed Mathenesse area.

This project is part of the Spring School 2019 of the Independent School for the City.