For many places, the focus is still on design and delivery. Once a square or building has been completed, it often feels as though the job is done. In reality, that is where it begins. What happens next is what really matters. How a place functions, how people use it, and how it evolves over time. That is where the difference is made between a place that feels alive and one that remains empty.
Berlijnplein in Utrecht is one of those places where this question sits at the centre. As part of the placebranding trajectory, we set out to find inspiration. These are our five favourite examples. They are very different places, each with its own logic. That is precisely why they are interesting, and why there is so much to learn from them.
Kaapelitehdas (Helsinki)
A former cable factory where studios, dance companies and cultural organisations sit side by side. Making and presenting are intertwined. There is no clear boundary between production and public use. What stands out here is that the system works. Rental income, cultural production and public use reinforce one another. It is not a collection of functions, but a coherent whole.
Insight
Liveliness comes from the interaction between functions, not from design quality. And perhaps even more importantly, embrace rough edges. That is where identity emerges.
De Kantine at Vechtclub XL (Utrecht)
A hybrid place where hospitality, club culture, art and outdoor space seamlessly merge. You can have lunch during the day, drinks in the evening, and by night it turns into a club. Everything happens in one place, under one organisation.
What makes it strong is that visitors do not experience it as separate elements. It feels like a single place. The programme is also shaped in close interaction with its audience.
Insight
Grow organically and allow space for what is not yet defined. Co-creation does not start with a workshop, but with the willingness to be open, to listen and to respond to what is actually happening.
Centquatre (Paris)
A large cultural complex where people actively take ownership of the space. Dancers rehearse, groups gather, visitors move through it all. It feels spontaneous, yet there is a clear structure behind it.
The strength lies in the balance. There are clear frameworks, but within them there is freedom. This creates a strong sense of ownership and engagement.
Insight
Do not over-programme. Create spaces that people can make their own. That is where a kind of liveliness emerges that cannot be designed.
Southbank Centre (London)
A modernist complex along the Thames that has evolved into a vibrant urban area over time. What began as cultural infrastructure is now shaped by use. Skaters under the building, rooftop gardens, temporary initiatives. It is constantly changing.
The place is not finished, and that is precisely its strength.
Insight
Do not design an end state, design a development strategy. Good places are never finished; they continue to adapt to what happens around them.
Bryant Park (New York)
At first glance, a typical city park. In reality, a highly organised system. In winter there is an ice rink, in summer a full programme of events. There is always something happening.
This does not happen by chance. A strong organisation sits behind it, programming and investing throughout the year.
Insight
Programming is not an add-on, it is infrastructure. Without organisation, funding and continuity, a place will remain empty.
What these places have in common
These five places differ enormously in scale, context and character. Yet they share one fundamental principle: they function as a system. Not just in spatial terms, but in the alignment between programme, organisation, use and business model. And this is exactly where things often go wrong.
What we can learn
Although these places are very different, a number of clear lessons emerge for Berlijnplein and beyond.
A mix of functions only works if it is truly integrated
Not separate elements placed side by side, but a coherent system in which functions genuinely reinforce each other.
Use and programming matter more than design
A simply designed place can work extremely well, while a perfectly designed one can still fail. Success lies in programming, maintenance and everyday use.
Ownership sits with the user
Strong places emerge where people are given the space to shape and claim them.
Differentiation in access and affordability is essential
Different groups need to be able to access and use a place, both physically and economically.
Scale needs to be broken down
Large places require smaller, more intimate spaces in order to feel comfortable and human.
Authenticity is crucial
People immediately sense whether something is genuine. A place must resonate with its context and its users.
Strong places are not created on the drawing board, but in practice. In how they are used, adapted and continuously reinterpreted. That requires different choices: in design, organisational structure, business model, communication and partnerships.
At BRAND, we help organisations make those choices more sharply. At an early stage, when there is still room to make a real difference. Through placebranding trajectories, culture-led development, and our Focus Lab, where we bring clarity in a short time to what a place truly needs in order to work.