Coming together to create a strong brand
The creative leap
Almere Center
awakened
Almere Centrum was designed as the city center of a young, modern city. Architecturally strong, spacious, and recognizable. Yet for many people, the center remained a place to quickly pick something up. Residents from other parts of the city rarely visited, and visitors from outside the city even less so. The economic heart beat softly. The ambition was great: to turn this center into a place with meaning, experience, and appeal for everyone.
What made this project special was that we had a turned a major challenge into a superpower that you feel every day in Almere Centrum. Imagination provided direction and delivered solid results. As Albert Einstein put it: “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Powerful ingredients
The transformation began with the question of the soul of the city. What can Almere Center mean for residents, entrepreneurs, and visitors? We consciously chose to work from a place of desire and potential. Almere has space, courage, and modernity. These are powerful ingredients for reimagining what a city center can be. Together with a diverse dream team of municipal officials, entrepreneurs, property owners, city marketing professionals, and social organizations, a shared movement emerged.
forever young city center
We explored Almere and the world around it. In fourteen cities in the region and inspiring places such as Antwerp and Wijnegem, we investigated what makes city centers attractive and how hospitality and retail reinforce each other. Using the Futurise® trend model, we brought zeitgeist and social movements together. We translated these insights into a vision that resonates with Almere itself: Almere Center as the eternally young city center.
Dearest
City center of the Netherlands
The vision took shape in a concrete 8-square strategy. Eight squares, each with its own function and atmosphere, connected in one coherent story. The result is visible on the streets. The share of external visitors grew from 2 to 30 percent, mainly from the Gooi region. The center now receives more than 10 million visits annually. The average length of stay doubled to four hours. Vacancies gave way to liveliness. Almere won the public award for Best City Center in the Netherlands and received €65 million in subsidies through the Strengthening the City program.
Center
fulfills
regional role
Almere Centrum is the city center of Almere, a young city with multiple centers. The center plays a regional role in shopping, hospitality, culture, and socializing.
Want to take your city center to the next level?
The project in Almere proves that our approach leads to concrete results. Next level, as we call it. Would you like to turn your city center into a real attraction with irresistible appeal? Invite us for a no-obligation introductory meeting.
Contact me.
Claire
