Everything is Designed

Designing Social Safety into Digital Space
“For me, social interaction is not something to be imposed but something to be facilitated. The space you’re in determines how you behave and what role you dare to take,” says architect and urban designer Harmen van de Wal. At home you feel ownership; on a motorway you feel none – which is why drivers so easily shout at strangers from behind the wheel. The difference lies not in people but in design: does a space grant agency, or strip it away?

Harmen argues that the same principle explains the internet. “The internet is a privately-run public space. Only nobody feels responsible for it, and that’s exactly why we must design it.” His solution is groundbreaking: a digital neighbourhood where residents appear as avatars, see each other, and know they are being seen. That simple shift, visibility, restores trust and accountability. Led by Krill-o.r.c.a. with Gemeente Rotterdam and Zadkine, and backed by EU and Dutch funding, the Oud-Mathenesse pilot allows parents, the elderly and those less mobile to participate from home.It is a world’s first: online public space designed not for consumption or spectacle, but for belonging.

Fashioning Identity in Virtual Worlds
When Harmen designs digital neighbourhoodswhere people belong, Suza Vos shows how belonging is also expressed through identity. Fashion, for her, is not decoration but ownership, a way of claiming your place in public space. “Fashion is always a mix of direct and indirect. You don’t just wear clothes – you wear a character, a myth, a belief.” Raised in Rotterdam South in a working-class family, Suza grew up fascinated by subcultures and the roles people adopt. Today, her digital creations dress millions of avatars in games and virtual platforms.

Her work often reinterprets myths to address contemporary issues. “Medusa is usually seen as a monster, but her story is tragic, about victim blaming. I translated that into hyperrealistic fashion that flips concealment into beauty – neon, bold, impossible to ignore.” Yet Suza’s approach is also deeply inclusive. Having entered the field from vocational education herself, she insists that digital culture cannot remain the preserve of elites. “Tech is often elitist. I want vocational students and outsiders to help build these worlds too.” As both designer and teacher, she frames digital fashion as a democratic tool – a way to broaden participation and give more people a voice in the digital public sphere.

Public Space Beyond the Paving Stone
Harmen and Suza share a conviction: public space no longer ends at the pavement’s edge. The internet too is a meeting ground that demands thoughtful design. Where Harmen builds frameworks for safety and agency, Suza brings imagination and identity, giving avatars and digital attire meaning. Together, they show how urban planning and digital culture increasingly overlap.

Rotterdam is not just the backdrop but the enabler of these experiments. By supporting designers and linking technology with education, the city creates conditions for projects that might not arise elsewhere. It is where Harmen’s digital neighbourhood in Oud-Mathenesse took shape, and where he and Suza now collaborate on a second digital community focused on fashion, beauty and jewellery - shaped by their inclusive ethos. In this light, ‘Everything is Designed’ takes on a double meaning: design is not merely technical or aesthetic, but a shared responsibility. The public realm, whether square, street or server, is always a collective creation, with Rotterdam helping lead the way.