Curriculum Vitae Luc Vrolijks, November 2010
1. Personal data
Name:
Luc Vrolijks
Address
45 Lispenard Street # 3E
New York, NY 10013, USA
Phone
(917) 371 9009
e-mail:
luc@urbanprogress.com
Web:
www.urbanprogress.com
2. Current occupation
Main
Founder and Principal of Urban Progress, consisting of Urban Progress Design Inc, New
York and Urban Progress Studio bv, Amsterdam
Other
Board Member of the Netherlands Architecture Fund
Tutor / Graduation Mentor at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture
3. Key Qualifications
Expertise
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Experience
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Focus
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Urban designer and planner with a broad understanding of strategic development
processes, urban regeneration, infrastructure planning, climate change planning and
adaptation, disaster reduction and regional development;
Senior advisor in urban development, climate strategies, urban regeneration,
implementation strategies and public consultation
Expert in environmental issues including flood management, disaster mitigation,
climate change adaptation and renewable city concepts;
Author of several books on urban development in the Netherlands and of manuals
and teaching guides in urban and community disaster mitigation.
Over 20 years of experience in all project stages including projects in the
Netherlands, United Kingdom, Africa, Asia and Pacific regions
Broad experience in policy advice, project design and appraisal, capacity building and
project implementation; experienced team leader, manager and coach;
Focus on sustainable urban and regional development at various scale levels;
Specific interest in the interface between urban development, climate change and
adaptation strategies;
4. Education
1981 - 1987
University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Department of Architecture, Building and Planning
Masters in Urban Development and Spatial Planning
1977 – 1981
Hogere Technische School, Den Bosch, the Netherlands
Department of Civil Engineering
Bachelors in Civil Engineering, specialization in hydraulics and water engineering
5. Career
2006 present
Founder/Principal of Urban Progress
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1996 - 2006
Managing Director Urhahn Urban Design, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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1992 - 1996
Lead advisor for over 70 urban and regional design and research projects in the
Netherlands, United Kingdom and Europe;
Extensive involvement in public consultation; mostly for urban development projects with
a large community component in the Netherlands and the UK;
Developed, together with company founder Gert Urhahn, the company into a successful
and prominent urban design company with a staff of 20 and a prominent international
portfolio;
Technical Advisor and Program Coordinator for the United Nations Department for
Humanitarian Affairs
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1987 - 1992
Established Urban Progress Studio bv in Amsterdam in 2006 and Urban Progress Design
Inc, based in New York, in 2009;
Urban Progress delivers innovative urban design, climate change plans and urban
planning and regeneration projects and offers a portfolio in strategic projects for urban
development and regeneration in the Netherlands, the UK and Greater New York Areas
Urban Progress works internationally with a range of partners. It focuses on sustainable
urban planning and design in Europe and the Americas
Coordinator of technical assistance programs in the Asia and Pacific region from 1994 –
1996, and regional advisor at the South Pacific Disaster Reduction Program from 1992 1994;
Program focus on mitigation and preparedness strategies and climate resistant
development;
Contributed to research and publications on climate risks and adaptation strategies and
produced manuals for community vulnerability analysis, disaster resistant housing and
on human settlements development and disaster risks in Pacific Island Countries;
Technical Advisor for international cooperation (various assignments)
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Several assignments with a strong focus on urban and regional development planning.
On site project experience in Amsterdam, Indonesia, Benin and Sudan;
6. Samples of Work on Sustainable Communities and Climate Change
2010
Recent Urban Progress Work on Sustainable Communities
Urban Progress delivers strategic advice and studies on urban development in the US,
Europe and beyond. The practice increasingly focuses on climate adaptation and sustainable
communities. Recent work of Luc Vrolijks in this area includes:
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Livable Cities - Urban Planning Advisory Team for Isocarp (2010): Luc was
member of a UPAT Team to advise the Philips Think Tank for Livable Cities. The
team met in Singapore for an intensive week of discussion and evaluation of livability
requirements for urban development and regeneration. The UPAT's client was the
Philips Center for Health and Well-being;
Brooklyn-Rotterdam Waterfront Exchange (PANYNJ, 2010): participated in a
three-day strategic design workshop on the Red Hook and Sunset Park parts of the
Brooklyn waterfront. Co-designed the economic proposition for the area, a proposal
that was based on Rotterdam's Stadshaven concept with 'cleantech' as the key
economic driver. The next step is a series of pilot studies to be implemented in 20102012;
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Growing Safe - design study for New York's Lower Bay (2010): Urban Progress
(Luc Vrolijks and Ashley Spatafore) built on earlier design studies to elaborate a
'speculative design' for the climate adaptation of New York's Lower Bay. ‘Growing
Safe’ proposes to make New York safe by transforming its Lower Bay into a safety
valve for the city. Growing Safe was submitted to the Resilient City 2010 Competition,
which is currently under consideration by the jury;
New Orleans - Dutch Dialogues III (April 2010): The “Dutch Dialogues” workshops
are a collaboration between Dutch engineers and planners and their Louisiana
counterparts. The program aims to support the rebuilding of New Orleans by
introducing ‘living with water’ planning mechanisms and design solutions. Luc
participated in Dutch Dialogues 3, and worked on the City Park redesign, aiming to
improve its water management and strengthen its connections to the surrounding
neighborhoods;
Cityinnovators.com (2010)- Luc Vrolijks is working with the Holland Branding Group
to develop a Cityinnovators, a Master Class for Alliances in Urban and Regional
Development. The Master Class aims to strengthen capacity and effectiveness in
working in alliances for sustainable urban and regional development.
Five Cities - Five Climate Plans (2010) - Climate plans are a new phenomenon in
the urban planning arena. Our study analyses five climate plans, made by cities that
pioneer climate change action planning in the US: New York, Chicago, San
Francisco, Portland and Seattle. We analyze on what areas and strategies the plans
focus, on which values the plans are based and what themes and issues are
included. Based on this analysis, we outline ‘the next generation’ of city climate plans;
Forum der Regio's - presentation (2010): As a follow-up to Urban Progress' study
of five City Climate Plans, Luc Vrolijks presented a comparison between US climate
plans and Dutch city regions to the Netherlands Forum of City Regions;
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1996 - 2010
Sustainable Communities Work in European Urban Planning and Design
The history of Dutch urban planning is historically related to sustainable water management.
The Dutch have developed an integrated planning approach that integrates sustainability in
mainstream urban planning. Luc’s professional experience is rooted in these comprehensive
approaches. He was designer and project director for around 80 key projects in urban
development and regeneration in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Through these experiences Luc is now seen as a lead advisor in comprehensive urban
development strategies, integrated planning, scenario development and urban studies. Luc
has extensively worked with communities during his tenure at Urhahn Urban Design. Project
examples include:
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1987 - 1996
Arnhem Rijnboog – an extensive urban development program for the regeneration
of a central urban area. Extensive involvement of communities and stakeholders;
Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Area Action Plans – proposal for the regeneration
of 300 acres of brownfield waterfront area. The work process includes community
consultation and options design;
Peterborough Station Quarter - Luc worked with a team from Halcrow and Urhahn
to design the Development Brief for the Station Quarter of Peterborough, England.
The plan proposes to create traffic-oriented development through a mixed urban
quarter on current derelict rail land.
International Work on Disaster Prevention and Climate Adaptation
For a total of around six years, Luc has worked on what is now called climate adaptation.
He has contributed to some of the early concept development for dealing with extreme
climate, and has developed methods and approaches for community vulnerability analysis.
Luc has advised governments in the Asia and Pacific regions and has worked with the
International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.
Achievements include:
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Prepared a series of three manuals for UNDHA’s Pacific Program
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Analyzed the EU disaster preparedness program in Asia for EU/ECHO
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Served as UNDHA program officer for Asia and Pacific,
Contributed to IDNDR conferences and worked with the IDNDR team to promote
sustainable development practices;
Was technical advisor for UNDHA in Suva, Fiji and worked with working Pacific
Island governments to establish disaster mitigation and preparedness strategies;
Delivered training and contributed to training manuals and course design;
Co-authored the Disaster Management Plan of Fiji;
Co-authored the UNDR Manual on Disaster Mitigation
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7. Selected Publications – Lead Author
Selected
Publications
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Urban Progress Design (2010), City Climate Plans, Comparative Analysis & Outlook
for the Next Generation;
Luc Vrolijks et al (2010), Comparative research on the adaptation strategies of ten
urban climate plans, paper presented at ICLEI Resilient City Conference in Bonn,
Germany, 2010;
Urhahn Urban Design (2009), SEVEN - Housing Intensification in Seven South
London Town Centres; study published by London Development Agency and Design
for London;
Wonen a La Carte, an urban design analysis of housing typology; with Sjoerd Feenstra
and Holger Gladys, Thoth, Bussum (2003)
Wonen in de Deltametropool, a study on urban diversity for the Netherlands, with Gert
Urhahn, published by Thoth, Bussum (2000)
Diagnostic Study for the DIPECHO Disaster Reduction Action Plan for South-East
Asia and Bangladesh, Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, (1997)
Human Settlements Development and Disaster Risks in Pacific Island Countries,
UNDP/UNDHA, (1998)
Disaster Resistant Housing in Pacific Island Countries, a compendium for safe low
cost housing practices, UNDP/UNDHA, (1998)
Guidelines for Community Vulnerability Analysis, UNDP/UNDHA, (1998)
‘Disaster Reduction in Urban Areas’, with Olavi Elo and Elina Palm, ITC Journal,
Special Habitat II Issue, pp. 29-37 (1994)
‘Cities At Risk - Making Cities Safer ... Before Disaster Strikes’ IDNDR Secretariat
policy paper (1995)