design x sociology
work
research
community
about
AMS 00:00:00

Brand designer for change - helping activists and mission-driven brands build movements that last. Grounded in research, guided by design. Collaborations include Iamsterdam, House of Bodega, City of Rotterdam, Ashoka & Are We Europe ↓

ALL
CASE STUDIES
RESEARCH

Every name as protest to end the genocide

KNOW THEIR NAMES

Redefining Education Through Diverse Perspectives

Karibu

Building the arts of tomorrow

De Metselarij

Flourishing neighborhoods through radical trust

Buurtgroei

Advancing Feminist Research in Europe

Flax Foundation

Born from Ballroom - Rooted in Zuidoost

House of B

Shaping bureaucracy towards human systems

Wiltgroei

A Dutch starting point for 5.000+ social entrepreneurs

Starters

Newcomer-led food chain rooted in Syrian cuisine

Roots Food

Holding Dutch journalism accountable

Zoë Papaikonomou

Big work of art with 4x4m rightly taking up space

Save Trans Lives

EU research initiative strengthening democracies

Democracy in Action

Action research on inclusivity and belonging

All Inclusive

International Arts Festival about gender and activism.

What You See Festival

POC-owned, Trans-Led Gym and Community Organizer

HizzFit

Imagining new worlds of being

NelNel Illustrations

A queer house to connect, learn & party

Queer Haarlem

Inclusive, intersectional queer community organizer

Haarlem Town Queers

Holding power accountable through words

Rocher Koendjbiharie

Design for Palestine Change Feminism

Design for Palestine Feminism Diversity Trans Lives

Change

Buurtgroei

Radical Trust

In an age of constant digital connectivity, our lives have paradoxically become more disconnected. As sociologist Robert Putnam famously observed in Bowling Alone, participation in civic life and informal social networks has sharply declined – leaving many people in Western societies less rooted in place and less incentivized to invest in the neighborhoods they live in. This comes with a price. People become more isolated despite being virtually more “connected.” This fragmentation signals not just a loss of community, but a deeper erosion of trust and shared responsibility.

The philosophy behind Buurtgroei also resonates with proven economic models that center trust over control, such as Universal Basic Income (UBI). Proven in various pilot programs around the world, UBI demonstrates that when people are given unconditional financial support, they don’t withdraw from society – they engage more deeply with it. Freed from the constant pressure to monetize their time or justify their value within capitalist economies of meaning, individuals gain the space to care, to create, and to contribute in more meaningful ways. Like Buurtgroei’s neighborhood-focused interventions, UBI is grounded in the belief that people simply thrive when trust is the starting point. Not the reward.

Buurtgroei builds on these long-lasting principles by activating local social infrastructures through giving money. Its approach echoes the insights of urban sociologist Jane Jacobs, who advocated for community-based urbanism and emphasized the power of informal networks. Buurtgroei channels these ideas into contemporary, community-led interventions that are deeply embedded in the lived experiences of neighborhoods.

By reactivating these social fabrics, Buurtgroei bridges the gap between past and present – reviving modes of belonging and care that are both timeless and urgently relevant.