Luchtsingel promenade: goosebumps…

Tempting is not the right word. You are too audacious for that, Rotterdam. You challenged us. You called it urban initiative. “Come on then,” you said. “Let’s do it together. Make our city more beautiful.” You wanted to hear our ideas. It needed to come from the very fabric of the community. Initiatives inspired from below, not imposed from above. We came up with them, we voted and then we built together. Because that is what we do in Rotterdam: we build together. Our sleeves rolled up and our hands at the ready. Together, we bought some planks and built our Luchtsingel promenade. A wooden footbridge spanning 390 meters which has our names and poetry in many languages all over it. This is how we ‘gentrified’ a black mark in the heart of our city. A bridge, a rooftop farm and an event site where your old station used to be. On the roof of dynamic arches, where your entrepreneurship had taken root before. City without a heart, you have returned your heart to us. Oh Rotterdam, you can feel it walking across the Luchtsingel. Here your soul roars. That urban vibe which pushes our city onward and upward in the list of the world’s trendiest cities, which connects each of us and all things. North to the centre. Board of Directors to companies. Citizens from the inner city to people from its outskirts. But also our past and present. An ode to our grandparents who recreated our city from the rubble. Because that is how we do it in Rotterdam. Because we can. Give us rubble, some planks and a bit of ready cash, and we will make it happen together. Brick by brick. Board by board. Audacious and with glee in our hearts. Because we might be level-headed, here in Rotterdam. But we have enough passion to get goosebumps when something works so well. More info: website Luchtsingel