You’re a municipality. You want to strengthen neighborhoods that are in decline (or at rock bottom). You want to stimulate home ownership and private renovation.
You have the beginnings of a solution: you’ve repossessed ramshackle properties from the reigning slumlords. You now own a lot of fixer uppers. You know your price is right.
But how do you attract optimistic inhabitants who believe in the vision of a revived neighbourhood and are willing to make the effort to create it?
S T O R Y
From experiment to instrument
A group of concerned Rotterdam officials saw once beautiful neighborhoods going down the drain. Dilapidated properties and squats dominated the streets. Nobody living in those neighborhoods felt like their house was a home. The officials took action: buying all the neglected dwellings and reclaiming the terrain. However it was never their intention that the territory remained state property.
They decided to make potential homeowners an offer they couldn’t refuse. They put the houses back on the market for incredibly low prices. An apartment could go for as little as 10.000 or 15.000 euro.
Of course there was a catch… the owners had to renovate the place to a predefined standard and live in them for at least 5 years (this to scare of gold-diggers). On the other hand the legislation was developed to give people the freedom to come up with unique (even crazy) ideas for their homes.
But there were challenges: although structurally sound the apartments needed a lot of hard work. Only the deeply committed would take on a project like this. Added to this was the stigma attached to these neighborhoods.
S O L U T I O N
Creating scarcity and renovation frenzy
We were convinced that the low-prices would generate a lot of attention. We were not so sure that interest would convert in to sales.
Opportunity only knocks once
We decided to create a sense of urgency by adding a fictive limited number (169) to the apartments available. With the campaign we appealed more to the home-improvement-gene in some of us. Some people love a project. They jump at the thought of knocking down walls and building new ones. Imagery made it very clear these houses were hardcore fixer-uppers. The title ‘Klushuizen’ also clarified that this was no turnkey solution.
Dodgy districts revisited
Many of these districts were dogged by a bad image that was not always entirely justified. A travel-guide of the neighborhoods challenged these preconceptions and prompted people to take a fresh look. The guide covered up and coming hotspots, the local greengrocers, urban-development plans for the future and everything you’d expect to find in a lonely-planet guide.
Designing out the surprises, designing in the support
The municipality demanded that people were fully aware of what they were taking on. A large part of the communication focused on explaining the process step by step and giving people tips and tricks to help them. Coaches were brought in to help initial buyers navigate the renovation process. Free architect-hours or construction advice was offered where needed.
R E S U L T
A concept that caught on and on and on
All the houses on offer (besides one haunted house) were sold to homeowners who are now proudly reaping the benefits of the hard work and creativity they invested.
These new residents have breathed fresh life into the area, improving the look of the place, giving local business a boost and creating a real sense of community.
The municipality used this approach as an instrument for grass roots urban renewal which they applied to other neighborhoods and regions. The campaign is now running for the fourth time in five years. Each time it’s been a runaway success.
The success captured the attention of Municipalities from around the world: many of them came to Rotterdam to study their approach to mobilizing citizens and engaging them in regeneration. We published an inspirational book to document the path from experimental concept to fully-fledged instrument.
