Understanding the socio-spatial aspects of creativity in public spaces of Dutch university campuses: the interplay between research-generated evidence and urban planning and design practice

How does the physical environment affect creativity? This thesis explores theoretically and empirically the socio-spatial aspects of creativity phenomenon, using the public spaces of Dutch inner-city campuses and sciences parks as study cases. Such aspects are important for campuses’ planning and design since creativity cannot occur without people’ interactions with their social and material environments. This research firstly explores subjective and objective aspects of the relationship between the physical environment and creativity through measurable attributes, and then discussed data-based research-generated evidence with practitioners involved in public spaces’ projects of the cities Amsterdam, Utrecht and Groningen.

The results highlighted discrepancies between the research-practice interface. Also, that the practice of planning and design of campuses’ public spaces stands ‘in between’ multiple actors and stakeholders, which have different values, goals, and visions. Urban planning and design practitioners often envision differently the importance of the physical configuration of public spaces as tools to generate creativity and creativity encounters. Such divergent views and interests in campus area development often cause institutional fragmentation, which results in the physical fragmentation of campuses' public spaces. Although this dissertation focuses on public spaces of campuses, public spaces should be understood as part of a larger urban structure and serve not only the surrounding property but also a general societal interest.