“I see beauty in decline and decay and a clear path to glowing places far beyond former glory”
“In these changing times, the social task of vacant inner cities, center fringes, factory sites, offices and heritage is the order of the day. There is work to be done, but how do you tackle such complex projects well? That is exactly why I founded Glowingplaces.
Governments, owners and developers struggling with difficult and costly transformation projects are among our clients.
Our mission is to create opportunities, make complex projects more manageable and bring energy & momentum to the transformation, so that the place will shine again. That is what Glowingplaces stands for”.
Sandra Poelman
Together with my team, I love nothing more than helping driven people like you achieve success.
I share knowledge and inspiration with you and think with you about how to successfully drive the transformation project forward.
So that your process runs like a train and you are able to create the social and economic value that transforms a seemingly hopeless place into a hotspot. A place that inspires and brings people together.
I myself am also such a social entrepreneur with heart and soul.
To the depths of my soul, I feel that I want to contribute to a more beautiful, better world.
It is my personal experience that meaningful transformation is very rewarding and leads to great results.
With the strategies I apply, I have managed to create from nothing the large and successful transformation projects I dreamed of.
Not alone, of course, but as a flywheel in an ever-growing whole. Together you are capable of so much! Would you like to join forces or get inspiration to make your project a success? That is possible, I would love to help you!
The Netherlands is teeming with obsolete downtown areas, old factory sites, estates and vacant offices with unclear future prospects. Their right to exist has disappeared in this time of rapid change. Vacancy shows up as rotten molars in our inner-city areas and erodes them. Also, a church a day and a monastery a week are becoming vacant. Iconic buildings with great social value, but difficult to transform to new meaning with solid earnings.
Sure, it is possible to simply demolish and make quick and safe money with predictable new construction. But how long does that last? And how much value is lost? Because we also see all kinds of places with a soul emerging lately, where old and new come together beautifully and give a much-needed new impetus to cities and villages. In a sustainable and future-oriented way. Something beautiful is blossoming between old buildings and new ideas….
Sharing and developing knowledge and inspiration. Precisely because transformation projects are not easy projects, we at Glowingplaces find it important to share knowledge and inspiration so that it can be done easier, faster and better. And so we can enjoy each other more, especially in the process towards it and the use of the time. That prevents years of struggle, inventing the wheel, wasting money and demotivation.
Putting our shoulders to the wheel together. That is the way we prefer to work. Our approach is always to get the best out of people and develop new process approaches, integral visions and partnerships together. Within our own organization and interactively with stakeholders in the community. To this end, we offer a range of interactive working methods. This gives strength to professional organizations and also enables non-professional parties to successfully realize a transformation project.
Pioneering. I like building something from scratch and have gradually gained a lot of experience in pioneering. I have made the mindset and mentality that comes with it my own and am constantly developing it in contact with entrepreneurs worldwide. So know where to find me if you are looking for help in boldly setting up something new in the field of urban transformation…. a new organization / new place / new community, you name it.
Thus, together with the Glowingplaces team, I am committed to vitalizing our living environment with radiant and meaningful places. To contribute to strengthening and developing ecosystems and living environments in the Netherlands.
Are you curious what I can do for you? Let’s meet at a glowing place, then we’ll talk about it together.
Thanks to my vision and perseverance, I have been able to achieve more than I ever dreamed of. I wish that to everyone and I would love to help you!
Somehow, I always see opportunities in the most challenging situations of vacancy and decline. I succeed well in outlining the opportunities, getting people excited, and building the plans and collaborations needed to revitalize areas.
Simply put, I help places transform “From hopeless to hotspot”. That is exactly also the title of the book I wrote to inspire you if you are working on this. In it, I share 33 secrets about successful, people-centered area development.
Both for myself and for my clients, I strive for an ideal transformation project: one that functions as a growing, social development company.
In which you are meaningful to others and that is also good for you.
As a coach, booster and inspiration, I am happy to advise and assist you.
The original function of the area has been lost or eroded. You have to look for new meaning and new energy.
This requires an integral approach and clear vision.
With integral efforts in several areas: identity – community – cooperation – economic – social – physical – sustainable – culture.
With long-term vision and results in the here and now, by carefully applying placemaking.
And with the active involvement of the community in making plans and developing activities.
This extends much wider and deeper than is usual in spatial planning. Often it just seems to be about stacking bricks, going through procedures and making money. In doing so, we sell ourselves short.
Perhaps an integrated approach seems elusively large, and yes, it involves a lot of multidisciplinary collaboration.
But the broad scope of the entire business model of a location actually yields a great deal. Solutions, collaborations, finances, support, pride. This is the way to really take an area from disadvantage to advantage. With a positive growth effect that can be felt in the city and region. Just like the projects to which I have contributed.
“My personal motivation is to make people, companies and places grow and flourish. To shine, hence my company name. Every time again I find it a fantastic challenge to bring something or someone from behind to ahead, no matter how difficult.
Unfortunately, in my personal life I have had to do the same. In 2009, I was in a serious accident in which a tree fell on my head. At the time, I was told that I would be disabled for life due to non-congenital brain injury (NAH). But fortunately, I managed to work my way up from being a vegetable to a hard-working mother.
After this blow, I focused on my work with renewed energy and motivation, getting seemingly hopeless cases like Mariënhage off the ground and starting my own company, Glowingplaces.
I have since accepted NAH as a part of me and adapt my life to my physical condition. Of course I still get ahead of myself sometimes, who doesn’t? But I have made the switch to doing what my body needs to get back into balance. As a result, I feel more than ever at the helm of my own life and feel vital”.
“This particular life experience makes me feel well equipped to tackle big, complex issues confidently. To dare to tackle the real causes, to be open to ideas and people and to make firm choices. I also feel free to add lightness and creativity to the process! “
Do you feel there’s more in there than is coming out?
I would love to help you build a powerful transformation project, that is meaningful for people in the wider area and that fits perfectly with what you can offer.
Are you curious what we can do for you from Glowingplaces? Let’s meet at a glowing place, then we can talk it through together.