View Sandra Poelman’s portfolio. Get to know successful projects in more than 25 years of urban development and her enterprising, people-oriented approach.
Sandra contributed to the development of Eindhoven Transformation City as an urban planner and project manager for 20 years.
She then founded consulting firm Glowingplaces in 2018 and has since stood by many clients as a booster, coach and inspirer.
“This Documentary takes you into the story behind my work. I tell you openly and honestly about my drive, way of working, ambitions and challenges. In work and health. I also reveal my mission and the big dream for my company.
Of course you will also discover examples of challenging city projects, which I have transformed into radiant successes together with many.
Glow Creation is what I call it and we have worked on it with heart and soul. Hopefully it will capture your imagination!”
Below are some telling examples of area developments that Sandra initiated as a “start-up” and worked with many to bring to fruition.
Sandra started Strijp S as a student in 1998. Everyone around her saw the emptying of this industrial area of Philips as a huge problem, but she thought otherwise.
She saw it as a great challenge that was worth grasping and that in fact offered enormous opportunities. “Just imagine if, with this characteristic area, you could connect the creatives and designers to Eindhovenwho now leave the city as soon as possible after their studies. What could be created then?”
By the time Sandra graduated from TU Eindhoven’s Faculty of Architecture in 2000, she had opened the eyes of key parties. For the opportunities of this 37 hectare ‘forbidden city’ with more than 150,000 m2 of national monuments and many other buildings. She had made them so enthusiastic that the project immediately took root.
Thus, after her studies as a “broekie,” Sandra was able to start immediately as urban planner of Strijp S, which she brought together with a big and multidisciplinary team of different organizations until VO urban plan.
In practice, an important part of her role proved to be outlining economic and socio-cultural potential, explaining the importance of Strijp-S for the development of Philips (and therefore Eindhoven) as well as defending cultural-historical values: (national monumental) buildings, piping system, names, structures, identity.
She didn’t expect to have to talk blue like that. Oh well, it is something that many people with a heart for cultural history struggle with, she also noticed in her work as a permanent advisor to the Eindhoven monument committee.
Fortunately, the people of Eindhoven have now taken the area with all its character into their hearts, and many buildings and pipeline streets have been preserved and mightily transformed into unique, meaningful places.
And Strijp S has grown into a hugely important cultural and economic pillar of Eindhoven and an internationally imaginative area development.
It is incredible to see how the community at Strijp S has developed during 20 years of redevelopment. From a ‘population’ of only Philips people to an international community of entrepreneurs, residents, designers, youth, businesses and social organizations. With 1001 cross links and a fine, urban look and feel. Sandra still really enjoys coming there!
In 2001 the Eindhoven Station area was added. A mega job this 45 hectare no man’s land without quality of stay. Centrally located there is the very outdated and much too small, nationally listed station.
This too was a “case of looking through. She saw the potential here for a high-density residential and working area, with thousands of homes and workplaces and with much more space for greenery, water and accommodation.
This could be realized by transforming the much too spacious car structure. At the time, that was a curse in church in the car town Eindhoven. Traffic experts predicted that there would be kilometers of daily traffic jams, all the way to IKEA north of Eindhoven….
But she was tenacious and persevered. Eventually, Sandra was allowed to create the spatial vision ‘Connect and Stay’ (2007) for all owners involved, which is guiding the developments in the Stationsgebied.
She also worked for 8 years on the renewal plans for Central Station. The biggest discussion points with the railroad parties, were the level of ambition and to which side the much too narrow Station Tunnel should be extended.
Sandra thought to the east, as this would put the tunnel in line with the characteristic Station and Station Square. But the railroad parties opted for an extension to the west. A cheaper solution, in which the Station building would become redundant. A modest and indoor entrance under the Spoordijk would then be realized.
After years of arguing, designing and negotiating, Sandra and colleagues managed to convince and stump up the hefty multi-million dollar investment for expansion and renovation of the Station.
Meanwhile, in 2018, the renovated Eindhoven Central Station was completed that all parties are proud of,with a sea of light and space and the now monumental Station actually central.
Also, with the Student hotel, the first new building from the spatial vision has risen and a tender for VVV location and Stationsplein has taken place. Where promising plans under the name District-E have emerged, prominently featuring the ‘Lichttoren axis’ from Station to Lichttoren from the spatial vision.
Work is currently underway with new elan on the area development on the north side of the railroad under the name ‘Eindhoven XL’, with an even grander and more dynamic area development than previously foreseen. Matching the enormous development of Eindhoven. Central government and the province have also joined as active collaborative partners.
In 2011, Sandra took charge of Mariënhage, a hidden gem of religious heritage in downtown Eindhoven.
The Augustinian Fathers saw their numbers dwindling and could no longer afford the care of the Paterskerk and had to close it down. The old Augustinianum next door (once founded by the fathers), was owned by the municipality and had no sustainable use. The convent would eventually become vacant as well.
All the buildings were national monuments in great need of restoration.
In the heart of the crisis, Sandra was asked to help the fathers and bring about an area development. As project manager and planner for the Municipality of Eindhoven, she gladly accepted the challenge. Also because there were no other people willing to take on this ‘hopeless’ project. It was her reintegration projectafter the accident in which she suffered brain damage.
Accustomed to taking places from great disadvantage to advantage, Sandra set to work. Visualizing all preconditions and daring to focus on exploring opportunities. Having good conversations with each other and understanding each other’s points of view, gradually creating a strong team that transcends the walls of organizations. Daring to take bold steps.
The cooperation with the Augustinians developed particularly well and they joined forces. Together they dared to go for redevelopment in line with the centuries-old history: ‘Heart and soul’ and a focus on end users.
Augustijnen and the Municipality of Eindhoven issued a market consultation, and although it was the heart of the crisis, as many as 29 parties responded. Precisely because of the clear focus.
The ideal buyer was found in cooperative DELA. Who wanted to continue the story of the Augustinians with the first House of Ceremonies in the Netherlands, a conference hotel and an accessible inner garden.
But the redevelopment proved financially unfeasible. Together (DELA, Augustinians, municipality) and with a lot of personal commitment because we all wanted it to succeed, we made it happen. By building a partnership with the Province of Noord-Brabant and the National Restoration Fund and coming up with new financial methods that made the whole thing feasible after all.
The massive transformation is complete and November 2019 DOMUSDELA will have opened its doors!
It is Holland’s first Ceremony House, where weddings, mourning and enjoyment can take place in a contemporary setting during the many dinners, concerts, conferences and events.
The combination with a beautiful boutique hotel, cozy brasserie and fine dining restaurant make it a wonderful place.
The community’s most important wish has also been fulfilled: the previously closed and hidden monastery complex has become an open and accessible place. Where everyone is welcome and allowed to wander through to the courtyard garden behind.
Sandra can still often be found in Domusdela, in the cozy brasserie Rita, at one of the many conferences or events, or to show a company around.
In 2014, VDMA joined on the edge of downtown Eindhoven, or the Van Der Meulen Ansems site as it was then called. After years of breaking her tongue about it, Sandra just christened it VDMA. Super that that has since been incorporated into the vernacular.
A parking lot with “heritage without status“: a Sister’s Flat, a Lucifer Factory and a former Ford Garage that had been vacant for 17 years. With, it turned out after a while, a powerful managerial ambition to initiate an economic engine for startups here in combination with housing development.
Learning from Strijp S, which had made a fantastic development during the economic crisis by using temporality for placemaking, Sandra did not opt for top-down planning.
Instead, she opted for a combination of long-term area development and temporal placemaking.
Naturally, the city was fully involved in developing the area vision. A network of hundreds of startups, knowledge institutions, venture capitalists, business angels and accelerators was also built. Because that’s what you need, to realize a Startup Factory.
Moreover, Sandra and her team managed to get investment in the old Garage. Whereby this characteristic, 2200m2 building from 1927 was no longer on the verge of collapse, but could be utilized.
The renovation was completed at the end of summer 2016 and for the first 9 months Sandra, in addition to project management of the overall area development, did the placemaking of this property with substantive events included.
She hosted and co-organized 35 events. These included large events with thousands of visitors and a lot of media exposure. GLOW, Maker Faire, Dutch Design Week, Google ‘Digital Workshop’ event, I’m not a tourist Expat Fair, Feelgood Market and more.
It contributed enormously to the awareness of this forgotten place, there was plenty of experimentation and it made people see its opportunities.
It was a fantastic and educational experience for Sandra. But because it was so successful so quickly and the permit situation was not yet properly regulated, it also demanded a lot from her.
Meanwhile, the tender for the area development of VDMA is on the market and many, many special events, fairs and meetings have taken place in the Garage.
Increasingly, urban developers, project managers of area developments and heritage redevelopers asked Sandra, “How do you manage to make the transformation projects you contribute to so successful and enthusiastic?”
Sandra noticed how much she enjoys sharing her experiences with like-minded people. Especially because she knows that transformation projects are far from easy. There is so much involved.
This is how Glowingplaces was born.
Meanwhile Sandra enjoys nothing more than helping enterprising organizations break through with their transformation project through her company Glowingplaces. Whether it is government or market, it does not matter. It’s all about the spirit.
For the municipality of Dongen, Glowingplaces organized participation meetings, on behalf of the development of Park Glorieux.
Glowingplaces also advised the ErfgoedLab Brabant in the start-up of this foundation, which aims to help the lonely initiator of heritage redevelopment to achieve actual development.
For BOEi and the Province of North Brabant, Glowingplaces worked for some time on the redevelopment of the Donge power plant in Geertruidenberg.
She also stood by BioArt Laboratories for a time with advice and assistance in this foundation’s fervent desire to make the estate with the so-called German Homes, which were in very dilapidated condition, its home.
From 2018 to 2020, Sandra was commissioned by Province of North Brabant to work with the Urban Transformation Program, which assists municipalities in Brabant with complex urban transformation tasks. She was brought in as a strategic advisor and helped build the department.
She also supported the Province and a large number of municipalities in Brabant with advice, in collaboration with colleagues from the Province. Projects Sandra contributed to include Tramkade Den Bosch, Binnenstad Bergen op Zoom, center Oss, center Oosterhout, Rondje Roosendaal, Spoorzone Tilburg.
In 2019, Sandra published her book ‘Hopeless to hotspot’, in which she shares 33 secrets about successful area and heritage transformations.
Great reviews have been written about the book by Platform 31, Biind and others.
And perhaps even more fun are the enthusiastic comments from readers, who indicate in various ways how inspiring and fun they find the book!
From 2021 to 2023, Sandra was the ‘Kwartiermaker’ of the Helmond Station Area on behalf of the Municipality of Helmond. During that time, together with the city, a powerful, long-term area vision was developed for the Stationskwartier and a corresponding team was built.
The area vision was created in close collaboration with the Helmond community, who were actively involved in the development with the well-attended Stationskwartier Festivals.
This has created an integrated approach for the Stationskwartier, which is widely supported.
A great wealth of placemaking initiatives has also been developed and realized, bringing the dreamed reality step by step closer thanks to the input of many. The placemaking has not been limited to the Stationkwartier, but has brought positive impulses to the entire center of Helmond.
The collaborative power that has been created in the process contributes to Helmond’s pride and self-awareness as an emerging city full of opportunities.
Sandra has provided pep talks on successful area development for a large number of organizations, in Dutch and English.
Clients have included Platform 31, Province of Noord-Brabant, Real Estate Platform Helmond, National Restoration Fund, Genius Network, Melbourne University and Probus.
Naturally, Sandra is also often asked to give guided tours to (international) groups through projects to which she has contributed.
Sandra also contributed as one of the co-authors to the book LEFWIJF, which inspires women to be bold in life. There are many wonderful stories in the book, which shows how much strength can come from vulnerability.
As in the case of Sandra, who is a brain injury sufferer and with the contribution “What do you mean hopeless?” outlines the parallels in mental resilience needed both for her work as an urban planner and for her healing process after a serious accident. Coping mechanisms for residual symptoms also stem from this.
During the time when lecturing was impossible due to Corona measures, Sandra started the ‘Hopeless to hotspot’ Podcast
With the Podcast, she provides a platform for inspiring ideas and interesting peers in innovative urban development and lessons from entrepreneurial people worldwide.
Sandra also has a YouTube channel that highlights the opportunities and possibilities of innovative urban development and placemaking.
Telling examples of people-oriented and sustainable urban development in the Netherlands are put in the spotlight. And the learning points during the development process are honestly shared so that others can benefit from them.
Last but not least, Sandra has been active for many years as a coach for driven peers.
Ambitious people with big dreams for their projects, career and personal development, know where to find her.
Together they set to work to transform vague ideas into focused plans, which are realized step by step with inspiration and conviction.
“How wonderful it is, that I help so energetic, initiative-loving people make an impact and together we make the world more beautiful!”
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.