Working on our living environment can be a challenging and complicated process. At BURA, we are convinced that the careful design of the process is a vital aspect of a successful spatial plan. Listening carefully to and working together with residents, entrepreneurs and public officials is important in developing an feasible idea that enjoys support. We often work in interactive workshops and make complex material easy to understand. In addition, we use the power of imagination to inspire parties and thus to work together on a sustainable living environment.

A sustainable urban future is a shared creation, which is why we work with clients and on assignments that contribute to that. For example, we take a critical look at locations that, in our view, cannot be developed in a future-proof way because of their siting, ecological values or soil conditions.

BURA works on various assignments in the Netherlands and other countries for both public and private organisations and housing cooperatives. In addition, we work at various scales, ranging from urban sites to neighbourhoods, urban districts and regions. Our office has expertise in the field of complex urban developments, healthy urbanization, productive milieus, new mobility, rich and layered places, resilient landscapes and equitable transitions.

BURA believes in the importance of doing business in a sustainable and social way. In principle, we travel by public transport, our lunch is vegetarian and vegan, we deal with materials in a conscious way, and we look after one another. BURA works with a multidisciplinary team of urban designers, architects and landscape architects from its base in the Loods 6 building in Amsterdam. BURA is a member of the Association of Dutch Urban Designers and Planners (BNSP). The office evolved out of ‘marco.broekman urbanism research architecture’, founded in 2014 by Marco Broekman. The office was renamed BURA in 2020 and is directed by Marco Broekman and Floris van der Zee.

A compact city is sustainable and healthy. At BURA we look beyond the housing assignment because in our view urban densification revolves around ‘enriching’ the existing city. We use space sparingly and seek a balance with other values and aspirations. Increasing density in towns and villages offers opportunities for more or better homes and places of work, and also for greening, sustainable mobility and space for social encounters. BURA works on various urban densification projects at various scales, whereby using space smartly leads to attractive, healthy and unique living environments, such as Merwede in Utrecht, the Development Perspective for the Arnhem East Railway Zone, and the Waterland district in Purmerend.

Working areas have a sustainable and social value beside their economic function. Moreover, they are crucial for the functioning of urban regions. BURA works in various ways on places of production in the form of research, visions, innovative strategies and concrete development and redevelopment projects. We draw up visions for future-proof working environments at the scale of the city and work at area level to intensify work locations and to transform business parks into high-quality mixed-use living and working environments. BURA draws on a large network of economics experts. In this way, we work on space for knowledge, innovation and a sustainable economy. Examples include ‘Maakstad’ Schieoevers in Delft, the MetroMix study and a research called Grip on large-scale business locations.

To make our cities healthier, more liveable and more sustainable, we must approach the issue of mobility in a radically different way. BURA designs urban environments with more space for pedestrians and cyclists, mobility hubs, new city logistics and well-functioning public transport. We plan amenities within walking distances and work on car-free neighbourhoods, attractive city streets, mobility strategies and high-quality station districts. This finds expression in such projects as Merwede in Utrecht and the preliminary study for the Leiden Central Multi-Modal Interchange.

There is a great urgency to restore biodiversity and create space for climate adaptation. At BURA we work on urban solutions in which people and nature are in balance. We see that space for nature can often be combined well with other functions. Moreover, well-connected urban landscape and greenery in the immediate surroundings contribute to physical and mental wellbeing, and they are a necessity in a densely built city. BURA works at various scales – from the neighbourhood to the region – to create resilient landscapes and high-quality urban spaces. Examples include the Zuidvleugel Landscape Park, Climate-Adaptive Heritage in Eindhoven, and the IJplein Public Space Action Plan in Amsterdam.

BURA works in the existing city and therefore builds on the history, stories and character of places. We believe that continuing to develop places and existing heritage is the best way of preserving and enhancing them. It is by cherishing the rich history and adding a contemporary new story to it that we prepare heritage for the future. We come up with sensible development strategies to make this possible. This is how we create rich and layered projects such as Hembrug in Zaandam, Arnhems Buiten, and the Werninkterrein Area Vision in Leiden.

A just city belongs to everybody. But we see that transitions do not always take place in a balanced way due to factors such as market competition and one-sided power relations. BURA works towards structurally more sustainable and more social solutions. In addition, we think it is important that people, businesses and organisations have control of their environment and that value development accrues to the city and its inhabitants. We work to create inclusive neighbourhoods and research new forms of development, for example with the design research into the Post-Growth City and the Highrise Living project.

Making a good piece of the city is the central issue for BURA when we work on an urban plan. Our focus lies on making attractive and characteristic places in which to live, work and relax. We develop one integral story in which complex questions are brought together in one comprehensible design, with an eye for the spatial, financial and organisational context of the project. We are service-oriented and flexible for the client, and critical when necessary. In concrete terms, we produce urban design plans, area visions, image quality plans, building massing studies and public space designs. In addition, we supervise plans. In this way we gradually shape the city of tomorrow.

The visions and strategies of BURA bring together spatial assignments and challenges in a manageable, integral and qualitative way. We work systematically with an research-driven attitude and use interactive workshops to identify issues and develop spatial scenarios together. BURA works on regional, urban and landscape visions, densification studies, development programmes and agendas, and area development perspectives. In this way, we create appealing stories and broadly supported action perspectives that offer strong guidelines for the future.

BURA deploys design research in order to better understand complex questions, to acquire knowledge, and to make recommendations concerning urgent themes or specific assignments and locations. The findings contribute to the development and refinement of policy and/or the creation of appropriate project conditions. We work on specific and thematic subjects in which we explore various (spatial) scenarios with an integrated view and with multiple parties. In addition, we deploy research to generate a ‘second opinion’ that offers an inspiring alternative to running area developments. We also deploy our research-driven attitude and design prowess to raise discussion about social issues from a spatial perspective.

BURA believes in the importance of conducting discussions about the future of our living environment with an open attitude. We want to accelerate sustainable urban development and that is why we share our knowledge, visions and insights on the basis of our studies and projects. We organise lectures, masterclasses, workshops and interviews, and are active in the field of education. We possess, support and develop an extensive network. BURA inspires, provokes debate and takes concrete steps towards sustainable urban environments.