Hilversum & the Rise of Innovation Districts

Hilversum Media Park has closed-off buildings and car parks but no open creative spaces. Just one cafe!

Hilversum still struggles with its future. Even though it has drastically cut the prices of office real-estate in the hope of attracting some talent back to this town, it is outside the triangle of what I regard as the innovation triangle that's growing up in the Netherlands. At the recent media future week, one of the student teams was asked to come up with a plan for what the media city needs to do next.

Amsterdam is attracting media companies away from Hilversum

But I fear the media students haven't read the Brookings Report on the Rise of Innovative Districts. The trend explained there is for companies to move away from Research parks and back into the city centres where things are happening. That seems to be what's happening. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Eindhoven is where real life is being experienced.

Hilversum seems to be focused on its past - even the names of streets reflect names that are no longer on Dutch TV screens. Watch what the students thought could be a solution. See what I mean?

Final presentation Hilversum Media Stad team 6 MFW14 from iMMovator on Vimeo.