ROB KONINGEN (LEEUWARDEN, 1983) IS A SEASONED URBAN DESIGNER WITH OVER TWO DECADES OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE. DURING THIS TIME, ROB HAS WORKED ON A WIDE RANGE OF PROJECTS FROM CONCEPT TO IMPLEMENTATION, IN BOTH RURAL AND URBAN ENVIRONMENTS, VARYING IN SCALE, DENSITY AND PROGRAMME. IN 2026 ROB FOUNDED CU·RIO·CITY. THROUGH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DUTCH VINEX PROJECTS, ROB HAS DEVELOPED STRONG PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS THAT PROVE PARTICULARLY VALUABLE IN ANY URBAN PLAN. URBAN DESIGN IS ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN PHYSICAL SPACE, YET DEMANDS AND AMBITIONS MUST ULTIMATELY FIT SPATIALLY. FOR ROB, URBAN DESIGN IS ALWAYS A TAILORED DESIGN, WITH QUALITY AS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE.
Rob has worked subsequently for West 8, Mecanoo and Palmbout. Rooted in the Netherlands yet operating internationally, these practices differ in approach and philosophy but share a commitment to strong concepts, poetic narratives and attention to detail. They gave Rob a wide range of insights on how to go about urban design.
Rob is a Rococo co-founder, the Rotterdam Coalition for Cooperative housing. The aim of the coalition is to give cooperative housing a genuine chance of success in Rotterdam. To achieve this RoCoCo has regular meetings with the municipality, is in close contact with Rotterdam political parties and holding public meetings for Rotterdam inhabitants who want to start a housing cooperation. Rob uses this knowledge, experience and network to help stimulate cooperative housing in municipalities outside Rotterdam.
For more information check rococo.coop
Drawing and visualisation are essential tools in urban design projects. The use of software is an integral part of this process. UrbanLISP forms the operational core of Cu·rio·City. It consists of an arsenal of CAD (Computer-Aided Design) tools developed by Rob for everyday tasks in urban design and landscape architecture. These tools increase efficiency, precision and joy and aim to let the team work together optimally. UrbanLISP is the result of Rob’s hacker mentality—always on the look out for optimisation and better solutions.
For more information check urbanlisp.com
By deliberately choosing assignments outside his comfort zone at the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture, Rob broadened his professional scope and developed his own design philosophy. This experience made him realise that the position of a designer is not so much a cognitive or rational construct, but is largely driven by personal fascinations and interests. It is, ultimately, about who you are.
Plato is remembered as the creator of Academic education in the West. The science of dance was revealed as the most important subject of inquiry for the finished graduate. According to Plato dance is the one expression involving the faculties on all levels: spiritual, intellectual and physical. Human dance was considered an imitation of the celestial dance, a study of the cosmos. It profoundly influenced Renaissance thought.
In the 19th century the highly sanitised and choreographed European ballroom dances were hacked through tango. With tango, dance became a matter of intimate connection, improvisation and creativity. When tango partners manage to find each other in an increasingly intimate embrace the roles of leader and follower fade and the dance becomes a playful interaction.
For Rob, an avid tanguero, urban design and tango are alike; finding connection and mutual trust from which a spatial exploration can start, in search of creativity and elegance. Let's dance!