Donica Buisman

RAUM is a living lab for more inclusive public spaces in the district Leidsche Rijn in Utrecht. Leidsche Rijn is the largest new housing development district undertaken in the Netherlands since 1991. RAUM involves residents, makers and decision makers in the challenges for more inclusive and meaningful public spaces through process, programme and design. RAUM has been pioneering for six years in creating a new cultural facility that has public space at its core. The non-profit organization is funded by the municipality. It works from the temporary towards a structural cultural facility together with a diversity of cultural, creative and welfare organizations and a consortium of architects and developers.

Donica is the founder and CEO of RAUM and has more than fifteen years experience in co-creation, project management related to art and culture and city development. She uses (creative) placemaking to co-create public spaces connecting top down and bottom up and working from the short term to structural planning. She has been business director of cultural hub Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam, concept developer of events on cultural diversity and the future of cities, project leader for Rotterdam Youth Capital. She founded her own agency 'State of Flux' for (creative) placemaking on public spaces. She also worked as cultural advisor for several municipalities in the Netherlands.