Jasmien Smets

Jasmien is an Antwerp based urban designer and researcher. She hold a MSc in Urbanism and Spatial Planning from the University of Antwerp, and a Bachelor in Interior and Design from KH Mechelen. She has work experience as an urban designer in Toronto (internship) and Belgium. Jasmien’s research focuses on the different land uses in open spaces (agriculture, water, nature, recreation, etc.) and their relationships with cities.

The subject of her master's thesis was agriculture in the Campine area, which was nominated for the VRP-graduation prize. During her PhD she will do research on the function of these open spaces.
She's intrigued by unplanned spaces vs. planned non-places, or urban errors: those places where reality outwits urban designers’ imagination.

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Favorite (place in the) city

Porto - a city with potential.
Porto is a fickle balance between beauty and decline. Many desolate places clearly show the impact of the economic crisis that hasn’t been conquered yet. That degradation alone runs away with your imagination to their potential as beautiful places. The combination of small, creative shops and bars or restaurants that stay true to local products gives the city a particular authentic character.