The film From Cure to Care documents the most important understandings of IABR–Atelier Utrecht: The Healthy City.

The population of Utrecht is among the healthiest in the Netherlands. There are, however, marked differences inside the city. Utrecht is doing its best to address such persistent differences in health and life expectancy, but has to operate in a force field that is in full transition. The national government is delegating care tasks to municipalities. The consolidating health economy is passing into the hands of a few large parties that add little local value.

To examine how health and urban development issues can be coupled, the IABR–Atelier Utrecht: The Healthy City investigated what innovative spatial development strategies can contribute to the creation of an inclusive, healthy city that prioritizes solidarity between different generations, cultures, and income groups. Atelier Utrecht focused on both spatial and programmatic transformations in the city as related to health and well-being, and on changes in the funding of health care. Atelier Utrecht: The Healthy City provides insights that can also inspire other cities in the Netherlands and abroad.


Director: Roel van Tour
Animations: Studio Moan together with Lotte Z., KoxRamak and Marian Venemans
Produced by iabr/UP
© IABR, 2016

IABR–Atelier Utrecht is a collaboration of the IABR and the Municipality of Utrecht. The atelier master is Joachim Declerck (Architecture Workroom Brussels). The design research has been executed by the Belgian offices Architecture Workroom Brussels and De Smet Vermeulen Architects, and MUST Urbanism from Holland.