Eindhoven launches Design Development Eindhoven: a powerful boost for a structural design ecosystem. DDE connects designers, government, industry and education to strengthen creative space, professionalization and societal impact. A necessary step to retain talent and position Eindhoven internationally as a leading design city.

Remco van de Craats, founder of design agency Edhv, was one of the speakers at the presentation. He believes it’s “high time” that such an ecosystem is established in Eindhoven: “In the tech ecosystem, we’ve seen this have a huge multiplier effect. For every tech company, five other companies or small businesses are simultaneously operating. That’s a direct result of such an ecosystem. It’s now time for design to be better represented in Eindhoven”.

Van de Craats and Edhv have been firmly established in the city for twenty years: “We’ve worked hard, with blood, sweat, tears, for years. The value you build as a company, the recruitment power, the monetary value, you don’t want to lose all that”. He emphasized that Eindhoven is a young, industrial city and a typical example of a transformation city: “A city that has a forward dynamic, not fixed in the past. Eindhoven is all about the energy that leads to transformation and creativity is key to it. Eindhoven is unique, but creativity isn’t something to be taken for granted. Without the right conditions, creative energy can easily slip away from the city. It deserves stronger protection”.