Elke Miedema is an ambitious and passionate architect who has been researching for the last seven years how our built environment relates to well-being. She is part of a team of multi-disciplinary experts at Except Integrated Sustainability that transform cities and neighbourhoods into resilient and socially thriving urban environments using cutting-edge insights into new business models, planning strategies, and socio-economic mechanisms.

She works with a team of 30 scientists, designers, and economists on the foundations for a sustainable future. They recently launched a unique programme, called Urban Renaissance (UR). UR redevelops urban areas into self-sustaining, strong, and flourishing areas, using existing strengths to drive transformation. Part of the approach is to analyse and visualize local systems, such as water, energy, waste, finance, and culture, looking for ‘loose ends’. By connecting these loose connections in new ways, they establish new value from what already exists, create circular economies, and maximize urban development value, for minimal investment. Based on this,10 to 30 year roadmaps are rolled out to convert even the worst urban areas into thriving neighbourhoods and communities, worldwide.

Within Urban Renaissance Elke works to increase the value of urban environments through social interaction, coupling necessity and desire, and reducing stress and suffering. She expands from architecture into environmental psychology, evidence based design, and healing environments, for example by designing care homes for the elderly or psychiatric patients.

Elke has a Bachelor in Construction and Building Engineering from the Avans Hogeschool in Tilburg and a Master Degree in Architecture from the TU Delft and works at Except since April 2013.