Deventer’s City Campus has a name: de Kien

Entrepreneurs, educational institutes and government bodies in Deventer are coming together to give the area around the station a boost. This will include developing real estate, sharing knowledge and developing courses of study, such as a master’s degree in ICT. The collaboration is now taking firm shape and a logo has been unveiled, together with a name: de Kien.

Name and logo

Kien means ‘smart’ and reflects the environment around the city campus, an area filled with intelligent businesses, schools and people. At the same time, it is a down-to-earth choice: the word comes from the local Salland dialect. This creates a nice connection with the city of Deventer, and it is also convenient: kien is easy for speakers of English to pronounce, with that language having a similar, related word in ‘keen’. Adding the definite article turns it into a place: the Kien. Visit the website here: https://dekien.nl. The partners behind de Kien are: Tauw, Witteveen+Bos, Topicus, Deventer Schouwburg, Deventer Economisch Perspectief (DEP), Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Aventus, the Municipality of Deventer and the Province of Overijssel. 

Entrepreneurs

In the area around the station square and the Handelskade and Verzetslaan streets, there is a unique combination of consultancy firms specialising in IT, technology and research who are active in social and spatial domains. In Deventer, the information and knowledge industry accounts for more than 20 % of jobs. Tauw, Witteveen+Bos and Topicus are the big names. The cultural sector, with Deventer Schouwburg as its representative in the collaboration, is also an important element in the climate of the area.

Education

In Saxion and Aventus, Deventer also has two educational institutions that focus on IT, technology and research. The optimum accessibility of the area, at the edge of the historic city centre, is why these institutions are concentrated here. The de Kien partners are currently working on new study programmes – such as a new master’s degree in ICT Software Engineering, intended to meet the high demand for ICT professionals required to help convert design into practice.

Government

In its local area vision, Deventer designated the City Campus as an area for development. The municipality has now also drawn up a development perspective document for de Kien, so that a spatial vision exists for the area as a whole. Important developments in the area include the redevelopment of Topicus Carré and the office buildings at the top of the Handelskade, and the creation of a central area on Keizerstraat around the Deventer Schouwburg. The Province of Overijssel is involved in de Kien in connection with its ambition to retain young talent in the region, to improve the shell around the city centre (housing, retail, greenery), and to strengthen the economy at easily accessible locations.

Collaboration

The Deventer Economisch Perspectief – a collaboration between the Municipality of Deventer and the business community – is providing an added boost to the development of de Kien by installing a project manager. This person is responsible for spurring on the initiative.