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LUCI People : Daisy van Eijck-Nilwik

Senior Advisor, Public Space, City of Rotterdam

 

 

  • Your main responsibilities and tasks at work are: I am an advisor to our board and Deputy Mayor on issues about public space. It is a broad field of work, with many interesting subjects like asset management of water, green spaces, roads, public lighting, etc. Our special focuses now are sustainability, water resilience and CO2 reduction.

 

  • The Public Works Department in Rotterdam is: the department that is responsible for the asset management of all the assets in the public space. It is also responsible for daily maintenance of the city, public tenders and project management.

 

  • The key ingredients of a successful lighting project in the public space are: A successful lighting project must at first be developed in cooperation with the residents. It must be designed according to national regulations and it must be sustainable, lasting and economic in terms of energy.


Place of Birth:
Geleen, the Netherlands
Educational background:
Dutch Law, University of Leiden
Previous jobs:
Area Manager in Rotterdam
Time at current post:
2 years

 

  • In an ideal world, the most appropriate lighting solution for Rotterdam would be: an installation that works solely on solar or wind energy. It would be completely connected by a tele-management system, with the opportunity to be combined with other modern technologies.

 

  • A new development that has changed how Rotterdam uses light in urban space is: In urban space there is a constant search for bringing the right amount of light at the right time. The latest developments are that we are experimenting with dynamic dimming, also in residential areas.

 

 

  • The best part of your job is: The variety of subjects that I am involved with is such fun. It varies from simple advice on public space issues to our Deputy Mayor, to coordinating all the advice of the asset managers during the long deliberations of the city council at the annual budget assembly.

 

  • Your biggest professional challenge faced so far: translating the expert documents of asset managers into understandable memos for the board and the council members!

 

  • Your best professional experience so far: There are many. At the moment, I am working with a lot of colleagues on a Delta climate adaptation plan. If we manage to arrange the money for it, it will be a big change for Rotterdam in the future.

 

  • A new international lighting project that has impressed you: I am rather new in this field of lighting, so I am still impressed by a lot of projects that I see. I can enjoy the latest projects in my own town like the Willemsbridge and the Kingbridge. Rotterdam is beautiful in the evening when all the lights go on.

 

  • A city that inspires you for its overall lighting: A lot of cities inspire me for the overall lighting. I really like Singapore but also New York. Closer to home, I am impressed Barcelona, where by 2014, more than 1100 lampposts had been transitioned to LED for reducing energy consumption. The lampposts sense when pedestrians are near and when the streets are empty, lights automatically dim to further conserve energy. The lampposts are also part of the city’s WiFi network, providing consistent, free Internet access throughout the city.

 

  • Your professional goals for the year ahead: My professional goal for this year is to be sure that the City under Microscope in Rotterdam is successful. And further on I would like to be more involved in the professional network of LUCI.

 

  • Besides light, you are passionate about: I’m really passionate about my family, friends and traveling. But I also love to work for the city of Rotterdam. The city of Rotterdam is booming in many ways. Modern skyline, nice city spirit and a lot of cultural activity.

 

 

 

 

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Images © City of Rotterdam, photo E Fecken

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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