Can Places Really Bring Us Together?
“I played concerts to 50,000 people. Then came home and couldn’t say hello to my neighbour.”
- Kristian Riis, Volcano
In Episodes 45 and 46 of the Grow Places podcast, we heard from two people who spend less time in masterplans and more time among the crowd.
Kristian Riis, a Danish rock musician turned creative placemaker, and Rob Marten, co-founder of the events platform SPACE+, both come at real estate from the outside in. Their shared belief is simple. If we want to grow better places, we have to start with people.
Both are working in and around the industry, creating space for connection, not just construction. What follows is a reminder that good places aren’t made by metrics, they grow from trust, culture and human rhythm.
“Real estate doesn't just need to change. The world does.”
- Kristian Riis
For over 20 years, Kristian toured Europe with his band, performing to tens of thousands. Afterwards, he would return to his apartment in central Copenhagen and walk outside without even saying hello to a neighbour. That experience stuck with him.
“We know how to bring people together at festivals so why can’t we use the same principles on the rainy Tuesdays when nothing’s happening?”
Kristian now leads Volcano, a placemaking agency working across Copenhagen, Bhutan and Mongolia. His focus is always on how culture, creativity and belonging can shape the city, not just decorate it.
In London, he’s helping young cultural entrepreneurs gather community insight for the redevelopment of Victoria Station. Using photography, stories and events, they’re capturing what people feel, not just what they do.
“Developers said, ‘We can’t afford a bakery.’ But the bakery is the best investment in the project.”
Volcano has developed a financial model to show how strong cultural infrastructure can increase long-term returns. This is not about sidelining capital but speaking its language with clarity and purpose.
“Money isn’t good or bad, it’s just a tool. If we can use it to create better lives and stronger communities, then everybody wins.”
You can listen to Kristian’s Episode 45 at www.growplaces.com/podcast
“People don’t even know what Build to Rent means.”
- Rob Marten
Rob Marten is used to challenging the way things are done. At SPACE+, his team runs real estate events that don’t look like real estate events.
No tiered seating. No marathon panels. No corporate buzzwords. Instead, they curate small, focused groups called “tribes” around shared themes like retrofit or asset innovation and create space for genuine exchange.
“Most good things happen between the scene changes. You just have to design for that.”
Rob is also clear that language matters. When terms like Build to Rent or single family housing are used without care, the industry becomes less accessible to the very people it claims to serve.
“If you can’t explain it to your mum, it’s probably not working.”
He challenges tokenism in conference programming too. Instead of hosting a diversity panel, SPACE+ ensures every panel is diverse. They also partner with Black Women in Real Estate, offering free attendance and visibility for voices that often go unheard.
“If there are so few Black women in the room, and you can’t name any of them, then you’re part of the problem.”
The insight here is practical and profound, inclusion is not a theme, it’s a practice and places can’t grow in isolation. They grow when the people involved in shaping them reflect the people they’re for.
You can listen to Rob’s Episode 46 at www.growplaces.com/podcast
What Are We Really Growing?
When you strip away the policy and paperwork, what’s left is the human need to feel connected.
Rob and Kristian both see places as ecosystems of trust - fragile, interdependent and slow to evolve. They remind us that culture, language and emotion are not side notes, they are structure.
“If you shut the venues, you lose the footfall. If you lose the footfall, you lose the streets and then the whole place begins to shrink.”
— Kristian Riis, Volcano
What they’re advocating for is not soft thinking, it’s serious. When people feel seen, they stay. When they stay, they invest in each other, in the place and in its future.
This is not only social value, it’s long-term viability.
Three Things to Grow With
Design for the quiet moments
The most meaningful experiences often happen in the in-between. Pay attention to what happens between scenes.
Make the language make sense
If your project can’t be explained clearly, it probably needs rethinking. Speak plainly and listen carefully.
Culture is not a cost
It is infrastructure, it creates pride, safety, memory and value. Budget for it like you mean it.
Grow Places Reflections
The conversations this month gave us a quiet reminder of what really matters when growing places.
They weren’t about units, zones or policies, they were about memory, belonging, trust and shared authorship. The things that rarely show up on a dashboard but shape everything that follows.
Here are five themes that resonated with how we try to work at Grow Places.
Local stories shape better outcomes
Kristian and Rob both focused on identity, memory and voice. From supporting young creatives at Victoria Station to making real estate events reflect the people in the room, they showed how authentic local insight leads to more grounded, more generous places.
Trust isn’t declared, it’s earned
Whether it’s forming lasting partnerships with local entrepreneurs or giving space for honest conversation, both guests showed how important it is to slow down, show up and stay present.
Culture is structure, not soft stuff
Venues, events, bakeries, art — these are not extras, they are the glue. They bring people back, keep the street alive, and make a place feel like somewhere worth investing in.
Language makes or breaks connection
Rob challenged us to speak in ways that make sense to everyone, not just the industry. If people can’t understand what we’re growing, they won’t trust it, and they won’t stay.
Representation is practice, not performance
Both guests showed how inclusion has to be embedded in every panel, project and team. Not for optics, but because it builds richer, more resilient outcomes for all.
Missed the conversations?
Catch the full podcast episodes at www.growplaces.com/podcast