Markus Appenzeller
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markusmla.bsky.social
Markus Appenzeller
@markusmla.bsky.social
35 followers 13 following 26 posts
Urban Planning & Development Practitioner, Advisor, Educator, Researcher

Integrating Design, Urban Planning, Law & Economics and Writing about it in

THE DAILY URBAN DOSE
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markusmla.bsky.social
NEW DAILY URBAN DOSE

Riyadh is shaking up its municipal map.

But will new districts and Madinty offices simply manage projects—or finally weave them into a real city?

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/riya...
Riyadh’s Municipal Shake-Up: A new Open Source Operating System to solve its Urban Challenges - potentially. - DAILY URBAN DOSE
Riyadh’s ambitious municipal reform offers a rare chance to move beyond mega-projects. The city’s future depends on whether new districts and Madinty offices become engines of urban quality…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
October 9, 2025 at 4:56 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
DAILY URBAN DOSE Alert

Forget architecture!

Forget urban planning!

The true foundation of global real estate: grammar!

If you’ve ever wondered why every new tower is called THE Something — this piece is for you.

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/the-...
“The” Illusion: How Real Estate Discovered the Definite Article - DAILY URBAN DOSE
In the vast circus of urban marketing, nothing says exclusivity quite like a definite article. Forget affordability, forget inclusivity — all you need is The. “The Edge.” – “The One.” – “The Terraces....
www.dailyurbandose.eu
October 6, 2025 at 9:25 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
Dutch streets aren’t spotless. They’re better: alive. 🚲✨
Markets, terraces, festivals, bikes—all in the same space, all working together.

Read:
"(Not-so-)Still Life with Bicycles: Why Dutch Public Space Just Works."
- and what others can learn from it.

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/not-...
(Not-so-)Still Life With Bicycles: Why Dutch Public Space Just Works - DAILY URBAN DOSE
On a Saturday morning in the Netherlands, the story of public space reveals itself in the most ordinary of places. A square fills with the clatter of market stalls being set up; crates of cheese and…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
September 22, 2025 at 2:11 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
Saudi Arabia is building giga projects faster than any country on earth. Breathtaking, and impossible to ignore.

The uncomfortable question: are these the foundations of real cities—or just monumental theme parks in the desert?

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/wher...
Where the City Disappears: Life Between the Giga-Projects - DAILY URBAN DOSE
Saudi Arabia is building at a pace and scale the world has rarely seen. Across its deserts and coastlines, extraordinary visions rise: NEOM’s The Line, a 170-kilometer-long city of glass; Qiddiya…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
September 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
Housing prices in Saudi Arabia have soared. And now the country wants to open its borders for foreign investment. How to keep prices in check while getting the world in. Here some thpughts

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/saud...

#dailyurbandose #housing #saudi #affordability #development
Saudi Arabia’s Housing Dilemma: Cooling Prices Without Stalling Growth - DAILY URBAN DOSE
On September 10, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman openly admitted that Saudi Arabia’s housing prices had risen to “unacceptable levels.” It was a strikingly candid statement from a leader steering one...
www.dailyurbandose.eu
September 14, 2025 at 9:28 AM
markusmla.bsky.social
The world 🌏 feels like it’s shifting beneath our feet. Crises are colliding. Time to rethink what progress means before it’s too late.

“The Last Safe Illusion” is an invitation for discussion.

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/the-...

#dailyurbandose #crisis #future #discussion
September 9, 2025 at 4:24 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
A new daily urban dose is here

“Smart Bombs, Smart Cities” plan for Gaza — a blueprint for AI-run enclaves, blockchain real estate, and investor returns, not justice or dignity.

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/smar...
Smart Bombs, Smart Cities: Gaza’s Future as an Occupation-Themed Resort - DAILY URBAN DOSE
Gaza’s rubble isn’t a tragedy in this plan—it’s a business opportunity. The GREAT Trust masterplan treats the destruction of an entire society as a blank slate for profit…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
September 3, 2025 at 1:40 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
Can urbanists learn from #AlvarAalto 's architecture?

Read it here:

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/alva...

#dailyurbandose #finland #architecture #tour #aaltour
August 30, 2025 at 9:46 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
UN members have walked away from a global plastics treaty.

Meanwhile, plastic keeps flooding our streets, rivers, and even our bloodstreams.

Global leaders failed—but cities can still lead the fight. Here’s how.

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/the-...

#PlasticsCrisis #dailurbandose
August 20, 2025 at 10:05 AM
markusmla.bsky.social
Too hot to walk? That's just an excuse for bad design!

Explore my piece on Riyadh and how the city could be walkable all year round - despite 47 degrees centigrade and more in summer.

#ksa #climatedesign #riyadh #walkability

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/too-...
Too Hot to Walk? Why That’s the Wrong Question for Riyadh - DAILY URBAN DOSE
Greetings from Riyadh! It is 47°C outside, the asphalt shimmers, bus stops empty, and even a short trip on foot feels unreasonable. It’s tempting to declare the walkability debate moot the moment the…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
August 13, 2025 at 8:46 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
The Housing Crisis: 50 Ways to Move Forward

For too long, the housing crisis has been met with silence, sugarcoating—or short-term fixes.

The result? Soaring costs, growing inequality, and rising political discontent. It’s time to act.

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/50-w...

#housing #crisis
July 15, 2025 at 7:22 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
A new DAILY URBAN DOSE:

The Tour de France as Urbanism in Practice.

#tourdefrance #urbanism #dailyurbandose #cycling #tacticalurbanism #tdf

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/tour...
Tour de France Urbanism – a Tale in 21 Stages - DAILY URBAN DOSE
I confess, I am a cycling enthusiast and every July – and since yesterday again, the Tour de France captivates me and many millions more as it snakes through countryside and city…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
July 6, 2025 at 8:21 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
A NEW DAILY URBAN DOSE IS HERE:

AI is here to #transform our #cities - whether we're ready or not.

#Urban planners are already embracing #AI to #design neighborhoods, predict traffic, and streamline bureaucracy. What works and doesn't.

Read HERE:
www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/arti...
June 30, 2025 at 5:59 AM
markusmla.bsky.social
Germany wants to boost it's housing production with a

HOUSING TUUUURRRBOOOO

Here my take on why that might not deliver but with tweaks it can:

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/germ...

#dailyurbandose #turbo #wohnungsbauturbo #housing #housingcrisis
Germany’s “Housing Turbo”: Acceleration Without Direction? - DAILY URBAN DOSE
Germany’s housing market has long stood at the intersection of economic stability and social equity. In recent years, however, a growing crisis—marked by soaring rents…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
June 19, 2025 at 10:28 AM
markusmla.bsky.social
A new DAILY URBAN DOSE has arrived and it's about Dutch politics this time!

🚨 Schoof I government has fallen: Dutch politics in crisis—but is it exactly what our cities need? 🚨

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/the-...

#politics #city #local #dailyurbandose
The Hague Is Dead, Long Live the City - Why Urban Power Is Rising from the Ruins of Dutch Politics - DAILY URBAN DOSE
The Hague has collapsed. Again. And while the Dutch may pride themselves on consensus politics and steady coalitions, this latest implosion—sparked by the populist hissy-fit of Geert Wilders—is not…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
June 7, 2025 at 8:27 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
Why are Dutch cities so filthy?
What is wrong with the lowlands - one of the richest countries in the world?

An attempt to answer:

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/arri...

#dailyurbandose #waste #civicpride #netherlands #nl #rotterdam
Arriving in the Netherlands - a Filthy Experience - DAILY URBAN DOSE
Time and time again, after returning from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Copenhagen, New York or Tallinn, I am appalled by the dirt and waste one is confronted with across the entire lowlands. While in the cities…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
May 26, 2025 at 8:54 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
NEOM’s The Line was sold as the future of cities. Now? It’s shrinking fast, and the cracks in the perfect image are showing. But that’s not the end and a beginning. What if this so-called failure is actually the foundation for something better?

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/from...
From Broken Line to Living Spine - How NEOM’s Line Can Lead Urban Innovation Differently - DAILY URBAN DOSE
In the vast desert sands of Saudi Arabia, an audacious experiment captured the imagination of urbanists, technologists, and futurists worldwide. NEOM’s “The Line” — a proposed 170-kilometer-long…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
May 22, 2025 at 7:27 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
What happens when cities built for oil-powered comfort meet a climate spiraling into extremes?

What can we do then. Here some suggestions:

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/futu...

#climatechange #ksa #saudi #adaptation #dailyurbandose
Future proofing Yesterday’s City - Living and Surviving in a Designed Desert - DAILY URBAN DOSE
As the world warms, few nations feel the heat as literally as Saudi Arabia. With daytime temperatures in major cities like Riyadh and Jeddah already reaching up to 63°C during summer months…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
May 17, 2025 at 2:03 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
DIAGRAMS

a beautiful show at @fondazioneprada.bsky.social in Venice on - diagrams -

Curated by OMA/AMO

Worth seeing - ideally before the flurry of Biënnale di Architettura at Arsenale and Giardini.
May 10, 2025 at 6:52 AM
markusmla.bsky.social
Lares and Penates: on building a sense of security in architecture

Polish Pavilion at Biënnale di Architectura - Venezia

Nice little show about humankind's inventions to feel safe and secure - presented with a humourous undertone.

#venice #labiennale #architecture
May 10, 2025 at 6:46 AM
markusmla.bsky.social
The Mirage of Expertise: How Big Consultancies Misread Saudi Arabia

They came with promises of transformation, armed with PowerPoint decks and polished pitches - it did not work out as planned.

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/what...

#ksa #consultancy #capacitybuilding #change
What the Big Consultancies Got Wrong in Saudi Arabia - And What Could Work Instead - DAILY URBAN DOSE
Alert: Unlike what many claim, it is not the end of consultancy! Broken Promises in the Land of Vision Saudi Arabia has long been a magnet for the world’s most prestigious consulting firms.
www.dailyurbandose.eu
May 8, 2025 at 8:18 AM
markusmla.bsky.social
What if Riyadh wasn’t just planned — but remembered?
What if the future of the Saudi capital wasn’t glass towers — but courtyards, canopy trees, and streets built for walking?

Riyadh 2050: A City That Breathes, Not Burns

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/riya...

#riyadh #ksa #masterplan #urbandesign
Riyadh, Rewritten: A City of Shade, Courtyards, and Slow Time - DAILY URBAN DOSE
Riyadh has never been a city at rest. From tribal camp to oil capital, from desert silence to the roar of six-lane highways, it has lived many lives. Today, it stands at a strange crossroads — more…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
May 4, 2025 at 9:11 AM
markusmla.bsky.social
What happens when the people who hold our cities together can no longer afford to live in them?

“Housing: The Slow Collapse of the Urban Dream” is a wake-up call.

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/hous...

#HousingCrisis #DailyUrbanDose
Housing: The Slow Collapse of the Urban Dream - DAILY URBAN DOSE
When Noor, a 28-year-old nurse in Amsterdam, was finally offered a full-time position at the University hospital of the University of Amsterdam, she should have been thrilled. Instead, she cried.
www.dailyurbandose.eu
May 1, 2025 at 1:11 PM
markusmla.bsky.social
A new DAILY URBAN DOSE has arrived!

💬 What if the future of cities wasn’t a choice between Rotterdam or Riyadh, but a dialogue between them?

www.dailyurbandose.eu/writing/what...

#saudi #ksa #europe #learning #cooperation
What Europe Can Learn from the Arab Peninsula & What the Peninsula Should Still Learn from Europe - DAILY URBAN DOSE
by a European Urban Planner Practicing on the Arab Peninsula I arrived in Saudi Arabia with a well-worn European planner’s toolkit—deep respect for history, a belief in incremental progress…
www.dailyurbandose.eu
April 28, 2025 at 2:38 PM