Who I am

I am Arjan Jager, an urban designer based in Chicago. I use design to connect people with each other, with their neighborhood and with opportunities. I enjoy working on multiple scales and am passionate about creating designs together that impact people’s lives tomorrow, next year and in 10 years.

My goal is always to create a better living environment. Better for the people and organizations I collaborate with, better for other people living and working in the neighborhood, and also better for the planet. Aim high, every little bit helps.

The diversity of the city,

intense

with quiet places,

the people

and how we use it.

Inspiring every day.

I have 20 years of international experience in strategic urban transformation of cities. In the Netherlands, my home country, I worked for the Planning Department of Amsterdam and leading urban design and landscape architecture offices. I also worked and lived in Zimbabwe and Indonesia, where simple, spot on designs can make a huge impact on quality of life.

In the US I worked on several projects in the Bay Area before becoming the first urban designer for the City of Oklahoma City, where I teamed up with residents, developers, politicians, planners, engineers and other experts to make plans and policies for a more walkable, bicycleable, sustainable and inclusive city.

I enjoy combining my urban design work with teaching, which I did for many years at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam and at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa.

Since 2019 I call Chicago home and recently I spoke about Dutch urban design at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I also make art, mostly inspired by observations of city life.