A neighborhood park as a social heart
Jorien Mesu & Blerina Nimanaj
What once was an ordinary neighborhood space is developing into a vibrant social heart where residents, students, and organizations find each other. A place where the principle “be the change you want to see in the world” is increasingly becoming reality.
Van Epenpark Middelburg
A neighborhood park that connects. That is what Jorien Mesu and Blerina Nimanaj, both working at HZ University of Applied Sciences, aim to achieve through their involvement in Van Epenpark.
Van Epenpark in Middelburg is designed as a multifunctional space: a playground, meeting area, and community garden in one. This creates not only a green environment, but also a space where sustainable living, slowing down, health promotion, and genuine human connection are central. Instead of a traditional top-down design, participation is key: residents actively co-design and co-develop the park.
Living lab for social issues
What distinguishes this initiative is the strong link between social entrepreneurship, education, and research. From HZ and the Work Place Social Domain Zeeland, the park functions as a living lab where societal challenges are explored in practice. Topics such as inclusion, biodiversity, social cohesion, sustainability, and connection come together here. Students play an active role and learn by collaborating directly with the neighborhood. Education thus becomes a driver of social change.
This is where the changemaking power of Jorien and Blerina lies. They do not wait for change but actively create movement. They connect people, bring different worlds together, and show that real change starts small and grows through shared ownership. The park develops step by step, carried by everyone involved.
Shared ownership
The impact is increasingly visible. Around a hundred students are now involved in the park’s development, alongside a growing group of residents. This creates shared ownership: the park belongs to no single party, but to everyone together. This collective involvement forms a strong community where people meet, support, and inspire each other.
For Jorien and Blerina, this is exactly the essence. They show how collaboration between education, research, and society not only generates ideas but truly creates change: visible, tangible, and collectively owned. and humanity.
