Peter Heuvelink on the transformation to Blink
A new name, a fresh identity. The Netherlands is calling out for affordable, sustainable, and joyful neighborhoods. Simply developing houses is no longer enough—more and more people are looking for living environments that actively contribute to their health and well-being. With this vision in mind, Janssen de Jong Projectontwikkeling is taking an important step forward: the company will continue under the name Blink. Backed by 55 years of experience, we work closely with housing associations, municipalities, and investors to shape a future that truly holds promise. Peter Heuvelink, Managing Director of Project Development at JAJO, explains how a bold approach leads to vibrant communities.
Janssen de Jong Projectontwikkeling is now Blink. According to Peter, the choice for a new name is a natural evolution: “Together, we looked at how to prepare the organization—including our four regional offices—for the future. The new name and vision are a logical continuation of JAJO’s overall rebranding, which began a few years ago to ensure long-term resilience. By adopting a clear and consistent way of working, in which we make full use of each other’s knowledge and expertise, we create more unity, a stronger learning culture, and greater quality for our partners.”
Vibrant neighbourhoods
“This way of working results in vibrant neighborhoods, which is our calling card for every development. We bring this to life for each project with our ‘Neighborhood Magnet’, which is built around our four core strengths: happiness & health, sustainability, co-creation, and customer experience. We don’t just focus on our own project, but look at the well-being of the wider neighborhood and what that specific place truly needs. This gives us a solid foundation to pursue the ambitions we believe in. What does architecture, space for connection, or sustainability actually contribute to our promise of creating a vibrant community? That’s the conversation we need to have first. Only then do we get to work.”
Matching our culture
What does the client want and what concerns do they have? Can we do something about it together? What can I as an individual do in this? First you, then us, then me, that is how we work. Developing a vibrant neighbourhood takes guts. Is it more difficult? Yes. Is it impossible? Not as far as we are concerned. An affordable, sustainable and happy neighbourhood is what we want to deliver. We put a firm emphasis on it and our internal processes are aligned to it. It suits the culture and the people we have; our outstanding people. They are 100% behind it because we went through the exercise to Blink together.”
Blink, and the neighbourhood buzzes
From this dream, the name Blink was born. It brings with it a positive feeling. Excelling at something requires guts, courage and gaining confidence. We profile ourselves as developers of vibrant neighbourhoods, because the scale of the neighbourhood suits us well. Whether it is a project in a village or a housing complex in the city; happiness and health are our intrinsic motivation to make healthy neighbourhoods. We offer more social significance than just solving housing challenges. By influencing people’s well-being and wellbeing. Where well-being in a neighbourhood is good, everyone has a better perspective. We focus on that early in the development process.”
Pride in the neighbourhood
“A vibrant neighborhood, to me, is a place where you know your neighbors, where people greet each other, and where there’s something going on. You should feel as proud of your neighborhood as you are of your local sports club. To achieve that, in one project we might focus more on getting people involved, while in another we emphasize the sustainable character. At the start, we pile on ambitions, but always in the right balance. Scoring a perfect ten on everything and still making the business case work simply isn’t realistic.”
Impact on well-being
“In the past, we were often seen as a developer that builds, and we approached the development process in a fairly traditional way. As a result, we felt like we were missing opportunities and impact. Now, we present ourselves 100% as a developer and take a more active role from the start of the process. We want to create a future that truly has a future. By having more influence on well-being, that vision comes together. That’s how a vibrant neighborhood takes shape.”