I speak with Daan Grasveld about building jungles where none should exist—and what happens when you let nature take root.
S6E9: Trees on Top — How Stress Tests, Substrate & Sensors Green “Impossible” Places with Daan Grasveld of Urban Jungle Project
December 7, 2025
Recorded in the heart of Tilburg—a Dutch city that has transformed from one of Europe’s hottest heat islands into a showcase of regreening—I met arborist Erwin van Herwijnen of New Urban Standard. We stood in the City Hall square, surrounded by paving stones and a few big trees. To the casual observer, it looked like any other plaza. But Erwin smiled as he gestured underfoot: “Right here, we can handle three and a half million liters of water.”
