25 years of experience in the strategy and the development of port cities

Isabelle Vries has over 25 years of theoretical and practical experience in port city development. Today, she works part-time for the Municipality of Rotterdam and has her own consultancy office. Currently, she coordinates campus developments in the city.

Until 2022, she was alternately corporate strategist and area developer for the Port of Rotterdam Authority. Her latest position was general manager for the former port area MerweVierhavens (M4H), to be transformed into a mixed-use district for urban dwellings and innovative and creative industries. Before, Isabelle worked as senior advisor of Corporate Strategy at the Port of Rotterdam Authority and as program manager of the Port Vision 2030.

A recognized expertise in improving city port relation

In 2016 Isabelle was curator on behalf of the host city, Rotterdam, for the International Conference of Cities and Ports of the AIVP, entitled “Cross-Overs”.

She published several articles on port planning, port city relationships, and port city governance and was also co-author of the book “Port of Rotterdam, from City to Sea” (2015, NAi010 publishers).

Until 2015 Isabelle Vries was associate professor of applied sciences at the Rotterdam University of Applied Science. She holds two master degrees: Master City Developer at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Master Environmental Sciences at Wageningen University.

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