THE LAB OF THOUGHT / HAARLEMSTRATEGY DOCUMENT / 2027

Lab of Thought
Hub and Spoke
Plan 2027

01 / 12

The Lab of Thought scales through a hub and spoke model: the hub builds and protects the playbook, country spokes sell and deliver it, and each spoke pays the hub 15% of its turnover. Germany starts as a spoke in its first year, NL runs in its second year. This document brings together the strategy, the model, the products, the cost sheets, the financial model for 2027 and a five year projection.

02 / 12

Strategic framework 2026 to 2027

Vision

We envision cities that prioritize people over cars. For more than a century, car centric thinking has dominated public space and suppressed human connection, health and wellbeing. Reimagining cities as places of interaction, equity and joy requires systemic change: a shift in how we perceive, define and engage with our environments.

Mission

We drive the development of alternative frameworks, narratives and interventions that inspire systemic change. Through radical imagination and strategic experimentation, we disrupt entrenched paradigms and enable individuals, communities and institutions to co create urban realities that place people, not vehicles, at the center.

Identity

RESEARCH BASED ACTIVISTS

provocations rooted in academic rigor and strategic design, made to unsettle fixed ideas.

Opinionated commentators

media, critique and storytelling that highlight progressive and regressive urban practices.

Inspirational educators

tools, insights and confidence for people to reimagine their surroundings and enact local change.

Values and principles

ValuePrinciple
Human centered urbanismPeople first: cities designed by and for people.
Narrative responsibilityLanguage shapes reality: to change systems, shift the narrative.
Systemic awarenessIt's the system: car dominance is not accidental.
Paradigm shiftingOnce you've seen an alternative, you can't unsee it.
Experimental mindsetLearn through experimentation, with field labs.
Open knowledge cultureShare to scale: everything we learn, we share.

Strategy

We operate globally and act nationally, along two lines:

1. Awareness and advocacy: campaigns, stories and demonstrations that show the public what's possible.

2. Enablement and support: methodologies, coaching and networks for communities, civil servants and entrepreneurs to start and sustain change.

Way of working

We lead, we show rather than tell, we're bold but not rude, science driven, educators, partners and persistent. Our mentality is activistic and outspoken, knowledgeable and confident, optimistic and energetic.

What we do

Experiment (Parklet, Zebra printer, Just street, Fatcar, People's NCAP), Inspire (newsletter, social, PR, podcast, website, Frictioneer and Status Quo awards) and Educate (Ready Set Go, Crash Course, publications). We train people to become better questioners: Frictioneers.

03 / 12

Hub and spoke model

The hub builds and protects the Lab of Thought; the spokes sell and deliver it in their own country. Planned spokes are the Netherlands, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, each experimenting with radical ideas to challenge how its country thinks about cities and streets.

AreaHUB Spoke (country)
RoleOwns the playbook, brand and IP, and keeps quality consistent across countriesRuns the Lab of Thought playbook locally under its own leadership
CommunicationAll central communication: campaigns, newsletter, social, PR, podcast, websiteLocal voice: translating campaigns to the national context, local press and partners
ProductsDevelops and updates all courses and formats, including translated versionsSells and delivers keynotes, worksessions, Crash Courses, Ready Set Go and consultancy
SupportOnboarding, training the trainers, methods library, community platformCoaches local clients and participants
CommunityHosts the international network and the yearly eventBuilds and runs local membership of De Verenigde Straten
ExperimentsInitiates provocative campaigns like Fatcar and People's NCAPRuns local experiments and adapts hub campaigns
MarcoHis keynotes, opening talks, Ready Set Go sessions and coaching hours, billed separatelyBooks Marco and pays his fees directly
GovernanceSets licensing terms, monthly syncs, quarterly playbook reviewReports back, joins syncs and retros, feeds local learnings into the playbook

Two target groups, two business models

Organisations (municipalities, provinces, partnerships, infrastructure companies, consultants) are served through inspiration, training and coaching, on a consultancy basis. The community (individuals and groups who want to change their street or city) joins De Verenigde Straten on a subscription basis.

How the money flows

The spoke invoices its own clients and keeps the turnover. It pays its team for delivery hours, covers its local fixed costs and pays Marco's fees directly. It then pays the hub 15% of its turnover. In return, the hub carries the costs of communication, course development and support, so the spoke can focus on selling and delivering. For a new spoke like Germany, the hub frees up a budget covering the first 6 months of fixed costs.

04 / 12

Product overview

Seven products across two pillars: organisation and community. Prices exclude VAT. Contribution is internal: price minus direct delivery costs, before the 15% hub fee.

PillarProductFor whomFormatPriceDelivered byContribution per unit
OrganisationKeynoteConferences, councils, municipalities, provinces, consultancies45 to 60 min, live or online€5,000 with Marco, €2,500 with teamMarco or Lab of Thought team€3,500 / €1,700
OrganisationWorksessionTeams stuck on a concrete mobility taskHalf or full day, in house, up to 15 people€2,500 half day, €4,500 full dayLab of Thought team€1,300 / €2,500
OrganisationCrash CourseMunicipal teams starting out in the transition2 days, in house, up to 15 people€6,500 per team, creditable towards Ready Set GoLab of Thought team, opening talk by Marco€1,450
OrganisationReady Set GoMunicipal professionals12 weeks, online and physical, cohort of 20, UvA certificate via Coursera€1,495 per seat (€29,900 per cohort)Marco, with Lab of Thought coaching€2,580 per cohort
OrganisationConsultancy and transition coachingOrganisations with a complex change taskPer day€1,200 (placeholder)Lab of Thought team€400
Community, De Verenigde StratenStreet subscription, De Verenigde StratenStreets: residents, activists, local groups who want to change their streetAnnual subscription per street€500 per street per yearHub platform, local spoke€500
Community, De Verenigde StratenIndividual subscription, De Verenigde StratenIndividual Frictioneers who want to join the movementMonthly subscription€10 per month (€120 per year)Hub platform, local spoke€120 per year
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Product sheets

Prices exclude VAT

01 / 06

KEYNOTE

One hour that loosens a stuck conversation about cities and streets.

For whom
conferences, councils, municipalities, provinces and consultancies that want to open up the debate on mobility.
What you get
a provocative, research based talk that makes your audience see their streets differently and ask better questions about their future. Your people leave with a new lens on what is "normal" in mobility, and the energy to question it.
Topics
Hill of Hysteria; Why mobility language matters; John Lennon in bed.
Format
45 to 60 minutes, live or online.
Led by
Prof. Dr Marco te Brömmelstroet or the Lab of Thought team.
Investment
€5,000 with Marco, €2,500 with the Lab of Thought team, excluding VAT.
02 / 06

WORKSESSION

Bring one real dossier and leave with a reframed problem and a first experiment.

For whom
teams in municipalities, provinces, infrastructure companies and consultancies who are stuck on a concrete mobility task.
What you get
we question your dossier together, look at the system behind it and open up alternatives that were out of sight. You leave with a reframed problem statement, a first experiment idea you can start with, and an agreed next step for your team.
Format
half day or full day, in house.
Group size
up to 15 participants.
Led by
the Lab of Thought team.
Investment
€2,500 half day, €4,500 full day, excluding VAT.
03 / 06

CRASH COURSE

A 2 day introduction to the Ready Set Go method, for your whole team at once.

For whom
municipal teams that are starting out in the mobility transition and want a shared language and approach.
What you get
Prof. Dr Marco te Brömmelstroet opens with a talk on new perspectives on mobility and the system behind car dominance. The Lab of Thought team then guides your team through the rest of day 1 and puts experimentation into practice on day 2, using one of your own running projects. Your team leaves with a shared language for the mobility transition, a first experiment design for a real project, and a clear view of what the full Ready Set Go programme would add.
Format
2 days, in house.
Group size
up to 15 participants.
Led by
the Lab of Thought team, opening talk by Prof. Dr Marco te Brömmelstroet.
Investment
€6,500 per team, excluding VAT. The fee can be credited towards Ready Set Go seats.
04 / 06

READY SET GO

A 12 week learning journey that prepares municipal professionals for their role in the mobility transition.

For whom
municipal professionals who work on mobility, public space or the transition, and want to drive change in their own organisation.
What you get
the programme offers new perspectives on mobility, lets participants experience the value of experimentation and helps them apply insights directly to their ongoing tasks and projects. It connects academic knowledge with real world practice. Participants finish with tools and instruments to drive transitions in their organisation, hands on experience with experimenting on their own projects, and a certificate from the University of Amsterdam.
Format
12 weeks, online and physical, with weekly coaching.
Group size
cohort of 20 participants.
Led by
Prof. Dr Marco te Brömmelstroet, Professor of Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam, with coaching by the Lab of Thought team.
Certificate
University of Amsterdam, via Coursera.
Investment
€1,495 per seat, excluding VAT.
05 / 06

STREET SUBSCRIPTION, DE VERENIGDE STRATEN

Your street becomes part of a movement that breaks through the status quo, with the tools and support to do it yourselves.

For whom
residents and local groups who want to change their own street and have been inspired to go from talking to doing.
What you get
De Verenigde Straten is an open source community with an ongoing programme of learning and experiments. Your street is trained and supported to question the status quo and test alternatives on its own pavement. Your street gets:
Included
  • One on one onboarding and coaching for your street team
  • Ready Set Go Light: the training to start experimenting in your street
  • Tools and methods to run experiments, and the experiments exchange to learn from other streets
  • Free access to the methods and knowledge library
  • A place on the community platform and at the yearly event
  • Opportunities to take part in research
Format
Annual subscription per street
For
One street team
Led by
The local spoke, on the Lab of Thought community platform
Investment
€500 per street per year, excluding VAT.
06 / 06

INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIPTION, DE VERENIGDE STRATEN

Join the movement of Frictioneers: people who ask better questions about their streets and their future.

For whom
individuals who have been inspired by our campaigns and communication, want more, and want to become better questioners themselves.
What you get
access to everything the Lab of Thought knows and shares, and a community of people who refuse to accept the status quo. You get:
Included
  • Free access to all materials, tools and methods
  • The methods and knowledge library, always up to date
  • Ask me anything sessions and the question hour
  • Ask a Frictioneer: direct answers from people who have done it
  • A place on the community platform and at the yearly event
  • Opportunities to take part in research
06 / 12

Results for clients per activity

ActivityWhat the client gets
KeynoteThe audience sees the mobility system and car dominance as a choice, not a given. People leave asking better questions about their streets and their own role. A stuck debate opens up, creating room for new ideas and next steps.
WorksessionA reframed problem statement for one real dossier. A first experiment idea the team can start with right away. An agreed next step, owned by the team.
Crash CourseA shared language for the mobility transition across the whole team. A first experiment design for one of the team's own projects. Hands on experience with experimenting to break through deadlock. A clear view of what Ready Set Go would add.
Ready Set GoProfessionals who can lead transitions, with tools and instruments to do so. New perspectives grounded in University of Amsterdam knowledge. Insights applied to their own projects during the 12 weeks. A UvA certificate. A network of peers from other municipalities.
Consultancy and transition coachingAn analysis of where the system blocks the desired change. A tailored approach and experiment plan for a complex change task. Guidance during implementation, so the transition actually moves.
Street subscription, De Verenigde StratenAccess to all tools, methods and the latest knowledge. Onboarding and training to change their own street or neighbourhood. A community of Frictioneers to exchange experiments with. Access to research opportunities and the yearly event.
Individual subscription, De Verenigde StratenAccess to all tools, methods and the latest knowledge. Ask me anything sessions and the methods library. A place in the international community of Frictioneers and access to the yearly event.
07 / 12

Cost sheets

Internal

Team and coaching hours at €100 per hour; values marked with a star are placeholders.

Crash Course (one team)

ItemCalculationAmount
Revenue1 team€6,500
Preparation8 hrs × €100€800
Delivery, hub team2 trainers × 2 days × 8 hrs × €100€3,200
Marco, introduction talk *flat€750
Materials and travel *flat€300
Total costs€5,050
Margin€1,450

Venue is hosted by the client, since the course is in house.

Ready Set Go (one cohort of 20)

ItemCalculationAmount
Revenue20 seats × €1,495€29,900
Coursera UvA platform and certificate30% of revenue€8,970
Coaching1 day per week × 12 weeks × 8 hrs × €100€9,600
Marco's sessions *4 sessions × €1,500€6,000
Venue and catering, physical days *3 days × €750€2,250
Materials *flat€500
Total costs€27,320
Margin€2,580

Price scenarios, 20 seats

Seat priceNet per seat after 30%Break evenResult at 20 seats
€999€69927 seats€4,364
€1,495€1,04718 seats€2,580
€1,950€1,36514 seats€8,950

The 30% Coursera cut is needed for the UvA certificate. At €999 a cohort doesn't break even; €1,495 is the minimum for a viable cohort.

08 / 12

Financial model 2027

Internal

In Base, the Lab as a whole ends 2027 at €81,540: both spokes are profitable and the hub breaks even once Marco's fees are counted. Germany runs in its first year as a spoke, NL in its second. Figures in red are losses or costs.

Key assumptions

The hub takes 15% of each spoke's gross turnover and in return does all communication, course development and support. Marco's presentations and coaching hours are outside the 15%: spokes pay them directly. Team and coaching hours cost €100 per hour. A street subscription to De Verenigde Straten costs €500 per street per year. An individual subscription costs €10 a month (€120 a year). Germany's fixed costs are €2,500 a month, NL's €3,000 a month (placeholders). The hub frees up 6 months of Germany's fixed costs: €15,000. Hub costs per year: communication €36,000, core course development €10,000, localisation €10,000 per new spoke, support and onboarding €8,000 per active spoke (placeholders).

Volumes per scenario

ProductDE LowDE BaseDE HighNL LowNL BaseNL High
Keynote, Marco123358
Keynote, team24661015
Worksession, half day123358
Worksession, full day123358
Crash Course123358
Ready Set Go cohorts011123
Consultancy days010203060100
Street subscriptions51020153050
Individual subscriptions2575150150300500

Spoke results

DE LowDE BaseDE HighNL LowNL BaseNL High
Turnover€29,000€102,900€152,400€161,900€300,300€480,200
of which street subscriptions€2,500€5,000€10,000€7,500€15,000€25,000
of which individual subscriptions€3,000€9,000€18,000€18,000€36,000€60,000
Contribution€17,650€44,880€75,030€76,530€140,910€228,240
Hub fee 15%€4,350€15,435€22,860€24,285€45,045€72,030
Fixed costs€30,000€30,000€30,000€36,000€36,000€36,000
Hub budget, 6 months€15,000€15,000€15,000
Spoke result€1,700€14,445€37,170€16,245€59,865€120,210

Hub results

LowBaseHigh
Fee income, Germany€4,350€15,435€22,860
Fee income, NL€24,285€45,045€72,030
Hub costs incl. Germany budget€87,000€87,000€87,000
Hub result€58,365€26,520€7,890
Marco's fees paid by spokes€15,000€33,750€48,750
Hub result incl. Marco's fees€43,365€7,230€56,640
Lab total result€28,820€81,540€214,020

How to read the spoke result, Germany Base

StepAmountWhat it is
Turnover€102,900Everything the spoke invoices, including 10 street subscriptions at €500 and 75 individual subscriptions at €120
Delivery hours€25,600The spoke's own people, paid €100 per hour.
Coaching hours, Ready Set Go€9,60096 hrs at €100 per hour.
Marco's fees€10,500Keynotes, Crash Course opening talks, Ready Set Go sessions.
Coursera€8,97030% of Ready Set Go revenue.
Venue and materials€3,350
Contribution€44,880What the work itself earns.
Hub fee 15%€15,435For communication, course development and support.
Fixed costs€30,000Local lead's non billable time, travel and tools.
Hub budget, 6 months€15,000Hub pays half of Germany's year 1 fixed costs.
Spoke result€14,445Left for the spoke.
Turnover
€102,900
Delivery hours
€77,300
Coaching hours
€67,700
Marco's fees
€57,200
Coursera
€48,230
Venue and materials
€44,880
Contribution
€44,880
Hub fee 15%
€29,445
Fixed costs
€555
Hub budget
€14,445
Spoke result
€14,445

Every delivery hour is already paid before the result, so the spoke result is extra: a buffer, growth money or profit for the spoke owner. The hub fee is charged on turnover, so the hub earns even when a spoke makes a loss. Without the hub budget, Germany Base would end at €555.

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Five year projection 2027 to 2031

In Base, two new spokes per year take the Lab from €81,540 in 2027 to €930,040 in 2031, and the hub lives on the 15% alone from 2029.

Assumptions

2027 is as modelled: NL in its second year, Germany in its first. From 2028, two new spokes join every year, so there are 10 spokes by 2031. A new spoke performs like Germany in its first year, including the €15,000 hub budget, and like NL from its second year onward, with no further growth. Hub costs grow with the network: communication and core course development stay flat, localisation is added per new spoke and support per active spoke.

22027
42028
62029
82030
102031

Five year results

20272028202920302031
Active spokes246810
of which new12222
Spoke turnover€403,200€806,400€1,407,000€2,007,600€2,608,200
Hub fee income€60,480€120,960€211,050€301,140€391,230
Hub costs€87,000€128,000€144,000€160,000€176,000
Hub result€26,520€7,040€67,050€141,140€215,230
Marco's fees€33,750€67,500€114,000€160,500€207,000
Hub result incl. Marco€7,230€60,460€181,050€301,640€422,230
All spoke results€74,310€148,620€268,350€388,080€507,810
Lab total€81,540€209,080€449,400€689,720€930,040

What the projection shows

1.

Subscriptions are the strongest lever. Each individual subscriber adds €102 to the spoke and €18 to the hub, with no delivery hours. Payment and platform costs are not yet included, and first year subscribers pay for less than 12 months.

2.

Marco is the bottleneck, not the money. By 2031 Base has him doing about 50 keynotes, 50 Crash Course opening talks and 18 Ready Set Go cohorts a year. Scaling needs other speakers per country, recorded parts of Ready Set Go, or the Marco keynote as a scarce premium product.

3.

Hub costs are probably too low at scale. From around 6 spokes the hub will need extra people, which the Base hub result can carry.

4.

New spokes don't burden the network. With the hub budget, each new spoke is profitable from year 1 in Base. Finding the right local leads is the harder part.

5.

Even Low turns positive. In Low the Lab breaks even in 2029 and the hub in 2031.

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What the model tells us

1.

The 15% alone doesn't carry the hub in 2027. The hub's structural costs of €72,000 need €480,000 in spoke turnover at 15%. In Base, two spokes bring in €403,200 in 2027. Marco's fees close the gap, so the hub depends on him until the network grows: from 6 spokes in 2029, the fee alone carries the hub.

2.

Ready Set Go costs the spoke money under the current fee. A cohort contributes €2,580, but 15% of €29,900 is €4,485, leaving the spoke €1,905 short per cohort. Calculating the fee on turnover after the Coursera cut, or a seat price of €1,950, fixes this.

3.

Consultancy margin is thin. €1,200 a day against €800 in hours leaves €400, of which €180 goes to the hub. The Haarlem day rate decides whether consultancy is worth scaling.

4.

Keynotes are the strongest margin product. At €5,000 and €2,500 they carry Germany into profit in Base, so they're worth pushing in Germany's first 6 months.

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Planning and task division

Priority 1 has to be done before the first sale, Priority 2 before Germany starts in January 2027, and Priority 3 during Germany's first months on its 6 month hub budget.

Priority 1: foundation (October to mid December 2026)

#TaskHub doesSpoke doesWhenOutput
1.1Joint agreement on north star and strategyDrafts the north star from the strategic framework, leads the sessionAdds local context, commits to targets, signs offOctoberOne page north star, signed by hub and spokes
1.2Sellable products for organisationsFinalises the product sheetsTests them with 3 to 5 local prospects, translatesOctober to NovemberSeven products, ready to sell
1.3Price listSets base prices and settles the open points: Marco's fee, Ready Set Go price, consultancy rate, VATChecks local price levels, proposes adjustments within an agreed rangeFirst half of NovemberOne price list with country ranges
1.4Finance plan, next 6 monthsCash plan November to April, the Germany budget, invoicing of the 15%Own 6 month budget, pipeline targets, monthly reportingNovemberHub and spoke budgets, reporting format
1.5Deliverables of methods and productsDescribes per product what the client gets, format and quality standardChecks them during the first deliveries and gives feedbackNovember to mid DecemberDeliverables sheet per product

Priority 2: ready to scale (mid November 2026 to February 2027)

#TaskHub doesSpoke doesWhenOutput
2.1Renewed website with testimonials and proofRebuilds the site, collects proof from Haarlem, Fatcar and People's NCAPLocal landing page in its own language, collects testimonials after first deliveriesDecember to FebruaryWebsite with cases and testimonials
2.2Comms plan and newsletterCentral comms plan, editorial calendar, international newsletterLocal channels, local press, local input for the newsletterDecember to JanuaryComms plan, first newsletter out
2.3Scaling strategyCriteria for new countries, spoke onboarding template, shortlist for the two 2028 spokesGermany shares its learnings as the pilotJanuary to FebruaryScaling strategy and onboarding template
2.4Liability plan with standard contractsSpoke licence agreement, client terms, agreement with Marco, checked by a lawyerLocal legal check (German law), uses the templatesMid November to DecemberContract set, signed spoke licence
2.5Product templates for running projectsTemplates per product: proposal, planning, evaluationUses them, improves themJanuary to FebruaryTemplate set per product

Priority 3: running smoothly (February to July 2027)

#TaskHub doesSpoke doesWhenOutput
3.1Standard operational flowFlow from sale to delivery to invoice, shared pipeline, monthly sync and retrosWorks in the flow, reports monthlyFebruary to MarchOperations handbook
3.2Staffing planHub roles as the network grows, including speakers besides MarcoLocal team and trainersMarchStaffing plan hub and spokes
3.3Facilitator kitsKits per product, train the trainer programmeTrains local facilitatorsMarch to AprilFacilitator kits, first trainers certified
3.4Community execution planPlatform and international community, once the rest proves to workLocal streets and individual membersDecision in July 2027Go or no go on the community

Two adjustments to the order

1.

Contracts move forward. Germany can't sell or start in January without a signed spoke licence and client terms, so 2.4 runs from mid November alongside Priority 1.

2.

The community plan is a decision moment. July 2027, after Germany's first 6 months, is the point to decide whether the community works. Since subscriptions are the strongest lever in the projection, a light version (individual subscriptions via the website) runs from the start to collect early evidence.

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Open points

  • Marco's fee per keynote ( €5,000 keynote).
  • Coaching day rate, benchmarked on the Haarlem engagement.
  • Number of subscribed streets per spoke for De Verenigde Straten.
  • Realistic number of individual subscribers per spoke
  • Marco's capacity: who else can deliver keynotes and Ready Set Go sessions from 2029
  • Hub fee on gross turnover or on turnover after the Coursera cut.
  • Ready Set Go seat price: €1,495 or €1,950.
  • Fixed costs per spoke and hub cost budgets.
  • Confirm all prices exclude VAT.