I graduated in 2009 from the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. One of my graduation projects was Ruend Perspectives, a 70 × 70 × 70 cm cube covered in chessboards seen from different perspectives. The patterns flow into each other and overlap, creating a layered and distorted visual effect. The cube was presented on a stand with its point facing downward—a reference to Rotterdam’s iconic cube houses. This piece reflects on the strategies behind urban development and the way we plan and construct new buildings. Back in 2009, I already saw an imbalance in Rotterdam’s housing market: an increasing number of expensive homes while affordable housing remained scarce. Now, in 2025, the housing crisis is even more severe, making this work as relevant as ever.