Zef Hemel is a Dutch urban and regional planner who currently holds the Abe Bonnema Chair at Delft Technical University and the University of Groningen. He previously served as Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Amsterdam and held leading roles in Rotterdam and Amsterdam’s planning departments. Earlier in his career, he was chief editor of Stedebouw & Ruimtelijke Ordening, directed the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture, and organized the “Creative Cities” symposium. Hemel studied human geography in Groningen and earned his PhD in art history at the University of Amsterdam, receiving the Prof. Ter Veen Award in 1994.