Biography

Dirk Holemans (°1965) is author, urban storyteller, keynote speaker and coordinator of Oikos think tank.

Oikos is a think-tank that strives for socio-ecological change by feeding the social debate with inspiring publications, informative lectures and international conferences. Dirk is also editor-in-chief of the eponymous quarterly magazine and parliamentary adviser. Besides that, he is doctoral researcher affiliated with the University of Antwerp.

As an urban storyteller, he likes to take you on historical walks through the city. Together with Noël Callebaut, his focus is on Hunger for Ghent: city history told through the lens of food.

Previously, Dirk worked as a researcher and teacher at various universities. Later, he became a member of the Flemish Parliament and for 20 years he was active as a local mandatary for Groen in Ghent. Within the European network, he is active as co-chairman of the Green European Foundation.

His op-ed pieces regularly appear in the media. In 2012 he published the book Mensen maken de stad. Bouwstenen voor een sociaalecologische toekomst (“People make the city. Building blocks for a socio-ecological future”). In 2016 he published Vrijheid & Zekerheid (“Freedom & Security. Towards a socio-ecological society”), a year later the essay Freedom & Security in a Complex World (translated into D / F / H). In 2018 he was the co-editor of Op grond van samenwerking. Woningen, voedsel en trage wegen als heruitgevonden commons (“On the basis of cooperation. Housing, food and slow roads like reinvented commons”).

Dirk lives with his wife Els in Ghent, and is a proud father of two daughters. He graduated as a bio-engineer and later broadened his horizons with studies in philosophy (candidacy) and management (master in business economics).