Haven by Sem Langendijk tells the coming-of-age story of a boy in a rapidly changing environment, based on memories of surroundings that no longer exist. Langendijk (NL) witnessed the unrooting effects of gentrification during his upbringing in the periphery of a large city. After the neighbourhood transformed into a waterfront, he realised he no longer identified with this area, having lost his connection to the place he lived in for nearly thirty years. The book opens with the question: to whom does the city belong?

The body of work is the result of a long-term research project into shifting demographics, waterfront development and the dynamics of gentrification. Due to social inequality and urbanisation, people are continuously driven to relocate, particularly within post-industrial cities. Haven brings together the environments of different port cities in a documentary fiction, highlighting the transformation of disused docklands and the communities that reside there.

The book is structured in two parts. The first chapter consists of a personal testimony; the second chapter contains the background research, providing context for that testimony. Concept and photography are by Sem Langendijk, with text by Sem Langendijk and Taco Hidde Bakker. Text assistance was by Noa Ben-David, proofreading by Hannah Vernier, and design by Rob van Hoesel. Lithography was by Sebastiaan Hanekroot (Colour&Books), production by Jos Morree (Fine Books), and print and binding by Wilco Art Books (NL). The project was supported by the Mondriaan Fonds, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst and Aedes.

This hardcover edition measures 215 × 295 mm and runs to 152 pages in English. The first edition was limited to 750 copies.