Faking Diversity: Neo-traditionalist Housing in the Netherlands

The increase in neo-traditional style construction in the Dutch housing market has resulted in a preference for this style, with research showing a 15% price premium on average for this type of housing. However, this preference is not shared by most designers and critics, who see neo-traditionalism as a form of regression. Neo-traditional...

Resilience: the term's evolution from 19th-century medicine to diverse applications today

Resilience has become an increasingly popular concept, particularly in the context of climate change and its impact on the environment and cities. Its history and meaning are multifaceted, with various definitions across different disciplines, geocultural contexts, and historical periods. What is the etymology of resilience? How was it used...

Collective test: Can generative tools working autonomously create new cultures in the long run?

The term AI has entered the creative industry in the last decades. Computer based design is now omnipresent in everyday life. Will AI take over the creative industry? Can they autonomously be creative? These are some of the headlines propagated by the mainstream media. This paper will unveil the human labor behind these computer generated...

Mapping urban diversity: Vernacular, modernist and contemporary Matera

This thesis takes the Southern Italian city of Matera as a case study to analyse the role urban diversity plays in the growth of cities. The analysis focuses on tracking changes in intensity and distribution of urban diversity in representative moments of Matera’s development, from the expansion of the vernacular neighbourhood of the Sassi with...

I am de-n-city: Reallocation of space: transforming urban environment into a circular system

The Amsterdam Metropolitan area, and especially Amsterdam city, attracts large amounts of people due to the diverse economy opportunities, cultural and recreational activities, and the strong connection of the region by public transport and road network. The need for space, resources, and mobility are increasing and will keep increasing due to...