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‘Urban regeneration’ has been an important concept for many post industrial urban areas. There might be uncountable reasons why the places need to be regenerated with the urban complexity. Some places are simply too old and some of them are too small for the new urban demands. Sometimes the urban places are forced to be regenerated by war or terror attack. However, we can find the common motivation from all the regeneration cases, it can be summed up in ‘losing or challenging the original function’. The ultimate goal of every single urban regeneration process is ‘making better place’, and the process will be done by replacing, modifying or strengthening the original function. In this project, the urban regeneration process is started by the lost function as a city airport. The key element is ‘Emptiness’. Regeneration by emptiness is not special cases in this post modern era, for example, many industrial sites and factories moved away from urban area and the empty places have been filled with diverse new functions. However, this project has its very special aspect from its extreme size. ‘380ha space of inner-city’ was emptied in a day. Moreover, the nature of airport is giving a very different perspective to the project – it is all _at, hardly connected surrounding urban fabric, controlled by one single building, unusual topography by the runways, and etc. In short, the main concern of the project is about how the huge emptiness can be filled with new urban functions for the metropolis Berlin and the neighborhoods, at the same time, it will be considered which part of the space can be preserved for the future of Berlin.

To regenerate neighbourhoods of North Tower Hamlets by improving living environment and public space with child-friendly concept

Integrate Schiedam Centrum Railway Station and its surroundings into local urban context with a view to the Transit-Oriented Development strategy

Project background This graduation project is performed to gain a grasp on the relationship between public transport system investments and urban development and regeneration. In what way do they influence each other, how can they benefit from each other and what conditions are necessary to create this sort synergetic relationship? A framework of theories and tools is developed which can help urban planners to implement urban public transport (upt) systems into the socio-spatial urban fabric in an efficient manner. The graduation project is the final project of the master track Urbanism at the Faculty of Architecture at the Delft University of Technology and is performed in collaboration with the Department of Traffic and Transportation at dS+V Rotterdam. Research techniques The different research techniques used within the course of the project are literature research, empirical research and location specific research and design. The literature study performed provides insight in the relation between upt systems and urban development and regeneration and the factors which could positively influence this relation. The empirical framework is composed out different cases and literature (primarily professional and policy papers). Special attention will be given to the relation of new peri-urban expansions in combination with an expansion of the urban transport system. Two cases have been extensively researched: Ypenburg (Den Haag) and IJburg (Amsterdam). The location specific research and design concerns the Vinex-neighbourhood of Carnisselande (Barendrecht). Location analysis is performed and design propositions on different levels of scale are made for the neighbourhood and its regional context. Results An important research outcome is that pt investments positively influences urban development and regeneration projects linked to pt investments. These positive effects are however modest and could be enhanced when proper design, planning and policy measures are being taken. These measures (involving pt design; urban design; pt system service and functioning and urban planning & policy) have been researched and summarized within the Planning & Design Tool booklet. This gained knowledge is next integrated into a design which is aimed to improve the quality of urbanity and pt system quality of Carnisselande. Design The design consists from adaptations and additions to the local and regional public transport network while the embedment of these networks into the socio-spatial fabric of Carnisselande and Barendrecht have been researched and designed. Different types of urban development zones are linked to the introduced pt system investment and provide the neighbourhood with the much needed possibility to develop into a neighbourhood with a more interesting, diverse and high quality urban environment, making it suitable for a larger mix of lifestyles and flavours and less dependant on surrounding regional urban centers. The more efficient and diverse pt system provides Carnisselande with a larger potential reach, which allows the inhabitants to reach more (work) facilities and places within the same amount of time while make Carnisselande more interesting for business and facilities to settle. The symbiotic design of the pt network and the urban socio-spatial fabric provide Carnisselande with the possibility to develop into a sustainable and interesting urban neighbourhood.

This thesis is a specific research of the south side of the transborder region of San Diego/Tijuana and its drastic housing deficit caused by continuous migration and uncontrollable population growth. Together, the city of Tijuana in the Mexican side and the city of San Diego in the American side conform the largest urban agglomeration that borders this two countries. Focusing on a thorough understanding and critical aproach of Tijuana’s historical spatial planing and its consequential housing developments, the research aims to prove how border industrialization and contemporary housing policies have promoted the uncontrollable and unsustainable dispersed urban growth responsible for the dramatic spatial and social divisions that are represented in the morphology of the city. Using this critical analysis and projecting into the city’s immediate future in regards to its housing development, the thesis will give answers to the following inquiries: How the socio-economic trends have affected the inner city? Why are the disadvantage citizens marginalized in the periphery while the inner city has the capacity of further densification? What are the strategies to return or encroach upon the inner city in order to increase the housing stock in a sustainable way? Finally, seeking through mapping, design, planning, organization and evaluation, an alternative urban strategy is given for affordable housing that provides increased urban integration, greater densification and social cohabitation while promoting a needed urban regeneration tactic for the highly deteriorated fabric of the center of Tijuana. The problematic of this specific case exist in many undeveloped countries around the world, where the cities are not capable to cope with the phenomenon of migration, nevertheless the nature of Tijuana is much more complex due to its dialectic environment and its closeness and attraction with the first world. The thesis is submerged in this context and deal with the a gap between the citizens and the right to the city and to proper housing.

Een ontwerpend onderzoek naar fysiek-ruimtelijke ingrepen om ontmoetingen en uitwisseling tussen de lokale bevolking, toeristen en golfers mogelijk te maken in de Costa Blanca, Spanje.

The industrial development after the destruction of the Second World War in Silesia region was not only an enormous achievement in reconstruction; it also caused massive environmental damage. Moreover, as a result of the political upheaval in central and Eastern Europe, the region’s heavy industry was no longer competitive. Between 1998 and 2001 alone about 300,000 jobs in heavy industry were lost. Job reduction results in a gradual loss in population. The older industrial areas and their affiliated housing estates are viewed today as the complicated regional heritage. The main objective of my project was to improve the economic, social, and environmental conditions in the chosen area in regards to the industrial heritage and contemporary strengths and weaknesses of the region.

During the past 200 years urban planning mainly focused on managing the growth of the urban fabric. However, an increasing amount of areas are facing with shrinkage. This will provoke new types of interventions and strategies in order to deal with the different consequences and effects of the shrinkage.

Fundamentele veranderingen in havens en de locatie van deze havens hebben een grote impact op de relatie tussen de stad en de betreffende haven. Deze veranderingen worden meestal veroorzaakt door globalisering. De havens willen hun concurrentiepositie op de markt behouden waardoor technologische innovaties nodig zijn en een verandering in productie nodig zijn. Als gevolg hiervan verplaatsten de havens zich vaak naar gebieden buiten de oude stadscentra waar meer ruimte en mogelijkheden voor groei zijn. Deze evolutie heeft ervoor gezorgd dat er wereldwijd in verscheidene havensteden oud verlaten havengebied nabij de binnenstad is achtergebleven. Hierdoor is de connectie tussen water en de binnenstad verbroken. Deze oude havengebieden bieden echter een grote verscheidenheid aan mogelijkheden voor diverse herontwikkelingsprojecten. Het blijkt dat deze ontwikkelingen een belangrijke rol spelen bij fysieke, materiële en economische ontwikkelingen van havensteden. De waterkant is een uniek fenomeen voor stedelijke ontwikkeling. Het imago van water stimuleert het ontwikkelen van een unieke sfeer. De verandering van de oude havens en van het aanverwant transport in de oud-industriële gebieden, laat toe dat het publiek toegang krijgt tot deze verlaten “stedelijke rand”. Het betreffende gebied kan worden teruggewonnen voor de bewoners van de stad en kan een maatschappelijke betekenis bieden (Breen, 1994). Om de toegang voor de bewoners tot deze oude haven gebieden te voorzien is er een verandering van de stedelijke strategie in de havensteden vereist. Deze strategie dient die zich aan te passen aan de nieuwe stedelijke condities. Men moet een nieuwe visie creëren over het veranderen van de leefomstandigheden, over de groeiende dichtheid van de stad en over de identiteit van de stat als havenstad. Dit soort havensteden zijn op zoek naar nieuwe kansen voor de oude verlaten havengebieden en staan open voor diverse aanpassingen om aantrekkelijke, levendige en onderscheidende steden te worden. Het woord “waterfront” is gedefinieerd als het stedelijk gebied dat rechtstreeks contact heeft met het water. Deze gebieden aan een rivier of zee werden voorheen vooral gebruikt voor havenactiviteiten, haveninfrastructuur, verlaten natuurgebieden en voor kleinschalige, informele industrieen. De vernieuwing van deze waterkant gaat gepaard met uitdagingen en kansen om een ruimtelijk gebied te ontwikkelen dat economische en sociale verbetering stimuleert. De transformatie van de waterkant van havensteden kan de stad weer een uniek en persoonlijk imago geven. Het culturele leven kan dicht bij het water van een havenstad gebracht worden. Dit afstudeeronderzoek is erop gericht om de stad Antwerpen te revitaliseren door het gebruik van de oude havengebieden te stimuleren. Het afstudeerproject richt zich op de transformatie van de waterkant van Antwerpen met als doel om de binnenstad weer te verbinden met het water en de identiteit van de stad als havenstad te versterken. Sinds het jaar 850 is Antwerpen reeds gekend als een havenstad. De haven was in die tijd echter nog gelegen in de binnenstad. Talrijke grachten verbonden de Schelde en de binnenstad. In de loop der tijden is deze haven volledig van de binnenstad naar het noorden van de stad verschoven en zijn de grachten en oude dokken in de binnenstad gedempt. Hedendaags is de sfeer van een havenstad niet meer voelbaar in het historische stadscentrum. De oude, overgebleven havengebieden zijn achtergebleven als onaantrekkelijke openbare ruimtes in de buurt van de binnenstad. Dit creeert een slecht beeld van de stad. Deze oude havengebieden zorgen er ook voor dat de stad is losgekoppeld van de rivier en dit terwijl de Schelde een rijke karakteristieke en historische betekenis heeft die gerelateerd is aan het ontstaan van Antwerpen. De oude haven was bepalend voor de ontwikkeling van stedelijke functies in de buurt van het water. Het is dan ook van belang dat mijn afstudeerproject de waterkant en het water weer bij de stad betrokken wordt. De hoofdvraag hierbij is: Met welke ruimtelijke interventies en daaraan gekoppelde strategieën, kan de binnenstad van Antwerpen verbonden worden met de Schelde. Heti s hierbij de bedoeling om gebruik te maken van de verlaten havengebieden. Belangrijk is dat de voorgestelde interventies zowel de economische en de sociale leefomgeving, als de omgevingskwaliteit van het gebied verhogen. Het afstudeerproject beoogt een strategisch plan en een stedelijk ruimtelijk ontwerp om de waterkant van Antwerpen te transformeren tot een aantrekkelijk gebied. De vraag is echter hoe men de huidige situatie kan aanpakken. De waterkantontwikkeling van Antwerpen moet de stad aantrekkelijker maken. Hierbij is het de bedoeling dat door het verbeteren van de economische, sociale en ruimtelijke structuur en door de culturele groei te stimuleren, de stad een sterkere concurrentiepositie zal verwerven binnen Europa. De noodzaak van een vooruitstrevende en goede bescherming tegen het stijgende waterpeil vormt een niet te onderschatten extra aspect in de genoemde waterkantontwikkeling. Een goede aanpak van het project is van groot belang om de hedendaagse conflicten tussen het huidige stedelijke gebied en de oude haven in de stad, op te lossen. Projecten voor herontwikkeling van de waterkant zijn een belangrijke troef voor de stedelijke gemeenschap om onaantrekkelijke gebieden nieuw leven in te blazen en het gebied zo nieuwe economische en sociale kansen te bieden. Het belangrijkste doel van het afstudeerproject is om de identiteit van de stad als havenstad te versterken en te verbeteren door de verbinding van de stad met de Schelde te vernieuwen. Hiervoor moet men het oude havengebied aan de waterkant herontwikkelen, door er een aantrekkelijk en levendig gebied te creëren. Het belangrijkste aspect in het gecreeerde ontwerp om dit doel te bereiken is de aanleg van een boulevard langs de Kaai. Deze is speciaal ontworpen voor voetgangers, fietsers en openbaar vervoer. Daarnaast biedt deze boulevard een beschermende functie bij eventuele waterbedreiging als gevolg van bijvoorbeeld extreme weersomstandigheden. De boulevard zal verschillende wijken met de Schelde verbinden en de identiteit van de wijken versterken door het gebied tussen de Schelde en de boulevard volgens de authenticiteit van de wijk her in te richten.

Implementing the program of the planned extension Westergouwe to contribute to the urban regeneration of different neighbourhoods in Gouda.

Toekomstige gebiedsontwikkeling "Omgaan met de veranderende stad d.m.v. kleinschalige interventies".

Searching for potentials to the consequences of shrinkage within the Alblasserwaard region as part of the Green Heart.

The main objective of this graduation project is developing a regeneration plan for the downtown area of Hoofddorp to improve the connection between railway station and town centre for pedestrians. The design will be developed on three levels, which are connected to three urban planning themes: - Urban regeneration; - Route between railway station and town centre for pedestrians; - Public space. The focus of the project is, as mentioned before, on pedestrians who visit the town centre of Hoofddorp, coming from the railway station. Therefore, the main focus for the interventions is on public space, the spaces pedestrians and cyclists use. However, merely improving the public space will not improve the introvert character of the downtown area, as mentioned before. Therefore, improvements in the urban fabric will be incorporated in the designs for the route and the regeneration plan for the downtown area of Hoofddorp.

In Dutch culture, cycling and walking are the most common ways of active transportation within the city. Nowadays, more than forty percent of all train passengers arrive at the railway station by bicycle. And it is estimated that the combination of bicycle and train will become even more important in the future. But the spatial quality of the bicycle network from the Dutch residential neighbourhoods to the railway station is often poor: uncomfortable and incoherent. Urban design might and should bring solutions. Unfortunately, the cyclist’s perspective is worldwide under-represented in even the most comprehensive work of urban design. This Master’s thesis is a search for spatial design interventions to improve the bikeability from home to the Dutch railway station.

In this project the answer was searched on the research question how the perceived safety in Dutch underprivileged housing areas can be improved through the enlargement of the social cohesion by means of the design of the public space. In most underprivileged housing areas the socio-spatial problem is that the inhabitants do not feel connected with the neighbourhood and with each other. Furthermore, they are unhappy with their living environment, and in particular the public space. Visitors of the neighbourhood find the public space bad as well, and in some cases do not even dare to go to the housing areas. Currently the method used by municipalities and housing corporations to tackle the socio-spatial problems of underprivileged housing areas, is to demolish (part of) the housing area, and build new housing blocks. This forces inhabitants to move, and in a lot of cases they will not be able to return to the newly build houses, because they are more expensive. This method has been proven ineffective because it only moves the problem from one area to another. The main problem, inhabitants being unhappy with their living environment, and passers-by sometimes even afraid to go in the housing area, is not addressed with the current inhabitants in mind. To answer the research question two sub research questions on the use of public space were relevant. The first sub research question on which different roles in terms of social cohesion can different types of public spaces have produced the following answers. In underprivileged housing areas a large part of the leisure time is spent outside, on the street. It is therefore important that the inhabitants have places in the public space where they can meet. Secondly, to increase social safety, it is important for passers-by to understand what kind of neighbourhood they are in, who is living in the neighbourhood. This can be done by providing space in the public realm where indirect contact between passers-by and inhabitants can be established. But, more importantly, in order to enhance the social cohesion it is important that the inhabitants can actively claim the public space. Laying a claim on the public space can be achieved through having a front garden, or facade garden, but also in communal outdoor areas. This claim can be strengthened by handing over the management of (parts of) the public space to the inhabitants. In some streets, handing over the management is not advisable, because they are also used by other groups than the inhabitants, for shopping, school, or going from one important location to another. In these kinds of streets the management cannot be totally transferred to inhabitants, but letting inhabitants have a say in the design of the public space is already beneficial for the social cohesion. This means that in the neighbourhood the publicness of a street has to be defined according to the presence of public facilities and are therefor of public interest, or whether it is a street in which only inhabitants need to be. This results in a division of four levels of publicness. The second sub research question, how can public space be made easily adaptable to the users, but without great costs for the municipalities, was inspired by that fact that due to the current economic crisis municipalities and housing corporations have less funds to spend on revitalising urban living areas. In order to achieve the two goals, adapting the public space to the wishes of the inhabitants and without great costs for municipalities, cooperation with the inhabitants can be used. This cooperation can be in the form of letting inhabitants have a say in the design, which creates better support for the design. Another possibility is to let the inhabitants contribute in the execution of the public space. This can be done in the form of funds, but also, and perhaps more important in underprivileged housing areas where the inhabitants have little money, in the form of labour. When inhabitants have invested in the public space, this creates a bond between inhabitants and the space, and they will take better care of their public space. Therefor not only money in the short-term is saved, but also in the long-term. This also benefits the social cohesion between the inhabitants themselves and between the inhabitants and their living area. The location and the function of the street, the level of publicness, defines how much the inhabitants can be involved in the management of the public space. To test the found answers to the research question, the underprivileged housing area of the Schilderswijk and Stationsbuurt has been used. This is a housing area which was from the start build for the working-class. In first instance the building quality was deplorable, and from the eighties onwards many parts have been demolished and rebuild, but without one general plan. This created a living area with many different architectural styles. At the moment the quality of the buildings is adequate, but here as well people are not happy with their living environment. The neighbourhood has been analysed and the public space defined on its level of publicness, according to its function. For each level of publicness a design was made to show how the public space will look if designed in a manner that improves the social cohesion and the perceived safety. The combined designs create a network in which streets are legible and support the intended function, thereby increasing the perceived safety of the inhabitants of the neighbourhood and the passers-by.

‘The future of city-making is human-centric’, state-driven and market-driven urbanism have reflected their downsides. Human-driven city-making is oriented on an actual user and therefore should produce little vacancy and unnecessary space. Spaces will be directly equipped to suit the need and desires that the context provides. User will be more willing to invest if the result is more direct what will lead to bondage between the user and the location. For centuries people have had more influence on the development of their living environment than we do now. You could say that the last few decades of state-driven urbanism are the anomaly and not the human-centric approach towards urbanism. This thesis is an attempt to operationalize various visions on self organization into practical design principles.

The thesis explores the spatial consequences of the transition to renewable energy in the context of Rotterdam.

The creation of a new sustainable urban area at a brownfield location in the north of Antwerp. Here a very wide programme will be integrated in a coherent way with its context and its qualities.

The shift in society from industrial towards a society where innovation, knowledge and creativity are the pillars of the economy has among others led to abandoned industrial sites. Government organisations are searching for ways to attract creative workers to their area. In the mean time conventional financial fundings of big redevelopments are no longer realistic, because of the building crisis. This thesis is aiming to develop a strategy for former industrial areas to redevelop, with the help of local (creative) entrepreneurs with limited big investments. We apply this strategy with a design on a former sugar factory in the city of Groningen. This former sugar factory is a 125-hectare big site, with a hardened factory site and meadows in the periphery of the city. The municipality bought the area in 2010 and is now wondering what to do with this plot of opportunities within their borders. The council itself has no direct building need, or the resources to invest largely in the area; on the other hand it is aiming to become a ‘city of talent’. The research question is: How to create a spatial strategy for a creative-based urban development, with limited financial resources on a former industrial site, in the case of the sugar factory in the city of Groningen? Research shows that creative entrepreneurs can play an important role in transforming former industrial sites into attractive areas. Therefor it is important to know what spatial elements can attract these creative entrepreneurs to a certain area. It is important for them to agglomerate and meet in third places like bars and galleries in a certain area because that way they can a) get in contact with cultural gatekeepers b) derive a form of inspiration out of others, and the area c) use the creative reputation for their own cause. Research shows that creative entrepreneurs are drawn to an area that; a) has a certain sense of place b) is mixed in use, functions and style c) is flexible in their use d) provides contrasts of old (industrial) heritage and new attractive real estate e) is well accessible, close to the centre and provides a safe environment. A possible strategy to redevelop a former, not so popular enclosed site with creative entrepreneurs is by placemaking and building a infrastructural framework. By allowing creative entrepreneurs to use the space for all sorts of temporary projects the site a) gets known by potential future users B) improves the reputation of the site c) the value of the property increases and development can take place after a while. By providing in a basic infrastructural framework and leaving the infill flexible and changeable through time an area becomes attractive for all sorts of users. The strategy of the SuikerUnie uses this model of strategy, and applies two new elements. A) The use of the plots remains flexible and adaptable through time. B; the strategy proposes a gradual investment model, where the investments in the public space and network co-evolve along with the development of the inhabitants. In the case of the SuikerUnie the site is made accessible by adding a new clear basic infrastructural framework and a new station. The site is split up in three parts; a new creative district, an agricultural park, and a rural area. The creative district is located on the hardened area of the site. The former factory is redeveloped in a creative factory; the station is placed next to it and provides a new link to the other side of the train track. It connects to the current infrastructure and to two redeveloped hangars. One hangar is redeveloped into a biological food market the other into an educational institute. The rest of the creative area is coming to life by adding student container within the new infrastructural grid, and providing physical space for temporary projects. When investors (small or big) are interested, the containers can move a block and the temporary projects get a little bit less space. This way the area transforms towards a creative new district in town. The agricultural park provides a spatial connection between the rural landscape and the city park outside of the area. The park shows in an aesthetic way all sorts of agricultural crops. The products are sold in the biological market and attract potential new inhabitants to the site. The rural area is transformed from meadows into an area where one can work, recreate and live in a green environment. This is done by making a new infrastructural framework along the existing ditch pattern. The plots within the framework are rented out to allotment owners. They pay the ground price back in yearly small installments. These new users are encouraged to build their own house through time. Along with the amount they built on their plot, the yearly installment increases. The quality of the street-profile gets upgraded alongside with the transformation of the area. The more the new inhabitants invest in their homes, the more the municipality has to invest in the public space. Rules and guidelines for building your house prevents the area from being enclosed and scattered. The outcome of this strategy is not predicteble beforehand. The area becomes a new centre for living, working and recreating. But it is possible that the area remains a low profile green area where there are a lot of allotment gardens, student houses and a biological creative centre. The framework and the financial model is flexible and adaptable enough to capture these outcomes. The innovative part of the strategy is the combination of using all sorts of actors with a spatial need (not only creative entrepreneurs) and allowing the public space and the amount of investments by the owners to upgrade alongside with the development of the inhabitants. The gradual growth of the area, the flexible outcome of the area, in combination with the chance to start today makes this strategy truly creative.