The current linear food system in the Netherlands has a negative impact on the environment, requiring almost ten times the biocapacity the country has to offer. The food sector plays a big role in generating this inequality - this overconsumption, and of the entire food supply chain up to a third of food waste is generated by the consumer. The linear food system contributes to environmental problems such as loss of biodiversity and wasting of food. Negative effects – such as rising vulnerability to extreme weather conditions, low urban quality, decreasing biodversity, and higher obesity rates - can be seen in the urban built environment, especially in Dutch post-war neighbourhoods like Schalkwijk, Haarlem. Changing peoples’ behaviour in their day-to-day life can be a starting point for establishing loops for food, water, and energy resources.
This project highlights a significant knowledge gap in the effective integration of circular principles into the built environment at the neighbourhood scale and underlines the importance of social and environmental integration in research.
Previous research has identified significant vulnerability to climate risks and inadequate availability of nutritious, locally grown food, resulting in high levels of obesity and vulnerability to climate extremes in the selected post-war neighbourhood. In addition, the opportunity to separate organic waste from general waste is not fully realised, resulting in the loss of recyclable organic matter, which would have a great potential for energy transformation and introducing local agriculture. However, this waste separation needs to start in our daily lives. In contrast, food production takes place in isolation from our daily lives.
This raises the question: How can the transformation of Dutch post war neighbourhoods facilitate actions of our daily life towards a circular foodscape?
The main objective of this research project is to create a pattern language as a co-design method for the transition to a circular built environment in Dutch post-war neighbourhoods.
The creation of circular networks, such as mobility, sewage, heating infrastructure, and social networks that are interconnected, are very much needed to support the transition to a holistic circular system for everyday life in the respective neighbourhoods.
The project will use a design approach, conduct qualitative and quantitative research, and confirm the results with workshops and design development - in particular creating a pattern language. A systemic design approach will form the basis of this research and design process, as it embraces urban metabolism, co-creation and respects the diverse and complex nature of the project. The use of a pattern language as a research and design tool allows for the exchange of research and design through a co-creation approach and possible spatial implementations of a circular neighbourhood with circular actions in the everyday life of the inhabitants of Schalkwijk.
The primary outcome of this project is the design of a co-creation process, using the developed pattern language to show possible outcomes of a circular built environment. This includes bringing food production closer to our everyday lives and integrating circular systems within the local community. Urban planners have a facilitating role in presenting options for a circular future, starting processes that support the information and interest exchange of stakeholders, and providing participatory methods for shaping spatial circular strategies in post-war neighbourhoods.
The research highlights how outcomes can vary based on perspectives, interests, and needs during the co-creation process. While the study concentrates on the food system, it also recognises wider aspects of circularity within the built environment, such as water and energy supply. The unpredictable human element in the co-creation process affects workshop dynamics and results.
In short, this project aligns with the continual changes in sustainable development, participation, and circularity. It presents the pattern language as a useful tool for stakeholders working on circularity transitions, offering new opportunities for collaboration and resource efficiency at the neighbourhood scale. The findings contribute to filling existing research gaps by proposing a way to a sustainable, participatory, and circular urban development in Dutch post-war neighbourhoods.