The Graduation Studio of Interiors Buildings Cities (2021-2022) examines the possible future of the National Bank of Belgium, located in the city of Brussels. The Bank as a collective system has recently come under scrutiny because of the ongoing climate change and the switch from physical to digital payments. The municipality of Brussels is working on improving the city through a slow traffic mobility plan, creating green connections and changing the economic shape in Brussels. Meanwhile, the National Bank of Belgium stands like a closed fortress at a critical point in Brussels. In this graduation project, the National Bank of Brussels as an institution offers new terrain through the creation of a radical opening to create a connection from the lower part of Brussels to the upper part of the city and creating a new connection that contributes to a better mobility in the city.

This research begins with a fascination for nonhuman activeness. This is based within a theoretical framework of multispecies world, in which nonhumans are seen as active beings that continuously disturb. Seeing nonhumans as active beings causes some policies, or interventions, to look strange. One of these policies in the Netherlands is the new forest strategy commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture in the Netherlands: the expansion of forest by 37.000 hectares within ten years. Even though the goal of the forest strategy is to provide more biodiverse spaces, the new forest is still there because it is pleasant for us humans. The research therefore aims at an alternative to this forest strategy through researching the main question: How can new ways of connectedness between humans and nonhumans be generated in existing and newly constructed areas perceived as ‘natural’ or ‘nature’? In order to research new types of connectedness, the theoretical framework of multispecies world is further explored. This results in design principles on human, nonhuman, and abiotic movement, hybrid as an explicit human structure where there is a condensation of movement, and landscape as being, which is a forest structure designed as if it has legal rights. After this, the dune region, with in specific Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen is analysed in terms of movement, transitions and identity of the area, and problematic areas where a landscape as being is necessary. In terms of movement there are different movements found in the areas of the forest/savannah, the dunes, the water infiltration system, and the flower bulb fields. Transition zones are found between these areas. Hybrids are placed here in order to let make humans more aware of nonhuman movement. Problematic areas around Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen are considered to be the Oosterkanaal, that retrieves water from the dunes, and the cultivation of flower bulbs. These elements result in a research by design that tries to generate new ways of connectedness between humans and nonhumans. Time, and materiality become very important in the design. The hybrids have a timespan in which they need to be build anew or left to decay. Therefore, every thirty years there is a reassessment of the relation that humans have to the landscape. Through the design it becomes clear that the multispecies approach taken on in the design, does not generate new connections with the presence of movement, hybrid, and landscape as being. But it does generate different ways of connectedness because of the rebuilding of hybrids that are a direct response to the landscape and its corresponding movements, and the changes that happened in the landscape. A multispecies framework therefore proposes an alternative design for the forest strategy that instead of moving towards an end goal (which the forest strategy does), mostly marks a beginning of a relation to the landscape that is revaluated through a cyclical approach to time. This approach thus does not lead to new connectedness, however it does lead to different connectedness.

You can work with your building’s surroundings, characteristics and features by repressing them, hiding from them, celebrating them, juxtaposing them, making fun of them, uplifting them, supporting them, replacing them, improving them, or even changing them. But to make a decision you have to look beyond your building’s subjective beauty or uglyness and it’s immediate site, you have to analyze it’s history, everyting that surrounds it and the building consists off to make the right judgement. There are many factors that come into play regarding an architectural, cultural and technological research/analysis, but I think it may be important to understand (as you are coming up with solutions to your architectural design) what the perception is by yourself, the public and the municipality of what is currently on and in your building site (or what once was there). You should however not be limited by this with regard to the site and building awaiting your design and the design process, but I do think you will formulate a better design concept if you understand the different and sometimes intangible dimensions to the site where you will build and/or intervene. I used this as a springboard during the graduation studio to think outside of the box by still being true to our own design style, but still solve all the challenges, opportunities and needs this place, the building and the surroundings bring. The research is very important for many reasons. And key among those is that it presents you with many clues and provides arguments which together add up to help you determine what design opportunities and challenges you can solve, leverage and build upon. The relationship between research and design for me is quite clear; a good research gives you a peek into the underlying “personality” of where you will build/design — and that may just spark and/or justify your own best innovative design solution and approach. In this particular studio we had the option of redeveloping one of five different industrial buildings. I chose to redevelop the Katoenveem building. The Katoenveem immediately for me was a fascinating building and site. This large oblong building maybe seems boring and ready for demolition for the untrained eye, but the eyes only see what the mind is prepared to comprehend. The still standing structure, designed by J.J. Kanters, was built along one of the quays of the, at that moment, brand new and busy Vierhavens industrial and harbor area. In only two years; 1919-1920 the building was constructed together with several structures which together made the Katoenveem Complex (see fig. 2). The main building, the one still standing, was built for the storage and transshipment of cotton. In Rotterdam this was the first warehouse that was especially designed for storing and distributing cotton. Katoenveem and the complex functioned for the cotton industry for over 43 years untill 1964 when the company quitted due to the rapid development of synthetic fabrics. After 1964 the building still functioned as a warebouse but not exclusively for cottonbales. Later Atelier van Lieshout had it’s offices here and even later an appartment was made on the roof.

The living standard of the people in Alamar is missing quality. Although many issues, like drinking water, have been solved locally, but a stable electricity infrastructure cannot be provided by the people themselves. The instability of the electricity is traceable to the construction period. Alamar was built on the infrastructure of its previous plan. Plan ‘El Olympo’ was meant to become an American style suburb. The current 100.000 inhabitants of Alamar are living in self-built prefab apartment blocks, which are built on the infrastructure designed for only 1/5th of the population. Subsequently, this overuse and material scarcity in times of construction resulted in the instability of the electricity net to withstand even the smallest storms. Heavy rainfall or strong winds can already result in power cuts. These black-outs can last up to three days. For a country that is on the edge of new prosperity, improvement of the living standard is impossible on such an instable foundation. Imagine Alamar growing in numbers of inhabitants on such infrastructure, the first thing we need to do is providing a stable electricity flow. Secondly, due to this material scarcity, the public tissue was whittled. The public issues are highly visible on the shoreline of Alamar. The empty green strip along the sea was meant to be the district dedicated to sport and leisure. The site is the end of Alamar’s major north-south connection, connecting the highway with the sea. The road is surrounded by the few public buildings in Alamar. This location has the ability to carry a public catalyst for the rest of the coastal park. Although Alamar is one of the only new towns with a waterfront, but almost every big city in Cuba is located along the sea. The sea could become the biggest source of energy. The Cuban administration is willing to invest in renewable energy, but this will not solve the problem of energy availability during storms. The program is twofold; storing energy for periods of difficulty and when not in use, providing a public connection between land and sea, by realizing a pier. This pier will function not only as a bridge to the water, but also as a platform which will carry the public functions needed for the coastal park. Both programs will be combined as an experience. The water-energy lane will connect the water basin of the pumped hydro storage system with the discovery center on the end of the pier.

The Dutch housing market has a shortage and especially a shortage in its middle-segment between, low-income, social housing, and higher-income, homeownership. Because of this, municipalities have become more active in creating middle-segment housing, but most Dutch municipalities have few land positions which has urged them to create middle-segment housing in developments with no or low municipal landownership. The so-called passive land policy. However, this has proved difficult as there no longer are extensive national housing plans which were used in the past. In addition, Dutch municipalities do not have much knowledge on creating more middle-segment housing in developments with a passive land policy. Therefore, this thesis asks what land-use instruments exists in the Dutch passive land policy to create more middle-segment housing and how successful these instruments are in creating middle segment housing. The passive land use instruments are within their relative typology the regulatory minimal percentages and eternal land lease, stimulating by anterior agreements, and communicational means by policy documents. When analysed it was found that these instruments are more often used in combination with each other. So, in implementation, this meant that some regulatory pressure was given on a developer to make them negotiate with the municipality. After this, the municipalities used stimuli to help create a financially feasible project with middle-segment housing and gave permits or sold (small portions of) land. Moreover, the policy documents were used more in advance to let any market party know what conditions were necessary to make the municipality cooperate with a plan. Dutch municipalities thus influence the amount of middle-segment housing made by the passive land-use instruments used. Therefore, the municipality negotiated with market parties on projects in a context to create an agreement that is possible. In this several factors and actors played an important role. Most important for the agreement were the financial feasibility and the gaining of permits. The procedure for the permits started after the negotiations and the financial feasibility would be reached through the negotiations in which the municipalities stimulated in kind, by lowering other requirements, or by lowering taxes. The context could also play a role through an abundance of social housing in the area, political will, or land positions. There also seemed to be a correlation between more regulative instruments and less trust or a more strained relationship between the municipality and the developer in the network.

Ensuring good living accomodation is a constitutional duty of the government, but there is now a shortage of 300,000 homes. Demand for housing has grown sharply in recent years. In the last two years, the housing market issue has been high on the political agenda again. In it, the issue of starters regarding home ownership occupies a prominent place. The importance of first-time buyers and the benefits of home ownership has therefore not remained underexposed. The inflow of ‘new’ households into the owner-occupied housing market not only stimulates movement but also provides the necessary liquidity. Partly due to quantitatives shortage, the position of first-time buyers is said to have continued to deteriorate. In the formulated housing policy, the quantitative housing demand is therefore emphatically central. Being able to realise the stated policy objectives - suitable and affordable housing for starters - depends on the demand exercised. Such policy requires accurate knowledge about the position occupied by first-time buyers in the (owner-occupied) housing market. This research focuses on the (changing) position of first-time buyers in the Dutch housing market. The research question answered in this respect is: What is the position of first-time buyers in the Dutch housing market and how has this position developed from 2009 to 2021? To arrive at this position, an insight needs to be gained into how first-time buyers operate on the housing market. For this, the ‘housing market’ needs to be explored first. Therefore, this research firstly discussed the background developments prior to the data analyses. The data research is divided into three parts. Firstly, the concept of ‘first-time buyer’ is explored in more detail whereby various profiles are identified. Next, the various distinct households are researched with respect to the demand for owner-occupied housing. Finally, a model-based analysis of housing market accessibility and success rates for these households is provided. The research results conclude to five main findings. Firstly, whereas the absolute market entrance declines lightly, the relative influx decreases sharply. The total demand for housing from both aspiring first-time buyers as well as homeowners has grown sharply. Secondly, the most current houses are not current, meaning the demanded housing is scarcely available in the most demanded regions. Thirdly, the results show that it is increasingly the high-potential households that find their way into the market. Fourth, the position of first-time buyers has been increasingly determined by the total competition, as the affordability seems not to be the issue. This is mainly rooted in low interest rates. Lastly, the general succes rate among first- time buyers decreased while the diversity among these households has increased.

The middle-income households in the Netherlands are currently disadvantaged in finding affordable housing, as they are pushed towards the private rental market in which affordable private rental housing is scarce. Together with participation trends, this gives opportunities for collective private commissioning (CPC) to add to the supply and make it more inclusive and stable, as different interests could come together and the housing is expected to stay affordable. Therefore, this study entails an explorative research into the possibilities of CPC and affordable private rental housing, focussing on the type of collaboration, the enablers and barriers in the collaborative process and the role division within the collaboration. A single case study of CPC for middle-segment owner-occupied housing was conducted, supplemented with a cross-sectional study, with interviewees currently involved in CPC for affordable private rental housing. The main findings show that the type of collaboration can be considered hybrid, as it can act in a commercial market while maintaining its social goal and it has a collaborative and innovative approach. Important enablers and barriers towards collaboration are in the initial phases of such a project, where expertise and political influence are crucial. During collaboration, a board providing connecting leadership, acknowledging power differences, trust and striving for a win-win situation by serving both social and commercial interests encourage collaboration. However, difficulties in the complex financial situation of such a development can cause barriers. Important roles for this type of development are defined as process responsible and executive, in order to guide the process. An enabler within the role division is making clear agreements at the beginning. Besides the previous implications, the role of the residents seems moderated compared to other forms of CPC, as they will only be in charge after the housing is realised. Implications for practice can be found and this type of development is considered to be an option, as the findings show that with the right conditions, this type of development can contribute to the supply of affordable private rental housing in the long-term.

With the fall of the Socialist block in 1989, the Cuban national economy collapsed, followed by a severe scarcity in gasoline, materials and especially food. Of Alamar, a socialist housingproject in construction in East Havana only the areas dedicated to dwelling were finished, leaving the neighbourhood without a defined public space or economic centre. Due to the limited transportation possibilities and the distance to the inner city, Alamar became relatively isolated from the rest of Havana. Out of necessity, the inhabitants started to cultivate vacant areas between building blocks. More than twenty years later, this practice is not only still an important source of employment, income and food security for the community, but Havana, and Alamar in particular, has become internationally known as a frontrunner in sustainable urban agriculture. However, the development of urban agriculture is in danger, mainly as a result of the singe-sided support approach by the state, a centralized distribution and marketing system that offers little material incentives or economic freedom and the looming risks of an inevitably drastically changing social, political and economic context. The ambition of this project: The introduction of a new economic platform for the distribution and marketing of urban agricultural products that facilitates the development of a resilient, sustainable, community-driven local food economy in Alamar and the larger Havana region.

Due to several factors, under which the widespread flexibilization in the job market and the fact that it ended up becoming more difficult to take out a mortgage, middle-income households ended up not having access to owner-occupied housing in Dutch urban areas. Also, middle-income households’ incomes are too high to qualify for the social housing segment. Therefore, they depend on private rental housing in the Randstad. However, there is a shortage of private rental housing. Due to this lack of private rental housing, rental housing prices have increased tremendously. And this occurred while households’ incomes have not been rising to the same extent. Furthermore, organisations that rely on key workers have a more difficult time finding employees in urban areas. Middle-income households, including the households that can potentially fill up these vacancies, are often forced to move to other areas to find housing that fits their preferences. Therefore, it is essential to gain knowledge of how private rental housing for middle-income households can become affordable. Having knowledge of housing affordability in relation to housing preferences is vital to understand how the private rental housing supply for middle-income households can be increased and preserved in urban areas. Therefore, this research seeks to answer: “How can the rental housing supply in urban areas in the Netherlands, that is affordable for middle-income households, be increased following their preferences?” With this research question posed, the research aims to provide insight into middle-income households' housing affordability. It also aims to present the middle-income households’ rental housing preferences. To reach this aim, the methodology applied in this research is a mixed-method with an embedded design. This research made use of the WoON 2018 data and the semi-structured interview method. To conclude, the findings of this research were validated by an expert panel. The comprehensive quantitative research, regarding what middle-income’s housing preferences are, demonstrated that these preferences are not sufficiently affordably facilitated in Groot-Amsterdam. Delving into these results together with the qualitative research, this study determined what instruments could be used to increase and preserve the affordable rental housing supply for middle-income households following their housing preferences. This research evinced that in Groot-Amsterdam, housing with five rooms is not sufficiently facilitated in the mid-segment rental housing supply. Additionally, for the couple, couple-one-child, couple-two-children, couple-three-children, and one-parent-three-children households earning a gross annual income near €36,798, mid-segment rental housing is not affordable. In order to provide affordable housing for all middle-income households, the central government should assume a more active role in steering toward increasing the mid-segment rental housing supply. Thereby, they should enlarge the housing associations’ playing field. Furthermore, they should limit their role to spatial planning, providing infrastructure, and providing monetary means. Next to that, there should be a balance between municipal demands on development programmes and land prices. Together, the municipality and market actors should determine the demands of the development programme. An independent third party should calculate the residual land value.

This thesis explores project managers in practice solving wicked problems. The research are reached by conducting case study researcher focussing on three cases. Out of the research can be concluded that project managers solve wicked problems as it is a technical problem by using the rational decision model. However, during solving they notice that they have a lack of information which make them use other decision-methods, namely: slow thinking and design thinking.

The complex relationship between humans and the natural world is still visible in 2023s urban planning: a city is a place for humans, and nature gives space to all non-human species. The anthropocentric perspective within the urban environment puts humans above non-human nature. This is also the case within urban renewal in the Netherlands, which aims to improve human liveability. This aim is reflected within the ongoing urban renewal in Carnisse, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, under the leading plan of NPRZ as well. However, considering non-human species might have positive effects for both human and non-human species. This thesis addresses the research question: "How can values of ecological justice contribute to a spatial design that improves urban renewal in Carnisse, Rotterdam?" to investigate the impact of non-human species liveability on urban renewal concepts and spatial plans in Carnisse. The study conducts a systematic liveability analysis of several target species representing circa 80% of the species currently present in the neighbourhood. Based on the analysis, a toolbox is developed, which is the foundation of integrating human and non-human demands within urban renewal. With a combination of consideration of the existing structure, context consideration, the implementation of zoning, biocentrism and nature-inclusive thinking, the translation towards a spatial plan based on ecological justice values for the neighbourhood Carnisse is created. Comparing the current NPRZ urban renewal plan and the ecological justice values-based plan reveals that if ecological justice is included, the concept of urban renewal should be revised and that there is a case for a more integrated approach to the physical and social domain within urban renewal. Besides, the focus on ecological justice values might reduce the in-depth focus on human liveability compared to the approach to urban renewal. Nevertheless, the spatial outcomes of the focus on non-human liveability will (indirectly) positively affect human liveability by improving health, lowering crime rates, improving interaction between humans and non-human species, and increasing climate adaptation of the area. Therefore, implementing ecological justice values will improve urban renewal concepts and spatial plans from an Arcadian perspective by improving the non-human species' liveability and from a resource standpoint, by improving human liveability.