This thesis explores neuro-inclusivity as a driver for an inclusive design approach. This not only addresses a disproportionate adverse effect of urban stress on neurodivergent individuals but also provides an interdisciplinary perspective on improving well-being for the broader population through insights into varied human experiences.

Several key theoretical insights guided the direction of this thesis. Legibility, human scale, and urban stressors of built environments impact cognitive demand on the users. The Pressure Performance Curve and Seyle's stress models are used in the context of environmental psychology show how interaction with the environment can be used as a coping mechanism to reduce or increase stress where needed.

The methodology includes literature review, walk-along interviews, spatial analysis, and research by design. The research found that neuro-inclusive public space design should create less cognitively demanding environments in general and provide variability in affordances: options for users to interact with the environment to regulate stress in various ways.

The proposed strategy can be described as flexibility through multiplicity. The theoretical insights and research findings are applied to make space more easily understood and to protect users from urban stressors. This is complemented by creating a calm and lively route that users can choose to go on and switch between based on their needs at that time. Future recommendations include researching the transferability to other degrees of urbanicity, different scales, and other themes within the social dimension of urbanism. ... Read more

Zeeland’s landscape is currently dominated by fossil fuel-based industries. Four big companies emit huge amounts of greenhouse gasses. As the energy transition progresses and stricter limitations to these polluters are set, they will have to drastically change their processes or phase out. Though necessary, this threatens the livelihood of these practically educated employees. To come to solutions that fit within a just transition, this research explores how spatial transformations can empower these workers.
The study uses spatial analysis, policy and plan review and stakeholder research to come to a vision of diversification of the labor market spaces and voices. This vision is worked out according to three spatial design principles: smart land use, multifunctionality, and evolving place identity. Smart land use prioritizes the redevelopment of brownfields and salinized farmland over using more unused land to develop. Multifunctionality means the use of large open spaces for more than one type of industry. An evolving place identity means that the future is built upon a past that is seen as a vital stepping stone instead of something to be ashamed of.
The results include the conclusion that for a just transition to take place, there is a need for worker-centered policies, retraining initiatives, and spatial strategies that allow individuals to choose their own pathway through the energy transition. This report presents a multisectoral and integrated strategy, working out the sectors of tourism, food production, and clean and green energy production. An expanded mobility network ties these changes together, allowing for better accessibility within and into Zeeland.
By positioning workers at the core of the transition, Zeeland can serve as an example for industrial regions navigating similar structural changes. A more diverse future will make Zeeland more resilient to both the current energy transition as well as other uncertainties and changes.
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