This report presents our proposal for “Globalisation Free Choice,” an elective course for master’s students in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft, in collaboration with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The course aims to explore sustainable and integrated development and its regional impacts.

During the 9 weeks of the course, a regional vision and strategy for the Greater Bay Area was prepared. The Greater Bay Area is a global centre for economic development located in the Pearl River Delta in the Southern part of China. In this report we describe how we want to instigate a paradigm shift from focusing on megaprojects to working in mega-processes. In the first two weeks we analysed the environmental, social and economic situation of the area to create a problem statement and define focus points. The next two weeks were spent in Hong Kong at the Polytechnic University where the morphological game boarding strategy was used to look at regional design in a more experimental way. We created two games - one focused on the social perspective including the liveability within the region, and the other based on the morphological perspective, looking at spatial changes. During these two weeks and during the playing of the game we defined two interesting zoom-in locations in the area.

The first zoom in location is the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, an area which is already planned to grow into an innovative tech hub. Due to the rejoining of Hong Kong with Mainland China in 2047, the border will be eliminated, opening a lot of opportunities for development. The other location is the Nansha district near Guangzhou, which lies in the heart of the delta. Major development plans consisting of various megaprojects are proposed by the Chinese government in Nansha, which will disrupt the natural cycle of the water and soil. The two zoom-in locations will be used to develop an approach to integrate the built more with the green-blue networks to mitigate floods, droughts and heat island effect.

We then returned to Delft to develop a vision and strategy for the GBA, focusing on these megaprojects and thinking of ways to change the current way in which they are executed. We used an element-based approach inspired by the book ‘the Elemental Metropolis’ to develop a strategy of working in a more agile, process-based way. We conclude the report by revisiting the entire Greater Bay Area to identify additional regions where the insights from our work on the two focus areas can be applied, aiming to create a resilient, adaptable, and liveable dynamic delta.

The Netherlands, renowned for its flat landscape and strategic location at the confluence of major rivers, combined with fertile soil and a mild climate, boasts optimal natural conditions for agricultural production. However, the success of the Dutch agricultural sector and its developments has significant implications for biodiversity, as excessive nitrogen levels contribute to a decline in plant and animal species, ultimately disrupting the ecosystem balance. Currently, functions are separated by human engineered boundaries with little to no interaction with each other. Agriculture is hyper focused on the productive part of the system, lacking equilibrium. Ideally, water, agriculture and soil live in perfect harmony and so envisioned for the year 2070 is a dynamic river landscape in the Dutch Delta region; a landscape where there is room for the water to flow as it pleases. In this vision, a river's natural flow is embraced; free flowing water with little constraints. Instead of seeing this freedom as a problem that must be controlled, this project values the river's morphological changes and water fluctuations through time. This vision and strategy not only makes room for the river, but creates a new dynamic system in which water, biodiversity and agriculture works together. Adjustments are mainly made to the land-uses to correspond to the shifts of the river, using several interventions. A green network of ‘in between’ wetlands is situated within the river basin. This network serves as vital ecosystems that enhance the resilience of the region. These green marshes overflow with biodiversity, serving as havens for formerly threatened animal and plant species alike to thrive and flourish. In this project, we apply strategic tools to three locations with different conditions, such as moderately wet, wet, and extremely wet, acting as pilots to be extended into more parts of the Dutch Delta region in the future. This forward-thinking approach not only ensures the sustainability of agriculture but also fosters a healthier, more diverse environment for generations to come.