The green growth paradigm of economic and urban growth leads to undesired decoupling effects and locks urban development into a growth dependency, causing a decrease in socio-ecological resilience. Degrowth proposes to be a solution that focusses practices of commons, distributive justice, sufficiency, a downscaling of the economic system as well as a long-term balance between the socio-ecological and the urban-economic system. However, there is no insight yet whether and how the concept can be spatialized on a larger scale. This thesis argues that a systemic perspective is necessary to achieve this. To study this, it puts forward the case of the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (MRA), a growing region which is exceeding planetary and local carrying capacities and the flow of construction materials, a central resource of the urban-economic system. A pattern language is developed to trace path dependencies and modify them in a degrowth-appropriate way.

It was found that on the regional scale, the values promote a region-based economy by reducing material imports, strengthening local biobased value chains, and strategically preserving space for production. Infrastructure should be sized to connect regional nodes with each other while reducing ecological impact. At the city and neighbourhood scale, degrowth prioritises compact and mixed-use development, sufficiency in housing, and the integration of common spaces and small-scale production to enhance access and community well-being. Implementing degrowth goes along with a complex process of systemic change which will influence the whole structure of the built environment, particularly regarding materials, building and dwelling type, infrastructure, function, zoning and ownership. Applying degrowth focuses on reinterpretation and modification of existing spatial structures. For the MRA, this specifically includes shifting institutional goals, redefining land value, and addressing global responsibilities through scaling economic activity down to the region while distributing functions equitably and ensuring access.
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This research introduces The Forest of the Future, a transformative visionary that reimagines European forests as multifunctional, sustainable spatial structures extending over land and sea. It confronts current environmental challenges, including deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change, by proposing an innovative spatial strategy for the BeNeLux bioregion within a broader European context. The strategy aims to integrate forestation within other land uses enhancing ecological, social, and economic values towards a sustainable future by 2100. Based on conceptual frameworking and a multi-criteria decision analysis, it evaluates current land use, soil quality, climate zones, biodiversity, and the state of marine environments, proposing new forest types and forestry-based regenerative agricultural practices. The envisioned forest network serves not just as a carbon sink but as a catalyst for biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, and community well-being.

Achieving this transition requires a multifaceted approach, including policy reform, stakeholder engagement, and the development of a strategic implementation plan that aligns with regional and European sustainability goals. This strategy requires a combination of regulating, stimulating, engaging and capacity building instruments, Additionally, the transition to a forest-based land use system requires a combination of policies tailored to ‘planting the seeds’ in the near future, launching the Future Forest, and ones ensuring the healthy maturation of those ecosystems over the following decades. The research concludes with an evaluation of potential impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, suggesting significant contributions towards Europe’s climate goals of climate neutrality. ... Read more