One in five municipalities in the Netherlands is prognosed to experience population decline by 2050. Especially rural settlements will have difficulty facilitating this shrinkage and the negative effects involved. With a depriving variety of available facilities and an increase in vacancy, local communities are on the border of falling apart. At the same time, an increasing number of churches are left vacated and out of service while religious participation declines. This graduation project aims to revitalize the heart of villages with the church at the center to increase the livability and social cohesion. Connecting the local community with the heritage of churches and their role in society again. With a toolbox filled with design interventions as a final product and the implementation of this toolbox on three different project locations throughout the Netherlands, this thesis provides a first step to a beckoning new perspective on the identity of rural cores.

Around 19BC the Romans established their military camps on the hills of Nijmegen in their conquest of Germania. After a huge defeat the Roman Empire decided that the great Rhine river would be the per-manent border of the empire. From that moment on The Lower Germanic Limes was fortified in stone to protect the border from the tribes north of the river. After 100 AD the Rhine tributary started flowing southwards, the Dutch constructed their dikes and urbanization sped up. Nowadays the historic knowledge of the Romans is protected in archaeological locations by UNESCO. However above ground this archaeology isn’t experienced in the urban fabric and additionally the cul-tural memory of this history induces a local identity, but the locations don’t allow for place attachment or a representation of this identity. Therefore the challenge is how to translate this experience to the current locations as part of their heritage and the main question can be formulated as ‘’How can urban design sustainably develop the UNESCO sites in Nijmegen-Oost to create awareness and create place attachment for the cultural memory of Roman Nijmegen?’’ Nijmegen was chosen for this thesis, since it has the highest concentration of UNESCO sites within the Limes in the Netherlands, with 4 overlapping archaeological areas. These locations were analysed through the Dutch Layer Approach in Roman and current times, becoming a Diachronic Layer Approach that shows opportunities for transformation and Roman visualizations. This research firstly aims to create an elaborate design for the Limes in Nijmegen by using methods to design with archaeology. Secondly it seeks to reflect on these methods by testing designs and using theory to develop a comprehensive method on designing with archaeological heritage, which is in its infancy at the moment. The report builds upon the Limes Atlas from 2005 and where Robert Broesi categorized 10 ways of doing this with references. Using these as design methods sparked creativity, but also showed that there are more elements to the process. The main findings were more ways of creating visibility, how interaction with senses and activities created awareness, but also that the site must have a sustainable impact to function in the community. Furthermore the incorporation of a ques-tionnaire, in cooperation with the municipality of Nijmegen, determined what the inhabitants view as heritage and opportunities of the sites. This research shows that solutions to current challenges are truly under the soil and that the two fields of archaeology and urban design should interact more in future developments.

Several areas in the Netherlands are considered vulnerable. These areas have poor livability and safety. Creating safe space is about improving the perceived safety and livability in neighborhoods by designing spatial interventions. One of these vulnerable areas is Rotterdam South. In Rotterdam South, Hillesluis is perceived by the inhabitants as the most unsafe and has low livability. The following research question is guiding this thesis: ‘‘How can the perceived livability and safety in Hillesluis be improved by designing spatial interventions?’’ In many cases, improving vulnerable neighborhoods involves gentrification; lower-income people are driven out of the neighborhood by higher-income classes. The goal of this thesis is to find a solution to improve the perceived livability and safety of Hillesluis without gentrification. To achieve this, the resident’s perspective will be used. Being in contact with residents reveals the negative and positive aspects of the neighborhood. In addition, locations in the neighborhood will emerge that need improvement because here livability or safety is poor. To improve the safety and livability of a neighborhood, there are six important principles. These principles are social cohesion, attractivity, connectivity, accessibility, visibility, and territoriality. The pattern language method will provide a set of interventions related to these principles. These patterns were applied to the locations in need of improvement. The patterns used in this thesis are summarized in an accompanying pattern atlas, which can be used as a toolbox for improving safety and livability in neighborhoods. This thesis sought to improve perceived safety and livability in Hillesluis by creating spatial designs for 5 locations. These locations were obtained by conducting a survey among residents of the neighborhood and making a spatial analysis.

Finding Common Grounds: Adapting Heritage meaning in Socially Diverse Couperusbuurt is a renewalproject of Amsterdam’s Western Garden Cities neighbourhood. Western Garden Cities Amsterdam orWestelijke Tuinsteden is a post-war neighbourhood considered heritage by the Municipality of Amsterdam.Currently, Westelijke Tuinsteden of Couperusbuurt fails to provide a liveable built environment forits residents. Its heritage status causes the neighbourhood to be alienated from development which ledthe neighbourhood to be outdated to the current needs. In contrast, the neighbourhood’s heritage form isalso vulnerable due to the municipality’s densification agenda. Simultaneously, some residents in Couperusbuurtare vulnerable socio-economic groups, contributing to social segregation issues in Amsterdam.This situation has pushed them out of social comfort and spatial comfort due to their dissatisfaction withtheir neighbourhoods. This research aims to identify the heritage importance of Westelijke Tuinsteden,integrate it with the spatial planning & development of Couperusbuurt and translate it into possible designelements to achieve socio-spatial cohesion and a liveable Couperusbuurt.The methods used in identifying heritage are built upon theoretical studies that indicate the dynamic approachto heritage, which means that heritage value is not limited to its form. Thus, heritage has a flexiblelayer that could be integrated into the future redevelopment as long as it could transfer the initial value ormeaning. The investigation found that the heritage value in Couperusbuurt is collectivity through community.Then, in integrating it with planning, the collectivity value is translated into spatial and social planningstrategy which are community-driven spatial strategy and participatory planning. Later, these strategies areelaborated into design exploration process.The design exploration in this research is done through scenario design. Design by scenario is beneficial tovisualise extreme possibilities, accommodating different needs from different stakeholders, and as a toolof participatory planning. In doing so, there are two design scenarios which are centralised collectivity anddistributed collectivity. Each scenario shares the common ground value that is collectivity as the heritageimportance for the neighbourhood’s renewal.The output of this project will be used as a material for the ongoing Couperusbuurt’s renewal projectwhich is conducted by the Municipality of Amsterdam and Housing Corporation, Stadgenoot.

This project is to improve the accessibility of military heritage sites in Soesterberg. Because of the different war times this heritage belongs, the scale and form of the heritage differ in spatial distribution. Also, due to the expansion of urban infrastructures, the road approaching the heritage sites are gradually occupied by new roads. In this thesis, a new regional vision that connects and diversifies the routing when approaching the heritage sites is developed. By extracting historical elements from the war, a new system of materials, forms and installations is generated. On the local scale, feelings are interpreted into spatial expressions using the materials extracted from history. Besides the historic heritage study, the diversification of forests is also vital in this thesis. The forest thinning approach to diversify the forest species in the coming 10 years could hopefully turn this area into a more defensive and biodiversified area.

Chengdu is experiencing rapid development, and the urban area is sprawling to the south and east, leaving many old communities in the north. Most old communities were built before the 1980s with the aging built environment. Spatial structure cannot meet the increasing need of people. The current community redevelopment focuses on large-scale demolition, destroying the previous urban form and social network, and leading to social segregation. The project explores a strategic framework in collaboration with the government, the locals, and other public and private sectors, to promote the old community redevelopment. During this process, the locals’ voices will be heard, and they will be an essential part of the redevelopment implementation. Scenario making is an important way to help the locals without professional skills to engage in the decision-making and implementation steps. The project also proposes a series of guidelines and toolboxes to help develop several scenarios, finally to promote the community redevelopment.

A large part of the Dutch landscape is used by agriculture, and the two are strongly related. However, the current agricultural system has problems with sustainability, leading for example to the loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, water pollution and high emissions of greenhouse gases. Besides ecological issues, economic and social problems are present as well. The current way of farming has turned the landscape in an industrial, monotone area, losing characteristic landscape elements. The project explores in what way agroecology and ecological principles can provide a sustainable solution to agriculture on the landscape level. The polders around Zoetermeer serve as a case study, showing how the existing landscape can be used as a starting point for the spatial implementation of sustainable farming solutions. Linking ecological principles, problems of sustainability and different areas together, a toolbox for the design of the area is formed. The end result offers a perspective on the functioning and appearance of an ecological farming landscape, using the concept of diversity, connectivity and circularity.

The performance of a city is dependent on the performance of its infrastructure. As a result, the surface-level world is inseparable from the subsurface world. However, cities around the world are facing a shortage of available space both aboveground and belowground. The existing urban fabric has over time become unfit for the addition of new infrastructure systems that are required for the future. Spatial conflict problems are arising between necessary urban infrastructures, in Antwerp specifically regarding green, blue, place, and memory systems. Nevertheless, Antwerp has an opportunity: a decommissioned canal network that lies beneath the city as tunnels that can act as a spatial mediator. Establishing this potential, the main research question asks: how can the reappropriation of the decommissioned underground canal system in Antwerp spatially mediate the city’s urgencies regarding environmental and social infrastructure? While the research question calls for the implementation of four infrastructural themes (green, blue, place, memory), an exploration of background theories on urban infrastructure implementation indicates a research gap regarding a systems-thinking approach. In this case, the Environmental Maximization Method (BOOM-Duijvestein, 1998), with its five design phases (inventory, analysis, maximization, optimization, integration), is useful. Together, the four infrastructure themes and the five design phases form a matrix that offers an appropriate design framework in the context of Antwerp. Antwerp Unearthed, as a plan, provides two answers to the research question of this report. The decommissioned underground canal system in Antwerp spatially mediates the city’s future urgencies regarding environmental and social infrastructure by pairing external problems with internal potentials and by forming a singly functioning infrastructure system. Next to this, the plan is embedded in other aspects of the urban fabric. The findings are societally relevant because they show how to work toward adaptivity and resiliency in the context of climate change and densification. The findings are scientifically relevant because they show how to work toward a justifiable and balanced implementation of different infrastructure systems. The findings are professionally relevant because they show how to work toward integral and interdisciplinary design principles for multiple infrastructural themes.

Heritage plays an important role in promoting urban physical and cultural diversity, as well as social cohesion in a changing context. In the context of Beijing, Hutong is the traditional residential area consists of regularly arranged courtyards. All buildings with slope roofs reflect the traditional Chinese architectural principles. According to historic pictures, trees and micro green space are the main landscape of original "Hutong-courtyard", and they provide large amount of public space in good quality which can promote social interaction. The public space system is including public space, semi-public space, semi-private space and private space. Accordingly, Hutong is not only a heritage object, but also a narrative of how public space transition in changing context. Moreover, it also helps to understand how public space effecting human approach in context of Beijing. Hutong contains huge tangible and intangible value, and it is one of the most representative heritages in Beijing, since its preservation is benefit to both physical and social sustainability. However, booming population and inappropriate urban renewal policy had changed the original physical and social structure, resulting in Hutong demolishing. Existing Hutong preservation are more focus on heritage object. This report tries to explore the new approaches of Hutong rehabilitation, the people, public space system of Hutong and their relationship will be seen as heritage. Therefore, this report will be focus on people and space instead of only object, and provide them sustainable development in Hutong context.

Although not widely known, The Hague emerged as one of the most impaired cities in the Netherlands after World War II (Mellink, Saal & Van Schuppen, 2017). Bombings on Statenkwartier and Bezuidenhout left part of the city in ashes (Van Der Boom, 1995; Verbaan, 2011), but also the construction of the Atlantikwall left its marks on the urban tissue. The remnants of the Atlantikwall in the dune landscape form permanent scars that recall a memory of war, oppression and its consequences. Therefore, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of valuing this sensitive heritage. However, within the city most has disappeared. The lack of presence and the portrayal of solely military bases may have diverted attention from the human aspect of the Atlantikwall. Though, the impact of the Atlantikwall on the public space in The Hague is often greater than people think. In The Hague, 35,000 houses have been demolished from Kijkduin to Benoordenhout to make place for walls, tank ditches, bunkers or dragon’s teeth. This defensive fortress was a total of 26 kilometers long. 145,000 residents, about thirty percent of the population, were forced to move elsewhere: within The Hague, in the province or even beyond. The area that was excavated and occupied by the Germans, left its mark on the public space and had an immense impact on the residents of The Hague at that time. Consequently, an elongated visible scar is left in the urban fabric of The Hague. When commemorating World War II, we reminisce about stories of Operation Market Garden, the bombings on Rotterdam or other events. However, the woundedness and events in The Hague, via the construction of the Atlantikwall, is a story that is often forgotten. Sense of place, together with local communities, increases the attractiveness of and quality of urban life. Sense of place can magnify the unique values of nature, culture, (sensitive) history and landscape. It can make things tangible for a large audience and gives impetus to reconcile. The perception of citizens’ sense of place is influenced by the urban environment and its organisation. These urban external stimuli have significant influence on the well-being and mental health of residents (Gehl, 2022). The challenge lies within maintaining development and harmony with a healthy environment. Wellbeing, mental health and dealing with (intergenerational) trauma has become a significant challenge in society. Healing is not solely defined on the individual level, but also on the community and its environment. To meet reconciliation within the landscape, cultural resources can provide pathways to healing. Exploration and development are a potential to come up with new strategies and to mitigate wellbeing and mental health, among them are cultural, social and environmental strategies (Darvill et al., 2019). A component of healing through cultural strategies is the integration of narratives of heritage, creating a sense of community and sharing connection (via the past). Parallel to the increased differences in the meaning and significance of this heritage, the primacy of the official heritage institutions has been challenged in recent years by bottom-up initiatives. The trend towards ever-increasing citizen participation, resulting in co-creation, is also evident in the heritage world. All these initiatives come from non-governmental foundations, associations and individuals, and have a major impact on the management, (re)design and perception of the historic living environment. The knowledge to successfully cooperate with this development has not yet been brought to a generally applicable level. As a result, the appropriate working method and role perception for heritage experts, more just initiatives for residents and designers have not yet sufficiently crystallised to strengthen the spatial quality.

This thesis is an exploration of the cultural characteristics and urban identity of residential neighbourhoods of Shillong, a hilltown settlement in the north east region of India. The rapid pace of unplanned urbanization trends in the hill stations of India has resulted in the degradation of the quality of public space networks of hill stations which are of primary importance to the structure and quality of the urban environment. The present scenario of development in hill stations have resulted in extreme pressures in the built environment such as problems related to congestion, overcrowding, pollution and inadequate infrastructure which has resulted in a change in their morphology. Urban identity is a concept which entails a certain quality of life for the urban residents and can be used as a tool for maintaining quality of life in the face of rapid urbanization. Form, activity and meanings are the aspects which contribute to sense of place and it is these aspects which contribute to identity of a place. Due to change in building typology from the low-rise bungalow typology to the midrise apartment buildings which now graze the skyline of the neighbourhood this shift has seen a neglect in the urban infrastructure (movement networks) which provide accessibility as well as behave as a public realm. This neglect has been noticed in the rise of unsafe neighbourhood streets. This thesis aims to identify aspects of the urban environment, both tangible(physical) and intangible (mental and social), which contributes to the making of urban identity. It aims to provide a strategy, based on the qualities of urban identity, for one of the oldest townships of Shillong city which had seen a gradual decline in the quality of the network of public space structure which exists in the neighbourhood in order to bring back life to the network of public spaces in order to make them safe and also provide a better living environment for the residents. Drawing on such understandings the aim is to create a design strategy which aims at recreating these informal pedestrian streets as the social and public realm of the city.

The importance of coping with climate change and its consequences on depleting sandy rural landscapes and their water systems is often underestimated. The seasonal imbalance of rise in temperatures and precipitation leading to both drought and flood under extreme circumstances, has deteriorated these landscapes. Attempts to regulate this area, in order to make way for rural development related to agriculture and water management, have led to numerous environmental issues and loss of its scenic beauty. A global solution addressing the environmental issues and scenic and cultural values is required. In this thesis, an attempt is made to rebuild the lost relationship between landscapes and water systems for a climate scenario that is predicted for the year 2050. This is elaborated in the thesis with research by design in the case study area situated in the Baakse beek watershed of Gelderland province. Climate change prompts a re-examination of the potentials of Baakse beek stream with regards to its rich and diverse landscapes. The proposed sustainable solution involves improving the stream water structure, realising ecological connection zones and enhancing the agricultural structures with the help of a climate corridor. This thesis specially focuses on changes in land use so new estates in the Estate Landscape Zone can co-exist with water systems and Rabat forests for recreation.

In the past decade, many discussions on the need to reduce our carbon footprint have led the EU to open a public discourse on the applicability of high speed railroad travels within the continent. But spatial plans regarding the implementation of said infrastructure are lacking and the topic of emerging railroad technologies has not surfaced in our media yet. The opportunities behind creating a sustainable European network are endless, but where is the research? This thesis aims at opening the discourse on alternative railroad infrastructure technology in the fields of social and spatial acceptance based on the frameworks of flowscapes (operative infrastructure as landscape and landscape as infrastructure) and the three dimensions of perception, function, and symbolism in order to assess the spatial and social opportunities of designing with innovative railroad technologies. This visionary research sees the cultural landscape of the Netherlands as initiator of this development, in which the new infrastructure aims at connecting the landscape, focusing on the character and values of the province of Overijssel, based on an analysis of technology through art. As a result of the research, the technology proves its position as a guiding Line in the Landscape, providing readability in the three dimensions in terms of narrative, landmark and connection.

In the Netherlands there is a current tendency of areas with extreme growth as well as areas with extreme shrinkage. Because of the increasing population in cities like The Hague, social problems intensify. Among these problems is the issue of social-spatial inequality. This occurs when the distribution of life chances is dependent on the place where you live. When the differences between places have an unjust distribution of life chances as a consequence, it is called social- spatial inequality. The intention of this project is the development of a new approach, the Urban Biography, that makes it possible to get an elaborated understanding of the development of a public place, whilst using the physical, social and mental aspects of that place. This approach makes it possible to be able to read and understand the city, or a specific place at a higher level, in order to grasp the identity of this place. Especially important for this identity are the physical, social and mental aspects. Current research often lacks at least one of these aspects, which often results in a design that is only focused on the physical and not the human aspect. The basic idea is that studying these different parts will help with the understanding of the current situation of social-spatial inequality in growing cities. This deep understanding will create the opportunity to alter the public space in order to match both the historical characteristics and the challenges of the future, like the reduction of social-spatial inequality, in order to create a design for a more just future. This Urban Biography approach is applied to the case of the city of The Hague. This city has a strong distinction between rich and poor neighbourhoods. Considering the current differences between the neighbourhoods of the city, the neighbourhood, Statenkwartier is chosen to research in more detail. This neighbourhood is not necessarily the neighbourhood that comes first to mind when thought about social-spatial inequality, but is indeed a very interesting case. The elaborated study of the city as a whole and Statenkwartier in more detail, result in a redesign of the public space for Statenkwartier. The design will contribute to the reduction of socialspatial inequality in the city.

This graduation project focuses on the livability issues in the historic neighbourhood under the Chinese context. The current Chinese heritage preservation focuses on conserving material, while livability means adapt physical settings for present use. Therefore, the living condition in the historic neighbourhoods is often neglected. This thesis aims to solve the conflicts between heritage preservation and livability by using a broader definition of heritage value. Literature suggests that the community is also a part of the heritage. The well-being of the local community will add a unique identity to the heritage site. So heritage preservation and residents' livability should be linked together. The value of heritage is attributed to the material and shown in the social aspect. There are multiple values attributed to a heritage site, and the spatial transformation process is actually the consequence of prioritizing specific values. By comparing three heritage management approaches that prioritizing different stakeholders and values, a hypothesis is made. The hypothesis states that the value-based approach can be used to improve livability in historic neighbourhoods under the Chinese planning context. This thesis uses Meiyuan Xincun as a site to test this hypothesis. There are three steps in the research by design process. Firstly, research on the broad heritage value will be done to understand the values based on perspectives from all stakeholders. These values overlap or even conflict with each other, and prioritising certain values will lead to different spatial transformation strategies. Secondly, the material-based approach (prioritizes the value of the physical element) and the living heritage approach (prioritizes the local community) are tested to explore the conflicts between the current heritage preservation approach and community needs at the spatial level. Then the value-based approach is adopted to solve the conflicts and come up with spatial strategies. Lastly, design scenarios are developed based on these strategies and are assessed by livability indicators. The outcome of this thesis is a set of methods to elicit heritage values, spatial transformation strategies, and design scenarios to show the livable future in historic neighbourhoods. The research concludes that the local community's livability is vital in preserving historic residential areas' true value. The value-based approach can be used in the current Chinese planning context to improve livability.

Immigration a process of all times. This is certainly visible a city such as Rotterdam. Nowadays, Rotterdam is one of the largest harbour cities in Europe, with a strong and prosperous harbor industry. On the other hand the city is also a place of contrasts. A key characteristic of port cities is the wide range of nationalities and cultures. People whose families once arrived in the city hoping to build a future for generations after them regard their living environment as an area with poor living quality and poor perspectives. Previous research has pointed out that it is hard for non-native inhabitants in Rotterdam to feel connected to their living environment. The aim of this thesis was to develop a toolbox on how to transform the existing immigrant neighbourhoods into places in which these groups of people feel home, welcome, and able to take their position in the city (thus increasing place attachment). It includes the work of Doug Saunders ‘The Arrival City‘(Saunders, 2018), which elabourates on possible scenarios for areas in order to create perspective, attraction, and a vibrant living place for its existing and new inhabitants with a migration background. The ‘Arrival City‘ is a book written by an American journalist, and is written from a more sociological point of view. In this thesis, this phenomenon is connected with the current challenges of place attachment, and the actual wishes and needs of people in Rotterdam South. By doing so, the outcome of the thesis is a toolbox on how to transform an immigrant neighbourhood into an Arrival City neighbourhood in a Dutch context, at the same time increasing place attachment among people with a migration background. This thesis describes an approach on how to translate the sociological ideas into a toolbox for urban designers. Because of the challenges European cities face nowadays with regard to immigration, this toolbox is also useful for other, international, Arrival cities.

The project started with the fascination of vanishing traditional living space in Shanghai, the Lilong and shantytown. The traditional living neighbourhoods reflect the historic socio-spatial network of the first spaces (Lilong, shantytown), the second places ( modern textile factories) and the third places ( streets, commercial streets, workers' club, etc.). With the urban transformation, the historic socio-spatial network is vanishing and new social structure threats the future of the historic network. By utilising the concept of third places from sociology, third places, as the main objects in the project are used to reconnect the historic socio-spatial network and create new spaces to unite all the social groups in the future. Based on the research, third places with multiple space qualities will offer an inclusion, accessible spaces while the space narrative telling the memory of the historic network.

The general problem of the thesis project is the issue of declining liveability of old neighbourhood area and the lost place identity of Shao City. To be more specific, the problem focus is the fractured social-spatial network between the old neighbourhood and the area for new social class like Kuanzhai Alley & gated communities with declining third place for local residents. The abandoned historical buildings,crowed courtyard space occupied by the informal constructions & car park and Kuanzhai Alley full of tourists and commercial activities reduce the third place of the neighbourhood and decrease its liveability and identity. The spatial gaps in Shao City have been formed. Meanwhile, the social condition in the neighbourhood is degrading. The social class is lowering in the old neighbourhood due to the rise of Kuanzhai Alley as many original residents could not stand the tourists. The upgrading of the social class in gated communities and the inaccessible public space in the new social class area caused the social segregation between the old social class and higher social in this area. From the heritage perspective, it is crucial to reconnect the social-spatial network with rich third place in Shao City for new identity. From residents’ perspective, the complete social-spatial network with good third place is important for improving the liveability.

The world faces another energy transition. The fossil fuels era slowly transforms into the era of renewable energy. But what happens to the fossil fuel related industries. This project specifically focusses on the oil industry. Previous energy transitions in the Netherlands have given us much industrial heritage. The windmills of Kinderdijk, the Beemster polder and the mines in Limburg are just a few examples of such industrial heritage. Will the oil industry also give us an element to remember? The PICH Project, which is also included in the research, concluded that with industrial heritage, the physical elements of the site are preserved, but the story that comes with it, is not. Together with the current trend of storytelling and meaning of place, this is implemented in the research and design of the project. Theoretical research tells us that industrial heritage is not easy. Because of its specific and strange structures and elements, and its huge scale it is not an easy task to transform such sites and preserve them as they are. Many sources tell that re-use of such sites is still the best way to preserve them. The Emscher Park in Germany is the most famous example of industrial areas transformed and re-used in a recreational way. This project focusses on the harbour of Rotterdam and specifically on Pernis’ industrial area. Historical development research showed that the harbour grows out of the city towards the sea and Pernis is therefore the next area to transform when this development continues in the future. Pernis is not only the next area facing transformation, it is also the largest oil refinery in Europe and one of the largest in the world. This also gave a challenge in transformation possibilities in the design. To know how to deal with the area and what kind of functions are needed, future perspectives of involved stakeholders were analysed. This showed that population growth and renewable energy were subjects that occurred frequently in these reports. Therefore, the design for a masterplan contains a residential area and an energy park. The design also shows three possibilities of what a certain area of Pernis could look like in the future. A variety of images shows three different uses of how to preserve the oil industry of Pernis based on four core values that came out of the earlier research. Because the oil industry is still needed nowadays, and the future is unsure, despite the predictions of the end of oil, these images show a possibility of how to deal with the remains of the oil industry.

In China, the phenomenon of informal settlements is a consequence of rapid urbanization. Since the 1980s, the construction of labor-intensive industries has accelerated the expansion of urban areas. Numerous traditional villages in suburban areas were surrounded by newly built urban areas and became the so-called “urban village”. People in the urban villages could no longer earn from agriculture as their farmlands had mostly been requisitioned, while luckily the increasing housing demand of migrants enabled them to earn from rental. The villages are empowered to elect village committees and self-organization for public issues, while there are still a lot of things that are difficult to manage by villagers without official guidelines and investment. Many villages lack public services and public spaces, suffer from living unsafety, and social segregation. A policy was carried out in 2009 for regenerating the old towns, old factories, and old villages in the city, in which the urban village is part of the focus. However, currently, the market-led redevelopment approach did not work well on balancing the interest among different stakeholders, for which the housing demand of migrants is always ignored. Some projects even led to gentrification in the city center. Here the thesis aims to explore strategies for upgrading the living environment and mitigating social segregation in urban villages. It reveals the current challenges and potentials of redeveloping urban villages in Guangzhou. Finally, spatial and managerial strategies are given to improve the livability and enhance social integration between locals and migrants in the redevelopment process.