Half of the people worldwide currently live in urban areas, which is expected to grow to two-thirds by 2050. Though relatively little is still known about the exact effects of urban living, in particular on our health, some patterns have been recognised: a higher likelihood of developing mental health issues, a high degree of car-dominance and -dependence, and strongly felt effects of climate change. These diverse issues have one overlapping factor, which is urban stress, the main topic of this thesis. People with a low socioeconomic status experience this especially severly, due to their higher likelihood of living in “problem areas” with many urban issues, in addition to other financial worries. This thesis aims to find out what the exact causes of urban stress are, and find out design solutions that can help lower this urban stress. The question at the centre of this thesis is “What spatial design elements can improve the health of residents of vulnerable neighbourhoods with a low socioeconomic status through stress-relief, based on the case study of Overvecht, Utrecht?”. Overvecht is chosen as a case study, as it has all of the aforementioned urban issues, in addition to issues related to socioeconomics. Firstly, through literature review, sources of urban stress (“stressors”) are formulated and bundled in the so-called STRESS framework, which divides the stressors into five categories: Social, Activity, Economy, Nature, and Personal experience. Then, design solutions are presented in the form of the RELAX framework, which has the same categories, but seen from the perspective of stress-relief rather than stressors. Both of these frameworks are then applied in Overvecht, which shows how they work in practice. This same method could be used in other vulnerable neighbourhoods with similar issues related to urban stress. The main take away is that the different design solutions all depend on each other and to properly and effectively lower urban stress, the different perspectives should all be considered and formed into a synergetic vision/design, which reacts to local circumstances and wants and needs of local residents.

The Dutch greenhouse industry contributing 19% of the national carbon emissions, highlights its significant role in the ever-increasing environmental, social, and political challenges developing from climate change. Geopolitical tensions including the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with resource scarcity and a world population growth underscore the urgency of transitioning societal practices within the food-energy nexus. Existing policies such as the European Green Deal emphasize the need to transition toward renewable energy. Given the horticulture sector’s substantial spatial and global exportation footprint, there is potential to strategically utilize these spaces and economic flows. If successful, Dutch greenhouses can be the catalyst for a circular society model that emphasizes environmental regeneration, peri-urban community empowerment, and representative policy.

This report builds from theories including social justice, circular economy, glocalization, and regenerating peri-urban landscapes. By applying a circular society framework, which prioritizes sustainable consumption patterns, co-created policy, and spatial justice, this report develops a regional strategy for connecting and diversifying greenhouse sub-regions. The goals of this strategy include enhancing community engagement, ecological restoration, innovative knowledge-based production, and fully renewably sourced systems. An analysis through the lens of these intended goals leads to an instruction manual for redesigning industrial landscapes and an index of potential building blocks to implement in the redesign.

This instruction manual offers to scientific relevance through a large-scale combination of innovations, and a circular 15-minute social and 30-minute economic system, and societal relevance through lowering political unrest and the combination of technical and social functions. The manual is useful for a diverse range of parties including municipalities, policymakers, scientists, students, and residents.

Ultimately, SowGrowConnect aims for a future where greenhouse regions are not just endless rows of glasshouses but inclusive and diverse energy and social landscapes.