This thesis examines the current care crisis as a dual condition: a human crisis stemming from dismantled welfare systems and lack of social connectedness, and an environmental crisis reflected in the escalating effects of climate change.It highlights how the most vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, are disproportionately affected by these overlapping crises on a global scale.
Additionally, it critically examines current perceptions of aging populations, particularly in the context of a world experiencing rapid urbanization and aging societies.

These issues are analyzed through spatial scales, starting with a regional focus on Hungary, narrowing down to the capital, Budapest, and further to the VII. district (Erzsébetváros). At country scale, the thesis investigates the structural shortcomings of the welfare system, examining how government policies fail to support elderly populations and how it is reflected in media narratives. It also assesses the spatial injustices caused by climate change, identifying the areas most vulnerable to its effects. On a more localized level, the everyday lives of elderly residents are studied at the neighborhood and street scales. Insights gathered from these phases are synthesized to create a pattern language.

Building on this analysis, the thesis proposes design interventions aimed at creating caring urban spaces that promote social connectivity and climate resilience. These interventions are intended not only to address the needs of the elderly but also to foster a more inclusive and adaptive environment for the entire community.

This booklet describes the process of work carried out by a group of students within the On Site Studio of the Department of Landscape Architecture at TU Delft (Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences)in the spring of 2024. The students
have different academic backgrounds in either architecture, urbanism or landscape architecture and have been divided into dynamic sub-groups focusing on different approaches to analyse and design, but the work is the result of an effort by the group as a whole.

As the title of the studio ‘ON SITE: Scenes in Stadspark West’ suggests, this project took place in Stadspark West (SPW), a unique location in Rotterdam, however it is not an officially recognised geographical name. The initiators behind SPW refer to it as ‘an idea’ and ‘a fictional park that actually exists’.

This document is divided into three elements, the first part, Analysis and Research, deals with the embodied on-site analysis of the site and the theoretical research that underpins this analysis. The main aim of this part is to get a better grip on the multifaceted area of Stadspark West and to find better ways to describe, define, discuss and work with this area from a landscape architectural perspective. The second part of this booklet focuses on exploring and transcending the outcome of this analysis to a wider audience. In the project we achieve this goal by designing an intervention in the landscape. As the findings of our analysis have come from our first-hand embodied experiences, the aim is to present and extend these impressions from the same perspective. In the final part we use these findings to create an overall vision for Stadspark West.

The EU Green Deal aims to ensure a socially just energy transition, but the shift towards renewable energies often replicates the centralized, top-down approach of traditional fossil fuel systems, negatively impacting rural areas. This report reimagines this paradigm by advocating for decentralized energy communities, particularly in regions experiencing the neglect often seen in ‘shadow agglomerations.’ It argues for a shift where decentralized energy production empowers both cities and rural areas, enabling them to attain energy self-sufficiency and ownership. The research uses a multicriteria analysis to explore the Eurodelta and Zeeland regions, forming a vision that supports the strategic development of energy communities in Zeeland and Rotterdam. This approach aims to facilitate a more spatially equitable and just energy transition, enabling regions overshadowed by major urban centers to become essential in achieving sustainable energy production, thereby reshaping the energy landscape towards a more distributed and participatory model.