The attempts made in history to design livable sustainable neighborhoods, have created dependency instead on motorized transportation and have increased the pressure of the city, leading to unsustainable environments and causing global climate change. To accomplish sustainability we introduce a new vision to explain what sustainability means in the built environment and how we can identify ourselves more with the term sustainability. In this thesis we explore therefore policies and strategies where the urban environment and public health meet each other. We believe that by increasing public health, a sustainable environment will be the result. To translate this into urban design, we suggest to design from the neighborhood, the building block of the city. By transforming neighborhoods into a network of healthy places we research how we can increase the quality (livability) of neighborhoods to increase public health, wellbeing and sustainability in the built environment.

The Amsterdam Metropolitan area, and especially Amsterdam city, attracts large amounts of people due to the diverse economy opportunities, cultural and recreational activities, and the strong connection of the region by public transport and road network. The need for space, resources, and mobility are increasing and will keep increasing due to the growth of population and, thus, the rise of demand. This unbalanced distribution requires full use of spaces and resources.

The main focus of the project is to identify what causes this unbalanced distribution by researching the different densities of the region, in order to make the region more stable and move it towards the circular economy. At the same time, the project focuses on the spatial conditions of the different neighbourhoods and tries to increase the livability levels in order for the general quality of life of the citizens will be improved. The main tool that we used during our research, but also later on the vision and strategy plan, is density. Firstly, we analyze the region by understating what the different densities that can be found in it are, and how they work. Afterwards, the focus shifts to the analysis of the different neighborhoods, trying to determinate and understand the different densities that can be found in the small scale. Finally, we try to find what opportunities and potential do these densities create for the different neighborhoods.

By analyzing the different densities and typologies in the region, we highlight the importance of sharing spaces in terms of facilities, transportation, and waste management for the inhabitants, in order to help AMA move towards a more sustainable and balanced future direction.

The innovations that we make depend on the existing situation, the density, and the character of the city. Taking into account these aspects and the regional analysis, we decide what needs to be densified in terms of facilities. These new density developments either make the existing identities of the city stronger, or, in the cases of lack of identity, we propose new ones to be adopted.

This interpretations will release the pressure on Amsterdam city, balance the region, create more livable spaces, and move the AMA towards circularity.