The challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change put Dutch cities under pressure, necessitating a transition towards nature-inclusive urban environments. In pre-war working-class neighborhoods, however, the lack of access to urban green spaces hampers appreciation for nature, resulting in a negative feedback loop that prohibits nature-inclusive, bottom-up action. This research proposes a transition strategy to empower residents to take ownership of public space and initiate a transition towards nature inclusivity.

To guide this process, two sets of design principles were constructed. The first set establishes what an optimal consideration for ecology in pre-war working-class neighborhoods would entail. The second set revolves around empowering citizens to take ownership of public space. To examine the effectiveness of these design principles, the neighborhood Lombok in Utrecht was utilized as a design case. The findings of this design exploration highlight the impact small local initiatives could have on urban ecology as well as the well-being of residents. Following this, two design scenarios were elaborated to demonstrate that, despite the spatial restrictions of pre-war working-class neighborhoods, nature inclusivity could be achieved in a variety of ways.

Because of the urgent need for nature inclusivity in many pre-war working-class neighborhoods, the utilization of this approach could greatly improve the ecological resilience of many Dutch urban ecosystems.