This project focuses on the sustainable development of Anxin County, situated in the Xiong'an New Area of China. The aim is to create a harmonious balance between economic growth and ecological preservation, considering the region's unique characteristics, such as the Baiyangdian wetland and the surrounding rural landscape. Taking the local wetland productive system as a starting point, the project explores the possibilities of the local agricultural landscape to be adapted to the rapid urbanization process as well as providing a climate-resilient solution for the hydrological crisis.

A strategic map has been formulated through a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of scenario building. This map emphasizes the integration of local industries, namely reed cultivation, fishery and other primary industries, and ecological preservation. By promoting the sustainability of the local industry, a more coordinated network will be built to provide enough job opportunities to residents and protect the ecological sensitivity of the wetland at the same time. The goal is to enhance the ecological and social resilience of the area and establish a sustainable development model that can be replicated in the North China Plain area. ... Read more

Mankind is exhausting natural resources. Therefore, the need to transform the linear material flows towards circular chains is increasing. Steel is a material that is produced and used globally and has high potentials for recycling. However, in the maritime sector, steel is currently barely recycled, let alone reused in a more direct way. Maritime manufacturing is a vital industry in the province of South-Holland, strengthened by a strong knowledge network. The aim of this project is to localise and extend the steel life cycle, to create an environmentally and socially sustainable province in which maritime manufacturing can grow in a responsible way. In order to close the loops, the R-ladder is used as a framework for circular material flows in the manufacturing industry and in the participation of the citizens. A local steel life cycle for maritime manufacturing will be achieved through the connection of the steel using maritime companies in Rotterdam and the Drecht Cities with the steel production company of TATA Steel in IJmuiden. Missing links in the cycle, a secondary steel processing company and ship disassembly companies, will be brought to the province, providing a new purpose to the Port of Rotterdam when fossil fuels phase out. The transition to material circularity will be made possible through innovations in modular shipbuilding and renewable fuels. Innovation centres in the maker's industry will bridge between knowledge and practice. The consumers will be involved in the material transition through community re-hubs in their cities, where they can share, reuse and recycle products. In this strategy, the extensive water network will function as a backbone along which spatial developments will take place. The water backbone will be a connector for both public transport and industrial transport. This strategy for a transition towards circular steel flows in maritime manufacturing, can be an incentive and inspiration for other manufacturing sectors to close their material cycles. ... Read more