Global challenges of ongoing urbanization especially in areas with increased coastal, fluvial and pluvial flooding cannot be solved by mere engineering solutions. Reversed Engineering with Nature is a concept that puts the natural system central, but it does seek symbioses with engineering systems into a new hybrid condition. This spatial hybridity is not only about integrating natural and engineered systems but also in considering surface and subsurface as one united space. Anticipating global challenges by synchronizing natural and engineered system and the spatial planning of surface and subsurface means innovating governance processes and products. This paper focusses on the question on how to integrate information the natural and engineered systems in surface and subsurface in urban development plans. The study of a series of plans for the case studies, New York (USA) and Natori (Japan), both struck by natural disasters, should expose the role of technical information. Especially the impact of an disaster to which usually engineering solutions are installed is an important test factor in this study. The conclusions show that the role of the spatial plan defines the visualization, to work consciously with the effects of climate change, it is important to include the subsurface information. ... Read more

The present investigation portrays an experimental line of design and relational thinking aimed at establishing critical design premises in relation with the present state of change and crisis (Goddard et al., 2015 and Maxmen 2018). The description of abiotic and biotic shifts within the different realms -atmosphere, water and soil- inform the making of the urban / territorial project so it can contribute to the operationalization and management of the new conditions of life: Atmosphere talks about the importance of reading the new biophysical conditions of life through the establishment of a land use system of performances for carbon drawdown and new suitability analysis. Water casts light in the regeneration of ecosystems at watershed level through vegetation density strategies -such as aforestation- to reverse desertification and enhance the water cycle via the Biotic Pump (Makarieva & Gorshkov, 2007). Both Water and Atmosphere describe shifting conditions that land on the Soil, the interface allowing for the interaction of systems, where abiotic conditions are translated and de-codified into biotic conditions that the urban project can design with. Therefore, Soil identifies the ground as the element of design, the sustaining infrastructure of all living systems and proposes the transition from current mono-functional land use systems to regenerative systems through vegetation diversity strategies. The design of the territory of the new modernity, as an inter - multi - disciplinary process, must comprehend and project across the whole gradient of urbanization with the mission to regenerate urban landscapes, that is to say: to regulate atmospheric conditions, manage water patterns, sustain soil health and reconnect stronger culture and nature relations ... Read more

This project focuses on the urban renewal of (delta) metropolises and concentrates on the question how to design resilient, durable (subsurface) infrastructure in urban renewal projects using parameters of the natural system – linking in an efficient way (a) water cycle, (b) soil and subsurface conditions, (c) soil improvement technology, and (d) opportunities in urban renewal (e.g. urban growth or shrinkage). The subsurface is the technical space, the engine room of a city, housing the vital functions of water, electricity, sewers and drainage, but also housing the natural system that is crucial for a stable, green, healthy and livable city. Especially the effects of climate change, the boosts for an energy transition and the fact that there are less financial mean makes the intelligent use of the subsurface more important. This prublication reprots on the explorative method to get insight and design methods for the urban renewal of (delta) metropolises where resilient, durable (subsurface) infrastructure is carefully balanced out with parameters of the natural system. The question “how can the different technological artefacts in the subsurface be synchronized offering more space and adding to a better urban quality?” is answered by working with the municipality in an interdisciplinary explorative research and design. The exploration was framed by co-creation in workshops and use of provocative scenario's; later a more precise elaboration of these results were done in the working group. ... Read more

This project focuses on the urban renewal of (delta) metropolises and concentrates on the question how to design resilient, durable (subsurface) infrastructure in urban renewal projects using parameters of the natural system – linking in an efficient way (a) water cycle, (b) soil and subsurface conditions, (c) soil improvement technology, and (d) opportunities in urban renewal (e.g. urban growth or shrinkage). The subsurface is the technical space, the engine room of a city, housing the vital functions of water, electricity, sewers and drainage, but also housing the natural system that is crucial for a stable, green, healthy and livable city. Especially the effects of climate change, the boosts for an energy transition and the fact that there are less financial mean makes the intelligent use of the subsurface more important. This prublication reprots on the explorative method to get insight and design methods for the urban renewal of (delta) metropolises where resilient, durable (subsurface) infrastructure is carefully balanced out with parameters of the natural system. The question “how can the different technological artefacts in the subsurface be synchronized offering more space and adding to a better urban quality?” is answered by working with the municipality in an interdisciplinary explorative research and design. The exploration was framed by co-creation in workshops and use of provocative scenario's; later a more precise elaboration of these results were done in the working group. ... Read more

The subsurface is the technical space, the engine room of a city, housing the vital functions of water, electricity, sewers and drainage, but also housing the natural system that is crucial for a stable, green, healthy and livable city. Especially the effects of climate change, the boosts for an energy transition and the fact that there are less financial mean makes the intelligent use of the subsurface more important. Situated in the DIMI theme safe, sustainable deltas and metropolises with the connecting theme of resilient, durable infrastructure this project focuses on the urban renewal of (delta) metropolises. The main question is how to design resilient, durable (subsurface) infrastructure in urban renewal projects using parameters of the natural system – linking in an efficient way (a) water cycle, (b) soil and subsurface conditions, (c) soil improvement technology, and (d) opportunities in urban renewal (e.g. urban growth or shrinkage) By understanding and re-designing the engine room we aim for a more efficient overall system (starting from the subsurface and reflecting on the surface level). Moreover, the subsurface is a crowded place and without planning it there is no room to make use of novel solutions that the subsurface can offer cities for managing water, heat and renewable energy or underground space more efficiently. The project was developed in two phases, the first phase concentrated on synchronization of the connected disciplines: water management, geo engineering and urbanism. The second phase was focused on the architectural representation of the subsurface in cooperation with the municipality of Rotterdam and Leiden. ... Read more

New forms of mobility offer opportunities to make urban areas along highways more resilient by using those specific areas for the ecological and functional improvement of the city. This requires spatial interventions that approach the highway, the buffer zone and the specific urban area along the highway as a whole rather than as separate zones that just happen to be juxtaposed. Anticipating new forms of mobility, how can we design the correlation between these spaces and how can these spaces foster resilient urban systems?
To examine the correlation between highway and city, combinations of five highway prototypes and three urban types that represent the majority of urban territories along highways in the Netherlands are studied. The approach is executed in two phases: the polluted buffer zones will be cleaned in the first phase and the potential of the urban area will be activated in the second phase. This involves opportunities for waste- water treatment, energy production and newly built programme.
How can the different combinations create spatial opportunities to enhance the resilience of a specific area? In this context, climate change, the energy transition and quality urbanization are of key importance. The need to mitigate and adapt changes in the hydrological cycle, to reduce energy dependency and find more renewable energy sources is increasing, but at the same time there is less space available to achieve these things. For each urban type, current qualities and opportunities to create a balanced relation between human and natural systems can be defined in relation to the present situation.
The scale at which resilience influences the new urban systems shows the overwhelming potential of the space around the highway once new technological innovations in the field of mobility and environment are combined. New correlations between human and natural systems transform the as yet orphaned fragments of land into pioneer zones that enhance the resilience of the city by its improved ecology and additional housing programme.
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The sub-surface, with its man-made and natural components, plays an important, if not crucial, role in the urban climate and global energy transition. On the one hand, the sub-surface is associated with a variety of challenges such as subsidence, pollution, damage to infrastructure and shortages of space for new urban systems. On the other hand, the sub-surface presents opportunities in terms of solutions for flooding, reduction in heat stress, and decentralized energy systems. Therefore, it is necessary to place sub-surface issues in their appropriate perspective, to enable a more resilient design that brings together ecosystem services, climate and urban systems, and which takes full account of the dynamics of the subsoil. To achieve this, the sub-surface must be an integral part of above ground planning and design. Organization of the sub-surface needs to be reflected visually in relation to - consideration of (surface) spatial morphology. The objective of this paper is to question the role of architectural representation of the subsurface. Discussion of architectural representation should include ‘design thinking’. An important element of design thinking is the concepts that are used to guide the design process. For this reason, this research tests the role of visualization in relation to a case from the Dutch context and more specifically to subsidence. The approach is built on a systematic processing of contextual information of the site under development, using the System Exploration Environment, Subsurface and results in a Technical Profile. Using input from subsurface specialists to rethink the urban landscape results in realisation of synergies between subsurface elements and the (re)design of vital urban infrastructure. ... Read more

GREEN/BLUE CITIES: Green/Blue Infrastructure for Sustainable, Attractive Cities. Combined Deliverable Report 2.3 and 2.9.

The aim with this report is to present and discuss suggestions for possible implementation of stormwater control measures (SCMs) in the new city centre of Kiruna. The SCM alternatives were chosen based on technical requirements (retention and/or quality treatment) and aesthetical issues. ... Read more

This project focuses on the urban renewal of (delta) metropolises and concentrates on the question how to design resilient, durable (subsurface) infrastructure in urban renewal projects using parameters of the natural system – linking in an efficient way (a) water cycle, (b) soil and subsurface conditions, (c) soil improvement technology, and (d) opportunities in urban renewal (e.g. urban growth or shrinkage). The subsurface is the technical space, the engine room of a city, housing the vital functions of water, electricity, sewers and drainage, but also housing the natural system that is crucial for a stable, green, healthy and livable city. Especially the effects of climate change, the boosts for an energy transition and the fact that there are less financial mean makes the intelligent use of the subsurface more important. This prublication reprots on the explorative method to get insight and design methods for the urban renewal of (delta) metropolises where resilient, durable (subsurface) infrastructure is carefully balanced out with parameters of the natural system. The question “how can the different technological artefacts in the subsurface be synchronized offering more space and adding to a better urban quality?” is answered by taking procedural steps from the technology (the knowledge of) to the design of public space and urban main structures. In each step the translation from the engineering language to the language of the urban designer (and vice-versa) is done producing an informative and useful overview in how to relate technological artefacts to urban quality.
In order to reach interdisciplinary design, explorative research is used for creating a shared language. Explorative research has been useful because the problems at hand are wicked problems that has not been clearly defined. The exploration was framed by co-creation in workshops and later a more precise elaboration of these results in the working group. ... Read more