This report examines the role of an urban designer in a multicultural society. When an urban society is overlapped with a spatial and diverse cultural layer, a cultural community is seen as the essential unit for outreaching and interacting with this complex environment. Community design is required for an urban designer to explore the intersection of spatial design and community development methodologies, top-down and bottom-up decision-making.

In this report, the author takes use of the case of Rotterdam Chinatown to develop an experimental community design methodology and apply it to the on-site practice. It aims to stimulate communication and resource links within the Chinese community in a globalization context by utilizing open spaces as a medium.

This research starts with the preliminary background study, followed by creating a set of customized pattern languages as the communication, learning, and design tools to engage the Rotterdam Chinatown community and the Chinese community in Rotterdam. A live event held in public spaces of Rotterdam Chinatown is embodied as a performance to evaluate the efficiency of the vision co-created by stakeholders. The final outcome learns about the requirements of the Chinese community of Rotterdam and concludes with refined pattern language and scenario design based on the conditions of Rotterdam Chinatown.

This participatory design methodology featured for the Rotterdam Chinatown community fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment among the community members and encourages active participation in shaping the future of the community in a pure bottom-up approach.

Keywords: community design, cultural glocalization, Chinatown, pattern language, public space
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With the growing world population and concerns about resource scarcity, environmental pressures, and social challenges more and more industries have a growing interest in transitioning towards a circular economy.

In South Holland, specifically in the port of Rotterdam, the ship manufacturing sector requires fundamental change. Circularity is currently hardly integrated into the ship manufacturing sector, as the lifecycle of most ships follows a linear path. The cycle starts with raw metals being extracted from the earth, ending with scrap steel being poorly recycled for other sectors in Asia. Because of the lack of a global regulatory framework, and the growing capacity and capability pressures on the ship recycling business in Europe, the business will not be able to process the increasing number of ships to be recycled in the future.

To generate a spatial vision and strategy to solve these issues, which helps transition to a more circular ship manufacturing sector, this research uses evidence-based design. Several methods are used including literature research, data analysis, site analysis, and research by design.

This is done to work towards the final goal: integrating spatial, technological, and regulatory solutions into the ship manufacturing business of South Holland, to build circularity into every stage of the ship’s lifecycle. Essential in reaching this goal, is safeguarding the ship manufacturing sector, which is in a vulnerable position, in symbiosis with resilience, innovation, collaboration, and transparency.

In the end, the province of South Holland will be a world-leading example demonstrating more circular ship manufacturing in the port of Rotterdam. Spatially, this will result in a better port-city relationship, where ship manufacturing is embedded and mixed with other activities where possible, creating a synergy between different stakeholders. In addition, flows are connected by sustainable water transport.

By transitioning to a more circular ship manufacturing sector, the port of Rotterdam can contribute to the mitigation of the negative effects of climate change and resource scarcity. Additionally, the port of Rotterdam and its shipbuilding sector is of great international importance, which means the implementation of circularity can stimulate change and benefit people from the local to the global scale.
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