In Greece, the prevailing growth-paradigm has been manifested in the commodification of rural areas through tourism, and the continuous neglect and abandonment of the non-touristic territories. This has resulted in their societal and environmental degradation, exemplified through the recent devastating floods and wildfires, that also stem from the pressures of climate change. Within a context of intense political corruption and tardy governmental response, the nuanced topic of rurality is failing to be addressed adequately. We cannot continue business-as-usual, but should aim instead towards transitioning to a post-growth society. However, there are significant barriers present, like the limited societal acceptance, lack of alternative spatial imaginaries and intense bureaucracy. To bypass such hurdles, bioregionalism proposes the formation of a place-based administrative body - researched here through the case-study of the Spercheios river basin. Considering the overwhelming and ambitious nature of the post-growth agenda, in combination with the lack of adequate communication tools to engage disinterested stakeholders that are locked-in-growth, traditional planning approaches would not suffice. Alternatively, after the exploration of the site-specific conditions and a tracing of growth in the landscape itself, a contextual spatial imaginary is formed, conducted through a combination of fiction writing, speculative design interventions and physical artefacts. This narrative is explored through the perspective of a rural dweller of the bioregion of Spercheios, who meanders along the region in the scope of one day. They explore the adaptation to energy and water sufficiency from the scale of one individual house, to the neighbourhood, to the village, and reckon with food production through extensive agroforestry practices. They engage with bioregional decision-making processes in a weekly meeting, and observe nature-based solutions along the river as they commute towards the coast. There, they explore the restoration of the wetlands and the adaptation towards living with more water in the lowlands. Finally, they end their day back at the square of the village, reflecting, sharing stories and bonding with others. Through this narrative, implications, opportunities and limitations of the post-growth approach are investigated, while also exploring experimental methods of communication and engagement - ultimately attempting to imagine the post-growth future tangible, within grasp. ... Read more

The current food production and distribution system has led to extensive degradation on both the global and local scale, requiring a transformation of the vast, urbanized rural - beyond just climate-change mitigation but radical regeneration.
The ongoing intensive agricultural practices have contaminated air, soil, and water, while their market- driven character disallows the emergence of locality and circularity, exploiting workers and small-scale farmers, and disrupting the social welfare of the countryside. This system is analysed through the lenses of ecology, economy, and society, highlighting the problematic character of the Lowlands of North-West Europe, due to the immense sprawl of degenerative agriculture practices, as well as the small and fragmented network of ecosystem-valuable spaces.
Following the most urgent climate-change scenario from the IPCC report, we will attempt the transition from a degenerative system towards a regenerative one, based on the pillars of ecosystem restoration, ensuring food security through sustainable means, and the shift towards regenerative agriculture practices. Concerns about spatial justice permeate all pillars horizontally, to ensure the socio- spatial regeneration of the countryside.
To transition towards our vision, the strategy is approached through a series of interconnected key projects. The formation of a pan-European network of tree nurseries ensures the necessary capital of seedlings for reforestation and agroforestry practices, while a trans-border policy zone can integrate conservation and agriculture, enhancing the connectivity between ecosystems. The greenhouse zone of Westland is experimented upon, aiming towards the development of a replicable model of sustainably intensive food production model. These strategic interventions are underlined by a policy framework, stressing the liveability of the Lowlands for all rural dwellers, farmers, and workers, through access to services, education, and housing. Through this experimentation we hope to have highlighted that the examination of the countryside needs to be intrinsically tied to any effort of envisioning a future of climate- change mitigation and socio-ecological regeneration.
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This booklet is the attempt to synthesize the work developed by a multidisciplinary group of Master students from TU-Delft during the Landscape elective course OnSite. The course revolves around the design and the construction of a temporary project in a landscape setting, preceded by extensive exploration of the site. During the course, the students were given the unique chance to experience the land in multiple forms, and later on, feel the impact of their intervention.
We were assigned to work in the area called Land of Chabot, located in the north of Rotterdam, where the famous painter Henk Chabot (1894-1949) used to live. The area is constrained by the Rotte River on the north, an untouched forested area on the right and a relic of the original agricultural polders and on the left. It is currently being cut in the middle by the construction of the A16 motorway, which leads to deep structural and symbolic transformation of the landscape.
Chabot used to paint this landscape, evoking the essence of the land by his raw, harsh, and bold brushstrokes. Another powerful characteristic of his
work are the different viewpoints from which he paints the land, bringing the viewers to experience its openness and contemplate the land to its fullest.
Today, the land of Chabot is a fragment of an open farmland tissue that once surrounded the whole city of Rotterdam, and that has been profoundly changed over the years. The reason why this specific piece of land remains, is the construction of the A16 motorway that is now happening, after 30 years of planning. A huge contradiction arises due to the fact that the highway that is disrupting the land by carving it in the middle, is the very same reason why this land has been kept preserved over the years.
During the design process of our intervention, we aimed to tackle the cultural and symbolic significance of this place, and mostly, what new meanings and ways to see this landscape could take place now, given its inevitable current transformations. We dived into Chabot’s paintings and tried to capture his shifting horizon - that is different when viewed from the Rotte than when viewed from the dike, from the house where Chabot lived and worked, or from the polder floor. Our intervention became an attempt to descend into this land in order to see it. ... Read more