The scarcity of resources is increasing, resulting in the transformation of entire regions. People take a lot of the resources on Earth for granted. This calls for a transition from the current ‘throw-away’-economy to a ‘circular’ economy. The constant circulation of materials and products in this type of system preserves the value of materials. Academics and practitioners are addressing this transition, but they frequently ignore its social and spatial aspects. A socio-spatial framework for reorganizing a district towards a circular system is proposed in this thesis. The solution presented is fundamentally utopian, aiming to challenge established ideas about the current system. In this thesis, the public space’s redesign serves as an entry point to the private and communal spaces.

The design location for this thesis is the Indische Buurt. This district is located in east of Amsterdam. With a large proportion of social housing, the area’s primary use is residential. Additionally, there are a few shopping streets nearby. The approach used in this thesis was context-specific. The three main approaches used were literature reviews, field research, and ‘research by design’.

According to the analysis, residents are crucial in deciding whether and how to dispose of things. But at the moment, the area doesn’t have many resources supporting circular behavior. The issue of waste disposal in public areas is one of the effects. In addition, the district has a high proportion of minima-households, little greenery, and roadways that are mostly occupied by parked cars. The primary observation about governance analysis is the lack of emphasis on the spatial implications necessary for the shift to a circular system.

The district is reorganized using a spatial framework that was constructed using the R-ladder. The R-ladder is a circularity model made up of ten R-strategies for reducing the amount of materials and resources used in product chains. The higher up the strategy is on the ladder, the more value is retained. Following that, a spatial design for a square and its surrounding streets is proposed. The visibility of circularity is prioritized in this design to enhance public awareness. Furthermore, the design aims to maximize the value retention of materials or products by selecting the solution that best retains value. In addition to the design, recommendations will be made to the governance of the Netherlands and Amsterdam. This will improve the existing circular strategy and policy.

Our society is dealing with multiple wicked problems: the Climate Crisis, poverty, inequality and our need for a sustainable and healthy environment to live in. The Climate Crisis increases the urge to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels and requires a structural transformation to our management and distribution of space, economy and community. More than 8% of the Dutch population faces energy poverty, and this percentage will increase with the rising energy prices and unstructured national framework. The Province of South Holland, in the Netherlands, is a region thriving from an economy based not only in the biggest port in Europe, the Port of Rotterdam, but also thriving design, technologies and innovations in the cultural centres of cities like Delft, Leiden, Rotterdam and The Hague. This region has a great potential to strategically change the energy generation towards alternative, renewable sources, as well as the energy consumption of the region to tackle social inequalities such as energy poverty.
This report will elaborate on the question of how a just energy transition towards 100% renewable energy of the Province of South Holland can be created through synergising and adjusting the spatial distribution. Through research by design, approached by students of the department of urbanism of ‘Bouwkunde’ at the TU Delft, the scope and application of regional planning for energy development will be illustrated to facilitate an adaptive, inclusive and collaborative energy transition in the Province of South Holland.
A systemic change is needed, which will create the opportunity for the Port of Rotterdam to evolve from the current petrolscape to a renewable energyscape and to become a leading role model in the energy transition towards regional renewable energy generation and distribution, and a global hydrogen hub. A fair system without energy poverty, accessible, affordable and efficient energy and mobility, a repurposed energyspace for diverse renewable energy systems and a recycling system, and a local energy production will enable a just transition towards a fossil fuel free future for the Province of South Holland.