Inequality in the city of Amsterdam is growing. While in the 70s, the city was described as a prime example of a Just City, the contemporary metropolis is growing as a city of the elite. Neoliberal planning in recent decades has focused on attracting knowledge workers to Amsterdam with a strategy of privatization, deregulation and decentralization. Not only has this led to a situation where access to the municipality for lower-income groups is compromised, but also to a complex development environment where democratic decision-making is vulnerable.

The problems of inequality and undemocratic decision-making in the Amsterdam region call for a new understanding of how to redesign for a Just City, in which spatial justice and inclusive decision-making is protected. Therefore, this thesis research proposes a refined methodology that enables understanding contemporary demands for spatial justice and translating these demands into spatial design. A framework is developed that provides an overview of planning and design principles that must be protected during the development of a Just City. Furthermore, a 5-Step Methodology is being created that urban planners may use to translate these principles into spatial designs. With these instruments, the research contributes to academic knowledge about planning for justice and steering complex urban development.

Although (spatial) justice is a value that may never be fully obtained and the fluid definition of a Just City is always evolving, the products of this research contribute to the political discourse on planning for justice and equity. The results may be further developed by integrating different academic disciplines and the perspectives of multiple stakeholders in its progress. Moreover, the performance of the methodology may be explored further by experimenting with it in a practical setting.

The Netherlands exported in 2017 for 91,7 billion euros and exported for even more: 62,6 billion euros(CBS, 2018). This shows the big agri-food fl ows in which the Netherlands is involved. Sadly, these global fl ows have a big impact on economic, social and environmental sustainability worldwide. For example, transport causes many emissions, there is an unfair economic system that keeps farmers trappedand there is a lot of environmental damage. This is a situation that needs to change, but the Netherlands is also very dependent on the economy that the worldwide trade brings. This shows the problemthat South Holland is dealing with: The Netherlands is too much economic dependent on its agri-foodimport and export fl ows and is thereby causing economic, social and environmental sustainability challenges.This report proposes to DownScale international agri-food fl ows and Scale-Up a regional food system.The import and export fl ows are limited to only the European Union while food hubs and knowledgenetworks contribute to a system in which local food consumption and participation are important values. Waste, water and CO2 systems contribute to a circular approach of these DownScaled fl ows andthe production of seaweed helps to change the diet which is necessary to make a DownScaled systempossible. The report is supported by a sustainability triangle resulting from the nested sustainabilitymodel, the R-ladder of sustainability and the X-curve for a sustainable transition. A toolkit of interventions is designed as a strategy to achieve the vision goals. With DownScale-Up a new circular economywith DownScaled international fl ows and a Scaled-Up regional food system, is created by 2050. CBS (2018), De Nederlandse Landbouwexport, retrieved in March 2021, from https://edepot.wur.nl/434974#:~:text=%E2%80%94%20De%20export%20van%20landbouwgoederen1)%20wordt,1%20miljard%20euro%20in%202017