Bali, Indonesia, has experienced accelerated urbanization and overtourism over the past decade, resulting in multifaceted social, economic, cultural, and environmental challenges. These dynamics have driven land conversion, exacerbated water shortages, intensified environmental degradation, deepened social inequalities, and contributed to the erosion of indigenous cultural practices. As competing claims over land and water resources intensify, Indigenous communities are increasingly marginalized, and the island faces escalating ecological pressures. Central to these dynamics is the Subak, an ancient community-managed irrigation and water management system that exemplifies the concept of hydrosocial territories—spaces where water and its management are deeply intertwined with social, cultural, and power dynamics. This system, fundamental to Bali’s agricultural landscape and cultural heritage, now faces growing strain as tourism investors and industries encroach on Subak territories, threatening its sustainability and the communities that depend on it. 
This research investigates pathways for reconstructing Subak’s hydrosocial territories to promote just development through spatial planning and governance frameworks. By focusing on the interplay between the hydrological systems of Subak, institutional governance structures, Indigenous community practices, and environmental sustainability, the study examines how the principles of spatial justice and learning from values can inform the reform of spatial and governance policies to protect and sustain Subak’s social and ecological significance without neglecting its Traditional Ecological Knowledge. 

The Netherlands has created a large nitrogen pollution problem in its soils, which is harming biodiversity. By intensifying and industrialized farming, by importing animal feed for dairy production and fertilizer for crop farming, too much nitrogen has accumulated in the soil. Consequently, ecological processes are disturbed due to eutrophication (over-feeding of nutrients), from which only a few species profit, causing other species to lose the competition and cease, with detrimental effects on reliant other species.
This project explores how this intensive/industrial farming can be substituted by more sustainable alternatives in which creating and maintaining biodiversity is key. An alternative system is proposed based on the spatial intergrading between cities and protected natural areas with typologies that focus on balancing food production and biodiversity creation. This alternative system is then detailed concerning the small-scale effects it has, the necessary process of policy creation and the necessary systemic changes as preconditions for a successful execution. The transformation design is developed along a framework of values which are reflecting on current best practices in the discipline of urbanism touching on issues of planetary boundaries, justice and transitional thinking.
Our key takeaways are to keep the city and adjacent areas productive, close to where consumption of goods is high but also where functions like education and food markets can be sensibly integrated. Further from the city and closer to already biodiverse and protected areas of the Nature Network Netherlands (NNN), the gradient leans more towards focussing on the creation of biodiversity. Humans and non-human species can find their thriving space on the gradient, food production is still an integral part as well. By creating a system in which farmers are working together, and are guided to create this balance on their farms and are paid for their efforts and the services they provide to society, they can be encouraged to change their farming practices for the better.