The steel industry is a crucial economic sector and a major contributor to the climate crisis. In Linz, located in the Austrian province of Upper Austria, the steel factory of Voestalpine plays a key role in the national, regional, and local economy while being the country’s largest single CO₂ emitter. As the company aims to transition to greener production methods by 2050, aligning with the European Green Deal ambitions, this transformation presents future challenges and opportunities for urban and regional development of the Metropolitan Region. Current research on Circular Economy principles in the steel industry often prioritises technological aspects such as material flows while overlooking societal dynamics and their spatial implications. In Austria, urban sprawl and fragmented development have historically been linked to growth-driven planning models, as seen in the Metropolitan Region of Linz. In the region, peri-urban areas serve multiple functions, including housing, agriculture, and industrial production. These territories face significant pressures such as environmental degradation, land scarcity, and traffic congestion. This research addresses the gap in Circularity theories by examining how industrial transformations in the steel sector can act as catalysts for shifts towards a Circular Society. It explores the spatial and programmatic organisation of urban and peri-urban areas, emphasising alternative, interdisciplinary planning strategies that integrate economic, environmental, and social needs. By analysing past urban development patterns and projecting future potentials, the research proposes regenerative spatial strategies and urban design methods that promote sustainability and resilience in the Linz Metropolitan Region. Through a research and design approach, this thesis critically challenges conventional planning paradigms by testing radical alternatives to existing urban and regional development practices. The findings aim to provide professional-level insights and actionable strategies for policymakers, urban planners, and industry stakeholders, fostering a transition towards a more sustainable and inclusive urban future.

This report presents our proposal for “Globalisation Free Choice,” an elective course for master’s students in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft, in collaboration with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The course aims to explore sustainable and integrated development and its regional impacts.

During the 9 weeks of the course, a regional vision and strategy for the Greater Bay Area was prepared. The Greater Bay Area is a global centre for economic development located in the Pearl River Delta in the Southern part of China. In this report we describe how we want to instigate a paradigm shift from focusing on megaprojects to working in mega-processes. In the first two weeks we analysed the environmental, social and economic situation of the area to create a problem statement and define focus points. The next two weeks were spent in Hong Kong at the Polytechnic University where the morphological game boarding strategy was used to look at regional design in a more experimental way. We created two games - one focused on the social perspective including the liveability within the region, and the other based on the morphological perspective, looking at spatial changes. During these two weeks and during the playing of the game we defined two interesting zoom-in locations in the area.

The first zoom in location is the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, an area which is already planned to grow into an innovative tech hub. Due to the rejoining of Hong Kong with Mainland China in 2047, the border will be eliminated, opening a lot of opportunities for development. The other location is the Nansha district near Guangzhou, which lies in the heart of the delta. Major development plans consisting of various megaprojects are proposed by the Chinese government in Nansha, which will disrupt the natural cycle of the water and soil. The two zoom-in locations will be used to develop an approach to integrate the built more with the green-blue networks to mitigate floods, droughts and heat island effect.

We then returned to Delft to develop a vision and strategy for the GBA, focusing on these megaprojects and thinking of ways to change the current way in which they are executed. We used an element-based approach inspired by the book ‘the Elemental Metropolis’ to develop a strategy of working in a more agile, process-based way. We conclude the report by revisiting the entire Greater Bay Area to identify additional regions where the insights from our work on the two focus areas can be applied, aiming to create a resilient, adaptable, and liveable dynamic delta.

Nitrogen is an essential element of planetary life. Yet, human actions create such a surplus of its derivatives like ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) that the naturally occurring amounts doubled, causing a cascade of environmental and societal problems.
Our research studies dairy farming in North-West Europe with a focus on the Netherlands, as this industry is responsible for most nitrogen-related problems. The starting point of the project is the parliamentary letter ‘Nationaal Programma Landelijk Gebied’ (National Rural Area Program), which offers the alternatives of quitting, transforming or relocating dairy farms in areas where the nitrogen surplus exceeds critical loads. We reevaluated this approach using the methods of extreme scenarios, in-depth stakeholder analysis, as well as layering and clustering areas with high nitrogen deposition, pasture lands and socio-geopolitical issues. This led us to the realisation that a substantial spatial and societal transition is needed in order to reach balance again. The goal of this study is therefore to recalibrate the nitrogen cycle by radically changing current dairy production practices. We created a gradient from quitting to transforming farms and pastures, based on the theories of transitional landscapes and socially just transitions, resulting in a toolbox of eight strategic interventions, as well as a thorough policy framework. We choose a multi-scalar approach to test the new typologies, starting from the Netherlands, looking at the Groningen - Friesland - Drenthe region, further zooming in on the municipality of Ooststellingwerf, showing the phasing of the strategy from a human perspective. Essential lessons learned are the importance of collaboration on all scales, as well as the flexibility and openness towards change, whether it is technological or societal. Finally, based on these findings we extended our zoom to the scale of North-West Europe, giving suggestions to regions with similar problems.
This project describes a possible future based on our interpretation of the parliamentary letter, giving an intriguing input to decision makers on what their policies could mean, hoping to change the discourse regarding nitrogen, shifting its perception from pollution to a valuable resource. Welcome to Nitrotopia!