We have entered the epoch of the Anthropocene. Now with humanity itself being a sizeable force of nature, we can no longer ignore the impact we have on the planet’s systems, as it is also increasingly impacting our societies, through climate change. This is occurring while major cities are still experiencing an increase in population. Amsterdam is expected to reach a population of over one million within two decades, and with scarce space for development the city is being forced to reconsider its position on density. Now with the ambition of transforming a part of the harbor into the new district of Havenstad, challenges regarding space, mobility, water management and heat stress arise and come to a head. How can this area be developed into a resilient high-density environment? In this research the themes of density, liveability and ecosystem services are combined in the pursuit of an evidence-based approach to develop a city for the future, capable of absorbing changes and allowing a wide variety of uses within the area. Here ecosystem services perform a crucial part in safeguarding and increasing liveability within this high-density environment. To understand the interrelations the research relies on a combination of a literature review, external input and refernce studies into high density environments within planned and existing neighbourhoods in Amsterdam and other cities. This project operates along the lines of the opportunistic approach as explained by Ahern(2007), to treat spatial challenges, widely present in the area, as opportunities, rather than as complications, looking for additional uses of the existing environment. The design has a strong focus on the mobility, to make a necessary shift away from personal motorized mobility, and the blue green networks that provide ecosystem services for the area, to allow for a high density whilst maintaining a high liveability in the area.

The Amsterdam Metropolitan area, and especially Amsterdam city, attracts large amounts of people due to the diverse economy opportunities, cultural and recreational activities, and the strong connection of the region by public transport and road network. The need for space, resources, and mobility are increasing and will keep increasing due to the growth of population and, thus, the rise of demand. This unbalanced distribution requires full use of spaces and resources. The main focus of the project is to identify what causes this unbalanced distribution by researching the different densities of the region, in order to make the region more stable and move it towards the circular economy. At the same time, the project focuses on the spatial conditions of the different neighbourhoods and tries to increase the livability levels in order for the general quality of life of the citizens will be improved. The main tool that we used during our research, but also later on the vision and strategy plan, is density. Firstly, we analyze the region by understating what the different densities that can be found in it are, and how they work. Afterwards, the focus shifts to the analysis of the different neighborhoods, trying to determinate and understand the different densities that can be found in the small scale. Finally, we try to find what opportunities and potential do these densities create for the different neighborhoods. By analyzing the different densities and typologies in the region, we highlight the importance of sharing spaces in terms of facilities, transportation, and waste management for the inhabitants, in order to help AMA move towards a more sustainable and balanced future direction. The innovations that we make depend on the existing situation, the density, and the character of the city. Taking into account these aspects and the regional analysis, we decide what needs to be densified in terms of facilities. These new density developments either make the existing identities of the city stronger, or, in the cases of lack of identity, we propose new ones to be adopted. This interpretations will release the pressure on Amsterdam city, balance the region, create more livable spaces, and move the AMA towards circularity.

The report starts in Chapter 1 with an introduction to the Sponge City Programme (SCP) in China and the project area which is the ErQi International Business District in Wuhan. In this chapter, the problem statement, our collaboration with Arcadis and our project goals are also introduced. Chapter 2 delves into our methodology to tackle the brief. Starting from how we shaped our interdisciplinary approach, we explain our approach towards the project and our decision to include resiliency with the Sponge City concept as an objective. We continue by providing background information on ErQi area in Chapter 3 to get an overall understanding of the planned urban design and potential urban flooding. To provide a thorough analysis and recommendations for the selection process of adaptation measures to mitigate excess rainfall as part of the SCP in the context of ErQi area, an assessment of the Wuhan Sponge City criteria, a stakeholder analysis complemented by a spatial assessment was performed and described in Chapter 4. Setting the context allows understanding the complexity of the system and its constraints in the implementation of the SCP. Thus, we decided to first focus on the implementation of low-impact development (LID) measures using a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) presented in Chapter 4 and then developed an integrated and resilient system design later in the report. As the Sponge City is not sufficient to cope with high precipitation events (Arcadis, 2017), the project combines sponge city and resiliency principles in an integrated system approach. The guiding resilient design principles of the Sponge City are further described and explained in Chapter 5 and applied in the opportunistic design process in Chapter 6, bridging the research with the designs. Here the designs of the MengQiao Bridge and the Water Road are presented along with their proposed effects on the urban flooding. Chapter 7 serves to assess the designs through the criteria of the integrated sponge city to improve flood resilience. The following chapter serves to share our conclusions on the challenges for implementing a functioning of the SCP that includes the concept of resilience. It also touches upon the difficulty of implementing the value-based design in a profit-based context. The final chapter is composed of five parts, all of which is our recommendations. It starts with our recommendations to improve the Sponge City criteria to make them more effective in reaching the goals of the programme. Then we give our recommendations for the selection process of LID followed by what we have learned of this interdisciplinary approach. That includes what we consider to be crucial to achieving a genuinely interdisciplinary process resulting in an integrated design. The final part of the chapter is dedicated to what we believe should be researched further. We believe a more in-depth assessment of the designs with the Sponge City criteria and input of the stakeholders is required for a final design. Further, the working definitions and approach of the Wuhan city government need to be considered, and an approach that assesses the necessary maintenance protocols is necessary.