This master’s thesis investigates the vulnerability and fragmentation of natural territories in the context of Moscow’s intensive urban expansion. The study critically examines existing urban planning approaches, which rely on large-scale master plans and major development projects that often overlook local natural processes and socio-cultural contexts. The research raises the question of an alternative model of urban development in which natural territories are treated as active actors, possessing agency and the capacity to influence spatial and governance decisions.
The study is based on a critical analysis of historical and contemporary urban planning documents and management tools for Moscow’s natural territories, with the aim of evaluating their effectiveness and degree of implementation. Building on identified gaps in current approaches, the research draws on theories of systems of care and rights of nature, rethinking the management of natural territories through recognition of their vulnerability, local processes, and spatial identity. The theoretical analysis is complemented by spatial interpretation aimed at identifying critical areas for potential interventions.
The anticipated outcome of the research is the development of a conceptual framework that proposes a sustainable alternative to dominant large-scale development models. This approach emphasizes the support of local actors, bottom-up initiatives, and mechanisms of local governance, while unlocking the socio-cultural and ecological potential of territories through spatial solutions grounded in principles of care and restoration.

Keywords:
Urban expansion, Natural territories, Fragmentation, Systems of care, Rights of nature, More-than-human urbanism, Moscow, Urban palimpsest, Morphodynamics, Environmental governance, Non-human actors, Spatial justice, Liminal spaces, Metropolitan regions.
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Zeeland is a land of production of food, energy and resources. Its very nature is deeply rooted in the Dutch people‘s historical ability to reshape the landscape and harness its potential for economic benefit. Today, it faces slow demographic decline, is largely covered by agricultural land and sits at the heart of a thriving transnational port economy and embedded within the Delta region, an area defined by dynamism and uncertainty.

Complex processes driven by climate change - such as sea level rise, soil salinization and the depletion of soil quality - raise urgent questions about the future of many agricultural zones and the rural communities that depend on them. These are farming communities that have inhabited the region for centuries, now thrust into a structural condition of uncertainty, shaped by evolving ecological processes that are often hard to predict or fully understand.
At the same time, they are communities with clear socio-economic needs and aspirations, which sometimes clash with broader environmental pressures and global dynamics. Yet, they also hold significant potential: as landowners, they are well-positioned to convert or diversify their agricultural practices toward renewable energy production, carving out a vital role in the green economy of the future.
“What’s missing is a clear and stable vision for my future and my farm,” says Peter, a Zeeland farmer. That is exactly what Performative Landscape: A New Paradigm for Energy Transition Through Farmers’ Community Engagement and the Transformation of the Zeeland Delta Landscape seeks to offer.

Our team of designers and researchers developed a new long-term vision, ambitious yet grounded, that emerged from an intensive and focused process of research and designs. It aims to sustain regional productivity, reinforce the economic resilience of farming communities, address environmental challenges, and unlock the full potential of the land for renewable energy. It proposes a new model for productive landscapes, rooted in local consumption, circularity, economic autonomy and the integration of agriculture with clean energy generation. ... Read more