The proximity of rivers stimulated the development of the economy and culture of civilizations throughout the ages. Consequently, the advancements in technology allowed people to influence the riverine systems. In riparian areas, such as the Vistula River Delta, the river was regulated and the land was reclaimed to accommodate agriculture, urbanization and industries. Besides the spatial changes, the anthropogenic alterations have also environmental consequences, namely increased risk of flooding and limited water and sediment retention capacity of the delta. Lowered ecological performance of the riverine edges lead to a higher amount of contaminants being discharged to the Vistula River and subsequently to the Baltic Sea. The pollution caused by human activities as well as severe changes in the climate profoundly affect the state of ecosystems and human health.

Designing for regeneration of socio-ecological systems along the Vistula River is based on understanding the relationships between the pollution flows, flooding and the performance of the riverine edges. The project suggests a systemic transition towards more regenerative riverine landscapes with a focus on the redefinition of the edge space by remodeling landscape topography and the use of specific vegetation. The landscape design provides ecosystem services, including improvement of water quality, flood management, biodiversity and recreation.
The proposal illustrates possible changes in the three exemplary riverine edges, namely an agricultural edge and an underutilized and post-industrial edge in the city of Gdansk. The choice of these types of edges was based on the fact that agriculture is the biggest factor that contributes to the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea (HELCOM, 2015), while the post-industrial edges in Gdansk face environmental and spatial challenges that might become potentialities for future changes.
The design and its possible expansion intend to enhance the ecological, social and economic performance of the Vistula River edges. Higher ecological performance is achieved through the implementation of remediation practices and creating space for flood accommodation. Whereas, social and economic performance is enhanced by new functions and an increase of accessibility and connectedness of the edges. The proposal might act as a model for transitions of the Vistula river tributaries as well as other riverine systems facing similar issues. That is thanks to the set of design principles established in the project. The ambition of the thesis is to contribute to the promotion of ecological awareness and advocacy in Poland. ... Read more

In the Netherlands landscape and (agri)culture have always influenced each other and there is an inherent relationship between them. Through innovations over time, the province of South-Holland developed profitable productive food-landscapes which provided an important contribution to the Dutch food production and export, making the Netherlands one of the leading food-exporters worldwide.

However, the profit-oriented character of the productive landscape no longer fits well with the changing societal values, as the current pattern is destructive to the environment and people feel disconnected from the food production and the landscape. Society today does not only value profit, but also increasingly cares about the environment and social justice. The productive systems are locked into a path of environmental destruction and do not focus on the values of society, which show increased awareness of the importance of a healthy, diverse, environmental-friendly and inclusive approach towards future developments.

To resolve this mismatch between landscape and culture, this project aims to transform the current economic-driven food productive landscapes towards regenerative food landscapes that match with the values and needs of society today. To do so, this project starts from the perspective of the landscape, uses transition theory as a theoretical base, takes into account social justice, and investigates the spatial implications of regenerative development.
The results are a vision that foresees regenerative landscapes for South Holland and a strategy with interventions to reach this vision by 2050. Both the vision and the strategy take into account the three different types of food landscapes of South Holland: agriculture on clay soil, livestock and dairy production on peat soil, and horticulture in a mixed peri-urban environment. The regenerative landscapes will not only mitigate the effects of previous destructions but reverse them by a cooperative relation between man and nature . The landscapes will revitalize the province to sustain modern values and to restore the inherent relation between landscape and culture.
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