This research investigates how public spaces can be designed and used to counteract political polarization in The Hague, with the aim to strengthen a better social connection between citizens. Political polarization is understood as the widening of ideological, emotional and perceived distance between groups becomes problematic when it undermines democratic cooperation, weakens social cohesion and enables “us vs them” dynamics. In The Hague these dynamics manifest spatially through contrasting voting atterns, symbolic street names tied to colonial histories and informal political expressions in neighbourhoods such as Transvaalkwartier. These observations highlight the need for spatial strategies that foster constructive encounters across social and political divides.

Incorporating GIS based electoral mapping and ethnographic observations this study analyses how polarisation manifests in everyday public spaces. Allport’s Contact Hypothesis, Oldenburg’s concept of third places and Soja’s Thirdspace are used to understand how public environments can support depolarizing interactions. These insights informed the development of a site specific design proposal in the Transvaalkwartier.

The results show that public space can counteract polarization when they enhance accessibility between neighbourhoods, provide inclusive and multifunctional environments and support informal equal status encounters. The proposed design transforms an industrial site into a connective public space featuring a new pedestrian passage, a conversation pit, communal gardens, children’s play areas and adaptive reuse of existing buildings into community serving functions such as a library, gym, restaurant, repair cafe and workshop spaces.

The study concludes that depolarizing public space requires a context sensitive approach that integrates spatial analysis, ethnographic insights and inclusive design strategies. The final design demonstrates how architectural interventions can strengthen social cohesion by creating environments that enable dialogue, shared activity and everyday encounters. ... Read more

In response to increasingly extreme summer heat driven by global warming and the urban heat island effect, reducing energy consumption in architecture has become a critical concern in Taiwanese design practice. At the same time, decades of over-reliance on reinforced concrete as a universal solution have shaped the architectural industry into one that resists innovation, as well as filling the urban landscape with concrete structures that are ill-suited to present climatic conditions and agenda.

This thematic research investigates the physical, practical, and cultural challenges facing sustainable building design in Taiwan, through the means of thermal climate simulation study, survey with architectural practitioners, and the analysis of the historical development of Taiwan’s architectural industry.

Building upon the insights gained from this research, the design phase proposes a climate-responsive renovation strategy for a typical concrete high-rise apartment building in Taipei. The design emphasizes low-cost, low-tech interventions with minimal structural modification and additions, focusing on passive cooling strategies. The core principle of the design process is to significantly improve the natural ventilation schemes throughout the building by converting existing spaces into air channels, and critically introduce community programs and passive design elements into the network of private/public spaces to facilitate neighborhood gatherings and more open living spaces.

Rather than offering a fixed set of climate design solutions, this project presents a flexible methodology for addressing both climatic and social challenges within Taiwan’s existing public housing typology.
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The challenges women encounter due to numerous disparities within social superstructures are finally finding their way into mainstream debates. Interestingly, Vienna is the first European city that has been incorporating the concept of gender mainstreaming into urban planning practices since the 1990s, by providing formal platforms for women to integrate their perspectives in the city's development. This research, however, reveals that the dialogue frequently remains trapped under the restricted label of 'feminist' or 'gender-sensitive', while it deserves a deeper, more nuanced discussion. Vienna’s top-down planning leaves little space for informal strategies and hence, abandons the voices of under-represented people, particularly within immigrant communities of Vienna’s outer districts. Therefore, this research dissects the city’s gender sensitivity using a set of conflicts revealing the dissonance between the social realities of vulnerable migrant women in one of the city’s fringe districts, Favoriten, and the efforts of female activists and the city administration. The data collected during extensive field interviews is documented through drawing as a method to showcase that women are less likely to simply ‘be’ in public space. These findings lead to proposal of a discussion-starter role-playing game, which places migrant women as central figures of planning processes. Disrupting the gendered order is a critical examination of how Vienna, the humanist city with a feminist attitude, can transcend beyond its rigid definition of formal urban planning and aim for multi-perspective emancipation, subsequently redefining gender mainstreaming worldwide. ... Read more

The transition to renewable energy is necessary and urgent. Fossil fuels are depleting, leading to geopolitical instability and are driving climate change. The climate crisis and growing inequalities are among the greatest problems of the 21st century. Temperatures, sea levels and gas prices are rising. This transition poses spatial and economic challenges for the maritime region of South Holland, as the port is a large hub for fossil energy and contributes greatly to the national economy. The social challenge posed, is to create a fair transition. Some groups are more vulnerable to the transition than others, as they are more prone to be subjected to energy poverty and to potentially lose their (fossil related) jobs. Therefore, we conducted a research on how to create socio-economic and spatial justice for the Rotterdam maritime region through a fair distribution of burdens and benefits in the energy transition. This research resulted in a vision for South-Holland in 2050 ,"from consumer to prosumer", proposing a mainframe and a local frame. The mainframe proposal concerns a large renewable energy landscape in South Holland with a central circular hub in the port. The local frame proposal is the main focus of this report and concerns the vulnerable neighbourhoods that become prosumers instead of consumers. This means that they will not only consume energy, but renewable energy systems will be installed to also produce energy, while at the same time improving the quality of living.

New job opportunities will be created in the circular construction and demolition sector in the neighbourhoods as well as in the port. The Rotterdam region will fully transition to renewable energy, while also decreasing inequality, unemployment and poverty.
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The agricultural landscape in the Netherlands has changed drastically over the course of the last 70 years. After World War II, it was governmental policy that pushed the transition to intensive farming by giving out subsidies. These developments have also had an impact on the province of Friesland, where agriculture has a long history and is thereby embedded in the province’s landscape identity. However, years of scaling up have caused a loss of small-scale structures in the landscape. The result is not only the disappearance of a historic cultural landscape but also the rapid decline of a biodiversity. Fertilisers and pesticides are the two biggest polluters of Dutch surface water, both secondary effects of intensive agriculture. Today, the balance between ecology, the landscape and intensive agricultural practice is lost.

This thesis has two main objectives. First a study, to understand the agricultural developments that have taken place since World War II in the Netherlands and specifically Friesland. This study will examine the effects these developments have on ecology, social structures, and the cultural heritage found throughout Friesland. Secondly, a research-by-design assignment aims to find a solution to how a new balance between agriculture, ecology and the landscape can be found through design. Three strategies are developed which are emphasising cultural-historical structures, strengthening ecological values and working with the vernacular.
The strategies are implemented on a regional scale in Friesland and on a local scale in dialogue with a local farmer.

Through various scales, ecological corridors are strengthened in the area by introducing nature-friendly banks along waterways. These ecological corridors will connect routes on both land and water with cultural-historical structures in the area. In addition, a small-scale farmers’ nature network is implemented. On a local scale, a water-purifying helophyte field will be constructed which filters agricultural water run-off before it discharges into a local waterway.

This project can serve as a reference to how we can move towards a newfound balance between ecology, the landscape and agricultural practice in the Netherlands.
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This research uses the notion of ‘pluralism’ as an alternative starting point for landscape architectural design by focusing on aspects of time and interactivity as opposed to strategies of re-configuration of both form and agency of the landscape. It explores the role of design in a rural landscape characterized by land ownership through the concept of ‘borderscapes’ as a political vacuum and area for minor interventions. The site of interest is located at the Hunze stream valley in the province of Drenthe, the Netherlands. The water conditions since pre-historical times have formed this territory through high and low plateaus, different soil types and dry or wet vegetation types. Located at a geomorphologically rich location but also vulnerable to land reclamation, the landscape of the Hunze valley has been influenced by ecological degradation. This research examines the spatial conditions that result from years of implemented policies and the effects on everyday experiences of nature. The Hunze stream valley has often been approached as a north-south water system that runs from highlands to lowlands, however this project depicts the area as an east-west system of material conditions and human inhabitation. Concluding that the territory is now characterized by separation (zoning of nature and culture), displacement of problem areas (soil movements), and the negligence of resource proximity. The east-west routing is used as a starting point for creating a new representation of site and experience on three traverses: the source, the crossing and the community. ... Read more

This gradation project deals with the adaptive reuse of the vacant heritage V&D department store in Haarlem. Revitalizing the obsolete. Now that these buildings need a transformation, they also need to be more open to the public in order to remain as prominent as they once were. The project is about creating a new mixed-use hub in the city of Haarlem, a place for multiple purposes, where multiple functions come together and where everyone can feel comfortable in the different spatial atmospheres. Which results in a mixed program with cultural, commercial and residential functions combined that connects the building more with its environment and benefits the quality of life in the city. All in all, this project aims to find a solution for these vacant monumental buildings by providing new insights and improving the original building. An adaptive integral reuse project while preserving its historical values is sustainable and economically feasible. ... Read more

The thesis deals with the possibilities of spatial planning in a non-urbanized
context. The case study, examined, is the municipal unit of Mastorochoria of
Konitsa, Greece. The first chapter focuses on the spatial and socio-economic
agglomeration taking place in Greece, as Athens and -less- Thessaloniki concentate
the largest part of the socio-economic and human capital throughout
the previous 60 years. Then, the existing situation of the Greek mainland is
mentioned, stressing the fact that Epirus region in which Mastorochoria belong
to, is one of the poorest and most underprivileged Greek regions. On the theory
chapter, the crucial role of the immeasurable values characterizing several non
urbanized environments worldwide is stressed. These values can be a key factor
on a potential revitalization of such areas. Regarding the case of Mastorochoria,
the immeasurable value of the cultural heritage is stressed. More specifically, it
is about the craftsmanship knowledge and the rich natural environment. Then,
alternative planning approaches and tools are analyzed stressing the need to
take action -as planners- for these areas in a more radical and innovative way.
The concept of community economies is highlightened, while the tool of the
documentary as an integral part of the planning practice is promoted as well.
The thesis continues with the diagnosis chapter where the problematic situation
in Mastorochoria is illustrated, making clear that it is about a totally neglected
and depopulated area. Emphasis is also given in the village scale, besides the
regional one. On the next chapter, a holistic strategic framework is proposed for
the revitalization of Mastorochoria and of the surrounding area during the next
20 years. Moreover, a test design is attempted, trying to apply all the strategic
goals and actions, as proposed on the strategy chapter, into the physical space.
The test design consists of the design in the scale of Mastorochoria, as well as
the design of a single Mastorochoria settlement, named Drosopigi. Finally, the
strategic framework's impact is strengthened through the creation of a short
length documentary showing the various dynamics of Mastorochoria today and
proposing sustainable solutions for the area's future. ... Read more

Coastal areas have always played a vital role in the economic, social, and political development of most countries. They support a diverse and productive coastal ecosystem that provides valuable goods and services (Airoldi et al., 2005). In these areas, urbanization and other land-use activities are rapidly increasing. However, human activities represented by urban expansion, agricultural production, and industrial development have led to the deterioration of ecosystems in coastal areas (Zhai et al., 2019). Climate change and extreme weather events will also pose an increasing threat to coastal ecosystems. In the long run, the current model of economic development is not suitable for the future development of coastal cities, but it does not mean to stop the urbanization of coastal areas or their development activities. The project selects the Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag (MRDH) as the research object, and explores the possibility of the symbiotic development of human activities and ecosystems in coastal areas. The main idea is not only to change the economic model, but also to consider the impact on ecosystem services, which means that the material flows in the region will be changed. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to strengthen the participation and collaboration of stakeholders in the area, and multifunctionalize the biophysical space as well. Revising the relationship between coastal cities and water is beneficial to natural restoration, urban economic and spatial resilience, and reducing the risks. ... Read more

The rising poverty rates, internal displacement, market-oriented development, and social inequalities are some of the many factors that shaped the binary configuration of the so-called formal and informal urban fabric of Bogotá. Urban informality emerges as the answer to a lack of opportunities and spatial offers, evidencing the inability of the existing planning structures to embody and decode the complex conditions, dynamics, and vulnerability gradients that these environments entail. Bogotá’s upgrading program, despite being crucial instrument in the transformation of informal areas, has proven to be insufficient to overcome the fragmentation between formal and informal urban dynamics, in which the generic and rigid approach has impeded the achievement of a structural change and local empowerment in a long term perspective. The thesis proposes an alternative assessment and planning framework, as an opportunity to improve the current planning methods within a new long term perspective, that embraces and increases the adaptive capacity of the diverse vulnerable groups and systemic interrelations in the current structures of Bogotá. This, by redefining the current overview of risk and to vulnerability, as potential tools to improve the local conditions from a co-evolutionary socio-ecological approach. The proposed Framework is therefore not a definitive and static project. In turn, it is a dynamic tool to reveal the diverse challenges but also the amount of endogenous opportunities in the local informal environments. By redefining the role of nature and the role of formal and informal actors as co-agents of change in the development process, the proposed model aims to transform the segregated dynamics of the city, empower the local and most neglected communities, reinforce bottom-up approaches and provide alternative possibilities for more resilient socio-ecological systems that in turn are prepared to an uncertain future. ... Read more

New York is currently going through a construction boom as developers try to take advantage of rising land values and rents caused by economic growth, resulting in a lack of affordable housing available to middle-income families. The current Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, has made it a priority to meet the demands and challenges of the housing crisis by incentivizing private development through various methods, such as changing zoning laws and cutting red tape for access to abandoned lands, as a way to inject steroids into the housing market (Kaysen, 2018). This has unfortunately caused issues such as gentrification and speculative development, which has led to the disenfranchisement of low-income inhabitants in the city (Kaysen, 2018). These policies have marginalized people by either forcing the poor to either live in the periphery of the city, or be crammed into social housing projects that were built more than half a century ago. This is worrisome due to the fact that these aged dwellings display a variety of health and safety issues that the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is having a hard time managing. The low-income families which rely on these projects have a hard time paying the minimum rent to begin with, and when you couple this with unacceptable living conditions, you end up with the spatial manifestation of an increasing divide between the rich and poor which now defines New York City. What is more shocking is that when you look back in history, the social housing projects were originally seen as a solution to poverty and slumification, but they ended up just being vertical versions of the slums which they took place of (Ferré-Sadurní, 2018). In order to help these disenfranchised people living in the projects, there must be an effort in place to help increase their quality of life. In order to achieve this, the monofunctionality of their public space needs to be made more functionally diverse. This is because the lack of diversity in both social and programmatic elements results in low public activity, which in turn leads to crime and vandalism due to a lack of self-awareness which tends to not exist in places of high public activity (Jacobs, 1961). In addition to this, the problem of public space is exasperated by the design philosophy that was used to create the projects. Planners used the International Style, which was a popular urbanist theory during the time that the dwellings were created. By clearing the tenement slums that were defined by a spatial hierarchy created by the street grid of New York City, he accused the planners of intentionally destroying the rich hierarchy and variety that existed in the contextual public realm (Kunstler, 2004). He also argues that the high-rises of the projects themselves destroyed any sense of human scale, which in combination of his other concerns, eradicated the inhabitants connection to the public realm (Kunstler, 2004). By looking at these failures of the social housing projects, a transformational framework needs to be produced that acknowledges these issues of monofunctionality, scale, and safety. This framework should also act as a blueprint of rehabilitation for all NYCHA projects, including what needs and characteristics need to be created in order to activate a public space that increases the inhabitants quality of life. By providing a framework that brings the “soul” of public space in these projects back to life, the original intent of the projects - or the promise it made to the people who would live in them - can be met and achieved. ... Read more

This graduation project has the name 'Towards a Sustainable Density', and is part of the Global Housing Studio, which aims to rethink the current systems of affordable housing in the Global South. Today, nearly fifteen percent of the world's population lives in poverty in urban areas, of which the majority can be found in the Global South. This includes India, which has the second largest urban population in the world. Mumbai is India's largest city and the most densely settled city in the world, with around 21.000 people per square kilometer. An on-going process of urbanization has led to an increasing urban population of 1,8 million in 1812, to 18,4 million in 2010. Unfortunately, only 5 percent of the population can afford a house in the city of Mumbai, causing more than half of its population living in informal settlements, such as slums and chawls, covering only 6 percent of the city's land. The inability of the government to provide sufficient formal, affordable housing has emerged as a serious crisis. With a still increasing urban population, the housing shortage is expected to reach 34,1 million units by 2022. Current densification developments to provide more dwelling units to deal with the increasing demand for affordable housing is only focused on efficiency. In other words: building as much, as quickly and as cheaply as possible. It totally ignores the aspects that improve the quality of life and disregards the understanding of how the built environment affects social sustainability. For this graduation project, the core challenge has been to find a good-working ratio between urban density, urban form and social sustainability. ... Read more

Many cities in Africa are confronted with the challenges of a rapidly expanding population, urban geography and the service provision it requires. Also Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s main economic and cultural city, is with 6 million inhabitants and a project population of 10 million by 2030, classified as one of the fasted growing cities in Africa. Consequently, livelihood activities are diversifying and expanding, while spaces for doing so are hardly available or threatened to disappear. The general lack of resources and knowledge incapacities make many development plans dependent on the investment of foreign and popular interests. These ‘development’ schemes ought to answer to sprawling cities through increased accessibility and the premise of economic growth, but ignore local welfare and do not recognise the potentials around public space and infrastructure that shape socio-economic livelihoods. This thesis argues to look beyond the one way story of infrastructural development for solely city scaled interventions and proposes alternative infrastructure at places where different scales meet. This infrastructure focusses not only on roads, but is designed to integrate development, environment, living and justice as critical projects. The spatial strategy can be regarded as a methods for urban planning and designing which addresses 4 strategic urgencies that are besides being defined by site specific conditions, also based upon the research on Dar es Salaam as an African city. ... Read more

This project investigated into the only indigenous people in Europe, the Sami people in northern Scandinavia, explored the possibility to transfer their knowledge into a new Utopian thinking. Instead of a concrete urban planning or design, this project is designated to be a meta process of thinking pattern, for which inter-subjective artistic creation plays an important role. It involves a in-depth historical research into indigenous thinking and Utopian thinking, concluded by the mentality and image constructing skills and implemented into two Utopian scenarios in Kiruna (Sweden) and Delft (the Netherlands). ... Read more

In the face of rising waters and increased stormrelated flooding, communities will have to decide what to do with their flood-prone areas. Continually repairing storm damages and providing services to these vulnerable neighborhoods demands significant government resources. For these areas, cities have three major options to consider: keep water out, adapt to live with water, or move to higher ground. Unfortunately, there are no clear answers when it comes to these options—they all have pros and significant cons.
To protect the Richmond from incresing risk of sea level rises, Following the research of migration landscape, in this design, shipyard Infrastructure as well as the sedimentary infrastructure are the specific assemblies chosen and articulated by spatial designer to act upon.The Kaisher Shipyard was constructed as an military infrastracture and continuously serve as transpotation facilite.And in the design, I proposed to a redevelopent project transforming the old shipyard infrustracture as a new platform for future development and new lifestyle for Richmond people, also the highly dynamic natural processes gives the site multiple potentials of engaging the natural processes and the urban process. In this project dredging and construction site wast materials are also being revaluated as resources that become infrascturcture as well By engaging the natural processes and resiliance strategy, creating a new waterfront landscape that incubates new hybrid uses and long term urban development which can also fit in the theme of “Flowscape”. ... Read more

This thesis focusses on a transition for Oud-Charlois, taking into account the spatial, social and sustainable energy. Social structures, mobility patterns and renewable energy are the main focal points to come to an improved Oud-Charlois ... Read more