The current Dutch housing domain is characterised by injustices on multiple scales, such as a shortage of housing, disparities in well-being across regions, and unaffordable housing. This situation can partially be attributed to spatial planning practices focused on promoting growth-oriented economic thinking. These contemporary planning practices can be argued to be socially and spatially selective and to have a short time horizon. While some injustices remain unresolved, others are exacerbated by contemporary planning practices. The aim of this research has been to develop a justice framework which helps spatial planners address, instead of perpetuate injustices. This is approached through the question: To what extent can a framework based on justice values help spatial planners design for justice in the housing domain in Dutch regions?

This has led to the development of a justice framework constructed from three core justice values: Sufficiency, Limitation and Opportunity. These are made more concrete to the housing domain through two applied values each: (I) Availability and (II) Acceptability for the quantitative and qualitative aspects of Sufficiency; (III) Sustainability and (IV) Moderation dealing with intergenerational justice and intragenerational justice for Limitation; and (V) Influence and (VI) Diversity related to opportunities to assert influence on the living environment and to choose a living environment. These applied values are further specified using housing dimensions and strategy directions in two consecutive rings.

The first advantage for spatial planners is that the justice framework summarises and combines several abstract justice theories into digestible values relevant to the Dutch context. To test and demonstrate the justice framework it has been applied to the case study area of the Regio Stedendriehoek, which enabled answering the research question. First the justice framework helps to structure regional spatial analysis and policy analysis on a wide range of justice values, which can bring to light different types of injustices. Second, based on the analyses, clusters can be made of areas with similar problems regarding the applied values, which helps determine which type of strategies require priority in different areas. Then, based on these priorities, strategies can be developed using the outer ring of the justice framework. The justice framework helps to structure strategy development per applied value, but the justice framework can also be used as a tool to assess whether strategies can contribute to solving injustices for different applied values. In this way fruitful strategies can be prioritised and interventions that cause conflicts between different justice values can be avoided or mitigated. ... Read more

The starting point for this graduation project was a fascination with how architects can design for people who live at the margins of society, people that are invisible to many. The research was an investigation into places of belonging of displaced people in the Netherlands. In this case, the term displaced people was used for refugees, asylum seekers, status holders, etc. During the project's research phase, eight places of residence for displaced people were researched using ethnographical research methods like fieldwork and semi-structured interviews. During the research, I was confronted with how these spaces of residence were designed; it is not easy to get a feeling of belonging in them. The following four conclusions are things that do help people in the sense of belonging to a place; 'Accessibility and Predictability', being able to 'Share Culture and Background', 'Being in Control' and 'Privacy and Intimate spaces'.

These four points were used to create a design for a place of residence and culture centre for status holders in Utrecht. The design is located in 'het Wolvenplein', a former prison in the city centre of Utrecht. The design shows that if you can open a former prison and create a place of home there, it should be possible to create a good place to live for displaced people in any building. The design proposes a paradigm shift in how we design for displaced people.
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The civilization and urbanization of Kathmandu Valley started with the Bagmati River but rapid urban expansion in the 21st century has brought many problems-the direct discharge of wastewater, solid waste in the river, encroachment of riverbanks by squatter settlements, and declining groundwater levels, they together contributed to the decline of this sacred river. It resulted in a loss of connection between people and it, which ultimately led to a decline in living quality for the people who live in the Kathmandu Valley. The government is currently taking several separate technique measures to address these issues. But these measurements alone are not enough. They don’t work together. More efforts need to put into the ‘process of change’ to improve the living quality of the
Kathmandu Valley.
This project explores the role of landscape architectural means to integrate the separated, mainly technical measures, as part of a spatial design that rebuild the connection between people and Bagmati River and achieve the improvement in living quality in the Kathmandu Valley. As a large region with complex environmental issues, it is difficult to achieve all changes at once. The concept
of an “Urban Catalyst” is chosen as the framework of the project through a slow landscape transformation guided by phasing and involvement of inhabitants to gradually make the river livable. The theory “Urban metabolism” helps to form spatial strategies which in the theory of “Urban Catalyst” is called catalyst point to transform the linear and unsustainable flows into circular and sustainable flows to restore the ecological condition of Bagmati River. With the intervention of the
catalytic points, the Bagmati River will slowly be restored, from the intervention area to the entire river system, reconnecting people to it and ultimately impacting the valley and improving the quality of life of its inhabitants. ... Read more

The River Nile has been a lifeline for northeastern Africa for thousands of years, supporting the growth of civilization, agriculture, and trade. The history of the Nile can be traced back to ancient times. The fertile banks of the Nile have supported the civilization of the ancient Egyptians. Since Egypt received almost no rain, the ancient Egyptians worshiped the river and considered the water from the Nile as the source of life. The Greek historian Herodotus has written, “Egypt is the gift of the Nile”. The ancient Egyptians developed ways to make perfect use of the gift of water, a complex system of irrigation to irrigate their fields to produce large amounts of crops to support the growing population. The Nile also played a crucial role in trading routes in the region, goods were transported to the Mediterranean Sea and then traded throughout the ancient world. The relationship between people and the Nile was symbiotic during these ancient times. A harmonious balance between men and nature. For five thousand years, nature has dominated the river’s constitution and functions, but from the mid-nineteenth century to today, different countries and regimes have increasingly influenced the Nile River system. Ambitious water management of big irrigation projects and the building of large dams has resulted in an imbalance in the relationship between the river, delta, sea, and people. The landscape of the Nile River Basin has changed from dynamic and natural, to a highly controlled and obstructed river.The Nile faces multiple threats, including pollution, climate change, and overuse. The highly controlling mentality is causing these threats to accelerate, and increasing the overall decline in the resilience of the basin. This graduation project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of landscape architecture design interventions in reintroducing natural dynamics in the Nile River Basin and assess their potential to enhance the basin's ecological, and socio-economic value, hydrological functioning, and overall resilience.
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A graduation research into the topic feeling at home for the heterogeneous modern household group single-person households. This research forms the basis of a design project for Merwe-Vierhaven in Rotterdam, where the concepts of comfort, social interaction, feeling of safety and identity come together. ... Read more

The rapid change in climate change and negative impact on the natural environment is attributable to human behavior. The current demands on nature are compromising the well-being of humanity’s future and putting the existence of mankind at risk. The current unsustainable way of living can be changed into a more desired, sustainable lifestyle by using the concept of nudging as well as creating a supportive environment for eliciting pro-environmental behavior. Since current studies on nudging and its potential for sustainable behavior are mostly focusing on the policy-making process or small aspects in the built environment, this project explores the role of nudging in changing behavior towards sustainable living in architecture. Therefore, this report addresses the following primary research question: What is the role of nudging in changing behavior towards sustainable household behavior in architecture?
The project explores how sustainable buildings are able to act as a supportive environment for shaping pro-environmental behavior, by integrating a Comprehensive Model for Nudging towards Sustainable Household Behavior in Architecture. This framework describes the role of architecture that, together with three other interdependent variables, affect the development of sustainable household behavior. In this framework, the role of nudging, and the positioning of nudging within the wider framework becomes salient. Accordingly, this model is used to create a dwelling complex in Merwe Vierhaven, Rotterdam, that provides this new way of living that ensures liveable, affordable, and sustainable housing. ... Read more

New Media has brought about a change in our lifestyles, a change in how we do our work, the possibility of working more flexibly, but also the creation of new jobs. Nowadays New Media can’t be separated anymore from the way that we do our work. New Media workers specifically are largely reliant on New Media, in this case seen as technological advancements of a given time in this case internet, smartphones, laptop etc. Because of New Media these people are able to work more flexible, differently (to the point of the creation of new jobs) and most importantly from anywhere. Most of these people however work from home and it is here that the problem that these people deal with is found. Most of the homes that they currently have are adapted to this new way of working, meaning that they are in need for dwellings that can provide the necessary space for them to work and live. It is expected that a lot of people will continue to work more from home even companies are thinking of implementing standard days on which their employees work from home, meaning that the issue will persist and even expand to more than just the New Media workers. With the building presented in this project I hope to participate in finding a solution for this problem, which not only New Media workers have to deal with, but others soon as well.
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“Urban woods” is a project that investigates the problems of the segregation and social exclusion in the cities today. Urban environments become more and more diverse, which often leads to lack of social cohesion on the neighborhood scale. This master thesis focuses on the target group of expats and answers the questions of creating inclusive urban surroundings for a diverse group of residents. It investigates the theme of collective living and social responsibility for the inhabited spaces. Design focus lies in providing spaces that enhance social interactions between the residents and spaces for their individual appropriation. Since designing for diverse cultures does not refer to one dwelling system, the building offers maximum flexibility in order to provide appropriate apartments for future tenants. This strategy is based on the concept of open building introduced by John Habraken. The concept of responsibility for the inhabited spaces is also reflected in the integration of architecture and nature. The building provides biodiversity and aims to put focus on the current issues of the climate change. Architecture of the building integrates with nature and creates a healthy and sustainable living environment not only for people, but also several animal species. ... Read more

Flexible housing is offered as a way to extend the lifespan of architecture. This research paper explores the different ways to design flexible housing through the publications of Habraken, Brand, and Leupens as well as the findings by organizations like OBOM and Openbuilding.co. Three modern housing projects in Amsterdam, Superlofts houthavens, CiWoCo, and Patch-22 are analyzed on the criteria of flexibility as proposed in the publications. While highly flexible, some choices made either by the architect, constructor, or the current resident, might limit the choices a prospective resident might be able to make when they want to rearrange the interior.
A newly emerging target audience called ‘the amateur’, that greatly values high quality and customization, would be very suitable for this type of flexible housing. The paper analyses their preferences based on three case study projects (Superlofts houthavens, CiWoCo, and Patch-22) as well as a questionnaire and a series of short interviews. it is essential to consider the character of each design element (site, structure, skin, circulation, services, space plan, and stuff) in order to study the effectiveness of this building strategy. ... Read more

The project is focused on combating loneliness in single-person households. Concepts of cohousing and coliving are chosen to research the topic to meet the requirements of modern solo dwellers. ... Read more

Over the previous two decades people all over the world have been increasingly working from home or living at their workplace with the global North especially seeing a resurgence in this form of living. With the restrictions imposed on travel and social distancing at work brought about by the current COVID-19 pandemic ,however,this trend has been drastically accelerated, and in doing so has highlighted failings with the quality and availability of workspaces within the current housing stock. Based on this growing need and the predicted future demands it’s time to re-examine our relationship with working and living in monofunctioning determinate dwellings.

Therefore in this forthcoming research project I aim to explore
what Frances Hollis states to be a ‘workhome’ (Holliss, 2015, p2), a building that combines both dwelling and working, focusing on examining this architypes spatial strategy in addressing current problems facing a work force increasingly working from their home. This report will thus advocate a return of this typology to the building stock in the Netherlands, highlighting its historical relevance and the benefits a buildingof this nature can bring in its duality. ... Read more

This graduation project will focus on the dwelling design of the so-called ‘fledglings’: a specific type of starters on the housing market seeking to achieve an explorative lifestyle in their daily life. The current generation of starters in Rotterdam experiences several issues in housing, like the raising buying and renting prices of 40% over the last few years and a lack of suitable homes for the changing lifestyle of the residents. In order to tackle
problems like this, the graduation project will identify and investigate on the notion of how a shared living economy can contribute to the explorative lifestyle of a fledgling. Within this research, several existing designs and scientific literature will be read and investigated to form a base for the design of an explorative living environment. Several case studies have been analyzed in this design process as well. Besides that, the concept of the Fun Palace by Cedric Price and Joan Littlewood has been used as an inspiration for the design for fledglings. It turns out that an explorative living environment should stimulate and facilitate the residents to do activities that range from a more leisure nature to a more educational or cultural nature. In the end, it is about developing yourself as an individual and achieving personal growth through both enjoying and learning at the same time. ... Read more

According to Dutch Deputy Prime Minister, Kajsa Ollongren, the Netherlands is faced with a massive task of creating one million homes before 2030. Big cities are characterized by the steady sub-urbanization of young middle-class families. Households often leave the city as soon as they want to have children, or shortly after their child is born. In the Netherlands this steady trend of out-migration has occurred since the 1960s, and will certainly continue in the 21st century (Wouden, 2001). CBS Netherlands reported in 2018 that, in the case of the four largest cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Den-Haag), some 30% to 40% of families with young children leave the city within four years of the birth of their first child (CBS, 2018). The reason these families leave the city is because the available housing is either too expensive or doesn’t meet their needs. Therefore, they are forced to move to the suburbs, leaving behind their job, family and friends in the city. Meanwhile, the city loses this middle class workers and the social cohesion that families provide. Living in a city like Rotterdam is beneficial for the development of the child since cities offer children exposure and better opportunities to experience public spaces (museum, cinema, etc.) and interact with a diverse range of people. Living in a city is beneficial for parents since they can live near their work, family, social life. Reasons why young families are leaving the city is because their housing needs are not met. By translating the needs of children (space to play, learn and living) and parents (work, leisure, peace of mind and living) into a design proposal, families will stay in the city. ... Read more

Keilewijk is a collective housing design for one-parent families in the M4H region in Rotterdam. The M4H is an area where, in the past, heavy dock work was carried out. Space has now been made to expand residential Rotterdam with high-density housing and facilities and to transform the area into a working-living environment. Children and their families’ presence in this future city is essential for the vitality of it, and quality of life in it. At the same time, a family home does not consist out of one type. In recent decades the composition of the standard family (the family of a father, a mother, and an average of two children) is fragmented into a wide variety of family compositions. The one-parent family, a family in which one parent raises one or more children without a second parent in the picture, is one of them. This type of family has an increasing share in our society. In addition, a large number of these families live in Rotterdam. It would be beneficial to keep it that way. The Keilewijk design offers housing for one-parent families in future Rotterdam. Keilewijk pays attention to a clear division between the domain of the public, the collective, the family and the individual. The design offers suitable homes and collective spaces for one-parent families, which at the same time -based on American sociologist Richard Senett's theories of the Open City- can contribute to the support of inclusiveness in future Rotterdam. Keilewijk represents a design in which a wide variety of suitable homes stacked together form an intimate vertical neighbourhood. A design that offers room for children to, step by step, take distance from their front door and to gradually get to know their city of Rotterdam. ... Read more

“In which way can the design of the residential environment contribute to the social self-reliance of young people with a mild intellectual disability?” We are facing a huge challenge in the Netherlands: we have to build up to ‘1 Million Homes’ by 2030. But such a huge assignment raises the question if those new dwellings will be inclusive enough for all different users. What about young people with a mild intellectual disability? Due to the entrance of the ‘Wet Maatschappelijke Ondersteuning’ (WMO) in 2015 it is no longer possible to apply for their housing via the care for disabled people. They stay longer at home, because of their need of support. This despite their willingness to live independently, just like others. ... Read more

The Netherlands is facing a problem with their current housing stock. Predictions warn about the need for approximately one million houses for 2035. Alongside the shortage a lot of the people do not live in a dwelling which is their preference. A design for a housing complex for the young-old, people aged between 55 and 75 without children living at home, in the transformed harbour area in the Merwe-Vierhavens in Rotterdam contributes to a solution for both of these issues at hand. By designing and developing dwellings that seduce the young-old to relocate a broader living happiness can be established. Firstly the young-old get a home that better meets their needs and secondly a wider range of single family dwellings will come available for starters and young families. Promoting social encounters between the residents and offering a wide range of dwelling types that can be adaptable for old-age offers the baseline for a design for the young-old. These two principles shape the base of this graduation project focused on the young-old. The young-old deserve a home where they can enjoy the rest of their life and look without any worry towards the future. ... Read more

The theme of the Dutch Housing Studio was that of the Inclusive City. So the goal was to improve the inclusivity of the modern city, Rotterdam in this case. The focus of this design project was artists. The research goes into artists and their issues, gentrification and possible strategies to solve those issues. It also delves into historical artist housing. The design itself revolves around the incorporation of those lessons from history into modern times and deals with the creation of a community of artists and art enthusiasts. ... Read more

This graduation project focuses on how architecture and the built environment can provide a child-friendly and future-proof childhood in the inner city. In the Netherlands we have got the phrase huisje, boompje, beestje. This symbolizes the phase of young couples who are going to settle and are having a nice, quiet and standard family life. For many of those the social succes image includes a single-family home with a garden. Apartment living is widely seen as inappropriate for children and therefore they think that this is the best place to have their huisje, boompje, beestje. This project will show that this can be done differently and can change into a new culture: appartementje, boompje, beestje. ... Read more

In our contemporary society, one out of three marriages ends up in a divorce. A divorce causes financial disadvantages for both parents and affects the well-being of parents and involved children. Assumptions are made that new built and innovative areas seem to contain the highest amount of divorces. Yet these areas do not represent divorcing families. In this graduation project, the building proposes to include divorcing families within the M4H-area in Rotterdam, by creating affordable housing while sustaining them in their well-being. The designed collective spaces and dwellings are based on the necessities of the two types of divorcing families: the primary parent family; the parent where the children live’ and the secondary parent family; the parent where the children visit’. By including these divorcing families, both the parents and the involved children have the possibility to process the divorce in a save, friendly and supporting environment. ... Read more

People living in a mental institution, eligible for early leave, can live independently again when living assistance is provided. When these people return to society they often do not have a large social network or a job. Assisted residents are mixed with students and starters. The students and starters help the assisted residents to make social contacts, perform daily chores and overcome obstacles. Moreover, they engage in activities together. Therefore collective rooms are key to the concept of assisted mixed living communities.The non-assisted residents get a comfortable- and affordable living space, social contacts and activities in return. The availability of Makerspaces in the building allow the residents to combine work and learning experiences. The mix of assisted and non-assisted residents stimulates an inclusive society within a comfortable and high quality living environment, where people help and learn from each other. Within this graduation project the aspects of an assisted mixed living community have been researched and with these aspects a design has been proposed. ... Read more