This thesis explores the interrelatedness between the design of the built environment of post-war, high-rise neighbourhoods and the behaviour of the youth, focussing on the socio-spatial elements that can be used to enhance social cohesion between the youth and other users of public space.

The research combines theory, spatial analysis, reference projects, ethnography, and participatory action research. Using Voorhof as a case study, the behavioural patterns of youth are analysed in order to understand their lived experience and socio-spatial needs. Through informal conversations, workshops, and evaluation, the research aims to propose interventions needed to extend and disperse youth presence throughout the neighbourhood.

It starts by identifying the modernist and functionalist design principles of post-war, high-rise neighbourhoods as an important contributor to a monocentric system of perceived nuisance, as opportunities for interaction, which are necessary for the personal development of adolescent youth, are limited within post-war, high-rise neighbourhoods. Ethnographic research and spatial analysis are used to gain insight into the necessary conditions of places of interaction and to identify the potentialities for extending a network of interaction throughout the neighbourhood. Through participatory action research and analysis of reference projects, the socio-spatial elements within the geographies of hanging out are identified, which are necessary to activate these neighbourhood potentialities.

Findings from these different lines of inquiry are used to develop a framework of strategic actions concerning the youth’s need for dedicated facilities, appropriation, interaction, and social support structures, while simultaneously acknowledging the perceptions of other users of public space. In doing so, the framework aims to facilitate coexistence and reduce conflict in order to enhance social cohesion.

Ultimately, this thesis highlights the need for thorough participatory research methods in addressing the geographies of hanging out, arguing that meaningful socio-spatial interventions require a deeper understanding of the youth’s lived experience. ... Read more

The current state of cities and the challenges have prompted us to reconsider the way we perceive nature and its relationship with urban environments. Anthropogenic impacts, particularly climate change, have highlighted the urgent need to transform how we design and understand living environments in urban areas.
As humans have acted as custodians of the world, we must also take responsibility for addressing the consequences of our actions. Through rapid urbanisation, we have created built environments that increasingly affect human well-being and contribute to various social and environmental challenges.
In case of Copenhagen, Denmark, planning strategies and patterns of urban development have had a significant influence on the current socio-spatial conditions of the Green wedges in Greater Copenhagen region. This thesis focuses on Copenhagen’s urban development, examining the Finger Plan's green wedges and its relationship with the welfare system, technocratic governance, and urbansiation. Through this investigation, the research seeks to understand how these interconnected factors have shaped the region’s urban landscape and contemporary challenges.
The research identifies several key challenges within the green wedges of the Finger Plan in the Greater Copenhagen region, which serve as the primary test site for this project. These challenges include the dichotomy between forest/nature and urban/culture, the issues regarding socio-spatial inequity, and the landscape quality.
By addressing these challenges, the project aims to revive the relationship between human and nature through a speculative design approach, Urban forestry is employed as a tool to explore new ways of creating, using, and managing the green wedge’s landscape of the region. The research is conducted through a Research-by-Design methodology.
The project is informed by three theoretical frameworks. These theories provide the conceptual foundation for exploring and addressing the identified challenges.
The design investigation is carried out across three spatial scales. At the territorial scale, encompassing the Copenhagen region, the project addresses broader regional challenges and opportunities. At the regional scale, focusing on the Vallensbæk Green Wedge in Greater Copenhagen, the project examines the relationships between urban development and forest expansion. Finally, at the local scale, in Avedøre, the project explores speculative design interventions that test new methods of growing, using, and managing forested green wedges.
At the local scale, the project further investigates how spatial quality can be enhanced and how new forms of shared responsibility can be developed to manage forests at a large scale. Through these explorations, the project seeks to propose alternative approaches for fostering stronger connections between people, nature, and the urban landscape.

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This thesis explores the identity of Spijkenisse and how it can be enhanced in its revitalisation. In previous revitalisation efforts of New Towns, both tangible and intangible heritage have been demolished. Therefore, a historical overview of these cities is necessary, covering not only the ‘planned city’ but also the ‘lived city’. To achieve this, the topics of ‘Heritage as a vector’ and ‘Place Identity’ will be examined. This study utilises Spijkenisse as a test case for a methodology that can be applied in other New Towns in the Netherlands or internationally. The methodology includes historical analysis, storytelling, and co- creation workshops. The research emphasises participatory planning to empower the local community, fostering a sense of ownership and pride. ... Read more

In the wake of more inclusive and sustainable cities, as targeted in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 11, public administrators and urban planners aspire to incorporate the pluralism of public values into decision making. Although theoretical work exists since the 1990, public values and their conflicts are yet to be empirically identified and applied in a context of relational urban space. This study makes use of a case study-mixed methods approach combining a quantitative strand to identify public values and their conflicts from geo-located citizen contributions using natural language processing with a qualitative strand that leverages expert workshops. Integrating the findings from both strands embedded in the case study of Hamburg, Germany, there is evidence for a broader conceptualization of public values. In a new conceptual tool named "public value spheres", the main identified public values of social equity, livability, economic opportunity, ecologic quality, safety, health and conservatism are displayed. A total of nine archetypical spatial public value conflicts were found within Hamburg, among them the newly identified "externality conflict", "dangers of nature conflict" and the "drawback of beauty conflict". The findings provide urban planners and practitioners with a new tool to account for the value-laden nature of relational urban space in future participatory processes. The citizenry itself could profit from a better discourse due to aggregation of voices in participatory tools and a transparent mapping of public values that creates a sense of the pluralism of public values within a city. Future research is needed to expand the conceptual tool of public value spheres with case studies of different cities and to investigate possible constituting socioeconomic factors of public values within urban planning. ... Read more

The city of Delft in the Netherlands has an international population of students attending TU Delft. This heterogeneous population is composed of several nationalities. In heterogeneity, participation is difficult to achieve. This case is no different with limited interaction among international students of these groups and the rest of students. This research study an online platform to stimulate information sharing and improves the sense connectedness among students. The platform is based on four main principles: 1) information, 2) activities & space, 3) multicultural approach, and 4) key actors. Moreover, the platform includes and aim for students to use narratives to promote information sharing. Furthermore, the platform includes features that allow the generation of activities and the connection with physical spaces in the city. The process starts with a survey to collect the perspective of different student groups and elaborate on the requirements of the platform. After the elucidation of the requirements, the next step is designing and developing the platform. The platform has international master students as users and collects information about its use. Furthermore, to complement the data, interviews helps to understand the motivation behind the information posted and the use of different services of the ICT artifact. The results show that narrative is not as relevant as useful information to stimulate interaction. Furthermore, the information shared using the platform must be useful, relevant and interesting with the intention of providing help to other members to increase the perception of connectedness and community. Finally, information including physical references of the city generates more interesting interactions. ... Read more