The moment of transition is a moment when the past, present and future happen simultaneously. The project will investigate the interplay between ‘longue durée’ structures, spatial dross and socio-spatial practices as a basis for shaping common practices that support collective solidarity. This in turn, will create a notion of care and foster new spatial imaginaries. Viewing the Silesian region from an imaginary perspective, spatial concepts will become a tool for exploring different patterns of growth and degrowth. By analysing these concepts, both individually and in combination with design exploration, a series of spatial and territorial interventions will be made to support a regenerative development of the region.

What will the Silesian region look like without the coal industry?
How the shrinkage of the region can be redefined to strengthen it?
What are core values of these places?

Freshwater scarcity in the IJsselmeer Region is intensifying due to the dual pressures of climate change and socio-economic development. Rising temperatures, salinisation, and increased water demand have exposed the limitations of the current water system. This research addresses the urgent need for adaptive spatial planning by developing a Dynamic Spatial Adaptive Pathway (DSAP) methodology to expand freshwater buffer capacity through water circularity. The approach combines regional planning frameworks with design-based spatial strategies and consists of six steps, grouped under four phases: system framing, vision learning, decision supporting, and strategy implementing. The methodology is applied to the Northwest Overijssel region, a key transitional area facing both ecological sensitivity and human water demands. By integrating scenarios based on Delta planning and water policy, the study identifies spatial typologies and sectoral tipping points, enabling phased design
responses across different future trajectories. This adaptive approach bridges policy and design, allowing for the monitoring of system changes and timely responses through spatial interventions. The methodology not only responds to uncertainties in water supply but also enables co-benefits for ecological quality and long-term resilience. Through a combination
of scenario planning, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive design, this research offers a replicable planning framework for other regions within the Dutch Delta context and provides strategic insight for linking high-level water policy with grounded spatial implementation.

The Netherlands is at a critical juncture in its energy transition journey, facing significant challenges in meeting the European Union's 2030 goals. Wind energy, with its vast potential, is hindered by factors such as grid capacity shortages, resulting in congestion; and a lack of meaningful citizen participation in the decision-making process, which compounded by uneven benefits and conflicting interests, have led to local opposition against wind energy projects. This research explores how smart renewable energy community development strategies can address these dilemmas and facilitate a just and sustainable energy transition. It focuses on four main research questions: identifying key stakeholders and their influence on energy community development; analyzing spatial plans and policies and their deficiencies; proposing strategies to address these challenges at local and regional levels; and exploring how these strategies can be implemented in the Dutch urban context.

The study employs a range of methodologies including literature reviews, stakeholder analysis, case studies, analytical mapping, spatial analysis, multi-criteria analysis, urban planning/design, and scenario-making. The expected outcomes include a methodology for citizen/stakeholder engagement in energy community and energy transition decision-making, cross-scale exploratory design scenarios, and an experimental visualization platform to present spatial interactions and data. This approach aims to enhance just energy transition through the development of smart renewable energy communities, improve grid resilience and energy project's social acceptance, and ensure spatial justice in the Dutch energy transition.

Over the last years, the energy transition has caused a series of challenges that affect low-income households in The Netherlands, such as grid congestion and increased energy poverty. These challenges are particularly detrimental for low-income households which currently rely on gas for heating and cooking. With the inevitability of the energy transition and its financial incentives for the phasing-out of gas, it is of utmost urgency to investigate ways to avoid widespread energy poverty in gas-dependent households. This study investigated ways and options for doing so on a local level before being scaled up to the regional level of North-Holland.

Previous research has attempted to solve this challenge largely through top-down policymaking and solely objective analyses, however lacking incentive for local residents to partake and manage in the proposed solutions. This raises the question: How can a spatial planning strategy enable a just energy transition in Noord-Holland in which the energy grid is optimized for the empowerment and welfare of low-income communities? A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was used, mainly GIS mappings and informal interviews. Research by design method was applied to form the strategies and to develop a regional vision for North-Holland, based on communal values partially through a qualitative media analysis. The analysis showed great potential for locally driven energy- and heating systems. Investigations into energy projects and opportunities in Den Helder, Egmond aan Zee, Hoorn and Middenmeer all showed the high importance of locally scaled approaches to larger challenges. The cases signified the crucialness of including not only residents but also businesses and other cross sectoral stakeholders. Values such as accessibility, inclusivity, and autonomy were synthesized from communal desires across all four cases, in combination with the media analysis. In conclusion, these four community values, alongside intersectoral cooperation, are critical to achieve realizable energy projects on scales that low-income households can partake in. The effect these projects could have in the long term, as for example with a changed socio-economic situation, could be explored in further research.

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies is profoundly transforming the Dutch province of Groningen - a region long shaped and heavily affected by the environmental consequences of decades-long gas extractions, most notably induced earthquakes. While gas production from the large Groningen gas field officially ceased in 2024 following years of public protest, the ongoing expansion of renewable energy infrastructure continues to alter spatial conditions and affect local livelihoods. Expert-driven, top-down planning approaches frequently marginalize local perspectives, raising critical questions of spatial justice and community agency within transition processes.

This project investigates how regional design strategies might contribute to spatial justice - understood through its three interrelated dimensions: recognitional, procedural, and distributive justice (Rocco, 2023). The research combined initial fieldwork with secondary data analysis. Quantitative analysis of socio-economic data (CBS) provided insights into regional disparities. Spatial analysis of publicly available GIS datasets mapped the spatial impacts of the energy transition. In parallel, a qualitative media analysis of 52 newspaper articles highlighted local perspectives, with a particular focus on protest movements.

This multi-layered analysis enabled the delineation of a “transition community“ - residents whose experiences of injustice have led them to self-organize and reclaim agency in shaping their environment by protesting. To support procedural justice and foster dialogue between stakeholders, the project developed a participatory “energy transition game“. The game translates complex spatial data and negotiation dynamics into an accessible tool, allowing players to discuss trade-offs, explore scenarios, and co-produce strategies for the region‘s energy future.

While time constraints limited the involvement of real stakeholders in gameplay, the tool proved valuable for identifying potential conflicts, synergies, and spatial interventions. The game process demonstrated the potential of serious games as critical instruments within participatory planning, enabling residents not only to understand complex transition dynamics but also to actively shape them through negotiation with other actors, thereby promoting more just and inclusive planning processes.

This project delves into the increasingly prevalent phenomenon of liquid labour mobilities resulting from the ever-changing boundaries of the European Union, examining their often-overlooked spatial implications in the Netherlands. Focusing on the critical presence of Central and Eastern European labour migrants engaged in precarious seasonal or ‘flex’ work arrangements, the research investigates the intersection of global mobility circuits and the local demand for temporary labour within the Dutch production landscape, particularly in the agriculture, horticulture and trade logistics sectors. Through interviews, spatial analysis of ten sites and policy and literature reviews, this study examines how these mobilities are facilitated and managed, the often-exploitative role of temporary employment agencies and the impact of precarious housing and job insecurity on the lives of seasonal workers. By scrutinising these dynamics, the project proposes novel strategies for sustainable and democratic seasonal neighbourhoods that respond to the underexplored challenges of flex-work and seasonal migration. Drawing upon cross-geography urban theory, this research suggests innovative living and working strategies and principles that emphasise both, the societal and economic imperatives of ensuring just and equitable conditions for temporary labourers.

Over the past 100 years, caravan dwellers in the Netherlands have been a subject of discussion. In the past, laws have banned them from travelling, placed them in big camps, decentralised these camps and even tried to force them into sedentary life through an extinction policy. After a verdict by the European Court for Human Rights, a new policy framework was created for caravan dweller accommodation, redirecting responsibility to municipalities. However, the stigmatised, spatially and socially segregated group is still not seeing improvement in meeting their human rights. Due to a lack of input and output legitimacy fuelled by a complex history with many discriminatory practices, they are distrusting of the government. The government admits fault and a knowledge gap in expertise on caravan dwellers. However, the group that could aid in filling the knowledge gap and improving the input legitimacy is hesitant to cooperate due to mutual distrust.

This research attempts to explore the interconnectedness of the themes of people, policies, spatial principles and governance &participation to create a new approach to the caravan dweller politics and decision-making process in the spatial planning context, by focusing on input and output legitimacy. Through different analytical and fieldwork methods ranging from media analysis to interviews, an approach is created that will advise on the current framework recommendations, who should be involved in which manner and how the process should be approached. A more central role for the national government and a participation roadmap that, together with the framework recommendations, will give insight into which mechanisms and tools can increase input and output legitimacy will pave the way to rebuild the trust between the different stakeholders and create a just and sustainable future for the caravan dwellers in the Netherlands.

Migration within the European Union (EU) is becoming a complex phenomenon driven by various social, political, economic, and environmental causes. While migration is an ordinary event, vulnerable groups such as asylum seekers, refugees and irregular migrants often face significant hardships and risks throughout their journey. In recent years, the EU has grappled with unprecedented pressure of irregular migrants in its external borders, leading to strict border controls and externalisation of migration management with third-world countries. With this, there is severe stress in housing, healthcare, labour markets, and education in individual countries with the sudden increase in population with diverse cultural backgrounds. Discrimination, xenophobia, and political shifts towards far-right ideologies have also posed challenges to the humane treatment of these vulnerable groups. This raises questions about why the E.U. does not want to accept these communities despite its ageing and shrinking society.

This project explores the consequences of migration in the EU, with a particular focus on refugees and asylum seekers. Beginning with an analysis of EU migration policies and attitudes towards refugees, the project focuses on the Netherlands, examining its asylum-seeking process amidst political shifts. The research then aims to imagine the inclusion and integration of refugees living in isolated temporary asylum shelters in cities, using case studies and literature to identify spatial and non-spatial aspects crucial for fostering a sense of comfort and belonging in a new country. By proposing spatial strategies and policies to create opportunities for stronger socio-cultural connections in cities of the Netherlands, the project aims to facilitate stronger bonds between refugees and native citizens. Through a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches, it seeks to reshape formal regulated interactions, fostering informal settings for everyday interactions. The project's outcomes are evaluated to assess its impact on forming a new inclusive society.

The Netherlands has the ambition to transition to a fully circular economy before 2050. Between this future and where we stand now, there is still a large gap. The Netherlands produces 60 million tonnes of waste per year. This fact contains two problems that this project aims to deal with: 1) the heigh of this number in the first place, and 2) that approximately 20% of the waste does not find its way back into the system. In 2020, 7.6 million tonnes of waste was incinerated and 32.7 million tonnes of waste was exported to non-EU countries, where waste often ends up in landfill or is send for incineration with adverse health effects.

This project takes the radical stance to stop incineration and export, which means the Netherlands must take responsibility for the waste it produces. For much of the waste that currently follows one of these trajectories, there are no adequate solutions for reuse or recycling. Hence, we designed a system of waste collection, sorting, and storage where materials can be stored in waste houses until they find their way back into the system (problem 1). The piling up of the waste will create awareness of the consequences of unresponsible consumption, affecting the behaviour of people through confrontation (problem 2).

The system we design aims to create a disruption of the existing linear system at different levels. The large-scale societal perception of production-consumption-waste generation will slowly change, while the waste houses will create a sense of urgency at the small scale. This will stimulate niche innovations to find innovative solutions to deal with waste that is stored. Our project is thus both an instigator of change and part of the change itself in the transition to the circular economy.

If the project is successful, the waste houses will gradually become obsolete as consumption and waste production go down. In the far future, the former waste houses can house different functions, or they can be demolished in a circular way, returning the materials into the resource loop.

The Netherlands, renowned for its flat landscape and strategic location at the confluence of major rivers, combined with fertile soil and a mild climate, boasts optimal natural conditions for agricultural production. However, the success of the Dutch agricultural sector and its developments has significant implications for biodiversity, as excessive nitrogen levels contribute to a decline in plant and animal species, ultimately disrupting the ecosystem balance. Currently, functions are separated by human engineered boundaries with little to no interaction with each other. Agriculture is hyper focused on the productive part of the system, lacking equilibrium. Ideally, water, agriculture and soil live in perfect harmony and so envisioned for the year 2070 is a dynamic river landscape in the Dutch Delta region; a landscape where there is room for the water to flow as it pleases. In this vision, a river's natural flow is embraced; free flowing water with little constraints. Instead of seeing this freedom as a problem that must be controlled, this project values the river's morphological changes and water fluctuations through time. This vision and strategy not only makes room for the river, but creates a new dynamic system in which water, biodiversity and agriculture works together. Adjustments are mainly made to the land-uses to correspond to the shifts of the river, using several interventions. A green network of ‘in between’ wetlands is situated within the river basin. This network serves as vital ecosystems that enhance the resilience of the region. These green marshes overflow with biodiversity, serving as havens for formerly threatened animal and plant species alike to thrive and flourish. In this project, we apply strategic tools to three locations with different conditions, such as moderately wet, wet, and extremely wet, acting as pilots to be extended into more parts of the Dutch Delta region in the future. This forward-thinking approach not only ensures the sustainability of agriculture but also fosters a healthier, more diverse environment for generations to come.

The Netherlands has created a large nitrogen pollution problem in its soils, which is harming biodiversity. By intensifying and industrialized farming, by importing animal feed for dairy production and fertilizer for crop farming, too much nitrogen has accumulated in the soil. Consequently, ecological processes are disturbed due to eutrophication (over-feeding of nutrients), from which only a few species profit, causing other species to lose the competition and cease, with detrimental effects on reliant other species.
This project explores how this intensive/industrial farming can be substituted by more sustainable alternatives in which creating and maintaining biodiversity is key. An alternative system is proposed based on the spatial intergrading between cities and protected natural areas with typologies that focus on balancing food production and biodiversity creation. This alternative system is then detailed concerning the small-scale effects it has, the necessary process of policy creation and the necessary systemic changes as preconditions for a successful execution. The transformation design is developed along a framework of values which are reflecting on current best practices in the discipline of urbanism touching on issues of planetary boundaries, justice and transitional thinking.
Our key takeaways are to keep the city and adjacent areas productive, close to where consumption of goods is high but also where functions like education and food markets can be sensibly integrated. Further from the city and closer to already biodiverse and protected areas of the Nature Network Netherlands (NNN), the gradient leans more towards focussing on the creation of biodiversity. Humans and non-human species can find their thriving space on the gradient, food production is still an integral part as well. By creating a system in which farmers are working together, and are guided to create this balance on their farms and are paid for their efforts and the services they provide to society, they can be encouraged to change their farming practices for the better.

The thesis aims to unveil and challenge institutionalized gender hierarchical relations between the military and women in conflict environments. It critically examines the military as an institution inherently intertwined with conflict in periods of war and during periods of conflict. The thesis argues that the military plays a significant role in shaping and maintaining gender power structures, through institutional perceptions and spatial practices. It explores the relationship between the military and women and how institutionalized gender perceptions contribute to the widening gap between them, using Cyprus as a case study. Through the use of visual ethnography as a primary methodology, the thesis seeks to shed light and challenge the oppressive prescript narratives and power dynamics imposed on women by the military.
Using Nicosia and Pyla as a case study, conflict environments where inhabitants have normalized the experiences of living with the constant presence of the military, the thesis spatializes its theoretical framework. It utilizes tools and insights gained from theoretical and artistic analyses, to make visible and challenge the gender institutional perceptions, fixed gender roles, and spatialities that feed gender hierarchical structures. The ultimate goal is to expose this issue in various existing and ongoing conflict environments.

Due to the ongoing housing crisis in London, a significant number of low-income families at the risk of homelessness and displacement are currently placed in insufficient temporary accommodation while simultaneously autonomous developments like the ‘financialisation of housing’ and the ‘sharing economy’ result in an increasing number of vacancies. Thus, this graduation project aims to improve the availability and quality of temporary accommodation by developing an integrated housing system inspired by informal practices that utilises currently unavailable vacant buildings.
Therefore, different types of informal housing practices and their advantages and disadvantages were compared, and useful outcomes were transferred for the development of the integrated housing system. The system consists of a framework of policies and regulations which operate in different ways and on different levels. Additionally, the situation of low-income families being at the risk of homelessness and displacement was analysed with a mixed-method approach using both quantitative and qualitative data to gain an understanding of their needs and requirements regarding temporary housing solutions. Furthermore, an investigation based on literature as well as statistical and spatial data of vacancies, their indicators, and location in London, has revealed two main types. In order to determine the suitability of the different vacancy types a multi-scalar set of indicators was developed based on the three concepts of livability, meaning of home, and social safety. Based on the previous analysis a catalogue of spatial interventions that enhance the suitability according to the three concepts was created as a guide for both the public and private sector. Lastly, through an exemplary design in the case study area, the different spatial changes are visualised.
In summary this graduation project offers a combined solution for the presented problem by introducing the integrated housing system and providing a guide for related spatial changes.

In recent decades, the relevance of the railway as a more sustainable alternative for (inter)national commuting has increased significantly. Moreover, contemporary railway stations are becoming not only important mobility hubs where national and local transportation systems are interlinked but also new city centres offering a variety of functions and attractive places to live and work. However, there are still missing links in the European railway network. One of them, the connection between Poland to Finland through the Baltic states will be implemented by 2030. After completion, Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania, will become an important railway node. The thesis investigates how to exploit the potential of the Rail Baltica project and use it as a catalyst for the development of the city. To achieve this, personal experiential knowledge is combined with the data-driven approach to propose a visionary plan for Kaunas railway station and its surroundings that would accelerate the transition towards sustainable, safe and accessible mobility for all and would integrate the area into the existing urban fabric. The proposal suggests that large blocks, similar to Kaunas New Town, could ensure the continuity of the urban fabric, integrate existing heritage into the new structure and allow phasing. The densification framework defines the parameters of each block, aiming for a higher density towards the mobility hub. In addition, changes in street network and profiles are suggested to prioritise public transport and active modes of mobility. The key elements of the masterplan are detailed including the mobility hub where both railway and bus stations are combined and the hub is expanded towards the opposite side of the railway tracks. Moreover, standards for new blocks and streets are defined to ensure high-quality development which promotes high-density neighbourhoods while preserving local identity and heritage. Lastly, the regional impact study is used as an evaluation tool. It concludes that due to the limits of population growth in Lithuania, there is a need for collaboration between Rail Baltica cities to develop their railway station areas in a way that would complement each other rather than compete.

This project aims to address the challenges posed by the transition to renewable energy sources. This will cause an unstable and unreliable energy flow, which does not correspond with the current energy use patterns of society. Different elements of the current energy network are analysed. They have a big role in the transition towards a completely renewable energy system. The proposed solution involves the utilisation of hydrogen as a means to store and transport renewable energy. In order to achieve this, consumption and production patterns in North-western Europe are analysed in relation to existing energy infrastructure that is suitable for carrying hydrogen. With a combination of different data sources and a created algorithm a model is created that is able to generate clusters. These clusters resulted in a continental framework containing 3 typologies of energy landscapes. A centralized, decentralized and a resilient zone; inbetween. These landscapes are characterised by their population, proximity and current land use against societal challenges such as justice, resilience, polarisation, and reliability. Self-made algorithms are used to transcribe the landscapes into a collection of physical energy elements that will be needed in areas. These measurements are visualized to propose what the future “energyscapes” could look like. The project suggests implementations on different scales for the new paradigm in the energy transition where hydrogen contributes to a just and reliable energy system.

Although the industrial release of pollutant substances into North West European river delta has been decreasing over the last decades, The Netherlands still has one of the worst water qualities in Europe. In this strategic regional design we aim to improve the quality, quantity and distribution of water through the concept of sustainable land use. Industrial waste, waste water and increasing demand for land are the main pressures on our river water system. Considering the future risk of flood and drought there is also a big insecurity about our water quantity. There will be a need for more space and fair use of our water system. The goal is to restore the water quality in the North West European river delta and secure a sufficient water quantity for future use, flood protection and a fair distribution of the water available. In this report research by design is used to develop a spatial vision and spatial strategy that will create spatial water justice and with that a healthy river landscape. There are three themes related to spatial water justice: water quantity, quality and distribution. To meet sufficient standards for these three themes there are three important concepts: a circular industrial water system, decontamination and room for the rivers. All of them deal with the broader concept of sustainable land use. Sustainable land use is the fair and balanced distribution of land and environmental resources. This report shows a regenerative decontamination design for the North West European river delta. It is the development of a catalog of interventions that can be used in the whole river basin. Many small changes make a big difference in an interconnected system like a river basin. Every small intervention that will help clean the water, adds to the whole system and changes the whole system into a healthy and just river landscape. Together with this catalog there is a manual where the interventions are connected to spatial qualities of a specific location. The catalog and manual have been implemented for the case of South - Holland / Rivierenland. This example shows how we assure a sufficient water quality, quantity and fair distribution of water in a long-term perspective in the North West European Delta region.

Nature is declining rapidly. Recent research connected the natural decline with the intensive and monocultural way of dairy agriculture that is happening in North-Western Europe. As a result farmers are forced to stop and are left without a vision for their future. A change in the practice of dairy farming is necessary to reach the goals of the European Green Deal, but the current regulations fail to arch the missing link for providing a just transition. This report aims to bridge this gap by providing bottom-up interventions and a clear top-down vision and answer the question: “How can the goals of the European Green Deal be achieved in a fair way to facilitate the transition towards sustainable dairy farming in the non-urban area in N-W Europe?”

The studies in this report discusses a multiscalar strategy that focuses on farmers cooperating, upscaling of regenerative farming practices, crop-livestock rotation and localizing waste and resource loops. This transformation of the farming practice is grounded by the government establishing policies and defining green corridors and natural structures that connect natura 2000 areas. This will set the ground for farmers to join the provided pattern game. In the strategy a pilot project, De Kooi, will be used to convince farmers the transition is beneficial.

Considering the profession's vast environmental, social, and economic impacts, a balance between preserving nature and progressive dairy farming techniques is established by providing farmers with a vision for their future while giving biodiversity space to thrive.

The Rhine River distributes water to more than 60 million residents, vital industries, and important agricultural sites across a total of eight countries. However, due to climate change, the availability of water resources has become increasingly dependent on seasonal supply and internal distribution (UNESCO, 2009). Moreover, extended periods of high river flow have the potential to pose threats to the urbanized regions along the Rhine (IKSR, 2011; Rottler et al., 2021; Stahl et al., 2022). In light of these developments, questions arise concerning the rights to use and manage the water. Simultaneously, water governance along the Rhine remains weak, with limited coordination between nation-states, sectors, and other relevant stakeholders, resulting in minimal influence at the local level (Rietveld et al., 2013; Akamami, 2016; Moodie, et al., 2022). Against this backdrop, this project focuses on the spatial element of the "dike" as a mechanism to control water flows and simultaneously restore the lost connection between local stakeholders and the Rhine.

The project, titled "Finding Common Water," employs the new governance principle of Active Subsidiarity to prioritize local and regional autonomy in water management and identify issues that can only be addressed at higher levels of governance. Its goal is to investigate the potential for delegating the decision-making process of dike management to local levels of society. By enabling self-organizing capacity at lower levels of government, independent stakeholder systems can be synchronized to support adaptive water governance and localized protection.

The methodology of the project comprises several components. It includes literature review studies to enhance understanding of changes in governmental schemes in the transition to adaptive water governance. Additionally, a socio-spatial analysis is conducted on the Rhine River to assess current conditions related to drought, water discharge trends, water usage, and water management. To assign water management to local levels of society, the areas surrounding the Rhine are viewed as hydro-social territories. These territories are based on the mutual relationship between "water" and social, political, economic, cultural, and biophysical systems at a particular scale.

Drawing from the Dutch water management, a roadmap is created, following the principles of Active Subsidiarity toward localized dike autonomy. This roadmap empowers local stakeholder groups to evaluate their capacity to self-organize their relationship with the river through the spatial element of the dike. An assessment of indicators is made to evaluate the potential for localized dike autonomy. This is divided into four main subcategories: The Authoritative Region, The Dike, The Suitability Conditions, and The River Dynamics. By creating a calculation formula for these four main subcategories, potential locations along the Rhine suitable for localized dike autonomy can be identified. Finally, a test case is utilized to demonstrate the potential spatial outcomes of local dike autonomy.. Finally, a testcase is used to show the possible spatial outcomes of local dike autonomy.