Residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems play a crucial role in energy transition and climate change mitigation in urban areas. However, the adoption process shows social disparities, raising concerns about energy justice. Current research has limitations in understanding the complex mechanisms behind household solar adoption decisions. Therefore, this study explores using large language model (LLM)-based agents to simulate household solar adoption decisions. Based on a literature review, we developed a framework covering four key factor categories: technical attributes, household characteristics, personal beliefs, and external contexts. We created an LLM-based household agent model (PVAgent) that converts influencing factors into structured prompts, expanding from individual decision-making to multi-agent systems, with both decisions and reasoning statements as output. Using three neighborhoods in Amsterdam as a case study, we simulated solar adoption behavior across different social groups. Using three neighborhoods in Amsterdam as a case study, we simulated solar adoption behavior across different social groups. The result shows that the LLM agent model can generate reasonable individual decision logic and group-level structural patterns. It also shows how household adoption dynamics change over time with evolving motives and barriers. Based on these insights, we propose three principles for future policymaking: comprehensive strategic frameworks, structural innovation, and differentiated approaches for specific groups. In summary, this research contributes by introducing LLMs to energy behavior modeling. Although there are limitations, such as the subjectivity of prompt design, this research provides an innovative approach to understanding complex household decision-making. Future studies can further develop this approach and explore more extensive application scenarios with advanced methodological integration and interdisciplinary cooperation.

To reach the goal of becoming a natural gas-free city, the municipality of Amsterdam has to move towards more sustainable heat sources. Unlike the electricity- and gas market, there are no European guidelines for heat. This raises the question of how to govern sustainable, collective heat. This master’s thesis explores how the municipality of Amsterdam currently governs her heat grids, how the upcoming legislations might affect this, and what lessons could be learned from the way two case studies governed their collective heat grids. This research is done through a document analysis, and a case comparison through interviews. The interviews insights showed that the municipality of Amsterdam currently struggles with creating a feasible business case, a lack of trust from stakeholders (mainly residents, and weak management tools. The WCW and WGIW will most likely not change anything about this. The cases of Mijnwater and Clyde Gateway showed how there is still a knowledge imbalance regarding 5th generation district heating and cooling. These cases proved there’s a need for strong leadership, clear communication, and a need to start looking at heat differently (as a service instead of a commodity). The research results in a synthesis with recommendations for the municipality of Amsterdam on how to govern collective heat.

Ever since the mega project of cleaning the Seine in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics gained world-wide attention, a global movement is inspiring urban policymakers and to reclaim urban waters in becoming a ‘Swimmable City’. As in many of these cities, the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, sees a growing demand for reconnection with the waterfront, urban living quality and resilience to urban transitions, while simultaneously facing the effects of climate change on the city and its residents first-hand. The Municipality of Rotterdam has shared their ambition to develop future urban bathing sites in open-air waters, among which the inner city harbours. However, the urban complexity of these locations goes hand-in-hand with practical and systematic implementation challenges. This research is framed by an urban systems-based approach, in order to identify the place- and actor-related challenges and opportunities in their urban system nature, for three typologies of (floating) urban bathing structures defined in this study (The Free Style; The Protected Plunge; The Dip in a Bowl). Taking lessons from case study interviews with three respective (inter)national urban bathing typology examples (Marineterrein in Amsterdam, La Baignade Villette in Paris, The Floating Pool Lady in New York City), overarching physical and non-physical challenges were overcome by flexible design, creative governance and justification in connecting other local societal agenda’s such as the accessibility of public space, improving water quality and swimming programming for local communities. Comparing these lessons with identified challenges and opportunities for Rotterdam’s Spoorweghaven, Coolhaven and Persoonshaven, based on case study interviews with local project managers, the conclusions of this research are presented as recommendations for civil servants on how to approach the development of future urban bathing sites. Not only for the City of Rotterdam, but all cities who have the ambition to become ‘swimmable’.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognised as a transformative force across industries, yet its integration into real estate development remains tentative and largely exploratory. This research investigates how generative AI can support stakeholder deliberation within multidisciplinary design teams in real estate development projects. Deliberation is understood as a structured, inclusive, and reflective process of mutual reasoning and knowledge integration, distinct from decision-making or negotiation.

Employing an exploratory mixed-methods approach, the study combines a literature review, semi-structured interviews, a survey, and a validation phase including a workshop and expert panels. Conducted in collaboration with the Dutch real estate development firm NEOO, the research focuses on design-phase deliberation and investigates how AI tools can facilitate more effective collaboration. Three research phases guide the study: (1) mapping the nature and phases of deliberation in design teams, (2) evaluating the challenges and potentials of generative AI tools, and (3) developing and validating a framework and implementation strategy for AI-supported deliberation.

The research identifies three deliberative modes, namely exploratory, convergent, and operational, each aligned with specific phases of the design trajectory. Five AI support themes emerge: facilitation, augmentation, efficiency, inclusivity and coordination. Together, these inform a framework and roadmap for practice. The study finds that generative AI can enhance structured dialogue, support inclusive engagement, and augment creative reasoning, provided that its implementation is sensitive to organisational dynamics, professional trust, and reflective learning processes.

This thesis contributes to both academic theory and industry practice by offering conceptual clarity on deliberation and practical guidance on integrating AI into design team deliberation workflows. It is intended for scholars, practitioners, and developers seeking to leverage digital innovation for more effective and inclusive collaboration in the built environment.

The built environment is responsible for nearly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting its critical role in addressing climate change. Retrofitting existing buildings has emerged as a key strategy for achieving net-zero carbon objectives, focusing on reducing both operational and embodied carbon emissions. However, retrofitting practices face challenges such as fragmented data systems, limited real-time monitoring, and inadequate stakeholder collaboration. Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents transformative potential to address these challenges by optimizing energy performance, streamlining decision-making processes, and improving retrofitting outcomes. This research investigates how AI can integrate decarbonization strategies into building
retrofitting to achieve net-zero objectives, addressing the main research question: How can AI methodologies integrate decarbonization strategies in building retrofitting to achieve net-zero building objectives in design and construction management? The hypothesis of this research posits that AI-driven technologies, such as machine learning, can effectively optimize retrofitting practices by addressing deficiencies in current methods, improving decision-making processes, and enabling energy performance optimization to achieve net-zero outcomes. A review of the literature reveals eight critical retrofit measures and highlights significant gaps in current practices, such as the lack of standardized methodologies and the late-stage assessment of carbon impacts. Furthermore, the review emphasizes the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its subsets—such as machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning—to optimize retrofitting by enabling predictive analytics, energy modeling, and improved decision-making processes. To test this hypothesis and address these gaps, a qualitative, deductive methodology is adopted, combining semi-structured interviews with industry experts and a case study analysis to uncover actionable insights. The findings reveal that AI subsets, such as machine learning and neural networks, can enhance predictive maintenance, unify fragmented data, and enable dynamic adjustments in retrofitting processes. Nonetheless, barriers such as data quality, algorithmic biases, and resistance to technological change persist, requiring phased implementation and enhanced stakeholder collaboration for successful adoption. The study synthesizes these findings by linking identified deficiencies in retrofitting with specific AI-driven solutions, demonstrating how tailored AI applications can address both embodied and operational carbon challenges. This research develops an AI methodology for integrating AI to improve decarbonization strategies to address real-world deficiencies in retrofitting practices, optimize energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance stakeholder collaboration, ultimately contributing to achieving net-zero building objectives.

The Dutch infrastructure sector faces a dual challenge of renewing aging infrastructure and achieving sustainability goals under the constraints of limited resources and high societal demand. This research explores how value integration can facilitate transition governance at the tactical level, bridging the gap between strategic visions and operational realities in infrastructure renewal projects.
Through a qualitative research design, this thesis combines theoretical exploration of transition theory, value methodology and the activity theory with empirical data collected via semi-structured interviews and a further elaboration through a collaborative scenario workshop. Findings highlight drivers to implement sustainability into the organisational fabric as well as barriers, such as fragmented governance, resistance to change, and misaligned priorities between national and regional levels. By analysing opportunities for integrative solutions to these barriers, the study identified four key tactical activities for value integration: collaboration, alignment, co-creation and sharing. The study reveals the critical role of tactical governance in translating strategic goals into operational actions, emphasizing the need for cohesive decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive governance mechanisms. The proposed Value Integration Model addresses these challenges by identifying activities and conditions essential for embedding integrated values into governance frameworks, fostering alignment across organizational levels and among diverse stakeholders.
This research contributes to the field by operationalizing value integration as a practical tool for managing complex transitions under high-pressure scenarios. It offers actionable insights for policymakers, infrastructure managers, and practitioners, demonstrating how value integration can drive systemic change and support the dual objectives of sustainability and infrastructure renewal.

Urban infrastructure and the essential services it provides – energy, housing, transport, waste management, and water – are fundamental for human and ecological wellbeing. As urban populations grow, particularly in the Global South, equitable and sustainable service delivery is increasingly identified as a strategy for addressing both environmental and socioeconomic development challenges. Existing frameworks for sustainability transitions often prioritise technological innovation at the expense of social, political, and organisational dimensions of infrastructure. Likewise, mainstream approaches to infrastructure development favour large scale, centralised, technology-driven solutions, overlooking the diverse service delivery arrangements that characterise many Southern cities. This thesis addresses this gap, combining empirical case studies with critical discourse analysis to explore how community-led and hybrid service delivery models contribute to inclusive and sustainable urban development. First, it examines how academic and policy discourses reveal a bias towards technocentric, Global North-focused perspectives on sustainable infrastructure. Next, it draws on case studies from 14 cities from across Africa, Asia, and Latin America to explore the delivery of essential services by community-based organisations, cooperatives, and informal service providers. Often considered “unorthodox,” such models can – given appropriate state support – contribute to improving service accessibility, mitigating environmental impacts, and empowering marginalised communities. Finally, these findings are used to propose refinements to sustainability transitions theory, including the Multi-Level Perspective. The thesis concludes that policy, practice, and academic theory must shift away from a narrow emphasis on technological solutions or economic efficiency, embracing broader approaches to urban service delivery that can benefit both human wellbeing and environmental sustainability in cities worldwide

In recent decades, the housing shortage and multi-dimensional housing challenges, including lack of physical quality, accessibility to urban amenities, lack of social characteristics and habitability conditions, have increased worldwide. In Latin American countries faced with some of these challenges, many governments have formulated a wide range of policies and housing programs. In Chile, the State has delegated housing production to private companies. This approach has mostly affected the location, quality, and social dimension of housing. In other urban contexts, such as in some European countries, inhabitants facing similar issues have self-organised to develop their homes driven by pragmatic and radical goals. From a Global North perspective, these initiatives, characterised by collaborative processes between future residents and external stakeholders in housing production, are labelled under the umbrella term of Collaborative Housing. In Latin America, there is also a long tradition of self-organisation in housing through self-building and self-management processes. In Chile, there has been recent interest from resident groups, third sector organisations and the current government in promoting collective self-organised housing through specific programs. However, the concept of collaborative housing has been mainly researched and theorised from a Global North perspective. Furthermore, the meaning and potential of collaborative housing to address housing deficits from a multi-dimensional standpoint have received limited attention in academic research in Chile. This PhD research fills this knowledge gap by applying the collaborative housing concept to study collective selforganised housing in Chile. To this end, it proposes a conceptualisation of ‘Collaborative Housing’ in the Latin American and Chilean context and determines its dimensions. It also investigates its opportunities and limitations when addressing the Social Deficit of Housing, plans scenarios, and proposes policy strategies. The research applies mixed methods, including a policy review, case studies, interviews, and Delphi-based scenario questionnaires. This dissertation concludes with scenarios and long-term policy strategies for three collaborative housing models emerging in the country: cooperativas cerradas de vivienda, pequeños condominios, and vivienda colectiva. It also provides recommendations that serve as a guide to stakeholders interested in implementing collaborative housing.

Climate change affects cities in every region of the world, and cities need to improve their urban resilience. Resilient measures are often implemented in public spaces because they are the urban voids in which infrastructures, water, biodiversity, mobility, and human life unfold. However, their institutional settings often make their design processes significantly challenging. Many complexities must be agreed upon and integrated into designing resilient public spaces. Taking a collaborative approach to designing public spaces has been said to improve their resilience by involving different actors and integrating their aims and knowledge. However, the mechanisms to do so remain unclear. This research explores how a collaborative approach can contribute to the design processes of resilient public spaces. It does so in the geographical context of Chile, a territory prone to diverse climate change impacts. It poses that revised urban design processes are crucial for implementing resilient public spaces. It focuses on co-design processes and their mechanisms and methods to integrate the diverse knowledge backgrounds of the involved actors. The studies examine the co-design processes of prominent resilient public spaces in Chile and design one in the same context. This research aims to contribute to urban design by formulating a comprehensive framework and guidelines for designing resilient public spaces collaboratively. It contributes generalisable and context-specific findings with particular emphasis on the Chilean context.

Unsustainable waste management systems, including waste dumping, burning, and littering, are significant challenges in the modern era. These unsustainable waste management practices impact regional development by posing a threat to environmental, social, and economic growth. The hazardous contaminants released from waste burning or unprotected disposal have a destructive impact on both human health and the environment, causing habitat damage, climate change, and disease transmission. Furthermore, unsustainable waste management systems contribute to resource depletion and emissions of greenhouse gases and, as a result, the acceleration of global warming. Regarding the financial aspect, unsustainable waste management systems place pressure on local governments and communities by diverting resources that could have been used in educational and health sectors, damaging the regional economy, increasing healthcare costs, and causing higher resource expenditures and productivity losses.
As a case study, this thesis project examines the waste management system in the Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. The key objective is to provide a transformational strategy for the regional waste management system by addressing the central research question: “How can the waste management system in the Chernihiv Oblast be transformed to address regional sustainability challenges?” As a result, the research employs an exploratory case study method that guides the analysis of the current state of the waste management system, examines effective systems within the European Union, and tailors these practices and initiatives to the local context.
The method helps identify the region’s challenges and prospects for the transformation towards a sustainable waste management system. The primary issues include underdeveloped infrastructure, limited funding, and low public awareness and participation. The present waste management system entails unsorted waste collection and landfilling with little or no consideration for recycling or resource recovery, which, as a result, has adverse effects on the environment, public health, and resource efficiency.
The study of the European Union’s systems and practices reveals that member states have holistic and long-term strategies for the waste management sector. In general, the European Union can be described as having a sound regulatory environment, technology advancement, and high citizen engagement. The key initiatives include extended producer responsibility, advanced waste sorting and treatment technologies, and circular economy principles, which have demonstrated significant results in improving resource preservation.
As a result, the research provides relevant recommendations to national and regional governments that can contribute to the further transformation of the Chernihiv Oblast’s waste management system. Moreover, such recommendations seek to contribute to the overall development of the waste management sector, where the transformation is viewed as both necessary and gainful. It is possible to build and implement a sustainable waste management system by learning from the European Union’s challenges and implementing the most effective techniques. In a nutshell, this transformation requires the definition of clear environmental, social and economic values, the implementation of modern waste sorting and treatment technologies, market and government support, and, most importantly, a collaborative contribution from the stakeholders. Altogether, this will allow for long-term resource efficiency and sustainability, thereby improving the Chernihiv Oblast’s environment, economy, and social well-being.

Recently, there has been a concern about the lack of information transfer of knowledge we learn from experimental projects to practice making the transition to sustainable cities possible. Previous studies have focused on what we learn from experimental projects. However, we know little about how to implement the lessons learned in business-as-usual management practices to catalyze sustainable urban transitions in the construction sector. This research investigates how management practices can learn from experimental projects to transform business-as-usual. The research is conducted in three parts: 1) the theoretical research, covering a theoretic review of concepts related to the learning-to-transforming dynamics; 2) empirical research, covering three nested case studies on urban area developments via semi-structured interviews and 3) syntheses, bringing all findings together in an overarching strategy on how to transform business-as-usual in organizations. It can be concluded that management practices learn inner-organizationally where learning is the process that comes before transforming. Whether learning from experiments results in transforming current ways of working depends on the learning intent and the capacity to change. With a high capacity to change, the opportunity to learn and transform as an organization significantly increases.

This study examines how citizen engagement strategies can facilitate more inclusive participation for enhancing liveability in urban area development. With growing demands for citizen involvement in decision-making processes, particularly in light of the new Environment and Planning Act, developers often face challenges such as increased objections, unrealistic expectations, and potential delays. This study aims to bridge the gap between theoretical research on citizen participation and practical challenges of engagement in urban development. It examines two case studies: the Defensie-eiland project in Woerden and the Piekstraat development in Rotterdam. The Defensie-eiland project has already implemented citizen engagement strategies during its transformation from a former military site into a mixed-use neighbourhood. The Piekstraat project, on the other hand, is an ongoing development aiming to revitalize a historic dockland area. The research uses a mixed-methods approach, including exploratory interviews, documentation analysis, in-depth stakeholder interviews and a validating citizen survey. The findings aim to contribute to the academic discourse on sustainable urban development by highlighting the importance of citizen participation in shaping liveable and inclusive neighbourhoods. The thesis concludes with recommendations for practitioners on how to implement the proposed strategies effectively, highlighting the need for context-specific approaches, transparent communication, and the use of hybrid participation models. Digital tools show the capacity to engage traditionally underrepresented groups more effectively. The plan's success hinges on a team with strong commitment and a clear objective.

Long-term, large-scale empirical studies on the simultaneous development of transport infrastructure and the built environment are scarce. This thesis provides a future high-speed railway infrastructure implementation alternative based on the Dutch cultural landscape from Zwolle to Groningen. Our design goal is to better connect Amsterdam and provinces in the north of the Netherlands including Overijssel, Drenthe, Groningen by using a faster, more efficient and sustainable high-speed railway solution to replace the Lelyline solution proposed by the Dutch government based on traditional trains.

The author has systematically evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of various railway routing options, and based on this, proposed an optimal alignment. Then, the landscape typologies alongside the optimal alignment are concluded and the sustainable landscape interventions with the high-speed railway viaducts on those landscape typologies are elaborated into a catalogue, which will be not only meaningful for Zwolle-Groningen, but also will provide inspiration and guideline for future high-speed rail design projects in similar landscape context worldwide.
Afterwards, following the principles of sustainable development and theory of infrastructure as landscape, five unique sites along the optimal alignment are chosen to showcase the landscape architecture interventions in relationship with the rich Dutch cultural landscape. The outcome is a design proposal of the high-speed railway itinerary and landscape mitigation measures to its surroundings including both built and natural environment.

The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept which seeks to enhance social sustainability by improving accessibility. In this master thesis accessibility in Amsterdam Nieuw-West is explored to better understand the link between the 15-minute city concept and social sustainability to answer the research question: To what extent is the 15-minute city able to enhance social sustainability? Empirical research is conducted to identify the indicators that truly affect accessibility. Literature regarding the subject has pointed out two scale levels which affect accessibility. The macro scale relates to accessibility of the infrastructure network and availability of facilities while the micro scale relates to the indicators affecting the accessibility of a place. There where also two categories of accessibility indicators defined. Physical accessibility indicators experienced directly because of the built environment and social accessibility indicators experienced because of the behaviour of people inhabiting the built environment. This creates an interesting dynamic of the designed physical accessibility and the social accessibility resulting from it. After the initial literature review, three research methods were used in the case study in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. First two project mangers affiliated with the municipality were interviewed which alongside case study documents aided the framework of known accessibility indicators in Nieuw-West. Thereafter, the way accessibility is experienced was studied on both scale levels. The macro scale by interviewing residents about their decision making process regarding their routes and destinations utilising mental maps and the micro scale by street interviews with users of Osdorpplein. The findings show that the 15-minute city concept is not applicable as a one size fits all solution for urban development as that would be discriminatory because of the different desires and capabilities of inhabitants. However, indicators of the 15-minute city on their own are able to improve accessibility and thus social sustainability.

Local referendums are part of the local democracy and give citizens more direct discission power by their votes.The instrument can be used by the citizens to express their resistance towards the municipal plans or used by the municipality to consult their citizens about their plans. In the Netherlands, local referendums are despite their non-binding character still used nowadays. This instrument is also used for Urban Area Development plans, such as Amsterdam IJburg (1997) whereby citizens and special interest groups were concerned about the loss of nature in the area due to the large-scale land reclamation project. Another example is Arnhem Stadsblokken-Meinerswijk (2016), whereby a group of citizens expressed their concerns about building in the floodplains after the national policy ‘ruimte voor de rivier’ was introduced to make more space for the river instead of building in these areas. Until now, studies have been done about local referendums in general, the topics, about voting behaviour and the frequency of it. In addition, some research has been done on local referendums in urban development areas in Europe and America. However, studies about the added value of a local referendum in the Netherlands specifically about Urban Area Developments are missing. The report answers the following research question: How can a local referendum for urban area development contribute to the design and decision-making? The goal of the research is to gain a better understanding of the added value of a local referendum used for larger urban area development topics and how this influences design and decision-making. The research question will be answered by a literature review and the use of qualitative data, including interviews and archive documents on the case studies of IJburg and Stadsblokken-Meinerswijk. The research output is a list of recommendations for municipalities, on how the local referendum process can be improved specifically for UAD topics. The added value of local referendums for urban area development topics is mainly the contribution to legitimate decision-making. Also, citizens have more decision power next to the regular voting moments. In addition, the arguments on how this plan will support the city become clearer. Besides, the counter arguments and doubts about the plan are better heard than without a referendum. This research shows that conflicting public values, such as environmental values and development values, can by using a referendum create more awareness and could even turn into a positive outcome. However, from the analysis of the interviews, it became clear that there is a desire for an alternative form of referendums for UAD due to its more complex character wherein many interests are involved. The recommendations are mainly focused on the implementation of communication in the process. A participation process included in the referendum process is regarded as an essential part for municipalities and citizens to produce a coherent and feasible solution. This could even avoid conflict and thus corrective referendums.

Due to the limited quantitative and qualitative supply of elderly housing and an increasing demand for alternative housing forms, more and more resident initiatives arise in the Netherlands. However, it is evident from these resident initiatives that municipal processes lack focus, cooperation and experience with resident initiatives such as collective private commissioning projects. Therefore, this research aimed to explore how municipalities can better facilitate collective private commissioning (CPC) to respond to the increasing demand for elderly housing in urban areas.

Literature review and desk research were conducted to create a theoretical framework; and to gain more insights into the concept, demand and useful instruments to facilitate CPC projects. CPC can be defined as a social project development method in which a group of future residents jointly have decision making authority and full responsibility for the use of the land and/or the building, the design and (re)development of their own private and public spaces, and sometimes even facilities, in a transformation, renovation, or newly-built housing project.
Based on the theoretical framework, a qualitative study was conducted to discover the motives and experiences of municipalities when facilitating CPC. Seven municipalities were interviewed to create an overview of barriers and opportunities. These barriers and opportunities were made clear based on the theoretical framework.

The results are presented in the form of a list of barriers and opportunities in relation to an instrument quadrant. The findings support the philosophy behind the quadrant: that more than one quadrant results in effective steering. Therefore, the general conclusion on how to better facilitate CPC projects is: to make use of multiple governance and maximize the soft steering aspects. The opportunities that are identified can help (radical, or soft) to better facilitate CPC projects.

This thesis focuses on the challenges Istanbul faces due to extensive urbanisation and global warming. The metropole has become vulnerable to climate change, especially to the increasing threat of floods. As a result of urbanisation and poor city planning, the green spaces have decreased considerably in Istanbul, which reduced stormwater retention considerably. This is concerning, as green infrastructure provide ecosystem services that can serve as flood control. The thesis describes the context of Istanbul’s flood governance, including international, national and metropolitan flood policies and Istanbul’s flood resilience actor-network. In Istanbul’s flood risk management plans, the role that green infrastructure can play in flood control has been neglected. To meet this gap, this study aims to analyse how green infrastructure could enhance Istanbul’s flood resilience. Fatih is one of the oldest districts in Istanbul and is taken as a case study due to its high vulnerability to flash floods. The study presents a case study on Fatih with a spatial approach to monitor flood resilience and ecosystem services through green infrastructures that can foster resilience. A Geographic Information System in combination with a multi-criteria evaluation is used as a tool to identify priority areas for green infrastructure investments. Finally, the effect of three green infrastructure investments is analysed. The research finds that the indicators proposed by Li et al. (2016) are appropriate to use to analyse the priority areas for green infrastructure investment. These indicators reflect a system approach as they include technical, environmental as well as social variables. This is important for the city of Istanbul, as they provide a holistic framework with these indicators. Furthermore, using the flood map provided by ISKI, the flood sensitive areas in Fatih have been identified, and especially the infrastructures surrounding the main boulevard are subject to flooding. Molla Gürani resulted to be the neighbourhood being most flood vulnerable, and therefore the main priority is for green infrastructure development. For this neighbourhood, increased green infrastructure is modelled. The results show a significant reduction in flood vulnerability, which concludes the part green infrastructure have in flood control. The thesis concludes that there is no one-size-fits-all response to enhance flood resilience. Especially since flood resilience is not only based on flood mitigation but rather coping and transforming from floods. Green area investments prove useful to enhance resilience, as these investments provide benefits that can transform the resilience of urban flood management into a more adaptive state due to the nature of the ecosystem services. This research proposes a few recommendations for decision-makers in Istanbul to take into consideration.

Real estate is one of the highest expenditures in almost every business. External disruptions, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, created a significant shift in business operations. This disruption accentuated the importance of resilience as a fundamental operational factor against uncertainties. Corporate real estate (CRE) industries need to be resilient in their processes to respond to the inevitable disruptions and anticipate future opportunities. Nevertheless, in recent years, resilience is becoming a rather broad and ambiguous concept that has been used repeatedly in different contexts. This research was aimed to address and advance resilience in various CRE asset classes to overcome external problems and increase preparedness during uncertainties. This study attempted to re-conceptualise resilience, by exploring the current definitions of resilience. The redefined concept of resilience was then reflected to different asset classes of CRE. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to provide the contextual definition and features of resilience, as well as to assess the value of resilient CRE to an organisation. Subsequently, a resilience framework was composed based on the findings from both theoretical and empirical studies. The framework was then utilised to assess resilience in within-class and across-class analyses. The within-class analysis evaluated the extent of resilient approaches in an asset class, whereas cross-class analysis attempted to explore how resilience can be achieved and optimised in a particular asset class. Furthermore, additional synthesis between theoretical and empirical findings was conducted to further maintain resilience in a longer time span. Here, continuous improvement was identified as a determining factor for the sustenance of resilience. The output of this research provided a theoretical basis for resilient CRE and applicable suggestions to improve and maintain resilience capability in an organisational CRE.

Urban mobility is a complex socio-technical system. An important part is the behaviour of mobility users, which is in this study defined as being driven by mobility opportunities and perceptions of mobility. This case study in the Tarwewijk in Rotterdam explores what influences those opportunities and perceptions, with a specific focus on income and ethnicity. From mobility data and street interviews followed that income is most important to car ownership, while ethnicity is an important determinant of bike ownership. Other important factors for mobility behaviour include the travel time, the distance to important destinations like schools and shops, and the perception of ease of travel. Combining the diversity of driving factors with three pathways towards sustainable mobility leads to the conclusion that effective sustainable mobility policy is aimed at disrupting the car mobility system, designing a more walkable city and targeting groups based on their specific perception of mobility.

Cities coop with the problem of increasing demand for housing due to urbanisation, while trying to maintain and improve its attractiveness and city image. Improving attractiveness and the city image can be achieved by urban renewal. In Rotterdam, The National Programme Rotterdam-Zuid (NPRZ) was initiated to tackle the disadvantages and improve the quality of life in Rotterdam-Zuid (the worst neighbourhood of The Netherlands). An image and economic improvement was realised in Rotterdam-Zuid. However, too little residents of Rotterdam-Zuid did benefit from this economic improvement. More positive impacts in the area are necessary and urban renewal could improve these areas. However, urban renewal occurs at a too low pace. A positive impact for this process is necessary. An event can succeed in catalysing urban renewal, by strategically planning the event beforehand. As a result, the event can deliver hard and soft impacts on the area. After the Netherlands won the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in May 2019 in Tel Aviv, the city of Rotterdam was chosen as the host city of the ESC 2020 in Ahoy Rotterdam. Ahoy Rotterdam is located in Rotterdam-Zuid. This event could be an opportunity for Rotterdam to positively impact the renewal of Rotterdam-Zuid and indirectly improve the city’s attractiveness and image. The problem which this research tries to tackle is how to positively impact the urban renewal of Rotterdam-Zuid by strategically planning the Eurovision Song Contest 2020/2021. This research aims to explore and understand the benefits of hosting cultural events, like the Eurovision Song Contest, in relation to their contribution to urban renewal. Based on the defined problem, the following main question is formed for this research: “Which elements when hosting a cultural great event could positively impact and catalyse urban renewal?” To answer the main question a qualitative approach was chosen. This approach includes a literature review, explorative semi-structured interviews with experts and a case study of the urban renewal project Hart van Zuid (HvZ) in relation to the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Rotterdam. For this case study, reports have been analysed and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders of both HvZ and the ESC have been held. From the results of literature, explorative interviews, case description and case study interviews it can be concluded that social impacts occur the most and on a short-term basis. An important observation which has been made is the importance of a connection in the form of a relationship between the event and the urban renewal project. The impacts that have been found are divided in the categories of social impact, economic impacts and physical impact. First, side-events are mentioned as an important means to create a social impact on an area. Important is that these side-events have a character that shows the identity of the location, otherwise local people do not feel attracted to these events. Secondly, economic impacts are based on tourism generated by the event. For this impact, no necessary steps need to be taken by the municipality or other hosting organisation. Tourism leads to higher spending in the area and new facilities created by the urban renewal project captures this impact to create a positive long-term economic spin-off. Lastly, the physical impact is, due to the short preparation time, not as present as a social and/or economic impact. Opportunities like creating a marker in the area, speeding up the existing planning of urban renewal and using city dressing for the delivery of the buildings are however mentioned. This research suggests important elements which can be used to increase the successfulness and realisation of these social, economic and physical impacts.