The mobility sector was responsible for 17% of total CO2 emissions in 2022 (CBS, 2024) and more than half of that was attributed to private cars. At the same time, public transport costs have increased (Durand & Krabbenborg, 2024), and services are limited in rural areas, (Hamers et al., 2014) resulting in mobility poverty. This is not an isolated issue. CO2 emissions cause climate change and sea level rise (National Delta Programme, 2023). Greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced drastically, partly through an energy transition in the mobility sector. Thus, increasing mobility justice, transitioning towards sustainable energy and dealing with sea level rise, have to be approached in an integrated manner.

This report uses spatial justice and mobility justice as lenses to look at mobility and the energy transition in Noord-Holland. These transitions are approached from the perspective of commuters, both human and non-human. A conceptual framework is formulated, to assess the level of mobility justice, both in the current and envisioned situation.

Based on the radical perspectives of five different commuters, a combined vision is created, in three layers: nature, mobility and energy. Key vision goals are creating a safe energy landscape, transitioning away from fossil fuels in the mobility sector, adapting to living with water and creating mobility justice for all commuters. To reach this, new modes of transport are introduced, a shift away from private ownership of cars towards shared and public transport is encouraged and self-sufficient energy zones are introduced.

The vision is supported by a strategy. Policies are implemented on the layers of nature, mobility and energy. The transitions are spread out over three main phases: the first to prepare for a fossil fuel-free mobility sector, the second to prepare for flooding and the third to move towards mobility justice.

The current energy transition efforts in the Netherlands are insufficient to achieve a healthy society. The Netherlands Climate Agreement 2030 goal to reduce climate emissions by 50%, is projected to not be met unless more drastic measures are taken (Corder, 2024). In this report, the first step taken to achieve this is the mandated removal of fossil fuels. The removal of this industry in the port of Rotterdam is the catalyst for change that shapes a health-based strategic vision for the port and the surrounding Rijnmond region.

To achieve this vision, research was conducted to determine strategic interventions to be taken related to the necessary energy, climate and societal transition. The research specifically identifies the workers of the region as the transition community that is most negatively impacted by the removal of fossil fuels from the port. The research methods used include fieldwork, a literature review to define “health”, action mapping on a 100 year timeline, and analysis on relevant policy, spatial planning, and stakeholders.

The health framework created focuses on preventative measures, and includes the built, natural, mobility, and social environment. Radical imagination and theory on “degrowth” principles were also used to develop the vision. Ultimately, by dividing the port of Rotterdam into zones that each have their own identity based on our health principles, a 100 year strategy was created for a regenerative port, and in turn, a healthy region, that future generations can enjoy and take pride in.
This report defines a “healthy future” vision that can serve as an example for future regional planning efforts and policies. This example is not only applicable in the Netherlands but in all fossil fuel transition landscapes and communities, and not only for workers, but for all living beings.

The current direction of energy production in the Netherlands will not reach the goal of climate neutrality by 2050. Existing methods are insufficient, storage is lacking, and space is scarce. Meanwhile, farmers bear the responsibility of consistently changing climate policies, facing uncertainties, and the NIMBY mindset blocks the drastic transformation of agricultural areas. The current profit model of energy suppliers demotivates local participation in realizing solutions. Rethinking the relationship between land, energy, community and politics, can transform these challenges into a bold and innovative approach that bridges these sectors.

By 2125, agricultural land will produce and store all green energy of the Netherlands and farmers will hold a secure position within a sustainable urban-agricultural system. Eliminating the current profit model of energy suppliers will result in a kickstart for local participation while balancing the spatial demands of renewable energy and the identity of agricultural land.

To address structural problems at the core, a radical approach is necessary, which results in working with several disclaimers over a timeframe of 150 years. A review on ethical considerations and defining a theoretical foundation, supports comprehensive decision-making throughout the project. By implementing the spatial qualities of the Dutch landscape in the definition of bioregions, the strategy can implement suitable energy production methods on agricultural lands surrounding our cities, to provide the local energy and food demand. Through investigating the possibilities of innovative technologies of energy production, ecological farming strategies and a restructured social contract, this project provides a strategy towards a local energy system.

With a case study of one of these cities, the project illustrates further spatial implementations and design possibilities, phasing movements and interventions to the year 2175. By addressing not only spatial and ecological needs within the energy transition, a social equitable path is provided, challenging the current state of affairs. The research concludes in proposing an energy transition with farmers perceived as the solution, while reshaping rural-urban relations in the future.

The Dutch energy transition is often framed through a narrow focus on technological fixes like solar panels and wind turbines. Yet this perspective ignores a deeper structural issue: the high levels of energy consumption embedded in daily systems—particularly the food supply chain. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Rotterdam/The Hague metropolitan region. This area functions as a critical artery in the globalized food system, encompassing the Port of Rotterdam, the Westland greenhouse cluster, and vast consumer populations. These interlinked zones form a linear, fossil-fuel-reliant network that impacts not only the climate, but also local communities, from underpaid migrant workers and overstressed farmers to urban dwellers disconnected from food origins.

The project responds to this challenge by reimagining the food system through the lens of degrowth and circularity. Its main goal is to shift away from global, high-energy supply chains toward a locally rooted, community-based food economy. This vision centers on spatial transformation: reshaping how food is grown, distributed, and consumed across urban and rural geographies. It calls for a redistribution of energy and resources, not only in physical space but also in terms of social equity and environmental justice.

The strategy involves the development of an alternative scenario: a Local-Circular-Degrowth model. This stands in contrast to the dominant Global-Linear-Growth trajectory, which continues to concentrate production and increase emissions. In the degrowth scenario, energy demand is radically reduced by localizing food production, shortening transport chains, and integrating food into everyday spatial practices. Urban areas begin to accommodate shared gardens, rooftop farms, and local distribution hubs. Former logistic corridors evolve into community harbors and multifunctional public spaces. Neighborhoods are designed to support co-living and co-farming, enhancing resilience and fostering community bonds.

This transformation unfolds over a century, guided by four timeframes—25, 50, 75, and 100 years. Each phase introduces specific interventions, starting with education for new-generation farmers and ending with the repurposing of regional harbors into hubs of food sovereignty. Crucially, the process involves a diverse set of actors: local farmers, policymakers, retailers, migrant communities, and citizens, all working collaboratively to co-create a just transition. By framing food, energy, and land as shared commons, the project envisions a future where prosperity is measured not in growth, but in the health of communities and ecosystems.

This research introduces The Forest of the Future, a transformative visionary that reimagines European forests as multifunctional, sustainable spatial structures extending over land and sea. It confronts current environmental challenges, including deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change, by proposing an innovative spatial strategy for the BeNeLux bioregion within a broader European context. The strategy aims to integrate forestation within other land uses enhancing ecological, social, and economic values towards a sustainable future by 2100. Based on conceptual frameworking and a multi-criteria decision analysis, it evaluates current land use, soil quality, climate zones, biodiversity, and the state of marine environments, proposing new forest types and forestry-based regenerative agricultural practices. The envisioned forest network serves not just as a carbon sink but as a catalyst for biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, and community well-being.

Achieving this transition requires a multifaceted approach, including policy reform, stakeholder engagement, and the development of a strategic implementation plan that aligns with regional and European sustainability goals. This strategy requires a combination of regulating, stimulating, engaging and capacity building instruments, Additionally, the transition to a forest-based land use system requires a combination of policies tailored to ‘planting the seeds’ in the near future, launching the Future Forest, and ones ensuring the healthy maturation of those ecosystems over the following decades. The research concludes with an evaluation of potential impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, suggesting significant contributions towards Europe’s climate goals of climate neutrality.

Only 1% of the surface water in the Netherlands has been classified as ‘good’, making it the EU member state with the worst quality of surface water (Didde, 2022). Polluted rivers cause problems such as worsened human health, reduced biodiversity, and poor soil fertility. To comply with the Water Framework Directive, there is an urgent need to transform water management in the Netherlands. This report adopts a research-by-design approach to address the issue of water pollution on a pilot project scale, specifically the river Eem in the Netherlands. The policies and interventions implemented in the river Eem area are categorised according to their transferability to different programming areas, namely urban, industry, or agriculture, creating a toolbox that can be used to upscale the same approach in various parts of the Eurodelta. The report answers the following research question: How can the transformation of the Eem Valley turn the river Eem into the healthiest river in Europe as a pilot for the Eurodelta? It catalyses rethinking pollution flows from human activities, industries, and agricultural practices. The goal is to develop sustainable practices for the land surrounding the river and create a synergy between improved soil and water quality. Finally, the report concludes with a toolbox of interventions and policies that contribute to improving river water quality. The toolbox forms the basis for implementing this small-scale approach on a larger scale

Nitrogen is an essential element of planetary life. Yet, human actions create such a surplus of its derivatives like ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) that the naturally occurring amounts doubled, causing a cascade of environmental and societal problems.
Our research studies dairy farming in North-West Europe with a focus on the Netherlands, as this industry is responsible for most nitrogen-related problems. The starting point of the project is the parliamentary letter ‘Nationaal Programma Landelijk Gebied’ (National Rural Area Program), which offers the alternatives of quitting, transforming or relocating dairy farms in areas where the nitrogen surplus exceeds critical loads. We reevaluated this approach using the methods of extreme scenarios, in-depth stakeholder analysis, as well as layering and clustering areas with high nitrogen deposition, pasture lands and socio-geopolitical issues. This led us to the realisation that a substantial spatial and societal transition is needed in order to reach balance again. The goal of this study is therefore to recalibrate the nitrogen cycle by radically changing current dairy production practices. We created a gradient from quitting to transforming farms and pastures, based on the theories of transitional landscapes and socially just transitions, resulting in a toolbox of eight strategic interventions, as well as a thorough policy framework. We choose a multi-scalar approach to test the new typologies, starting from the Netherlands, looking at the Groningen - Friesland - Drenthe region, further zooming in on the municipality of Ooststellingwerf, showing the phasing of the strategy from a human perspective. Essential lessons learned are the importance of collaboration on all scales, as well as the flexibility and openness towards change, whether it is technological or societal. Finally, based on these findings we extended our zoom to the scale of North-West Europe, giving suggestions to regions with similar problems.
This project describes a possible future based on our interpretation of the parliamentary letter, giving an intriguing input to decision makers on what their policies could mean, hoping to change the discourse regarding nitrogen, shifting its perception from pollution to a valuable resource. Welcome to Nitrotopia!