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.

Tourism has been more than ever integrated into a global chain and accessible worldwide. This planetary reach allowed small villages in pristine territories to be independent from the eyes of the extractivist industries and included in the economic development plans for the first time. However, this economic opportunity served as an instrumentalised discourse and exposed these areas to extended urbanisation, unsolicited industries and new forms of exploitation. This research delves into the multifaceted aspects of the tourism paradox: exploring the inherent link between tourism and infrastructure, including its impact on extended urbanisation, cultural-environmental exploitation, degradation and preservation opportunities.

With a specific emphasis on the indigenous riverine village of Alter do Chão in the Brazilian Amazon Forest, this research follows two main argumentative frames: It examines (1) the notion of tourism under the lenses of colonisation, to discuss accessibility and present the methods, designs and practicalities in which infrastructural development is implemented. Then, it advocates for (2) viewing the Amazon as an Altered Nature to explore the ongoing agency of local communities in the region. Finally, the project proposes alternative strategies for territorial planning, design and management, aimed at benefiting from the tourism industry to leverage agency and preservation of cultural and traditional practices.

Within my graduation project I am investigating the drivers of change which have resulted in Urbanisation of the Himalayas. Seasonal activities such as pilgrimage, tourism, militarisation and hydropower production have rapidly altered the Himalayan Ecology as well as the socio-cultural landscape and its regional economies. To support these activities, large scale Critical Processes such as Infrastructural Development and Resource Extraction have been operationalised amidst the vulnerable Himalayan Geography has resulted in a state of Accumulation, . The existing model of urbanisation and anthropogenic appropriation of the Himalayas is transforming the region into a Global Hinterland and it will only amplify the degree of risk as well as the frequency of disasters in the region. This calls for a pedagogical shift in the model of urbanisation and the spatial logic of developing and maintaining infrastructures within the vulnerable Himalayan Landscape.Thus, this project hypothesises an alternative approach of Spatio-Temporal Synchronicity which synergises the various ephemeralities within the critical processes in the region, through the agency of Spatial Design. A series of strategic operations are undertaken to synchronise the ephemeral processes within the material geographies of their context by adding, repurposing or removing infrastructures to serve a certain program during a certain time period which are further recycled and displaced to a new site to cater to a new process/program. Thus, the existing practice of accumulating infrastructures is acted upon by a set of Reductive operations which follow a Spatio-temporal program.The region encompassing Alaknanda and Niti Valleys and the subsiding town of Joshimath, situated on their intersection, is chosen as a paradigmatic area to investigate and test this hypothesis through the research by design approach. Methods such as literature review, critical cartographies, field visit, interviews are employed to analyse the context which is followed by an adaptive cross-scalar strategic framework. It proposes a set of spatio-temporal operations that are manifested in the form of design experiments which try to spatialise and project development along the lines of Spatio-Temporal Synchronicity.

This thesis explores the post-extraction potentials of Arctic infrastructural landscapes, focusing on Kiruna and the Norrbotten Technological Megasystem, to propose a transformation towards a post-capital landscape of co-existence. It interrogates the historically mono-functional, sacrificial, and determinate nature of these landscapes, emphasising the need to rethink extraction practices and their socio-ecological impacts. Combining design theory, political ecology, and economic geography this study articulates transformation strategies that couples sacrificial and repair processes, decentralises control to empower local and indigenous communities, and introduces indeterminacy to accommodate ecological and social uncertainties.
The research posits that by reconfiguring the spatial logic of extraction infrastructures through their post extraction transformation potential (post-project), it is possible to devolve power, regenerate nature-cultures, and most importantly foster interdependencies and ecodependencies which can guide and regulate anticipated extraction (anti-project). The thesis presents a meta-project that scales these principles to the broader Norrbotten region, advocating for a devolution of control that encompasses economic, ecological, and social dimensions and use spatial production and accumulations as a guide to the territorial transformation.
Ultimately, the thesis contributes to the discourse on post-capital futures, offering insights into the role of design in mediating between extraction practices and the material manifestations within affected landscapes. It calls for an epistemic shift towards viewing human and nature as dialectic, advocating for a co-produced future that respects both ecological integrity and cultural heritage in making the landscape of co-existence.

Water has historically been the centre of human civilisation, with rivers serving as crucial sources of sustenance for daily life. Nevertheless, the recent multicultural impact on urban development has fundamentally transformed the perception of the river and led to its contamination due to the discharge of industrial and household trash. In Indonesia, urbanisation has caused the river to become a damaged geographical area, resulting in pollution and its misuse as a dumping ground. Contaminated rivers progressively pollute reservoir basins and risk the subsurface water aquifer, which serves as a source of residential water from wells. Furthermore, while the river possesses inherent purifying capabilities, it is unable to break down plastic effectively and instead releases microplastics into the sea, where humans and aquatic life subsequently ingest them.

The recognition of climate change and ecological crises in this Anthropocene period necessitates a profound and fundamental transformation in both tangible and intangible aspects. Hence, it is imperative to prioritise spatial modification and physical intervention with the utilisation of macro and micro territorial approaches, a comprehensive investigation of Java, particularly Yogyakarta’s river dynamics, can be conducted to gain a precise understanding of its inherent qualities. This research observed the ability to facilitate the recognition of its rights and enhance the intricate relationship between the river and human beings, in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of its characteristics and potential implications. Ascertain the spatial changes and physical impact caused by architecture, landscape, and urbanism that can contribute to the restoration of the river’s rights through borderscaping the territory.

This thesis explores landscape architectural design approaches for the reclamation of mined landscapes in the Appalachian Coal Region, aiming to foster public appreciation and emotional connection. The study delves into the concepts of scale continuum and ecological grief, using a landscape-based narrative approach to reclamation for developing design principles that can transform post-industrial sites into spaces of cultural, ecological, and social significance.

Addressing ecological grief, characterized by emotional responses to environmental loss and degradation, the research advocates for strategies that emphasize accessibility, new appreciation, and adaptability. Ensuring open access to reclaimed landscapes fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility, while providing educational opportunities about the reclamation process enhances transparency. Promoting an open-minded approach, the design integrates artistic and cultural elements that highlight history and transformation, challenging traditional aesthetics and conflicting reclamation practices. The principle of open-ended design emphasizes flexibility, supporting the natural processes and ecological succession, allowing for continuous community engagement, both physically and mentally.

The final design, titled the ‘Appalachian Memorial of the Mined Landscape,’ reflects large-scale regional narratives trough site-specific design interventions, ensuring that reclamation efforts resonate across different spatial dimensions. This integrated approach applies the strategies of accessibility, new appreciation, and adaptability, allowing the grand themes and stories of the Appalachian region’s history and ecological context to be experienced in a detailed, intimate setting of individual sites, connected by intelligible routing.

Through these strategies, the research aims to create resilient landscapes that honor the region’s history and ecological context, offering new opportunities for public interaction and stewardship. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on landscape reclamation, providing actionable insights for practitioners and policymakers aiming to rehabilitate and reimagine mined environments.

The Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) is a unique and shrinking biome, with less than 20% of its original coverage remaining. It has played a pivotal role in Brazil’s history, serving as the entry point for colonization and the centre of numerous economic cycles. This thesis explores the historical, environmental, and socio- economic transformations of Southern Bahia region near where the Portuguese first arrived in Brazil in 1500.
Deforestation and degradation due to extractive economies, agricultural expansion, urban development, and industrialization have diminished the forest, exacerbated climate change, and caused frequent environmental disasters. These activities have also led to the impoverishment and displacement of those with ancestral ties to the land. The core issues of land ownership and power concentration have fragmented communities and biomes, leading to severe socio-environmental consequences.
This thesis highlights the importance of revisiting the historical narrative of the Atlantic Forest landscape, by focusing on local communities’ perspectives and knowledge. These communities possess valuable practices that enable subsistence while preserving the environment. Their inclusion in territorial planning is crucial for sustainable futures.

With urgent urban challenges such as climate adaptation, energy transition, the continued extraction of resources and pushing urbanisation, the urgency of integrating planning and design with urban engineering increases. The implementation of new technological interventions and the utilisation of the natural system is hampered by the lack of an integrated approach incorporating urban planning and design decisions. Meanwhile, urban and economic growth increasingly competes for infrastructure and environment, affecting the success or failure of the daily operating systems of cities and regions and thereby urban competitiveness. The challenge is to fundamentally rethink the urban landscape in light of transitions, new concepts and new technologies – as material and ecological practices. The question is how to renew existing urbanised areas by integrating parameters of the natural system and technological innovations directly into urban development opportunities arising from spatial planning and design. In order to stimulate and design the synergy between design and engineering the course Infrastructure and Environment Design offers the possibility for urban design and landscape architecture students to get well acquainted with the concepts and language of the technical field on the subject of infrastructure and environment....

Impacts of the climate crisis and urbanisation hit urban environments around the world. Cities taking the lead in mitigating or adapting to the impacts, inspire or actively encourage other contexts to adopt their approach. Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) is an urban water management approach seeking integration with urban design to provide principles for minimising the hydrological impact of cities on its surroundings and enclosed natural environment while maximising positive impacts through ecosystem services. Urban design, however, is by definition context-specific and maladaptative outcome ensued from lacking contextualisation of WSUD. By bringing the urban design process to the fore, the research challenges universality of WSUD and positions the need for enhanced context specificity. Indian secondary city case studies are used to test a reconceptualisation of water sensitivity and provide evidence for the importance of diverse context knowledge and the contribution of urban design methods to gather and articulate such information about a unique site. Emphasised urban design in WSUD shifts its focus from water system optimization to inclusion of context characteristics defining how to design and manage water for each urban environment.

The following project falls within the Rights of Nature movement as a response to the climatic crisis. It is situated in the Alps. From the moment Hannibal managed to lead his Carthagnian army, including their elephants, through the Alps until the construction of modernist glacial skiing resorts and monumental hydroelectric power plants, the Alps have been seen as an object to be overcome and exploited. This resulted in extensive infrastructural projects throughout the whole territory and at all elevations. In order to restore the agency of this living entity, the project repositions the Alps as an active subject with their own right. Moving through three phases – listening to - speaking with - negotiating on behalf of the Alps – results in the foundation for the Parliament of the Alps, composed of a group of people which will act as guardians of the Alps, and the illustration of their most urgent project.

The site of the project is the Gepatsch glacier in the Ötztaler Alps in Austria, one of the largest and most rapidly melting glaciers in the territory. Glaciers are a record of time, connecting past, present and future. On one hand, the memory of the past – an archive of human interventions – shedding light on vernacular knowledge practices, gathered in their yearly deposited layers of ice and atmospheric particles. On the other hand a holder of meaning for the future, as their disappearance is causing major changes and challenges within the biophysical environment of diverse biotic and abiotic socioeconomic and cultural systems.

The Alps are a true representation of the web of life, as the interdependencies of each part of their ecosystem are vital for the survival of each species. Many elements contribute to it, such as their East to West orientation, their ability and responsibility to collect water from the atmosphere, store it for dry seasons and years, carry it through their veins, and share it equitably and steadily with all living beings which are dependent on freshwater to survive – from the top of the mountains to the deltas of Europe. With increasing temperatures and the further realization of infrastructural projects for the sake of European visions on green development, which often neglects local conditions, this essential role and responsibility of the Parliament of the Alps, to share freshwater democratically, is at risk.
The changing states of water, from frozen to fluid, brings with it the need for all places and ecosystems connected to the Alpine water system to adapt to non-glacially influenced conditions.

By envisioning an Alpine Ocean, which emerges from the synergy of water and soil, and empowering the natural dynamics, which were defined through the establishment of prominent characteristics of the Alpine range – erratic, connected, mosaic-like and cyclic – the transition shall secure the democratic share and availability of freshwater for all living beings, now and for future generations.

As a result of climate change, there has been a shift in the global weather pattern. The hydrological regime in river basins across the world is subjected to unprecedented extreme weather conditions. In the Thames Basin, the narratives about resilience against sudden floods and extended droughts have focussed on sustaining London through large, expensive infrastructural projects. As such extremities become common over time across the basin, the relationship between the megacity and its ecological hinterlands is turning increasingly strained.

The increasing intensity of water-related disasters like droughts and floods across the basin are a sign of disruptions in the flows of the water cycle, and the disproportionate degree of responses to addressing them signifies the biases within the power structures that control the supply, distribution, and treatment of water. The thesis seeks to examine these imbalances of power within integrated river basin management through the lens of urban political ecology to address the inequalities in how citizens in different settlements across the basin are exposed to water risks in terms of compromised quantity and quality of water.

In addition to seasonal flooding risks, the entire basin is subjected to threats to water security as a result of population growth, changes in rainfall patterns, and high levels of pollution. This threat to water security is affecting the countryside’s ability to sustain its agricultural practices in the face of declining national food security. The project further seeks to adopt a site-sensitive approach to water risk management that acknowledges the water needs of the countryside. Moreover, with its position upstream of the basin, the actions towards water management taken here to slow the river and increase groundwater infiltration could help reduce the intensity of fluvial flooding downstream and work towards recharging fresh water supplies.

This thesis is about the convergence of two boundlessly enigmatic dimensions; turbulent coastal morphodynamics of a vanishing coastline in the presence of acute geo-political conflict. The Lebanese coastline undergoes a permutation of intertwined anthropogenic and natural forces, ensuing its exponential recession, deterioration, and inaccessibility. Its geographical location on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean exposes it to powerful environmental forces that materialize as destructive storms and pose a significant susceptibility to earthquakes and tsunamis. Its ongoing history of immutable geopolitical conflict has resulted in calamitous wars and corrupt power networks, distorting entitled spatial rights and access to shore space. These problematics culminated in my endeavor to pose and decipher the following research question; How can the understanding of Beirut’s coastline as a series of extreme environmental and anthropogenic permutations inform its design agency, programming a coastal space that functions as an autonomous littoral landscape while simultaneously attaining spatial justice for its inhabitants? This project argues that it is imperative to acquire an analytical approach that anticipates the permutation scenarios and their occurrence in conjunction with one another when addressing conflicted littoral landscapes. Focus is then narrowed through the tactical selection, analysis, and design proposal of Beirut’s shores and the instances of violation along them, as a unique opportunity to address a microcosm of extremes. Through the synthesis of literature on the perception of territory, indeterminacy, temporal landscapes, and the dichotomy between man and nature, I adopt an approach through which my methods of analysis and design interventions emerge. Thorough investigations lead to the realization that the answer to such a question simply lies in the intrinsic characteristics of the littoral landscape. It possesses power in its innate attributes, which have been completely removed in the context I am investigating through the imposition of fragments on what used to be a coastline but is now reduced to this hard edge, separating two highly contrasting worlds, eliminating the transitional space in between that is necessary to exist for them to coalesce harmoniously. The objective of the project becomes about bringing back the beach; a liminal space that is neither land nor sea, a threshold zone that recognizes malleability and uncertainty in this highly conflicted context, where something so simple could be the answer to such profound complexities. I hypothesize that, in such dire conditions of extremes, achieving this goal would necessitate the adoption of an alternative lens. This lens would identify potentialities and accordingly, maximize them, while questioning the limitations of time, bending it, and treating it as a site of intervention. This is achieved through an analytical approach of cartographic and graphic interpretation, identifying which of these fragments still allow for such a threshold space of liminality to exist, and to what extent. The project would then communicate with these identifications, and accordingly determine the characteristics of this new form of beach that will manage to coexist with the extensively analyzed fragments. This is followed by a set of critical morphological actions and a series of seed interventions, directly reacting to the distinct scenarios manifesting on each fragmented shoreline while interacting with one another in concert to symbiotically generate these fragments of beach conditions as a diffused state of being. These alterations would engender tangible and intangible consequences occurring over various spatiotemporal scales. The culmination of these actions becomes a canvas through which a mere shift in perspective makes room for impact in this case of copious impossibilities.

The prevalent paradigm of development in Mumbai is defined by anthropogenic processes aimed at building more. Manifesting in the form of inland architectonic augmentations or outward reclamations into the sea, these interventions are dissociated/incongruently positioned in the territorial ecosystem. Thereby altering natural cycles, disrupting habitats, and ultimately rendering critical ecological systems spatially and functionally marginalized. The resultant instability in the territory is evident as large volumes of humans and non-humans alike are lost, set-back or displaced, by catastrophic floods, that are further exacerbate by the adapting territorial landscape.
While it has been well established that in the case of Mumbai the act of accumulation is ubiquitous, and yet in this vicious cycle of overgrowth, still prevails a necessity for more growth. Acknowledging these processes of accumulation as constants, the projected is nested within the grim realities of the city, being an estuarine landscape that has been altered landscape to a point of no return.
Thereby proposing to reposition the prevalent paradigm of development to be centered around acts of maintenance stemming from systems of care. Maintenance for a healthy estuarine landscape defined by its biophysical as well as functional capability to prevail as well as support and ensure the symbiotic co-existence of its human and more than human occupants.
Essentially take into account the time taken for these natural acts of formation to manifest in comparison to the social processes, as it is this careful synchronization that will be essential in decentralizing the humanist perspective and yet safeguarding their livelihood against environmental uncertainties. In which case the health of the landscape will be tested by the very same hydrological cycle that shapes it.

Because of the potential consequences of sea level rise, decision-making to set adaptive strategies to handle the uncertainty over these consequences is required. There are several decision-making methods to deal with deep uncertainty and attempt to contain the impacts of sea level rise in organized response as the future unfolds. These methods are under development and need improvements to overarch challenges and strengthen the flexibility to work in different circumstances. Although each method has advantages that can be valuable and constructive in specific scopes, there are still future challenges and limitations concerning each method. Therefore, more research is required to widen the current focus and improve the applicability of the methods beyond the functional context.
Objective:
This study aims to provide a framework to improve decision-making methods by focusing on the decision context stage and the important aspects that must be considered by decision-makers at this stage. The decision context stage is the theoretical fundamental for the methods and a signpost to steer the whole decision-making process.
Questions:
The objective leads to the following research questions:
How to improve the decision-making context stage to deal with deep uncertainty in redesigning delta infrastructure?
1. What are the decision-making under deep uncertainty methods (DMDU) and to what extent do they consider uncertainty over sea level rise and future states of the delta?
2. What are the different functions of the Eastern Scheldt barrier system and how are they affected by the drivers?
3. What are the steps to improve the decision context for decision-making?
The resulting framework emphasizes the importance of zooming in to improve the context stage and integrate the life cycle management and shows an iterative way to improve the context stage in case of disagreement on the definition of success between different stakeholders and disciplines. Furthermore, the framework includes understanding the influence of drivers and the order of priorities to minimize uncertainty by integrating long-term planning into social and political contexts to avoid radical changes in the future. The study attempts to include these different steps in the context stage within other steps that already exist in the methods. The suggested steps can be considered as a trial to interconnect the infrastructure with the changing factors on the political, social, and economical levels. Redesigning delta infrastructure requires an integral approach to comprehending different aspects that play a role in handling deep uncertainty in the future.

The departure from coal in Poland results in the process of decommissioning the underground coal mines. These, based in the region of Upper Silesia, recently undergo a paradigm shift ‘from mining coal to mining water’, as the discharge of the groundwaters is crucial for underground security.

Rather than an obstacle, the discharged groundwaters, along with the post-mining infrastructure, can be treated as an asset for the systemic remediation of the post-mining territory. Thus, the preliminary research is structured around multiscalar remediation that considers the degraded environment, local society, and mindset. The subsequent design project entails a systemic intervention at the intersection of land- and built forms aimed at the multilayered remediation where water constitutes both the axis and the core of the unfinished terraforming laboratory.

The Tietê River Basin, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, has been shaped throughout centuries into a highly-industrialized agriculture landscape. Originally almost entirely covered by the Atlantic Rainforest, a rich tropical biome that stretches through most of the Brazilian eastern coast, the basin is now mostly covered by urbanized landscapes, associated with spaces of intense production. First heavily altered by the coffee economic cycles during the 19 and 20th centuries, the Basin has since then been deprived of most of its natural ecological conditions and has lost its ability to regulate and support ecological cycles in this region of southeastern Brazil. Since the 2000s the basin has been going through a process of specialization in the plantation of sugar-cane by extensive monocultures, mostly for biofuels production (alongside the rest of the hinterland of the State of São Paulo). The sterilization of the land and changes in land-use patterns across the region and other neighboring areas by industrial agriculture (such as the Amazon and Atlantic forests) are disrupting to micro and macroclimates, and the effect of such intense exploitation of the soil is already clearly noted in the form of catastrophes. Some of the countless externalities observed in the region are shifting rainfall patterns across the continent, heatwaves, cold spells, wildfires, and issues directly related to health, cause by, among other reasons, the intensive use of pesticides in the latifundia. As the new climate conditions increasingly become a reality, conventional land use patterns must be challenged. Natural resources and the capacity of natural systems to bounce back must be protected. Looking for possibilities of economic stability, in synch with the environment and welfare through the creation of new production systems, distributing the gains and burdens of climate change are among the goals of the project. A literature review, a series of cartographies, and research through design are some of the methods chosen as an attempt to research ways in which the peri-urban landscape of the State of São Paulo can change during the upcoming decades. This project arguments for the necessity of revaluation of the current pivots of the Paulista economy, currently based on the accumulation of wealth by extractive industries and agriculture, and what changes to the urban and peri-urban fabric would be necessary to accommodate this shift.