T. Kuzniecow Bacchin
Please Note
63 records found
1
Design in Pink
Spatial strategies for inclusive and safe urban micromobility
Make or Break: a Community-Led Regional Vision
Long-Term Strategies for The Energy Transition & Energy Poverty in Low-Income, Gas-Dependent Households in 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.
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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.
Standing still while moving
Balancing tradition and transition in the valued landscape
From Pieces to Players
A Just Energy Transition for the People in the Groningen Gasfield Region
This project investigates how regional design strategies might contribute to spatial justice - understood through its three interrelated dimensions: recognitional, procedural, and distributive justice (Rocco, 2023). The research combined initial fieldwork with secondary data analysis. Quantitative analysis of socio-economic data (CBS) provided insights into regional disparities. Spatial analysis of publicly available GIS datasets mapped the spatial impacts of the energy transition. In parallel, a qualitative media analysis of 52 newspaper articles highlighted local perspectives, with a particular focus on protest movements.
This multi-layered analysis enabled the delineation of a “transition community“ - residents whose experiences of injustice have led them to self-organize and reclaim agency in shaping their environment by protesting. To support procedural justice and foster dialogue between stakeholders, the project developed a participatory “energy transition game“. The game translates complex spatial data and negotiation dynamics into an accessible tool, allowing players to discuss trade-offs, explore scenarios, and co-produce strategies for the region‘s energy future.
While time constraints limited the involvement of real stakeholders in gameplay, the tool proved valuable for identifying potential conflicts, synergies, and spatial interventions. The game process demonstrated the potential of serious games as critical instruments within participatory planning, enabling residents not only to understand complex transition dynamics but also to actively shape them through negotiation with other actors, thereby promoting more just and inclusive planning processes. ...
This project 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.
Territorial In-Betweens
Leveraging agency to mediate the paradox of tourism’s growth and decay
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. ...
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.
River as Beings
Semiotic Embodiment in Yogyakarta's Temporal Riparian Landscape
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. ...
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.
(in)-between Transience and Permanence
Synchronising infrastructures and material geographies within the vulnerable Himalayan landscape in Uttarakhand, India
Valuing Extreme Alteration
A multi-scalar landscape approach to new narratives for the central Appalachian Coal Region
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.
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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.
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. ...
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.
Ecosystem Participation & Reversed Engineering in WE-FM Nexus
‘Extraction Ecologies’ in Iceland
Enhancing context specificity of Water-Sensitive Urban Design
An urban design perspective on Indian secondary cities
A Change of Matter
The Alps our living freshwater source and reservoir
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. ...
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.
Under the Weather
Rewriting Hydro-Social Narratives in the Thames Basin
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. ...
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.
Beneath the pavement, the beach
A semantic exploration of time, space, and their volume of permutations through Lebanon's littoral
De-Landing Growth
Framing Alternative Perspectives to Evolution in Mumbai
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.
...
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.
Managing Transitions Toward Adaptive Delta Infrastructure
A framework for improving the decision context stage
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.
...
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.
Terraforming
Reclaiming post-mining territory as an unfinished laboratory for an integrative transformation
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.
...
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.
Energy as a spatio-temporal project
Temporalities of energy landscapes in the Rhine Basin