This research evaluates the role of spatial quality in the development of Dutch urban areas into successful innovation districts. While innovation districts represent a promising urban development model combining research, business, housing, and services, their implementation faces governance fragmentation, displacement risks, and the prioritization of economic goals over spatial integration. Drawing on literature, a Dutch case selection, site visits, a comparative spatial and innovation capacity analysis, the study examines three cases to identify which spatial characteristics support innovation and where they fall short. Results show a distinction between the three case studies in terms of spatial quality as well as innovation capacity, identifying necessary spatial elements, and identity-dependent enhancers. However, spatial quality alone does not guarantee success: non-spatial factors influence and often determine performance. By linking spatial quality to measurable innovation capacity, the study addresses a critical knowledge gap, moving beyond conventional approaches that overlook the essential interplay between form and function. Through the synthesis of theoretical frameworks and empirical observations, this research develops evidence-based, identity-specific recommendation grounded in management and development practices for guiding the future development of innovation districts. These recommendations provide actionable guidance to support municipalities and developers with successful innovation district development practices. ... Read more

Water is a critical but undervalued resource, with buildings and construction accounting for approximately 15% of global freshwater withdrawals (Montano-Owen & Brady, 2023). While Circular Economy (CE) strategies in construction increasingly target carbon reduction and material reuse, water use, both operational and virtual, remains insufficiently addressed (Rashid et al., 2025).This research examines the role of water in high-rise residential development by analysing the quantity, timing, and impact of water during material production (virtual water) and building operation, and investigates the drivers, barriers, and practical opportunities for implementing circular water-saving solutions.

A combination of quantitative and qualitative strategies was used for the research. Virtual water impacts were calculated using an Economic Input Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIOLCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), organised through the Quantity Time Impact (Q T I) framework and applied to a Dutch high rise case study. Water use and implementation dynamics were examined through semi structured interviews.

The findings show that water use in high-rise development is both large and largely invisible. Embodied water in construction materials, particularly concrete and aluminium, equals roughly 29 years of operational water use, meaning nearly one-third of the total lifecycle water demand is already fixed before the first resident moves in. Material choices and procurement decisions made early in the design phase therefore determine this footprint in ways that cannot be corrected later. Operational water use accounts for the remaining two-thirds over a 75-year lifespan and offers the largest direct reduction potential: 30-50% through efficient fixtures alone, and up to 70% when combining greywater and rainwater reuse.

Implementation of these solutions is shaped by five interconnected factors: low awareness and knowledge of water footprints, municipal requirements (increasingly acting as a driver, as in The Hague), financial feasibility constraints (greywater reuse systems carry payback periods of up to 60 years under current water prices), regulatory barriers limiting indoor use of rainwater and treated greywater, and execution and maintenance complexity in high-rise settings. Despite these barriers, developing contractors hold a central coordinating position that allows them to influence procurement, early design, and stakeholder collaboration. By applying a small-wins approach, preparing buildings for future greywater reuse, integrating water-impact optimization in early design phases, or initiating supplier conversations, contractors can trigger broader organisational change and lower barriers for more comprehensive circular water strategies.

This research advances the Circular Water Economy (CWE) by linking lifecycle water assessments with organisational decision-making. It provides developers and contractors with actionable guidance to reduce water footprints beyond regulatory compliance and demonstrates that integrating circular water principles into project execution is both feasible and increasingly necessary under growing water scarcity and tightening regulations. ... Read more

In Chile, coal- and biomass-based energy production produce significant volumes of fly ash of which a substantial proportion is currently disposed of in landfills. This constitutes not only a waste management issue, but a missed opportunity for circularity resource valorization.
Fly ash-based geopolymers offer a promising pathway for transforming this underutilized industrial residue into a low-carbon construction material. However, existing research remains focused mainly on technical performance, leaving limited understanding of the ecosystem conditions that shape adoption.
This research examines the ecosystem conditions and interactions that shape the feasibility of adopting fly ash-based geopolymers as a construction material in Chile. The study applies Adner’s innovation ecosystem framework through a qualitative exploratory research design, combining literature review, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews. The analysis maps the focal value proposition, relevant actors, activities, flows, and positions, and identifies the main bottlenecks and gatekeepers within the ecosystem structure.
Chile presents enabling conditions such as fly ash availability, research capabilities, circular economy policies, decarbonization goals, and corporate sustainability agendas. However, adoption is constrained by precursor variability, alkaline activator cost and carbon intensity, and, most importantly, strict prescriptive regulation and stringent validation processes, which constitute the main upstream bottleneck. Downstream, project developers act as key gatekeepers, as they bear the economic and project-related risks associated with material adoption but lack concrete incentives to assume them.
The feasibility of adopting fly ash-based geopolymers depends on the coordinated alignment of technological capabilities, regulatory pathways, industrial actors, market incentives, and public policy, rather than on material optimization alone.
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The construction sector needs to reduce its material use and environmental impact, due to its significant CO2 emissions and energy consumption. Structural steel plays a significant role in this challenge while preserving a high carbon content. Moreover, many buildings and structures contain steel components that still possess substantial value. Steel reuse, also known as donor steel, involves harvesting steel elements from existing structures and using them in new projects, offering clear circular potential. However, despite the availability of innovations and technologies and increasing sustainability ambitions in the sector, donor steel is still not widely applied in practice.
This thesis researched how early-stage decision-making can support the integration of donor steel in circular construction projects. Therefore, the main research question states:
“How can applications of digital solutions and conditions for collaboration in the early design stages help to address the identified key obstacles to integrate donor steel in circular construction projects?”
To answer this question, a twofold approach was adopted: an exploratory approach and a case study approach. Data from exploratory interviews with construction stakeholders and multiple case studies were compared with the literature review, which identified five obstacles to donor steel. The following five obstacles were identified: supply and demand mismatch, certification and design standardization, the absence of legal frameworks, cost and economic uncertainty, and a lack of collaboration and transparency. The obstacles encompass technical, financial, regulatory, and organizational domains, indicating that technical obstacles alone do not hinder the widespread adoption of donor steel.
The exploratory interviews with stakeholders across the construction supply chain provided insights into how these obstacles manifest in practice. The interview data confirmed that ‘cost uncertainty’, ‘certification & design standardization’, and ‘supply & demand mismatches’ were the most significant obstacles in practice. The regulatory obstacle appeared less decisive than the literature review suggested, while several additional obstacles emerged, particularly related to client decision-making and timing. Additionally, ‘lack of collaboration and transparency’ was perceived as an obstacle in the interviews, but as an enabler in the case study research, showing the importance of strong collaborative structures in reuse projects. Moreover, the case study research provided further insights into how donor steel application is approached in real projects. The data showed that the key enablers were: early integration of digital and sustainability tools, strong collaborative structure with stakeholder engagement, and client sustainability ambitions. Showing the importance of digital solutions applications, such as BIM, MP’s, and material testing, supporting donor steel integration.
Overall, this thesis shows that the integration of donor steel is primarily constrained by early-stage organizational and economic conditions, rather than by technical constraints or the lack of digital solutions. The application of these digital tools is practical when embedded within the collaborative procurement process, early stakeholder engagement, and clear client commitment to circularity.
Finally, longitudinal, process-oriented research is recommended to generate more generalisable findings and to develop a coherent framework that provides actionable guidelines for future donor steel applications. Furthermore, practitioners should explicitly consider donor steel in the early design and procurement phases, support early stakeholder engagement, and integrate digital and sustainability tools early in a project to reduce uncertainty and prevent late-stage rejection. Additionally, policymakers must offer clarity and consistency in certification procedures and documentation requirements to reduce the perceived certification and regulatory risks. ... Read more

This thesis examines the conditions under which collective energy can be implemented on Dutch SME business parks. In the current Dutch context of rapid electrification, persistent grid congestion and heightened geopolitical and energy market instability, many SMEs face growing concerns about the security and reliability of their energy supply. Collective energy arrangements are increasingly explored as a way to improve access, flexibility and future proofing, yet their feasibility depends on the interplay of multiple factors. This study aims to link collective energy governance with SME behaviour in the setting of Dutch business parks. An exploratory qualitative methodology is employed, analysing eight business park cases and expert interviews through a multi-dimensional framework applied across governance scales. The findings show that collective energy for Dutch SME business parks is predominantly an electricity challenge. The most relevant collective arrangements are those that reorganise electricity supply and grid access, although individual solutions must also be considered. Their feasibility is shaped by the interaction of firm-level motivations, park-level organisation and cohesion and enabling or constraining institutional frameworks.
Commercial and operational drivers, including cost advantages, price stability, business continuity and congestion-related growth limitations, most strongly motivate participation. Necessary conditions for implementation arise in both the political and the social organisational domains: an enabling regulatory framework and applicable contract forms, together with trust, willingness to cooperate and the presence of a coordinating actor, are critical. Barriers persist where commercial risks, regulatory uncertainty, limited organisational capacity or weak collaboration culture undermine collective action.
The thesis demonstrates that collective energy on Dutch SME business parks is not a single technical solution but a multi-dimensional, multi-scale process shaped by the alignment of SME-level incentives, organisational business park dynamics and political-institutional conditions. Ensuring this alignment is essential for translating collective ambitions into feasible and durable energy arrangements. ... Read more

Europe is pushing for strategic autonomy and long-term competitiveness. Scale-ups, high-growth firms that have moved beyond the start-up phase, are central to innovation and employment, yet their spatial dynamics remain poorly understood. This thesis examines what spatial dynamics explain the geographical distribution of scale-ups in the Netherlands over time. It develops an exploratory, retroductive research design that combines firm-level LISA data (2013–2022) with GIS-based spatial statistics (inhomogeneous Ripley’s K, Global Moran’s I and Getis–Ord Gi*) and sectoral specialisation indicators at municipal and COROP levels. Scale-ups are operationalised using OECD high-growth criteria. The results reveal a structured yet evolving geography. Nationally hotspot analysis and trend analysis show a gradual eastward shift, with growing concentrations in outer Randstad areas and eastern provinces and relative decline in parts of South Holland. While sectoral factors have an anchoring effect on scale ups binding them to certain regions. Four interacting mechanisms jointly shape these patterns: general location conditions (especially land availability and affordability), scale-up-specific factors, sector-specific spatial requirements and more modest networking and clustering effects. Within this configuration, scale-up-specific factors, particularly the residential geographies of founders and employees, emerge as the strongest drivers of location and many scale-ups operate from business parks rather than iconic inner-city ecosystems. The thesis provides the first national, longitudinal, data-driven overview of Dutch scale-ups and outlines an initial mechanism-based framework linking scale-up growth to spatial conditions. It shows that policy can enable, but not tightly steer, scale-up geography, underscoring the need to align economic and spatial planning when reserving space for future growth. ... Read more

Urban transformation has become a central instrument in Dutch urban policy, particularly as cities seek to address housing shortages and sustainability goals within the limits of the compact-city model. Former industrial areas are increasingly redeveloped into mixed-use districts, raising questions about what happens to the existing businesses that occupy these zones.
This thesis examines how such transformations lead to business displacement and how this process is shaped by societal narratives, spatial-planning decisions, and legal frameworks. Using a mixed-methods approach, combining literature analysis, a multi-case study design, LISA database analysis, GIS mapping, and semi-structured interviews, this research investigates two Dutch transformation areas: Cruquius (Amsterdam) and the Binckhorst (The Hague). These contrasting governance models, one developer-led and one publicly steered, provide insight into different paths through which industrial restructuring unfolds.
The results show that displacement rarely occurs through direct measures such as expropriation or formal zoning bans. Instead, it emerges through gradual and indirect mechanisms: regulatory uncertainty, the revaluation of urban land toward housing and creative functions, tightening environmental norms, and strategic use of legal instruments under the (former) Environmental and Planning Act. Quantitative analysis reveals divergent business trajectories between the cases, ranging from managed relocation to large-scale disappearance, while qualitative insights highlight how uncertainty influences business behaviour long before redevelopment becomes formalised.
Overall, the findings demonstrate that industrial displacement is not an unintended side effect of mixed-use transformation but a systemic outcome of broader institutional and societal shifts. The thesis contributes to ongoing debates on urban productivity, economic diversity, and sustainable redevelopment, and offers recommendations for balancing urban growth with the retention of essential productive functions in Dutch cities. ... Read more

Plastic waste management remains a critical bottleneck in the transition to a circular plastics economy, as current recycling technologies cannot match the scale and material quality needed to displace virgin plastics. Recent bankruptcies among European pioneering recycling firms show that technological invention alone does not guarantee market acceptance. In this thesis, I have examined the conditions needed for the system surrounding the pioneering recycling firms, referred to as innovation ecosystems, that enable the commercialisation of Dutch inventions in plastic waste management.
Methodologically, the study operationalises relational economic geography as a framework for analysing which conditions shape commercialisation across multiple scales. In doing so, a multi-scalar contextual analysis is combined with patent mapping of Y02W30-classified technologies between 2000 and 2025.
The results show that innovation activity in this domain is concentrated in (petro-)chemical firms rather than pure recyclers, and that patent activity is dominated by a small number of large applicants located in the Antwerp–Rotterdam–Rhine–Ruhr (ARRRA) meta-cluster. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that the failure of innovative firms in plastic waste management in the Netherlands stems from an accumulation of several constraints, at its basis, high energy costs, the lack of offsets, and the use of non-targeted taxes and tax exemptions. As well as a lack of steering in policies and industrial policy. Combined with persistent labour shortages in STEM, long and complex food-approval permit applications.
For these inventions to commercialise, cluster embeddedness and regional specialisation, in addition to economies of scale, infrastructural co-location and vertical integration are important pillars. Co-location facilitates strategic coupling between firms, infrastructure and feedstock flows, enabling resource efficiency and reduced energy costs; conditions that are necessary to realise cost parity with virgin plastics. In addition, alignment through licensing, joint ventures, and open-innovation networks is a critical mechanism for scaling these technologies.
In sum, commercialisation is not determined by the invention itself, but by the relational conditions embedded in specialised industrial chemical clusters. Without alignment of infrastructural, economic and institutional conditions, inventions are unlikely to mature beyond the demonstration stage, particularly in contexts lacking targeted industrial support, as currently observed in the Netherlands.
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Global material consumption continues to rise, and high-income countries such as the Netherlands play a disproportionate role in this trend. In response, the Dutch government aims to halve the use of primary abiotic resources by 2030 and achieve full circularity by 2050. Yet translating these national ambitions into local infrastructure practice remains a major challenge. Urban road networks, managed largely by municipalities, illustrate this difficulty: they are among the most resource-intensive systems in the built environment and face growing spatial and logistical pressures as circular reuse practices expand.
This thesis examines how Rotterdam’s road renovation practices can enable the systematic reuse of paving materials while managing the resulting spatial demand. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines a material flow analysis of municipal renovation projects with policy analysis, expert interviews, and site visits to reuse facilities. The analysis quantifies circular flows of paving materials, estimates the space required for reuse infrastructure, and identifies bottlenecks in planning and design.
Findings show that Rotterdam’s reuse potential is strongly shaped by the interaction between maintenance cycles and design regulations. Standardisation enables reuse of newer materials but limits the reintegration of older ones, leading to surpluses that require large storage areas. Two distinct forms of reuse infrastructure emerge: compact storage hubs for standardised materials and extensive construction hubs for non-standard materials. Adjustment pathways demonstrate that design flexibility, allowing non-standard materials in less visually sensitive areas, can reduce spatial demand by up to 80%.
The study concludes that circular efficiency in municipal infrastructure depends on aligning physical capacity, adaptive design standards, and institutional coordination. The combined use of material flow and spatial analysis provides a transferable method for other municipalities to anticipate the spatial implications of circular transition in their infrastructure systems.
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This dissertation aims to contribute to the urgent need for a circular city policy evaluation framework in European cities. By bridging the concepts of circular cities, policy coherence and policy evaluation, this dissertation provides an ex-ante policy evaluation tool, namely the circular city policy coherence framework.
The concept of a circular city is inspired by biological metabolic systems and aims to implement circular economy principles in various aspects of urban functioning, i.e. to minimise the consumption of primary resources and energy, thereby reducing environmental impacts such as waste and emissions. This approach involves redefining urban processes to close, narrow and slow down material and energy flows.
The built environment is included as an area of intervention in most European circular city policies following it is a major resource consumer and polluter through construction and demolition. These policies generally promote a circular built environment by replacing primary raw materials with at least secondary ones, standardising circular practices in design, construction and deconstruction, creating markets for secondary resources and sharing knowledge to integrate circular practices into construction value chains.
However, there are two issues that make the evaluation of circular city policies, and those specific to the built environment, difficult. On the one hand, there is the issue of process: most circular city policies have been in place for less than a decade, and the scale of the built environment makes any policy aimed at changing it a long-term one, making ex-post evaluation impractical today. On the other hand, there is the issue of content: the lack of clear and commonly used conceptualisations of circular cities hampers policy (evaluation) frameworks. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation is to explore the extent to which circular built environment policies contribute to the policy ambitions formulated by cities. This leads to the main research question:
To what extent do circular built environment policies contribute to policy ambitions as formulated by cities?
To answer this research question this dissertation is structured as five independent, but related academic studies.
The first study explores the recent conceptualisation of circular cities as found in the academic literature. It introduces the concept of circular economy and the application of circularity at different levels of the built environment. It then provides a historical narrative from the study of urban metabolism as the dominant analytical lens to the more recently developed understanding of a circular city. Existing perspectives and conceptualisations of the circular city as well as current bibliometric trends are presented.
The second study presents the relationship between a circular built environment and the policy instruments for its implementation as discussed in the academic literature. This is done through a systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. It analyses over 140 articles in terms of circular urban development policies (i.e. circularity, ecological regeneration and adaptation) and policy instruments (i.e. regulatory, economic and information).
The third study proposes the ex-ante circular city policy coherence framework. The framework, resulting from the combination of two existing frameworks for policy coherence analysis and circular city development, is tested using the case study of the Delft University of Technology campus development as an urban development proxy.
Based on document analysis of spatial development and circular economy policies, the fourth study uses the ex-ante circular city policy coherence framework to evaluate the policy coherence - or (mis)alignment and potential synergies - of circular built environment policies in Greater London. The Greater London Authority (GLA) presents an interesting case for examining policy coherence of circular built environment policies due to its authority, governance structure, scale and the notable gap in governance research that has not been fully explored.
The fifth and last study examines an ex-ante policy evaluation of timber construction in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, given its decade-long circular city policy and recent ambitions for mass timber construction. This is done in two steps. Firstly, policy instruments from different policy documents in Amsterdam were identified and analysed in terms of how they aim to contribute to a more circular built environment. Secondly, an agent-based model was built as a tool for policy makers to simulate the emergent interactions and outcomes of selected policy instruments in increasing timber construction in Amsterdam.
Conclusions and implications
This dissertation concludes that the current understanding of a circular built environment does not see the city for the buildings. By advancing a perspective on circularity in the built environment based on the concept of circular cities, this dissertation proposes that while circular built environment policies have improved their overall coherence, particularly through business-led optimisations in construction practices, they fall short of fully realising a circular city as envisioned by the circular city policy coherence framework. The circular built environment policies of London and Amsterdam are increasingly designed to mitigate issues such as resource depletion and waste generation. However, their policies largely overlook a broader, more systemic approach, particularly in terms of assessing the need for new buildings, maintaining and adapting the existing building stock, and involving residents and communities in the development of a circular city.
The main contribution of this dissertation is to problematise circular built environment policies in relation to circular cities, with a pioneering evaluation of such policies in London and Amsterdam. It positions the built environment as a key component of circular cities, highlighting the influence of policy decisions on the design of the built environment. The work includes the first systematic literature review of policy instruments for circular built environments, identifying a technocratic trend and a focus on looping measures. It also presents an ex-ante policy evaluation framework for circular cities, tested in Amsterdam and London, which allows the assessment of policy coherence and potential impacts, complemented by an agent-based model to visualise interactions and emergent properties between policy instruments.
The circular city policy coherence framework is currently the only one (to the best of the author's knowledge at the time of writing) that not only integrates both process and content aspects within circular city policies, but also allows for the analysis of policy alignment and synergies between different urban policy areas.
Policy makers could use this framework to design more ambitious and well-rounded policies that include all three circularity actions. The policy coherence factors would provide the necessary justification to refine existing policy objectives and instruments or to propose new ones for future implementation, as well as to detect where or how a more systemic perspective of a circular city can improve its policy development.
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There is a need to broaden discussions on sustainable mobility beyond the prevalent focus on electric cars, particularly considering the challenges faced by border regions and marginalized groups that rely on public and soft transport. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the intricate dynamics of cross-border mobility transitions in Belgium and the Netherlands, with a specific focus on activating stakeholders and facilitating sustainable mobility transitions through the application of meta-governance.

Utilising a multifaceted research methodology, including an extensive literature review, in-depth case studies of HSL-Zuid and IJzeren Rijn, stakeholder interviews, this research navigates the complex landscape of meta-governance in cross-border regions.

The study reveals three pivotal tensions that disrupt current decision-making processes for cross-border connections: (1) National and Regional Imbalance in Decision-Making, (2) Formal and Informal Routes to Decision-Making and Flexibility, (3) Conflicting Interests. These tensions intricately impact governance styles, creating challenges and inefficiencies.

To address the identified issues, the research proposes actionable recommendations. Emphasising the need to harmonise national-regional governance frameworks, work on nuanced approaches to formal and informal routes, considerate divergent national interests, and heightened awareness of governance style interplay. Moreover, the research also highlights that metagovernance is already ingrained in current practices. The key lies in raising awareness of its presence among stakeholders, enabling a more informed and seamless navigation of the cross-border governance landscape. Metagovernance’s true value lies in its ability to articulate and navigate through different governance styles, adapting to various challenges and opportunities. While it may not always represent a novel approach, it serves as a critical analytical tool for understanding the dynamics of governance in complex infrastructure projects. ... Read more

Business parks are marked as key areas in sustainable transitions, including the energy transition and transition to a circular economy. This thesis analysis what the current practices and developments in sustainable and circular business parks in Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands are in their contribution to local, regional and national circular and energy transitions

The thesis starts with an evaluation of literature to determine what options for sustainable and circular development business parks can implement. A variety of collective or individual initiatives aimed at either streams and production processes, or site arrangement, park organization and architecture/construction were found.

Next, case studies were performed to evaluate current policies and strategies on sustainable and circular development of business parks by the national, provincial and municipal governments. And to investigate the current practices, initiatives and developments at sustainable and circular business parks in Zuid-Holland. This resulted in a detailed overview of policies and strategies, and in depth documentation of four business parks using ten variables: (1) Initiation, vision and ambition; (2) Organization and actors’ roles; (3) Sustainable and circular initiatives at the park; (4) Physical location specific and business specific features; (5) Social location specific and business specific features; (6) Regional and local characteristics; (7); Regional spatial-economic strategies and environment policy; (8) Policy instruments; (9) Economic context; and (10) External context.

Lastly, based on a cross case analysis, eight key lessons were formulated for future development of sustainable and circular business parks.
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This thesis will focus on the relationship between collaborations and the innovation of the circular construction industry. The reason for choosing to investigate this topic is because the construction industry is one of Europe's largest waste producers and energy consumers. Therefore, it can also make a big impact when the circular economy is implemented as efficiently as possible. According to het Planburea voor leefomgeving (2019), there is very little innovation in the circular economy, which does not favour the efficiency of the circular economy. On the other hand, the literature states that collaborations will be beneficial for implementing circularity in the construction industry. However, companies in other sectors that mainly work in-house (no collaborations) are frontrunners in the innovation of the circular economy. An example of this in the car industry is Tesla. They are a frontrunner in terms of electric cars and do 80% of the process internal (Benam, 2020). Out of this emerges the main question of this thesis. What is the relationship between collaboration and innovation in the circular construction sector? To support the main question, the four sub-questions will be answered first: RQ1: What kind of innovations are there in the circular construction sector? RQ2: What are the different elements of collaboration in the circular construction sector? RQ3: What are the factors that drive and prevent collaborations in the innovation of the circular construction sector? RQ4: Who are the stakeholders with whom collaboration should be established to facilitate innovation in the circular construction sector? The research method that will be used for this research is an exploratory study and the data collection will be done with the help of five case studies. ... Read more

Earth’s resources are being depleted which creates a need for a transition towards a circular economy. This transition brings multiple challenges and requires new behaviours. However, in current design practice, the focus lies on products and materials, not on the required circular behaviours.

The goal of this research is to describe the relation between design and circular behaviour. To do so, a flexible analytical framework is created based on a literature study, which can be used to perform an empirical study in any context for any behaviour. The applicability of the framework is tested in this initial exploratory research of which the scope is focused on the circular behaviours of Reuse and Recycle Materials of students living in student housing complexes. The framework is filled in with document analysis on the context and semi-structured interviews with the inhabitants of the cases.

The results show that a design has influence on behaviour. A design can make behaviour impossible by having a negative influence on one or more of the three categories of the COM-B theory. A design can also make a behaviour possible, by changing the categories that are negative into positive. In between the two extremes of possible and impossible there is also the degree of the categories that influence behaviours. Someone could be able to show behaviour, but if it takes too much effort the person can refrain from showing the behaviour. If there is a high degree of capability and opportunity, it can motivate a person to show the behaviour, and likewise a low degree can demotivate. Therefore a design should strive to have a high degree of capability and opportunity for a behaviour that is desired.

However, it must be noted that behaviour is a complex phenomenon with a multitude of factors that influence it, both conscious and unconscious. It is difficult to map all the different factors for every person. Not all factors are related to a design, there are also beliefs and values which have a major influence in behaviour. ... Read more

Steel is a widely used and very circular material, it can be recycled endlessly but that consumes a lot of energy, therefore, it is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Only 2% of this pollution is caused by production, the other 98% is caused by transportation during the production and recycling process. Half of the pollution caused by transport is by export en import of scrap metal from and to the port of Rotterdam to Asian and African countries, this also creates geo-dependency on non-EU countries for essential materials. We will use research through design approach, quantitative (LISA data and Openstreetmap data) and qualitative methods such as research on the steel cycle, scrapyard activities, stakeholders, and social and spatial environment. The main objective is to reduce the logistic effort by closing loops more locally by creating a network of bigger and smaller hubs and reinstalling makers- and manufacturing industries around the hubs in a symbiotic relationship. Hereby we aim to move metal recycling higher up in the R-ladder of circularity. Different socio-spatial, techno-economic and governmental strategies should make scrapyards more attractive and interesting locations and intertwine them more into the urban tissue. Hereford, they should attract makers- and manufacturing industries around the scrapyards to form a symbiosis in the use of metal and scrap metal. Simultaneously, this increases dutch manufacturing and increases the local economy and decreases geo-dependency. The end of the report provides a set of strategies that can be applied to scrapyards throughout the country to improve the locations and the network between them. This project can form a precedent, both for other bigger industrial or port cities in Europe, as well as for different material flows. ... Read more

The Port of Rotterdam has always been a pivotal player in the energy sector. Predominantly, in the oil-based generation of energy and the consequent export of raw material. However, there is a need for a systemic shift in the energy sector as the Netherlands embarks toward its goal to become 100% carbon neutral by 2050.
An analysis of the prevalent scenario revealed that the fossil-based energy production systems are not only embedded in the physical infrastructure of the region (Zuid Holland) but also in its social, economic and geopolitical networks. This means that as we phase out fossil fuels, its implications will be witnessed on both the local as well as global scales. Keeping this in mind, “Transtopia” aims to accelerate the transition towards renewable energy (production - consumption) by proposing synergies between the Port of Rotterdam and the rest of the Zuid Holland region.
Primarily, by decentralizing, diversifying renewable energy production, and activating the potentialities of its regional landscapes to harness energy. It proposes endogenous methods of co-creating energy landscapes aimed to establish a resilient and adaptable energy system. One where all sectors of society (civil, public and private) can contribute and play an active role in facilitating this transition. Consequently, the spatial relations between areas of energy consumption and production can be seen as activators of urban development in Zuid Holland. Not only by strengthening the economic resilience of the region in face of the energy transition, but also ensuring social integration in this change by co-creating new infrastructure initiated by a collaboration of active sectors.
Additionally, Transtopia focuses on the transformation of the port into a renewable energy hub. Since selected renewable energy such as solar, wind and biomass will be produced locally, the port becomes a backbone for the production and distribution of hydrogen in the Netherlands and around the globe. As an energy hub, the port will also facilitate research and innovation for renewable energy, establishing collaborations with universities and institutions to constantly improve the functionality of the newly integrated renewable energy systems.
Transtopia aims to accelerate energy transition, focusing on engaging multiple stakeholders by creating policies. Thereby ensuring different levels of systems and synergies, which will eventually transform the urban environment into a symbiotic landscape, with a resilient and inclusive energy system that creates opportunities for economic growth. ... Read more

Different government bodies, from the European Union down to the Port of Rotterdam Authority have implemented the policy goal to become circular by 2050 to minimize demand and dependence on finite resources. However, a circular economy - an economic model in which materials circulate in closed loops and waste is viewed as a resource - is vastly different from the current linear system of extraction, consumption and waste. The plastics industry that is currently present in the port of Rotterdam is one such industry where large amounts of raw material is being used and large amounts of waste generated. It is still far from circular. Thus, transitions in the industry itself and in our interaction with products are necessary. The question that arises is: how can the transition to circular plastic manufacturing in the Rotterdam maritime region contribute to a more sustainable, resilient and just economy?

Theory on transition management and socio-technical systems, analyses of spatial use and networks of the plastics industry in South Holland, and research on the developments in plastic manufacturing, has led to the understanding of the current networks and flows in the plastics industry. A subsequent analysis of stakeholders, policies and design options has led to a vision and strategy for the South Holland region, on how to shape a new circular plastics economy.

In the proposed strategy of Plasticity, (1) the strength of a strategic location in the port of Rotterdam is used to expand the renewable cycle of the bioplastics industry, and (2) by actively engaging citizens in reusing and recycling plastic products on a local level in the whole region, a technical circular cycle is enhanced in the whole province. Plastic is used as an example to demonstrate the contemporary issues around dependency on fossil material in the South Holland context, but similar principles regarding integrating the biological and technical cycle, facilitating space for innovation and growth of circular models, and engaging the whole socio-technical system in the transition process can be applied to other sectors and places. This expands the applicability of this vision and strategy beyond plastic.
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Nowadays, circular economy is of growing importance in the social, economic, and environmental fields. The realisation happens on different scales. First steps towards a circular economy have already been taken, but it will take time before a circular world is reached. Also, under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the bio-based concept raises more awareness.

This strengthens the aim to create a circular economy. The industry in the Port of Rotterdam is mainly based on fossil-based industries that follow the linear system. Therefore, high emissions and waste are caused. This contradicts the aims of the SDG and the idea of a circular system. Consequently, the port area should be transformed into a flexible system that can adapt to changing future situations. This will be realized by a circular system that contributes to the development of the bio-based industry.

This transition is triggered by the current oil- and plastic industries taking place within the Port. By treating the bio-plastic industry as a trigger industry, a strategy for the transition towards a bio-based system is created. This leads to a circular economy that depends on bio-based materials. Since the bio-based system might face future challenges, it is important to guarantee further adaptation and self-improvement over time. The final goal is to create a closed-loop within the Port region to reduce emissions and waste products using these bio-based materials.

To close this loop, the Bio-Loop ZH2050 is integrated into the Port area. A Green Belt strategy promotes the circular economy within the province of South Holland, and by implementing the Living Labs, knowledge and technologies are improved over time. The Bio-Loop ZH2050 influences the aim of the province to become 100% circular by 2050 and several SDG topics. Environmentally, this project supports the transition towards a circular bio-based system and to reduce the impact of pollution and climate change. Socially, the Bio-Loop ZH2050 creates the possibility to get society involved in the bio-based circularity. And finally, economically, the Port of Rotterdam will become the port of Europe based on the bio-based economy, which is the entrance connecting the global market and EU market.
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Mankind is exhausting natural resources. Therefore, the need to transform the linear material flows towards circular chains is increasing. Steel is a material that is produced and used globally and has high potentials for recycling. However, in the maritime sector, steel is currently barely recycled, let alone reused in a more direct way. Maritime manufacturing is a vital industry in the province of South-Holland, strengthened by a strong knowledge network. The aim of this project is to localise and extend the steel life cycle, to create an environmentally and socially sustainable province in which maritime manufacturing can grow in a responsible way. In order to close the loops, the R-ladder is used as a framework for circular material flows in the manufacturing industry and in the participation of the citizens. A local steel life cycle for maritime manufacturing will be achieved through the connection of the steel using maritime companies in Rotterdam and the Drecht Cities with the steel production company of TATA Steel in IJmuiden. Missing links in the cycle, a secondary steel processing company and ship disassembly companies, will be brought to the province, providing a new purpose to the Port of Rotterdam when fossil fuels phase out. The transition to material circularity will be made possible through innovations in modular shipbuilding and renewable fuels. Innovation centres in the maker's industry will bridge between knowledge and practice. The consumers will be involved in the material transition through community re-hubs in their cities, where they can share, reuse and recycle products. In this strategy, the extensive water network will function as a backbone along which spatial developments will take place. The water backbone will be a connector for both public transport and industrial transport. This strategy for a transition towards circular steel flows in maritime manufacturing, can be an incentive and inspiration for other manufacturing sectors to close their material cycles. ... Read more