As of today, cities are becoming increasingly dense and diverse; thus, the quality of public meeting space is under pressure. This graduation project examines how urban design can enhance the city as a meeting place, thereby facilitating meetings among its residents, using the neighborhood Bospolder-Tussendijken in Rotterdam as a case study. The need for quality public meeting spaces is urgent in this neighborhood, characterized by superdiversity and spatial and social vulnerability. Through literature research, local observations, and design research, a pattern language has been developed that offers design principles to spatially facilitate informal meetings, ranging from anonymous to affectionate. Furthermore, a relationship has been observed between the use and type of meetings and the level of publicness of public space, resulting in three strategies. It was found that parochial places where amicable meetings occur contribute the most to a sense of public familiarity. The design concept focuses on strengthening existing social infrastructures, making levels of publicness more readable and balanced, and activating public spaces as stages for spontaneous interaction. The result is a context-specific design transformation that restores the role of the city as a meeting place.

Barcelona is one of the leading metropolitan cities in Europe well-known for its history, culture vibrancy, architecture and progressive modern developments. Its dynamic role on both the national and international stage is driven by several factors, including its historical development, tourism industry, and a position as 8th in all of Europe and the 1st in southern Europe technological city of the future.

Starting from the beginning of 21st century, these forces shaped the city’s socio-economic landscape, bringing significant changes to its urban fabric. Due to them Barcelona shows economic growth and gains global recognition, however it also faces deepening social and spatial inequalities that threaten the city's long-term sustainability and social cohesion.
The rise of the tourism sector, with more than 15 million of visitors per year (Observatori del Turisme a Barcelona, 2023) and only 1.7 million of citizens (Barcelona City Council, 2024), together with initiatives like the 22@ Innovation District (ID), designed to transform post-industrial areas into hubs for technology and knowledge-based industries, has placed pressure on housing markets, driving up property prices, displacing long-standing residents and creating a divide between newly gentrified areas and other, more vulnerable neighborhoods.
These developments have contributed to a growing phenomenon of gentrification and segregation across the city, but perhaps no district exemplifies these tensions more than Sant Martí, and attached to it two neighborhoods La Mina and La Catalana in Sant Adrià de Besòs city.

Once an industrial zone with a working-class population, Sant Martí undergone a rapid urban transformation, driven by the same forces that reshape the rest of the city. Urban regeneration projects and location of 22@ ID, have facilitated gentrification and increased economic disparities within the district. Together with several spatial conditions like inactive post-industrial zone and lack of urban continuity it also created a social and spatial segregation.
The aim of this thesis is to propose urban design strategies that foster inclusive development and long-term spatial cohesion.

The resulting masterplan introduces a framework for densification that doubles the area’s built capacity while ensuring housing affordability and social diversity. The strategy includes creating a hierarchy of public spaces that foster interaction; introducing gradual, participatory demolition and redevelopment tactics to minimize displacement; and designing mixed-use building typologies that accommodate both existing and future residents.
Design interventions include reconnecting disjointed street grids, enhancing walkability and public transit, and establishing a clear hierarchy of public spaces that promote cross-neighborhood interaction. The proposal doubles the area's residential capacity—from 8000 to 16,000 flats—and population, from 23,000 to 46,000 people, by increasing the land cover density.

Rather than treating design as a neutral or aesthetic gesture, the project positions it as a political and social tool—a way to mediate between past neglect and future potential. The proposed urban fabric stitches together a fragmented territory through strategic continuity, landscape integration, and community infrastructure. It offers an alternative to top-down redevelopment models by proposing a phased, adaptable, and inclusive vision for growth. In doing so, the thesis reframes urban design not just as a response to physical conditions, but as a proactive mechanism for social repair and collective future-making.

Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, people cross the Mediterranean Sea everyday, seeking safety and shelter. Arrival countries like Greece have difficulty to provide all displaced people in their basic needs. One of the most vulnerable among this group are the children. They have experienced war violence, flight dangers and displacement. They arrive at a camp that lacks places to play and develop, is unsafe and unfamiliar. In other words, they lack a sense of home.
This thesis is based on the journey from Syria to The Netherlands, with as transitory space; camp Mavrovouni on Lesvos. The Syrians leave behind a destroyed hometown, a dystopia, and long for a safe refuge, a utopia. Instead they arrive at a camp and have to wait, this place is a heterotopia. The project draws on the parallels between heterotopia and the concept of play, forming the basis for the development of nostopia; a playce that feels like home. This research investigates whether a play-centered approach can transform Mavrovouni into a nostopia.
The three homes along the routes were mapped and analysed to gain insight in their spatial characteristics. Ethnographic research conducted during a field trip to Mavrovouni provided insights into the daily lives of its residents, focusing on their use of space and children’s play behavior.
Findings revealed a pressing need for safety, agency, and belonging. This was broken down into concrete design objectives. By using the objective tree and a conceptual model several visionary scenarios were developed. Patterns were derived from ethnographic insights and further supported by literature, anchoring the scenarios within the spatial context of the camp.
The resulting pattern language is not only accessible to design professionals but also to non-experts through an accompanying game. The initial concepts and requirements for the game are outlined. The scenario maps and pattern language were used to envision an alternate future for Mavrovouni, reimagining it into a playce like home.

This graduation comes from a deep interest in understanding why some buildings foster vibrant communities, while others do not. Now that interest in cohousing is rapidly growing, both from grassroots movements and top-down initiatives, grasping the factors that explain why some communities thrive has become increasingly significant. Cohousing may have many advantages from mental health, and informal care to enviromental benefits. Yet it is not simply shared spaces that create these advantages. It is the community itself. The goal of this graduation was therefore to bundle insights on how to design cohousing so that it facilitates community engagement.

A pattern language was developed with the intention of aiding both resident-led initiatives and architects. A pattern language is a network of interrelated design solutions to common problems. After a wide literature review, case studies and in practice testing, a cohousing pattern language was formulated that balances complexity and comprehensiveness. 7 base principles and 40 design patterns explain how architecture can facilitate community engagement. These patterns and principles are integrated into an 8-step framework tailored for the Dutch cohousing development context.

For the design part of this graduation project, the pattern language has been implemented to design an affordable and sustainable floating cohousing building for the Dutch delta. This architectural design addresses the housing and space crisis by exploring the floating frontier of architecture. The floating urban villa may house 5 to 20 people and with minimal adaptions can facilitate a wide range of engaged communities. Up to 7 floating villas can together form a layered cooperative housing community with a layered framework for expression.

There is simple formula or design solution for cohousing so that it facilitates community engagement. Each community, location, and project is unique and requires specific and co-designed solutions. The book may help that process as it has identified abstract principles and concrete patterns that provide valuable guidance for designing spaces that support thriving, engaged communities. These are applicable to a wide range of cohousing lifestyle visions, architectural typologies and contexts. Ultimately, it is up to architects and residents to creatively integrate constraints, principles, context, and patterns to co-create cohousing architecture that facilitates their unique, engaged community.

This thesis explores the ways in which marketplaces and urban agriculture, can impact access to healthy, affordable food in Bospolder-Tussendijken, a neighbourhood in Rotterdam. With the rise of prosperity-related diseases attributed to poor nutrition, particularly in low socio-economic areas, food prices are increasing. To address these challenges, marketplaces and the integration of food production into urban settings could play an important role in mitigating this issue.

Through a combination of literature review and interviews, a framework was developed to analyze current practices regarding marketplaces and urban agriculture. Additionally, site visits and observations provided typological insights.

The research reveals that historically, marketplaces have been key drivers of urban growth, emphasizing social functions and affordability of food. However, in recent years, there has been a shift towards valuing experience over food itself. Regarding urban agriculture, its primary functions appear to be social, educational, and employment-related. Food production remains predominantly located outside or on the periphery of urban areas. By proposing the creation of a partially covered, multifunctional marketplace, the position of traditional week markets can be preserved for future generations, ensuring continued access to affordable, healthy nutrition.

This research addresses the rising amount of homelessness in Rotterdam. Homelessness should be prevented in an early stage to avoid long term health issues. Home-seeking youth fall between the cracks of the system since there is a lack of social support for those between 18-23 years old with no official care indication. Because of this, It is hard for these youth to build a healthy future. The term “home-seeking youth” is used to reduce stigma on homelessness and emphasize their quest for stable housing.

The needs of home-seeking youth are explored in this study, which also considers ideas on how residential housing concepts can effectively address these needs. Research will be conducted through field research involving interviews with professionals, workshops with long-term homeless individuals, and workshops with vulnerable youth in Rotterdam to understand their housing needs and preferences.

The aim is to determine how a residential building can support the physical (socioeconomic security), mental (empowerment), and social (inclusion and cohesion) needs of youth seeking stable housing. Among these needs, social needs seem to play the most important role as they form a safety net for both mental and physical needs. The main need that home-seeking youth have is for a relationship with someone who can offer them unconditional support. Therefore, it is important that housing for youth includes access to an adult who can help them informally.

Pendrecht is characterized by a great richness in cultural diversity and local initiatives, but these different worlds are spatially separated from one another and invisible for the passerby. They are not articulated in the public domain but instead remain confined to private domains. Left without activity or liveliness, the streets and squares are degraded to meaningless transition zones. This anonymity stands in the way of social cohesion and any sense of belonging or attachment to the neighbourhood. In order to break this downward spiral, an impulse into the public domain is needed that facilitates social and cultural exchange.

This study addresses the imperative of enhancing social resilience in urban environments, with a focus on Rotterdam. The city faces diverse challenges, including environmental risks that impact social cohesion. In response, the municipality has formulated a ‘Resilient Rotterdam Strategy’ to bolster the city’s resistibility and recoverability. In this context, the importance of social interaction in fostering resilient communities is underscored, leading to the proposition of introducing makerspaces as “third spaces” to bridge the gap between formal and informal urban life. The study advocates for transforming mono-functional neighbourhoods into multifunctional ones by reintroducing urban manufacturing, particularly makerspaces, to promote social networks and enhance social resilience.

Individualism, the trend of prioritising individual interests over group interests, has significant implications for our urban environment, including spatial, environmental, and social unsustainable development. A shift towards collectivism represents a move towards sustainable development from these three perspectives.

This thesis proposes a spatial redesign of the Bospolder-Tussendijken neighbourhood in Rotterdam, addressing the research question: “In what way can the shift from an individualistic towards a collective approach in urban design contribute to sustainable development from spatial, environmental, and social perspectives, focusing on Bospolder-Tussendijken?”

The outcome demonstrates that a redesigned network based on the concept of the commons results in saved space and resources per individual. A neighbourhood designed to accommodate all urban activities can reduce reliance on car traffic, facilitating the creation of green spaces for the collective benefit of the community at the neighbourhood level, as well as smaller communities within. This transformation focuses on creating places of residence instead of places of going.

Sharing becomes the guiding principle, manifested across various scales, from the entire neighbourhood as the largest scale down to individual housing units as the smallest. This approach enables people to form networks and communities across these scales. By creating space for porosity and flexibility, the design accommodates diverse needs, allowing individuals the freedom to arrange locations at different scale levels according to their preferences.

This research explores the impact of urban design on perceived safety in Oud Mathenesse, a hyper-diverse and vulnerable urban area in the Netherlands. Utilizing a human-centred and interdisciplinary approach, the study aims to provide insights and recommendations for urban planners and policymakers. The primary research question focuses on how urban design can enhance perceived safety in such a diverse context. The study employs qualitative methods, examining the social and physical environments and their influence on residents’ perceptions of safety.

Key findings reveal that perceived safety or subjective safety is not something that is for everyone the same. Therefore a public space must be inclusive and accommodate the different experiences and perceptions. Social factors, such as public familiarity and social behaviour, significantly shape perceived safety. The physical environment, including accessibility, visibility, legibility, and attractiveness, also plays a crucial role. The research highlights the need for inclusive urban design that considers diverse safety perceptions of different user groups.

The study concludes that urban design interventions tailored to the specific needs of Oud Mathenesse can improve perceived safety and overall liveability. Recommendations include enhancing public spaces, creating communal venues, and fostering a sense of community identity. The research emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary methods and human-centred design in addressing the complexities of hyper-diverse urban environments, contributing to the broader discourse on social equality and inclusivity in urban planning.

Cities for Families of Tomorrow aims to create a family-friendly neighbourhood in Lombardijen by addressing parents’ concerns about social and traffic safety, thereby enhancing children's independent mobility, crucial for a healthy lifestyle. The study focuses on establishing a child-friendly network for 7 to 12-year-olds, facilitating safe, independent travel and meeting their developmental needs.
Children’s free movement has been declining over generations, with urban spaces becoming increasingly unsafe in parents’ perception, leading to overprotection and reduced independent mobility. Consequently, overprotected children face a higher risk of traffic accidents later in life. The research question is: "How can a child-friendly network support the needs of a family-friendly city, allowing 7-12 year-olds to travel independently and safely?"
By exploring families' needs, the characteristics of a child-friendly network, and its implementation in Lombardijen, the research provides answers. A multi-method approach is used, combining literature review, spatial analysis, design research, interviews and a workshop with mothers, as well as children's input through booklets and a walking workshop.
The study identifies seven key themes for a family-friendly neighbourhood: safety, inclusive public spaces, a playful and mobile city, proximity to essential facilities, social cohesion, and learning experiences. Safe, engaging routes and inviting neighbourhood streets are crucial for promoting children's independent mobility and enhancing overall community safety and cohesion.

This thesis explores the effects of patriarchy in the built environment and investigates solutions to gender inequality in the city. Although gender inequality has been fought against throughout the last century, women and men still do not enjoy equal social positions. One of the biggest manifestations is that of a difference in gender roles, wherein women are still expected to fulfil most - if not all - of the unpaid care labour in the family. The city fails to support activities connected to care labour, both in causing longer travelling times as well as failing to provide the building of community. Theoretical research on the topic of gender mainstreaming, supported by fieldwork in Vienna, a city that has been implementing these principles since the 1990’s, has provided an extensive overview of implementations that support gender equality in the city, which are combined in a pattern language.
The pattern language has been applied in a design for the exemplary location of Katendrecht, where they have been developed into a design for a gender equal neighbourhood. This project shows that design that offers diverse environments, facilitates community, increases the accessibility of public space and amenities, and prioritises slow and shared mobility results in a gender-equal city.

This report will try to find answers to the complex question of how neighbourhood reputations can be improved. A negative neighbourhood reputation can harm residents’ health, well-being and opportunities. It can also be a catalyst for decay. Changing a reputation is complex, and governmental approaches often reinforce a negative image. This research will result in an analytical framework and pattern language that urban planners, designers, and policymakers can use to give them tools to tackle stigma. The basis for the research lies in the literature, often from social studies. An empirical case-study research on the Bijlmer and Woensel-West will test and enrich the theoretical research. Neighbourhood reputations take place in a symbolic, social and physical space, and changes should be made in all three spaces to tackle a negative image. This report explores and analyses different aspects which influence the symbolic, social and physical spaces and their interrelations. This will result in an analytical framework that gives a clear overview of what aspects should change to change the reputation. The pattern language will give easily digestible concrete solutions on how the reputation can be changed. The pattern language consists of discursive, physical and policy interventions to change the analytical framework’s different components. The aspects that influence the symbolic space are history, discourse, experiences and how the government represents itself towards the neighbourhood. The aspects which influence the social space are the socio-demographic characteristics, social problems, behaviour and culture. The aspects which influence the physical space are the location, accessibility and services, maintenance and quality and the diversity of types and types of the urban fabric. The governmental program influences what part which influence the neighbourhood’s reputation is worked on, contributing to the effectiveness of changing the image. Whilst the governmental organisation contributes to the efficiency of tackling the image. The most important factor influencing the neighbourhood’s reputation is the discourse about the neighbourhood. The discourse is often based on social problems the neighbourhood is dealing with. The basis of these social problems is often the socio-demographic characteristics of the neighbourhood, especially when there is an accumulation of low-income households. The diversity and types of dwellings can influence the socio-demographic characteristics. The other influences named do influence the neighbourhood’s reputation. Nevertheless, they are not the main influences which seem to be the basis of a negative reputation.

Independent (i.e. single) mothers are stuck in a trifold of problems regarding housing, resources and labour after divorce, separation or unwedded childbirth. The lack of adequate permanent one-parent family housing puts them in a vicious circle of structural disadvantage. The inequality of opportunity has long term effects on the mother's sense of self, her parenting style and the opportunities for her child(ren), who is more susceptible to end up with the same problems.

This thesis is an exploration into the socio-spatial housing needs of independent mothers and to what extent collective living arrangements could provide an opportunity to balance work and family life effectively, through redefining traditional household structures. Through the lens of second wave feminist theory, the nuclear family is deconstructed, and the concept of collectivised household labour is explored. Drawing examples from other forms of non-nuclear households, including matriarchal tribes, self-work hotels, and eco-communities, the benefits of shared responsibilities of social support systems and efficiency are remarked. This theoretical study is juxtaposed against the practical research, consisting of interviews with assistance professionals, architects and empirical experts, from which a tight balance between community and privacy becomes significant. Thus, it is concluded that collective living arrangements have the possibility to empower independent mothers by expanding the meaning of a household, through dispersing the workload and sharing among each other. However, it remains important to realise that sustainable and supportive communities require room for the individual, like-minded people, rules and work for it to be effective. Collectivised household labour exists within a trade-off between radical intervention and practicality.

Overall, this research aims to contribute to the discourse on housing design by advocating for imaginations that empower, instead of stigmatizing and incorporating the voices of the people you are designing for.

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.

In recent decades, gender inequality has been discussed increasingly in different fields of society. Since long ago, aspects like power dynamics in traditional households, or studies on the human anatomy, have influenced men and women’s place in society. This gender inequality has also impacted how cities have been designed by and for men, although the existing hypothesis is that the needs of men and women in a city differ. Evidence already shows that women feel more unsafe in cities then men, which can be caused by design of urban environments not being fit for women. This leaves the questions what this relation between gender and the built environment actually entails, whether cities are currently gender inclusive, and if not, how urban design can contribute to make them to do so.

This research has found that men and women have different user patterns and perceptions when it comes to their presence in urban environments. This impacts the way they use and perceive the city. In this study, these differences have been translated into design principles that can positively impact women’s use and perception of the urban environment. These design principles were used to analyse the current state of gender inclusivity in urban environments, through the locations of Hillesluis and Zuidwijk, a pre- and post-war neighbourhood in Rotterdam Zuid with a high cultural diversity and a low socio-economic status. The analysis generated a set of spatial elements that either negatively or positively influence a woman’s perception of space. After testing these spatial elements through a survey, the findings were combined with the design principles, to design a proposal on how the current urban environments could be improved to be more gender inclusive. Guided by these end products, a universal framework was created, that can test all urban environments in their gender-inclusivity.

This research and design project explores the use of the Pattern Language method to transform Moluccan neighbourhoods in the Netherlands into inclusive areas while enhancing their cultural heritage. The study focuses on the Moluccan neighbourhood in Barneveld for renovation and the Lloydkade in Rotterdam as a site for creating new places of heritage. The main question addressed in this study is how Moluccan neighbourhoods can become inclusive areas through urban design while enhancing their cultural heritage.
The first part of the study, "Spatializing Moluccan Heritage," examines the emergence and development of Moluccan neighbourhoods over time. It investigates the unique spatial characteristics of these neighbourhoods and identifies spatial patterns that showcase their identity. The analysis reveals that community facilities play a crucial role in maintaining the unity of the Moluccan community. The desired spatial layout of neighbourhoods reflects the organic and wandering nature found in Moluccan islands. Public spaces are primarily used for ceremonies and brief interactions, while most social activities occur within the private realm. The kitchen, located at the back of the house, serves as an important space for transmitting Moluccan culture. Recognizable elements such as street names and entrance indications contribute to identifying a place as a Moluccan neighbourhood.
The second part, "Forming Scenarios," examines the perceptions of Moluccan neighbourhoods among different generations and non-Moluccan society. It explores the evolution of the Moluccan society and its culture. The study reveals that younger generations exhibit less attachment to these neighbourhoods, preferring larger cities and a more individualistic approach. However, the majority of generations express a desire to preserve the Moluccan neighbourhoods. To ensure their preservation, it is important for these neighbourhoods to evolve and become more diverse, accommodating the changing needs and preferences of younger generations while maintaining their cultural heritage.
The third part, "Designing the Urban Form," proposes strategies for transforming Moluccan neighbourhoods into inclusive and porous areas. Strengthening the network of alleys and creating intimate public spaces can address the desire for informality and reduce social control pressures. Introducing greater housing diversity and types that cater to the preferences of the Moluccan community can make the neighbourhoods more inclusive and attractive to younger generations. The tangible and intangible Moluccan heritage can be preserved through the creation of spaces such as community buildings, flagpoles, paths and alleys, and the integration of water elements.
In conclusion, this research highlights the importance of urban design in transforming Moluccan neighbourhoods in the Netherlands into inclusive areas while enhancing their cultural heritage. It emphasizes the need to not only preserve and celebrate existing cultural heritage but also to create new places for cultural expression and engagement, particularly for younger generations. By incorporating these findings into urban design practices, Moluccan neighbourhoods can thrive as inclusive and vibrant communities that cherish their cultural heritage.

The construction industry has a significant environmental impact, consumes a large amount of scarce resources, generates a lot of waste, and causes a lot of emissions such as CO2 which contribute to global warming and are all reasons of great concern. A significant portion of these negative environmental impacts are caused by the building sector and attendant linear construction process. Developments with biobased materials as a circular strategy help encounter this. However, this implementation is still lacking in the building industry and the linear to a circular economy transition is still in the early stages. Moreover, real estate developers are struggling to make their business cases for circular projects financially feasible, as costs are a significant barrier. To research and understand how current circular biobased business cases are adapted and if they are future proof or use temporary measures, the following main research question is used: How are business cases adapted in order to create financially feasible and circular biobased housing developments? To answer this question, a literature study, case studies and interviews are done with the aim to gain insights into current complications and possible solutions in the business case of biobased housing developments. As well as gather perspectives from identified stakeholders & experts on these or alternative opportunities to help and speed up the transition to biobased houses. Results show that the business cases were not drastically adapted to fit the circular strategy, but temporary emergency measures were found to help realise the projects. These were: less profit for the parties involved, investors paying extra and for construction stored carbon credits, lower land price or more focus on sustainability and less on price by municipalities, subsidies, and building only partly with biobased materials and partly with e.g. concrete and bricks. It can be concluded that the traditional business case is not fitted for biobased construction as a circular economy strategy, which also contributes to why the wider necessary shift to such strategies stays out. But also that developers and other parties are willing and working on limiting the environmental impact of the building industry.

Brownfields can bring forward unique spatial qualities in the urban environment: spatial exceptionality, re-usable infrastructures & imperfection that could bring forward the experience of being in a whole other world, while being in the middle of a city. However, these sites are often deconstructed, because they lack a direct financial or infrastructural benefit and are seen as ‘rubbish’.

A trend which is reflected in the Binckhorst, The Hague, where an ensemble of two brownfields is planned to be demolished. Why? The Binckhorst is transforming from an industrial area into a dense mixed-use residential area, housing 5000+ dwellers and 5000+ workers. However, with more and more people living in the same environment the demand for restorative environments increases: spaces that help recharge our cognitive batteries. Simultaneously, with the industrial program moving, there is an opportunity to restore the ecological quality of this area.

Urban forestry has proven to be able to bring forward restorative qualities for human nature. On the one hand, by providing soft fascinations for people. On the other hand, by being a vital component to increase biodiversity in cities.

This thesis researches the potential of the brownfield-urban forest. More specifically, how the integration of these modern ruins and the natural backbone of the city could bring forward restorative environments for human nature.

The result, the spatial design of the Patchwork Oasis in the Binckhorst and a concluding design guide, supported by precedent analysis. Both, showcasing why we need more green ruinscapes in our lifes and how the needs of human nature are much more similar than we often think.