J.E. Goncalves
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1
What If We Were Ready for Climate Adaptation?
Institutional Prefiguration and the Mainstreaming of Climate Adaptation in Urban Built Infrastructure
This research examines how institutional prefiguration can contribute to mainstreaming climate adaptation in urban built infrastructure in the Netherlands. Although technical capability and societal urgency have increased over the last decade, a persistent implementation gap remains: climate adaptation is recognised as necessary, but is not yet consistently embedded in infrastructure governance and delivery. This thesis asks how anticipatory, forward-looking forms of institutional action can help close this gap.
Using a multi-method approach centred on the renewal of Amsterdam’s quay walls and bridges, and complemented by the Hofplein redevelopment in Rotterdam, the research unfolds in three phases. First, it identifies the factors that have shaped adaptation mainstreaming through interviews with public and private actors. Second, it examines how prefigurative practice unfolds in present-day projects and how this affects implementation. Third, it operationalises institutional prefiguration in an agent-based model to explore its contribution to institutional change.
The findings show, first, that fragmented responsibilities, limited ownership, and an ambiguous problem definition recur across public and private actors. Second, institutional prefiguration unfolds most consequentially above the individual project level, where anticipation of future requirements is supported programmatically and carried into implementation by boundary spanners operating across project phases and institutional boundaries. Third, the modelled what-if scenarios suggest that institutional prefiguration contributes not through coercion, but by changing the rule actors default to: it enacts a future institutional reality before it is formally mandated.
The thesis concludes that institutional prefiguration cannot by itself force a full regime shift, but it can prepare and partially enact one. In this sense, becoming ready for adaptation does not mean waiting for future regulation to arrive; it means governing, procuring, and building as if that future had already become the rule. ...
Using a multi-method approach centred on the renewal of Amsterdam’s quay walls and bridges, and complemented by the Hofplein redevelopment in Rotterdam, the research unfolds in three phases. First, it identifies the factors that have shaped adaptation mainstreaming through interviews with public and private actors. Second, it examines how prefigurative practice unfolds in present-day projects and how this affects implementation. Third, it operationalises institutional prefiguration in an agent-based model to explore its contribution to institutional change.
The findings show, first, that fragmented responsibilities, limited ownership, and an ambiguous problem definition recur across public and private actors. Second, institutional prefiguration unfolds most consequentially above the individual project level, where anticipation of future requirements is supported programmatically and carried into implementation by boundary spanners operating across project phases and institutional boundaries. Third, the modelled what-if scenarios suggest that institutional prefiguration contributes not through coercion, but by changing the rule actors default to: it enacts a future institutional reality before it is formally mandated.
The thesis concludes that institutional prefiguration cannot by itself force a full regime shift, but it can prepare and partially enact one. In this sense, becoming ready for adaptation does not mean waiting for future regulation to arrive; it means governing, procuring, and building as if that future had already become the rule. ...
This research examines how institutional prefiguration can contribute to mainstreaming climate adaptation in urban built infrastructure in the Netherlands. Although technical capability and societal urgency have increased over the last decade, a persistent implementation gap remains: climate adaptation is recognised as necessary, but is not yet consistently embedded in infrastructure governance and delivery. This thesis asks how anticipatory, forward-looking forms of institutional action can help close this gap.
Using a multi-method approach centred on the renewal of Amsterdam’s quay walls and bridges, and complemented by the Hofplein redevelopment in Rotterdam, the research unfolds in three phases. First, it identifies the factors that have shaped adaptation mainstreaming through interviews with public and private actors. Second, it examines how prefigurative practice unfolds in present-day projects and how this affects implementation. Third, it operationalises institutional prefiguration in an agent-based model to explore its contribution to institutional change.
The findings show, first, that fragmented responsibilities, limited ownership, and an ambiguous problem definition recur across public and private actors. Second, institutional prefiguration unfolds most consequentially above the individual project level, where anticipation of future requirements is supported programmatically and carried into implementation by boundary spanners operating across project phases and institutional boundaries. Third, the modelled what-if scenarios suggest that institutional prefiguration contributes not through coercion, but by changing the rule actors default to: it enacts a future institutional reality before it is formally mandated.
The thesis concludes that institutional prefiguration cannot by itself force a full regime shift, but it can prepare and partially enact one. In this sense, becoming ready for adaptation does not mean waiting for future regulation to arrive; it means governing, procuring, and building as if that future had already become the rule.
Using a multi-method approach centred on the renewal of Amsterdam’s quay walls and bridges, and complemented by the Hofplein redevelopment in Rotterdam, the research unfolds in three phases. First, it identifies the factors that have shaped adaptation mainstreaming through interviews with public and private actors. Second, it examines how prefigurative practice unfolds in present-day projects and how this affects implementation. Third, it operationalises institutional prefiguration in an agent-based model to explore its contribution to institutional change.
The findings show, first, that fragmented responsibilities, limited ownership, and an ambiguous problem definition recur across public and private actors. Second, institutional prefiguration unfolds most consequentially above the individual project level, where anticipation of future requirements is supported programmatically and carried into implementation by boundary spanners operating across project phases and institutional boundaries. Third, the modelled what-if scenarios suggest that institutional prefiguration contributes not through coercion, but by changing the rule actors default to: it enacts a future institutional reality before it is formally mandated.
The thesis concludes that institutional prefiguration cannot by itself force a full regime shift, but it can prepare and partially enact one. In this sense, becoming ready for adaptation does not mean waiting for future regulation to arrive; it means governing, procuring, and building as if that future had already become the rule.
Whose City?
The Intertwined Politics of Housing and Environmentalism in Mumbai
Displacement and forced evictions of the urban poor have been used in cities of the global south as a mechanism to attract investments and build ‘world-class’ cities. Favoring international and domestic capital and wealthier groups, these mechanisms not only leave people behind but also lead to increased environmental degradation, creating unjust urban environments from both human and environmental perspectives. Poor communities are often uprooted from places they have lived in for generations, disrupting livelihoods and erasing local and traditional ways of living. At the same time, ecosystems and natural areas are being encroached upon for “development”. Together, this leads to a crisis of social reproduction: a disruption in the essential conditions that enable dignified human existence and socio-ecological relations.
This thesis examines housing as a site of social reproduction in environmental justice struggles in the city of Mumbai, India. It specifically focuses on the forest region designated as the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and its surroundings. The Adivasi community residing inside the forest and the slums settlements on its periphery have been facing eviction threats for the past thirty years for reasons of environmental protection. The SGNP forest thus remains a contested terrain as a new eviction drive has resurfaced, and the politics of environmentalism has again compromised housing for the urban poor. While housing and environmental planning are treated as separate issues in planning and governance, using a feminist social reproduction lens, this thesis argues that they are deeply intertwined in everyday lives of residents.
Through a governance analysis, the research first decodes the intersection of housing and environmental planning with the eviction regimes. Using interviews and counter mapping and drawing on the theories of social reproduction, it then defines a network of occupations, struggles and practices of social reproduction in the SGNP forest. The last part of the research focuses on a manifesto “what is the illegal was legal” as a proposal, which emphasizes the need for radical hacks and the need for rethinking the role of urbanists. By centering social reproduction, this thesis argues that the constructs of “legality” and “park boundaries” needs to be disrupted and housing needs to be viewed as an infrastructure that makes life possible.
Keywords: Housing, Justice, Forced Evictions, Environmental burgeoning, Social Reproduction, Feminism ...
This thesis examines housing as a site of social reproduction in environmental justice struggles in the city of Mumbai, India. It specifically focuses on the forest region designated as the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and its surroundings. The Adivasi community residing inside the forest and the slums settlements on its periphery have been facing eviction threats for the past thirty years for reasons of environmental protection. The SGNP forest thus remains a contested terrain as a new eviction drive has resurfaced, and the politics of environmentalism has again compromised housing for the urban poor. While housing and environmental planning are treated as separate issues in planning and governance, using a feminist social reproduction lens, this thesis argues that they are deeply intertwined in everyday lives of residents.
Through a governance analysis, the research first decodes the intersection of housing and environmental planning with the eviction regimes. Using interviews and counter mapping and drawing on the theories of social reproduction, it then defines a network of occupations, struggles and practices of social reproduction in the SGNP forest. The last part of the research focuses on a manifesto “what is the illegal was legal” as a proposal, which emphasizes the need for radical hacks and the need for rethinking the role of urbanists. By centering social reproduction, this thesis argues that the constructs of “legality” and “park boundaries” needs to be disrupted and housing needs to be viewed as an infrastructure that makes life possible.
Keywords: Housing, Justice, Forced Evictions, Environmental burgeoning, Social Reproduction, Feminism ...
Displacement and forced evictions of the urban poor have been used in cities of the global south as a mechanism to attract investments and build ‘world-class’ cities. Favoring international and domestic capital and wealthier groups, these mechanisms not only leave people behind but also lead to increased environmental degradation, creating unjust urban environments from both human and environmental perspectives. Poor communities are often uprooted from places they have lived in for generations, disrupting livelihoods and erasing local and traditional ways of living. At the same time, ecosystems and natural areas are being encroached upon for “development”. Together, this leads to a crisis of social reproduction: a disruption in the essential conditions that enable dignified human existence and socio-ecological relations.
This thesis examines housing as a site of social reproduction in environmental justice struggles in the city of Mumbai, India. It specifically focuses on the forest region designated as the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and its surroundings. The Adivasi community residing inside the forest and the slums settlements on its periphery have been facing eviction threats for the past thirty years for reasons of environmental protection. The SGNP forest thus remains a contested terrain as a new eviction drive has resurfaced, and the politics of environmentalism has again compromised housing for the urban poor. While housing and environmental planning are treated as separate issues in planning and governance, using a feminist social reproduction lens, this thesis argues that they are deeply intertwined in everyday lives of residents.
Through a governance analysis, the research first decodes the intersection of housing and environmental planning with the eviction regimes. Using interviews and counter mapping and drawing on the theories of social reproduction, it then defines a network of occupations, struggles and practices of social reproduction in the SGNP forest. The last part of the research focuses on a manifesto “what is the illegal was legal” as a proposal, which emphasizes the need for radical hacks and the need for rethinking the role of urbanists. By centering social reproduction, this thesis argues that the constructs of “legality” and “park boundaries” needs to be disrupted and housing needs to be viewed as an infrastructure that makes life possible.
Keywords: Housing, Justice, Forced Evictions, Environmental burgeoning, Social Reproduction, Feminism
This thesis examines housing as a site of social reproduction in environmental justice struggles in the city of Mumbai, India. It specifically focuses on the forest region designated as the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and its surroundings. The Adivasi community residing inside the forest and the slums settlements on its periphery have been facing eviction threats for the past thirty years for reasons of environmental protection. The SGNP forest thus remains a contested terrain as a new eviction drive has resurfaced, and the politics of environmentalism has again compromised housing for the urban poor. While housing and environmental planning are treated as separate issues in planning and governance, using a feminist social reproduction lens, this thesis argues that they are deeply intertwined in everyday lives of residents.
Through a governance analysis, the research first decodes the intersection of housing and environmental planning with the eviction regimes. Using interviews and counter mapping and drawing on the theories of social reproduction, it then defines a network of occupations, struggles and practices of social reproduction in the SGNP forest. The last part of the research focuses on a manifesto “what is the illegal was legal” as a proposal, which emphasizes the need for radical hacks and the need for rethinking the role of urbanists. By centering social reproduction, this thesis argues that the constructs of “legality” and “park boundaries” needs to be disrupted and housing needs to be viewed as an infrastructure that makes life possible.
Keywords: Housing, Justice, Forced Evictions, Environmental burgeoning, Social Reproduction, Feminism
This thesis explores, through autobiographical action research, how the embodiment of prefigurative practices can inform urban design while simultaneously deconstructing the dominant imaginaries in which design is rooted. It begins with the premise that the current polycrisis stems from how many humans -this author included- perceive the world: through the imaginaries of Modernity, which we, as spatial designers, are responsible for reproducing. The problem lies in how we produce space (the power dynamics it enacts) (Lefebvre, 1984) and the knowledge systems that underpin it.
Thus, this project is a process of resituating spatial design practice (as experienced by this author) by exploring methods that enable alternative ways of gaining knowledge and subsequently producing space, rooted in non-Modernistic imaginaries. The primary method is the embodiment of prefigurative practices. Beginning with three intentional communities in the Netherlands, the embodiment has demonstrated how social-spatial reproduction can counter Modernistic frameworks while produce space by emphasizing lived space.
The thesis then investigates how design itself can be grounded in prefigurative practices, seeking methods to translate the knowledge gained from these communities. This exploration culminates in two main approaches: first, by documenting the communities’ practices and revealing how they deconstruct dominant imaginaries. A method that highlights alternative ways of spatial narration and grants agency to the communities as active actors. Second, by exploring how, as a spatial designer, one can embody prefigurative practices within their own context, beginning with a critical reimagining of that context, followed by a pathway for action.
This thesis contributes to feminist and activist design discourses by challenging Modernist conventions in spatial design and demonstrating how embodiment -as a method- can serve as a foundation for action. It inspires alternative spatial configurations and allows the thesis itself to both contribute to prefigurative practices and become one. The argument is twofold: spatial designers must critically reflect on the knowledge systems through which we conceive space, but more importantly, we must shift our focus from producing space through conceiving to producing space through living it, by becoming active agents in our surroundings.
Therefore, this thesis does not deliver conventional outputs. The report you are about to read is an exploration -fragmented, partial, and imperfect- an alternative pathway that invites you to critically reflect, resituate, deconstruct, and take action.
...
Thus, this project is a process of resituating spatial design practice (as experienced by this author) by exploring methods that enable alternative ways of gaining knowledge and subsequently producing space, rooted in non-Modernistic imaginaries. The primary method is the embodiment of prefigurative practices. Beginning with three intentional communities in the Netherlands, the embodiment has demonstrated how social-spatial reproduction can counter Modernistic frameworks while produce space by emphasizing lived space.
The thesis then investigates how design itself can be grounded in prefigurative practices, seeking methods to translate the knowledge gained from these communities. This exploration culminates in two main approaches: first, by documenting the communities’ practices and revealing how they deconstruct dominant imaginaries. A method that highlights alternative ways of spatial narration and grants agency to the communities as active actors. Second, by exploring how, as a spatial designer, one can embody prefigurative practices within their own context, beginning with a critical reimagining of that context, followed by a pathway for action.
This thesis contributes to feminist and activist design discourses by challenging Modernist conventions in spatial design and demonstrating how embodiment -as a method- can serve as a foundation for action. It inspires alternative spatial configurations and allows the thesis itself to both contribute to prefigurative practices and become one. The argument is twofold: spatial designers must critically reflect on the knowledge systems through which we conceive space, but more importantly, we must shift our focus from producing space through conceiving to producing space through living it, by becoming active agents in our surroundings.
Therefore, this thesis does not deliver conventional outputs. The report you are about to read is an exploration -fragmented, partial, and imperfect- an alternative pathway that invites you to critically reflect, resituate, deconstruct, and take action.
...
This thesis explores, through autobiographical action research, how the embodiment of prefigurative practices can inform urban design while simultaneously deconstructing the dominant imaginaries in which design is rooted. It begins with the premise that the current polycrisis stems from how many humans -this author included- perceive the world: through the imaginaries of Modernity, which we, as spatial designers, are responsible for reproducing. The problem lies in how we produce space (the power dynamics it enacts) (Lefebvre, 1984) and the knowledge systems that underpin it.
Thus, this project is a process of resituating spatial design practice (as experienced by this author) by exploring methods that enable alternative ways of gaining knowledge and subsequently producing space, rooted in non-Modernistic imaginaries. The primary method is the embodiment of prefigurative practices. Beginning with three intentional communities in the Netherlands, the embodiment has demonstrated how social-spatial reproduction can counter Modernistic frameworks while produce space by emphasizing lived space.
The thesis then investigates how design itself can be grounded in prefigurative practices, seeking methods to translate the knowledge gained from these communities. This exploration culminates in two main approaches: first, by documenting the communities’ practices and revealing how they deconstruct dominant imaginaries. A method that highlights alternative ways of spatial narration and grants agency to the communities as active actors. Second, by exploring how, as a spatial designer, one can embody prefigurative practices within their own context, beginning with a critical reimagining of that context, followed by a pathway for action.
This thesis contributes to feminist and activist design discourses by challenging Modernist conventions in spatial design and demonstrating how embodiment -as a method- can serve as a foundation for action. It inspires alternative spatial configurations and allows the thesis itself to both contribute to prefigurative practices and become one. The argument is twofold: spatial designers must critically reflect on the knowledge systems through which we conceive space, but more importantly, we must shift our focus from producing space through conceiving to producing space through living it, by becoming active agents in our surroundings.
Therefore, this thesis does not deliver conventional outputs. The report you are about to read is an exploration -fragmented, partial, and imperfect- an alternative pathway that invites you to critically reflect, resituate, deconstruct, and take action.
Thus, this project is a process of resituating spatial design practice (as experienced by this author) by exploring methods that enable alternative ways of gaining knowledge and subsequently producing space, rooted in non-Modernistic imaginaries. The primary method is the embodiment of prefigurative practices. Beginning with three intentional communities in the Netherlands, the embodiment has demonstrated how social-spatial reproduction can counter Modernistic frameworks while produce space by emphasizing lived space.
The thesis then investigates how design itself can be grounded in prefigurative practices, seeking methods to translate the knowledge gained from these communities. This exploration culminates in two main approaches: first, by documenting the communities’ practices and revealing how they deconstruct dominant imaginaries. A method that highlights alternative ways of spatial narration and grants agency to the communities as active actors. Second, by exploring how, as a spatial designer, one can embody prefigurative practices within their own context, beginning with a critical reimagining of that context, followed by a pathway for action.
This thesis contributes to feminist and activist design discourses by challenging Modernist conventions in spatial design and demonstrating how embodiment -as a method- can serve as a foundation for action. It inspires alternative spatial configurations and allows the thesis itself to both contribute to prefigurative practices and become one. The argument is twofold: spatial designers must critically reflect on the knowledge systems through which we conceive space, but more importantly, we must shift our focus from producing space through conceiving to producing space through living it, by becoming active agents in our surroundings.
Therefore, this thesis does not deliver conventional outputs. The report you are about to read is an exploration -fragmented, partial, and imperfect- an alternative pathway that invites you to critically reflect, resituate, deconstruct, and take action.
Reclaiming the Power of Energy
Reclaiming Energy through the Community, Ecology, and Landscape of Friesland
Student report
(2026)
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M. Bensink, R.P.M. Kabuiku, C. von Feldt, A.H. Yavuz, V.E. Balz, N. Katsikis, R.C. Rocco de Campos Pereira, J.E. Goncalves
Globally, climate change has a significant influence on human well-being and interaction. Current societal reliance on fossil fuels must be reduced through a transition to renewable energy. The Netherlands is poised to be a global leader in this transition. Local communities in the northern province of Friesland - residents, farmers, fishermen, and local energy companies - are often forgotten in this discussion. The proposed project seeks to provide benefits for both the residents and municipal governments of Friesland towards regional electric self-sufficiency.
The proposed project views the province in three different areas, the North Sea, Wadden Sea, and mainland Friesland, based upon unique ecological characteristics. These areas are accordingly assessed through three themes: energy production, ecological stewardship, and local engagement. Adherence to theoretical research of ecological stewardship, self-sufficiency from energy production, local engagement spurred through urbanization, and multilevel governance throughout the energy transition helped to facilitate discourse and direction throughout the proposed project. When contextualized through the conceptual framework, each theoretical component is given spatial gravity: energy production and self-sufficiency in the North Sea, ecological stewardship of the ever-important Wadden Sea, local engagement through urbanization of five Frisian cities that couples with a multilevel governance framework that values bottom-up approaches.
While Friesland is one of the most energy-poor provinces in the country, it also has many geographical advantages that can play host to renewable energy transition including vast areas for wind, solar, and tidal energies production potential. The proposed project seeks to provide regional self-sufficiency, to the benefit of the province’s residents and municipal governments. Various stakeholder identities have shaped the project to incorporate needs for a multitude of communities at all scales. The proposed project culminates in a unified vision with a plethora of action cards that are implemented in various contexts in different phases. ...
The proposed project views the province in three different areas, the North Sea, Wadden Sea, and mainland Friesland, based upon unique ecological characteristics. These areas are accordingly assessed through three themes: energy production, ecological stewardship, and local engagement. Adherence to theoretical research of ecological stewardship, self-sufficiency from energy production, local engagement spurred through urbanization, and multilevel governance throughout the energy transition helped to facilitate discourse and direction throughout the proposed project. When contextualized through the conceptual framework, each theoretical component is given spatial gravity: energy production and self-sufficiency in the North Sea, ecological stewardship of the ever-important Wadden Sea, local engagement through urbanization of five Frisian cities that couples with a multilevel governance framework that values bottom-up approaches.
While Friesland is one of the most energy-poor provinces in the country, it also has many geographical advantages that can play host to renewable energy transition including vast areas for wind, solar, and tidal energies production potential. The proposed project seeks to provide regional self-sufficiency, to the benefit of the province’s residents and municipal governments. Various stakeholder identities have shaped the project to incorporate needs for a multitude of communities at all scales. The proposed project culminates in a unified vision with a plethora of action cards that are implemented in various contexts in different phases. ...
Globally, climate change has a significant influence on human well-being and interaction. Current societal reliance on fossil fuels must be reduced through a transition to renewable energy. The Netherlands is poised to be a global leader in this transition. Local communities in the northern province of Friesland - residents, farmers, fishermen, and local energy companies - are often forgotten in this discussion. The proposed project seeks to provide benefits for both the residents and municipal governments of Friesland towards regional electric self-sufficiency.
The proposed project views the province in three different areas, the North Sea, Wadden Sea, and mainland Friesland, based upon unique ecological characteristics. These areas are accordingly assessed through three themes: energy production, ecological stewardship, and local engagement. Adherence to theoretical research of ecological stewardship, self-sufficiency from energy production, local engagement spurred through urbanization, and multilevel governance throughout the energy transition helped to facilitate discourse and direction throughout the proposed project. When contextualized through the conceptual framework, each theoretical component is given spatial gravity: energy production and self-sufficiency in the North Sea, ecological stewardship of the ever-important Wadden Sea, local engagement through urbanization of five Frisian cities that couples with a multilevel governance framework that values bottom-up approaches.
While Friesland is one of the most energy-poor provinces in the country, it also has many geographical advantages that can play host to renewable energy transition including vast areas for wind, solar, and tidal energies production potential. The proposed project seeks to provide regional self-sufficiency, to the benefit of the province’s residents and municipal governments. Various stakeholder identities have shaped the project to incorporate needs for a multitude of communities at all scales. The proposed project culminates in a unified vision with a plethora of action cards that are implemented in various contexts in different phases.
The proposed project views the province in three different areas, the North Sea, Wadden Sea, and mainland Friesland, based upon unique ecological characteristics. These areas are accordingly assessed through three themes: energy production, ecological stewardship, and local engagement. Adherence to theoretical research of ecological stewardship, self-sufficiency from energy production, local engagement spurred through urbanization, and multilevel governance throughout the energy transition helped to facilitate discourse and direction throughout the proposed project. When contextualized through the conceptual framework, each theoretical component is given spatial gravity: energy production and self-sufficiency in the North Sea, ecological stewardship of the ever-important Wadden Sea, local engagement through urbanization of five Frisian cities that couples with a multilevel governance framework that values bottom-up approaches.
While Friesland is one of the most energy-poor provinces in the country, it also has many geographical advantages that can play host to renewable energy transition including vast areas for wind, solar, and tidal energies production potential. The proposed project seeks to provide regional self-sufficiency, to the benefit of the province’s residents and municipal governments. Various stakeholder identities have shaped the project to incorporate needs for a multitude of communities at all scales. The proposed project culminates in a unified vision with a plethora of action cards that are implemented in various contexts in different phases.
Reconceptualising centrality
Re-inmagening the centrality of the hanseatic cities as a resilient collaborative energy system that unites residents old and new
Student report
(2026)
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C.J. van den Berg, J.J.W. de Kok, K.J.L. Brandl, S.M. Pai, Irene Luque Martin, Caroline Newton, V.E. Balz, N. Katsikis, J.E. Goncalves, R Rocco
The future of the Dutch Hanseatic cities Kampen, Zwolle, Deventer, Zutphen, and Doesburg is examined within the evolving spatial dynamics of the Netherlands. Historically organized around trade and collective identity along the IJssel River, these cities are now increasingly regarded as peripheral nodes relative to the expanding Randstad. Concurrently, migration flows driven by housing shortages introduce new populations, generating tensions among growth, liveability, and local identity. This research investigates how regional spatial design can accommodate demographic and economic growth while simultaneously strengthening local identity and community cohesion in the Hanseatic region. A research-by-design methodology, grounded in the energy transition and community-oriented planning, is adopted. The approach combines spatial analysis, mapping, stakeholder interviews, and iterative design processes such as envisioning, positioning, and strategic development. Through phases of analysis, synthesis, and design, the project integrates territorial understanding with stakeholder perspectives, with particular attention to newcomers, ageing residents, young adults, and governance actors. The resulting vision, The New Hanseatic Pride, proposes a spatial framework that repositions the region as an interconnected and regenerative system. Key interventions include developing eco-villages as transitional zones, integrating energy landscapes with agricultural systems, preserving and retrofitting historic urban cores, and stablishing a new central economic hub. The IJssel River is reactivated as both a logistical and ecological spine, and the Veluwe landscape is extended to enhance ecological continuity. This project demonstrates that regional design can transcend the centre–periphery paradigm by leveraging landscape, heritage, and community as active drivers of transformation. It contributes to spatial planning practice by proposing an integrated approach to energy transition, identity formation, and inclusive regional development.
...
The future of the Dutch Hanseatic cities Kampen, Zwolle, Deventer, Zutphen, and Doesburg is examined within the evolving spatial dynamics of the Netherlands. Historically organized around trade and collective identity along the IJssel River, these cities are now increasingly regarded as peripheral nodes relative to the expanding Randstad. Concurrently, migration flows driven by housing shortages introduce new populations, generating tensions among growth, liveability, and local identity. This research investigates how regional spatial design can accommodate demographic and economic growth while simultaneously strengthening local identity and community cohesion in the Hanseatic region. A research-by-design methodology, grounded in the energy transition and community-oriented planning, is adopted. The approach combines spatial analysis, mapping, stakeholder interviews, and iterative design processes such as envisioning, positioning, and strategic development. Through phases of analysis, synthesis, and design, the project integrates territorial understanding with stakeholder perspectives, with particular attention to newcomers, ageing residents, young adults, and governance actors. The resulting vision, The New Hanseatic Pride, proposes a spatial framework that repositions the region as an interconnected and regenerative system. Key interventions include developing eco-villages as transitional zones, integrating energy landscapes with agricultural systems, preserving and retrofitting historic urban cores, and stablishing a new central economic hub. The IJssel River is reactivated as both a logistical and ecological spine, and the Veluwe landscape is extended to enhance ecological continuity. This project demonstrates that regional design can transcend the centre–periphery paradigm by leveraging landscape, heritage, and community as active drivers of transformation. It contributes to spatial planning practice by proposing an integrated approach to energy transition, identity formation, and inclusive regional development.
Norway is widely perceived as a global frontrunner in environmental responsibility and sustainable development. Yet, tensions arise when national green ambitions translate into local land-use decisions shaped by competing values and aims. This thesis explores such a conflict on Askøy, an island near Bergen. Despite several objections and years of local resistance, a proposed sustainable urban development project called Kildn has been dominating the municipal planning debates. Kildn is promoted by the developers “as a new way of thinking” to become the world’s first zero-emission cruise harbour and fjord metro hub. However, the project is planned to be built on Askøy’s last untouched coastline, raising concerns about nature conservation, local identity and democratic participation. To explore how this debate unfolds, the study applies a critical planning perspective and analyses how different actors – including politicians, citizens, and developers - discursively construct their aims and mobilise support through texts, discursive strategies and engagement with social practices in multiple public arenas. Through a qualitative discourse analysis of interviews, social media, and documents, the research formed a nuanced and in-depth understanding of how underlying power and contextual dynamics shape the knowledge, legitimacy and influence of the discourses within the planning process. The findings reveal that planning is far from a neutral or purely technical process. Even in a democratic, consensus-oriented society with embedded participatory practices like Norway, hidden power dynamics and contextual dynamics determine whose voices are heard and whose knowledge is perceived as legitimate. However, the study also shows that marginalised groups can influence planning debates by organising strategically, building alliances, demonstrating dedicated leadership and creating visibility across various platforms. This thesis highlights the need for urban planners to recognise how discourse and power operate within complex contexts to shape planning outcomes, and to develop more inclusive decision-making processes that respond effectively to public value conflicts.
...
Norway is widely perceived as a global frontrunner in environmental responsibility and sustainable development. Yet, tensions arise when national green ambitions translate into local land-use decisions shaped by competing values and aims. This thesis explores such a conflict on Askøy, an island near Bergen. Despite several objections and years of local resistance, a proposed sustainable urban development project called Kildn has been dominating the municipal planning debates. Kildn is promoted by the developers “as a new way of thinking” to become the world’s first zero-emission cruise harbour and fjord metro hub. However, the project is planned to be built on Askøy’s last untouched coastline, raising concerns about nature conservation, local identity and democratic participation. To explore how this debate unfolds, the study applies a critical planning perspective and analyses how different actors – including politicians, citizens, and developers - discursively construct their aims and mobilise support through texts, discursive strategies and engagement with social practices in multiple public arenas. Through a qualitative discourse analysis of interviews, social media, and documents, the research formed a nuanced and in-depth understanding of how underlying power and contextual dynamics shape the knowledge, legitimacy and influence of the discourses within the planning process. The findings reveal that planning is far from a neutral or purely technical process. Even in a democratic, consensus-oriented society with embedded participatory practices like Norway, hidden power dynamics and contextual dynamics determine whose voices are heard and whose knowledge is perceived as legitimate. However, the study also shows that marginalised groups can influence planning debates by organising strategically, building alliances, demonstrating dedicated leadership and creating visibility across various platforms. This thesis highlights the need for urban planners to recognise how discourse and power operate within complex contexts to shape planning outcomes, and to develop more inclusive decision-making processes that respond effectively to public value conflicts.
Reclaiming Space, Reimagining Housing
Exploring the transformative potential of alternative housing imaginaries in Amsterdam
Responding to Amsterdam’s ongoing housing challenges, this thesis uses the concept of alternative imaginaries to explore the need for new ways of thinking about housing. The research nuances dominant supply-driven solutions by studying how alternative housing imaginaries are presented, enacted, and negotiated from the bottom up. More specifically, this research uses the phenomenon of squatting as both a historical and contemporary form of housing resistance. Building on Amsterdam’s rich squatting history, this study uncovers what alternatives these movements envision and how they live their ideals in occupied spaces. Therefore, imagination is treated in this research not just as a utopian dream, but rather as a prefigurative practice through which an alternative vision is put into practice. By studying these alternative visions and practices, the research exposes path dependencies and contradictions in dominant housing imaginaries.
By adopting a multi-method qualitative approach, this research examines the transformative potential of the alternative imaginaries of squatting movements in Amsterdam. The study covers both the historical impact of squatting movements and how more recent movements interacted with the system. In sum, these movements challenge the dominant narrative of housing as a commodity. In contrast, this research reveals how squatters see housing as inherently relational, envisioning them as urban commons of care and collective governance. By studying squatting as more than a protest or illegal occupation, the research adds empirical evidence for acknowledging social movements as imaginative and transformative forces, both within and outside the formal system. By connecting these questions to Amsterdam’s policy context, the study contributes to debates on socio-political transformation. It offers practical and conceptual insights into how reimagining housing can open alternatives toward more inclusive and participatory forms of urban living. ...
By adopting a multi-method qualitative approach, this research examines the transformative potential of the alternative imaginaries of squatting movements in Amsterdam. The study covers both the historical impact of squatting movements and how more recent movements interacted with the system. In sum, these movements challenge the dominant narrative of housing as a commodity. In contrast, this research reveals how squatters see housing as inherently relational, envisioning them as urban commons of care and collective governance. By studying squatting as more than a protest or illegal occupation, the research adds empirical evidence for acknowledging social movements as imaginative and transformative forces, both within and outside the formal system. By connecting these questions to Amsterdam’s policy context, the study contributes to debates on socio-political transformation. It offers practical and conceptual insights into how reimagining housing can open alternatives toward more inclusive and participatory forms of urban living. ...
Responding to Amsterdam’s ongoing housing challenges, this thesis uses the concept of alternative imaginaries to explore the need for new ways of thinking about housing. The research nuances dominant supply-driven solutions by studying how alternative housing imaginaries are presented, enacted, and negotiated from the bottom up. More specifically, this research uses the phenomenon of squatting as both a historical and contemporary form of housing resistance. Building on Amsterdam’s rich squatting history, this study uncovers what alternatives these movements envision and how they live their ideals in occupied spaces. Therefore, imagination is treated in this research not just as a utopian dream, but rather as a prefigurative practice through which an alternative vision is put into practice. By studying these alternative visions and practices, the research exposes path dependencies and contradictions in dominant housing imaginaries.
By adopting a multi-method qualitative approach, this research examines the transformative potential of the alternative imaginaries of squatting movements in Amsterdam. The study covers both the historical impact of squatting movements and how more recent movements interacted with the system. In sum, these movements challenge the dominant narrative of housing as a commodity. In contrast, this research reveals how squatters see housing as inherently relational, envisioning them as urban commons of care and collective governance. By studying squatting as more than a protest or illegal occupation, the research adds empirical evidence for acknowledging social movements as imaginative and transformative forces, both within and outside the formal system. By connecting these questions to Amsterdam’s policy context, the study contributes to debates on socio-political transformation. It offers practical and conceptual insights into how reimagining housing can open alternatives toward more inclusive and participatory forms of urban living.
By adopting a multi-method qualitative approach, this research examines the transformative potential of the alternative imaginaries of squatting movements in Amsterdam. The study covers both the historical impact of squatting movements and how more recent movements interacted with the system. In sum, these movements challenge the dominant narrative of housing as a commodity. In contrast, this research reveals how squatters see housing as inherently relational, envisioning them as urban commons of care and collective governance. By studying squatting as more than a protest or illegal occupation, the research adds empirical evidence for acknowledging social movements as imaginative and transformative forces, both within and outside the formal system. By connecting these questions to Amsterdam’s policy context, the study contributes to debates on socio-political transformation. It offers practical and conceptual insights into how reimagining housing can open alternatives toward more inclusive and participatory forms of urban living.
The Glass Ceiling
Radical Imaginaries of Spatial Justice in Westland’s Horticultural Landscape
This thesis investigates the intersection of spatial justice, autonomy, and radical imaginaries within the Westland agro-industrial greenhouse cluster in the Netherlands. As a global hub of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), the region is celebrated for its innovation and productivity in addressing food security amid rapid urbanization and ecological crises. However, its productivity masks urgent socio-environmental challenges that are proliferated by the spatial configuration, including fossil fuel dependency, complex supply global chains, precarious migrant labour, and increasing automation, making the cluster vulnerable to systemic disruptions.
Combining socio-spatial and historical analysis, the work interrogates the region's socio-technical lock-in and its dialectical relationship with spatial injustices. Through interviews, media- and literature review, and scenario thinking, the study identifies and assesses "radical imaginaries"—alternative future visions for agriculture in Westland grounded in ecologism, autonomy, and commons-based values. The findings suggest that the socio-spatial and material practices associated with these imaginaries support spatial justice and autonomy. Drawing on this, the thesis presents policy recommendations for increasing spatial justice, including an inclusive participatory planning approach for the Westland municipality. Next to this, a speculative spatial project integrates insights from the researched imaginaries, commons-theory and agro-ecology to formulate a reconfiguration of the socio-spatial logic that allows for a diversity of nature-inclusive food landscape typologies.
Ultimately, the thesis contributes to the discourse on post-industrial agricultural futures, offering insights into the role of design as a mediator between nature and culture. Besides, by politicising spatial planning and design, the research contributes to a body of work advocating for democratic, resilient, and ecologically balanced agri-food systems.
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Combining socio-spatial and historical analysis, the work interrogates the region's socio-technical lock-in and its dialectical relationship with spatial injustices. Through interviews, media- and literature review, and scenario thinking, the study identifies and assesses "radical imaginaries"—alternative future visions for agriculture in Westland grounded in ecologism, autonomy, and commons-based values. The findings suggest that the socio-spatial and material practices associated with these imaginaries support spatial justice and autonomy. Drawing on this, the thesis presents policy recommendations for increasing spatial justice, including an inclusive participatory planning approach for the Westland municipality. Next to this, a speculative spatial project integrates insights from the researched imaginaries, commons-theory and agro-ecology to formulate a reconfiguration of the socio-spatial logic that allows for a diversity of nature-inclusive food landscape typologies.
Ultimately, the thesis contributes to the discourse on post-industrial agricultural futures, offering insights into the role of design as a mediator between nature and culture. Besides, by politicising spatial planning and design, the research contributes to a body of work advocating for democratic, resilient, and ecologically balanced agri-food systems.
...
This thesis investigates the intersection of spatial justice, autonomy, and radical imaginaries within the Westland agro-industrial greenhouse cluster in the Netherlands. As a global hub of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), the region is celebrated for its innovation and productivity in addressing food security amid rapid urbanization and ecological crises. However, its productivity masks urgent socio-environmental challenges that are proliferated by the spatial configuration, including fossil fuel dependency, complex supply global chains, precarious migrant labour, and increasing automation, making the cluster vulnerable to systemic disruptions.
Combining socio-spatial and historical analysis, the work interrogates the region's socio-technical lock-in and its dialectical relationship with spatial injustices. Through interviews, media- and literature review, and scenario thinking, the study identifies and assesses "radical imaginaries"—alternative future visions for agriculture in Westland grounded in ecologism, autonomy, and commons-based values. The findings suggest that the socio-spatial and material practices associated with these imaginaries support spatial justice and autonomy. Drawing on this, the thesis presents policy recommendations for increasing spatial justice, including an inclusive participatory planning approach for the Westland municipality. Next to this, a speculative spatial project integrates insights from the researched imaginaries, commons-theory and agro-ecology to formulate a reconfiguration of the socio-spatial logic that allows for a diversity of nature-inclusive food landscape typologies.
Ultimately, the thesis contributes to the discourse on post-industrial agricultural futures, offering insights into the role of design as a mediator between nature and culture. Besides, by politicising spatial planning and design, the research contributes to a body of work advocating for democratic, resilient, and ecologically balanced agri-food systems.
Combining socio-spatial and historical analysis, the work interrogates the region's socio-technical lock-in and its dialectical relationship with spatial injustices. Through interviews, media- and literature review, and scenario thinking, the study identifies and assesses "radical imaginaries"—alternative future visions for agriculture in Westland grounded in ecologism, autonomy, and commons-based values. The findings suggest that the socio-spatial and material practices associated with these imaginaries support spatial justice and autonomy. Drawing on this, the thesis presents policy recommendations for increasing spatial justice, including an inclusive participatory planning approach for the Westland municipality. Next to this, a speculative spatial project integrates insights from the researched imaginaries, commons-theory and agro-ecology to formulate a reconfiguration of the socio-spatial logic that allows for a diversity of nature-inclusive food landscape typologies.
Ultimately, the thesis contributes to the discourse on post-industrial agricultural futures, offering insights into the role of design as a mediator between nature and culture. Besides, by politicising spatial planning and design, the research contributes to a body of work advocating for democratic, resilient, and ecologically balanced agri-food systems.
Reimagining the Coffee Industry In a Circular Economy
The Socio-Ecological Brazilian Farmers’ Perspective
This thesis studies how spatial circular strategies can contribute to just and climate-resilient transformation in Brazil’s coffee sector. Focusing on Southeast Brazil, it explores how agricultural methods, local resource cycles, and inclusive governance can mitigate and adapt to climate impacts while creating a fairer coffee value chain.
The research reveals that while some circular practices are already being applied, barriers remain to making system change. These include economic pressures, social inequality, and policy structures that favour large-scale, conventional farming. The analysis highlights distinct challenges and opportunities across different farm types. Large farms have the highest environmental impact potential, while small farms face the most social and economic constraints.
The project proposes spatial agricultural and intervention typologies and a practical toolbox to support farmers in transitioning toward circular production. In addition, supporting policy recommendations are suggested. This approach offers a pathway to a more sustainable and fair coffee sector by aligning environmental, economic, and social goals. ...
The research reveals that while some circular practices are already being applied, barriers remain to making system change. These include economic pressures, social inequality, and policy structures that favour large-scale, conventional farming. The analysis highlights distinct challenges and opportunities across different farm types. Large farms have the highest environmental impact potential, while small farms face the most social and economic constraints.
The project proposes spatial agricultural and intervention typologies and a practical toolbox to support farmers in transitioning toward circular production. In addition, supporting policy recommendations are suggested. This approach offers a pathway to a more sustainable and fair coffee sector by aligning environmental, economic, and social goals. ...
This thesis studies how spatial circular strategies can contribute to just and climate-resilient transformation in Brazil’s coffee sector. Focusing on Southeast Brazil, it explores how agricultural methods, local resource cycles, and inclusive governance can mitigate and adapt to climate impacts while creating a fairer coffee value chain.
The research reveals that while some circular practices are already being applied, barriers remain to making system change. These include economic pressures, social inequality, and policy structures that favour large-scale, conventional farming. The analysis highlights distinct challenges and opportunities across different farm types. Large farms have the highest environmental impact potential, while small farms face the most social and economic constraints.
The project proposes spatial agricultural and intervention typologies and a practical toolbox to support farmers in transitioning toward circular production. In addition, supporting policy recommendations are suggested. This approach offers a pathway to a more sustainable and fair coffee sector by aligning environmental, economic, and social goals.
The research reveals that while some circular practices are already being applied, barriers remain to making system change. These include economic pressures, social inequality, and policy structures that favour large-scale, conventional farming. The analysis highlights distinct challenges and opportunities across different farm types. Large farms have the highest environmental impact potential, while small farms face the most social and economic constraints.
The project proposes spatial agricultural and intervention typologies and a practical toolbox to support farmers in transitioning toward circular production. In addition, supporting policy recommendations are suggested. This approach offers a pathway to a more sustainable and fair coffee sector by aligning environmental, economic, and social goals.
More than Just Vulnerability
A Multidimensional Approach to Urban Climate Adaptation in The Hague
As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, urban areas are particularly at risk due to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, which amplifies local temperatures. However, the impacts of rising temperatures are not equally distributed: , heat disproportionately affects vulnerable populations In areas where social and spatial inequalities are deeply rooted, often leading to the poorest neighborhoods to be the warmest. While research has explored either the physical or social aspects of heat vulnerability, limited attention has been paid to the interplay between them across scales. This limits the effectiveness of adaptation strategies and risks overlooking the complex, lived realities of those most affected.
This thesis addresses this gap by investigating how a multidimensional understanding of urban heat vulnerability can support more tailored and inclusive adaptation strategies. Using The Hague as a case study, the research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a literature review, principal component analysis (PCA), field observations, interviews, and policy analysis. The PCA identified four distinct vulnerability typologies and revealed clear spatial patterns linked to socio-economic inequalities. For instance, Schildersbuurt-West emerged as the city’s most heat-vulnerable area. In-depth fieldwork in this neighborhood highlighted residents’ everyday experiences with heat, coping mechanisms, and varying levels of trust in institutions.
Findings show that exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity interact in context-specific ways and cannot be fully understood in isolation. Vulnerability is shaped by intersecting factors such as migration background, housing conditions, income, gender, and social support networks. The typologies derived from the PCA illustrate this complexity, showing that vulnerability takes different forms in different places.
In addition, the analysis of existing adaptation tools revealed a strong focus on physical and municipal-level interventions, often lacking behavioral strategies or bottom-up engagement. To bridge this gap, the thesis introduces Beat the Heat—a multi-scale, user-friendly adaptation toolkit. It offers practical strategies for both municipalities and residents, including preventive and responsive measures at household and neighborhood levels. Interventions can be filtered by stakeholder, target group, and location, and include information on cost and cooling potential.
By combining academic insights with practical tools, this research contributes both theoretically and pragmatically to the field of climate adaptation. It advances a multidimensional approach to understanding and addressing urban heat vulnerability and provides actionable pathways toward more just, effective, and inclusive responses. Beat the Heat helps ensure that adaptation measures align more closely with local needs, capacities, and lived experiences.
...
This thesis addresses this gap by investigating how a multidimensional understanding of urban heat vulnerability can support more tailored and inclusive adaptation strategies. Using The Hague as a case study, the research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a literature review, principal component analysis (PCA), field observations, interviews, and policy analysis. The PCA identified four distinct vulnerability typologies and revealed clear spatial patterns linked to socio-economic inequalities. For instance, Schildersbuurt-West emerged as the city’s most heat-vulnerable area. In-depth fieldwork in this neighborhood highlighted residents’ everyday experiences with heat, coping mechanisms, and varying levels of trust in institutions.
Findings show that exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity interact in context-specific ways and cannot be fully understood in isolation. Vulnerability is shaped by intersecting factors such as migration background, housing conditions, income, gender, and social support networks. The typologies derived from the PCA illustrate this complexity, showing that vulnerability takes different forms in different places.
In addition, the analysis of existing adaptation tools revealed a strong focus on physical and municipal-level interventions, often lacking behavioral strategies or bottom-up engagement. To bridge this gap, the thesis introduces Beat the Heat—a multi-scale, user-friendly adaptation toolkit. It offers practical strategies for both municipalities and residents, including preventive and responsive measures at household and neighborhood levels. Interventions can be filtered by stakeholder, target group, and location, and include information on cost and cooling potential.
By combining academic insights with practical tools, this research contributes both theoretically and pragmatically to the field of climate adaptation. It advances a multidimensional approach to understanding and addressing urban heat vulnerability and provides actionable pathways toward more just, effective, and inclusive responses. Beat the Heat helps ensure that adaptation measures align more closely with local needs, capacities, and lived experiences.
...
As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, urban areas are particularly at risk due to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, which amplifies local temperatures. However, the impacts of rising temperatures are not equally distributed: , heat disproportionately affects vulnerable populations In areas where social and spatial inequalities are deeply rooted, often leading to the poorest neighborhoods to be the warmest. While research has explored either the physical or social aspects of heat vulnerability, limited attention has been paid to the interplay between them across scales. This limits the effectiveness of adaptation strategies and risks overlooking the complex, lived realities of those most affected.
This thesis addresses this gap by investigating how a multidimensional understanding of urban heat vulnerability can support more tailored and inclusive adaptation strategies. Using The Hague as a case study, the research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a literature review, principal component analysis (PCA), field observations, interviews, and policy analysis. The PCA identified four distinct vulnerability typologies and revealed clear spatial patterns linked to socio-economic inequalities. For instance, Schildersbuurt-West emerged as the city’s most heat-vulnerable area. In-depth fieldwork in this neighborhood highlighted residents’ everyday experiences with heat, coping mechanisms, and varying levels of trust in institutions.
Findings show that exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity interact in context-specific ways and cannot be fully understood in isolation. Vulnerability is shaped by intersecting factors such as migration background, housing conditions, income, gender, and social support networks. The typologies derived from the PCA illustrate this complexity, showing that vulnerability takes different forms in different places.
In addition, the analysis of existing adaptation tools revealed a strong focus on physical and municipal-level interventions, often lacking behavioral strategies or bottom-up engagement. To bridge this gap, the thesis introduces Beat the Heat—a multi-scale, user-friendly adaptation toolkit. It offers practical strategies for both municipalities and residents, including preventive and responsive measures at household and neighborhood levels. Interventions can be filtered by stakeholder, target group, and location, and include information on cost and cooling potential.
By combining academic insights with practical tools, this research contributes both theoretically and pragmatically to the field of climate adaptation. It advances a multidimensional approach to understanding and addressing urban heat vulnerability and provides actionable pathways toward more just, effective, and inclusive responses. Beat the Heat helps ensure that adaptation measures align more closely with local needs, capacities, and lived experiences.
This thesis addresses this gap by investigating how a multidimensional understanding of urban heat vulnerability can support more tailored and inclusive adaptation strategies. Using The Hague as a case study, the research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a literature review, principal component analysis (PCA), field observations, interviews, and policy analysis. The PCA identified four distinct vulnerability typologies and revealed clear spatial patterns linked to socio-economic inequalities. For instance, Schildersbuurt-West emerged as the city’s most heat-vulnerable area. In-depth fieldwork in this neighborhood highlighted residents’ everyday experiences with heat, coping mechanisms, and varying levels of trust in institutions.
Findings show that exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity interact in context-specific ways and cannot be fully understood in isolation. Vulnerability is shaped by intersecting factors such as migration background, housing conditions, income, gender, and social support networks. The typologies derived from the PCA illustrate this complexity, showing that vulnerability takes different forms in different places.
In addition, the analysis of existing adaptation tools revealed a strong focus on physical and municipal-level interventions, often lacking behavioral strategies or bottom-up engagement. To bridge this gap, the thesis introduces Beat the Heat—a multi-scale, user-friendly adaptation toolkit. It offers practical strategies for both municipalities and residents, including preventive and responsive measures at household and neighborhood levels. Interventions can be filtered by stakeholder, target group, and location, and include information on cost and cooling potential.
By combining academic insights with practical tools, this research contributes both theoretically and pragmatically to the field of climate adaptation. It advances a multidimensional approach to understanding and addressing urban heat vulnerability and provides actionable pathways toward more just, effective, and inclusive responses. Beat the Heat helps ensure that adaptation measures align more closely with local needs, capacities, and lived experiences.
Standing still while moving
Balancing tradition and transition in the valued landscape
Student report
(2025)
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R.H. Jorritsma, F.J.N. Konings, Y. Lin, Y.B. Stoeller, F.W. van Asch, V.E. Balz, T. Kuzniecow Bacchin, R.C. Rocco de Campos Pereira, J.E. Goncalves
Bogotá, Cohesion by Polymorphism
The reinvention of the city's landscape within the Colombian Identity
The current condition of urban fragmentation in Bogotá is the result of a long and complex historical process that (due to both external pressures related to the urban planning paradigms of modernity, as well as internal pressures from the Colombian armed conflict) has ended up defining a certain stance in the city’s development, both towards its natural environment and towards the various social groups inhabiting it. On one hand, the constant imposition of progress models has ended up disintegrating the relationship that the urban fabric has with ecological structures, generating a city that occurs on the margins of landscape dynamics. On the other hand, within the city planning process, the extensive internal cultural diversity of Bogotá has not been taken into account, resulting from forced displacement generated by the armed conflict, which led during the second half of the 20th century to a growing concentration of different communities (originating from different regions) of the country in the main cities.
This thesis contemplates a series of strategies, both participatory and urban renewal, aimed at the urban cohesion of Bogotá. Through the implementation of the theory of “Design for the Pluriverse”, social and ecological diversity is embraced as a potential for city planning. This thesis focuses on a historical and spatial analysis of the conditions that led to Bogotá’s current condition through a literature review and the use of GIS tools, resulting in a two-part proposal. The first part is a Participatory framework (Bottom-Up) to promote community-led land management. The second part consists of an Urban Design (Top-Down) aimed at rehabilitating the ecosystem in which these communities reside. ...
This thesis contemplates a series of strategies, both participatory and urban renewal, aimed at the urban cohesion of Bogotá. Through the implementation of the theory of “Design for the Pluriverse”, social and ecological diversity is embraced as a potential for city planning. This thesis focuses on a historical and spatial analysis of the conditions that led to Bogotá’s current condition through a literature review and the use of GIS tools, resulting in a two-part proposal. The first part is a Participatory framework (Bottom-Up) to promote community-led land management. The second part consists of an Urban Design (Top-Down) aimed at rehabilitating the ecosystem in which these communities reside. ...
The current condition of urban fragmentation in Bogotá is the result of a long and complex historical process that (due to both external pressures related to the urban planning paradigms of modernity, as well as internal pressures from the Colombian armed conflict) has ended up defining a certain stance in the city’s development, both towards its natural environment and towards the various social groups inhabiting it. On one hand, the constant imposition of progress models has ended up disintegrating the relationship that the urban fabric has with ecological structures, generating a city that occurs on the margins of landscape dynamics. On the other hand, within the city planning process, the extensive internal cultural diversity of Bogotá has not been taken into account, resulting from forced displacement generated by the armed conflict, which led during the second half of the 20th century to a growing concentration of different communities (originating from different regions) of the country in the main cities.
This thesis contemplates a series of strategies, both participatory and urban renewal, aimed at the urban cohesion of Bogotá. Through the implementation of the theory of “Design for the Pluriverse”, social and ecological diversity is embraced as a potential for city planning. This thesis focuses on a historical and spatial analysis of the conditions that led to Bogotá’s current condition through a literature review and the use of GIS tools, resulting in a two-part proposal. The first part is a Participatory framework (Bottom-Up) to promote community-led land management. The second part consists of an Urban Design (Top-Down) aimed at rehabilitating the ecosystem in which these communities reside.
This thesis contemplates a series of strategies, both participatory and urban renewal, aimed at the urban cohesion of Bogotá. Through the implementation of the theory of “Design for the Pluriverse”, social and ecological diversity is embraced as a potential for city planning. This thesis focuses on a historical and spatial analysis of the conditions that led to Bogotá’s current condition through a literature review and the use of GIS tools, resulting in a two-part proposal. The first part is a Participatory framework (Bottom-Up) to promote community-led land management. The second part consists of an Urban Design (Top-Down) aimed at rehabilitating the ecosystem in which these communities reside.
A home to remember
Designing for people with dementia, a research on the life of elderly with dementia in order to design a living environment that provides them with quality of life and the care they need
Master thesis
(2024)
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J.K.M. Houweling, B.M. Jurgenhake, A.B.J. van Deudekom, L.M. Oorschot, J.E. Goncalves
This research is about designing for people with dementia. The Dutch population is aging and
double aging, causing an increase of people with dementia. This also causes a growing imbalance between people who need care and people who can provide care. Adding to this are the current living arrangements for people with dementia not sufficient. Therefore the central question in this research is: what living environment features can contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia, and provide them with the care they need.
The aim of this research is to define design guidelines that provide people with dementia with sufficient housing and a qualitative living environment through all stages of dementia. And to see if this can contribute to the efficiency in care, so that people with dementia can still get the care they need.
This research obtains information through literature study, case studies and a fieldwork in an elderly care home to provide an answer to the main question. This research defines four main topics that contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia: distinctiveness, familiarity, independence and biophilic. This research investigates these topics on different scales. First the scale of the dwelling, than the building, and at last the near surroundings. Finally, this research has a chapter from the perspective of the caregiver on the living environment for people with dementia. This results in design guidelines.
It can be concluded from this research that by bringing together the fields of dementia,
dementia care and architecture, a qualitative living environment can be created for people
with dementia with a high quality of life. A higher quality of life will contribute to the efficiency of care and a decrease in the demand for care. ...
double aging, causing an increase of people with dementia. This also causes a growing imbalance between people who need care and people who can provide care. Adding to this are the current living arrangements for people with dementia not sufficient. Therefore the central question in this research is: what living environment features can contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia, and provide them with the care they need.
The aim of this research is to define design guidelines that provide people with dementia with sufficient housing and a qualitative living environment through all stages of dementia. And to see if this can contribute to the efficiency in care, so that people with dementia can still get the care they need.
This research obtains information through literature study, case studies and a fieldwork in an elderly care home to provide an answer to the main question. This research defines four main topics that contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia: distinctiveness, familiarity, independence and biophilic. This research investigates these topics on different scales. First the scale of the dwelling, than the building, and at last the near surroundings. Finally, this research has a chapter from the perspective of the caregiver on the living environment for people with dementia. This results in design guidelines.
It can be concluded from this research that by bringing together the fields of dementia,
dementia care and architecture, a qualitative living environment can be created for people
with dementia with a high quality of life. A higher quality of life will contribute to the efficiency of care and a decrease in the demand for care. ...
This research is about designing for people with dementia. The Dutch population is aging and
double aging, causing an increase of people with dementia. This also causes a growing imbalance between people who need care and people who can provide care. Adding to this are the current living arrangements for people with dementia not sufficient. Therefore the central question in this research is: what living environment features can contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia, and provide them with the care they need.
The aim of this research is to define design guidelines that provide people with dementia with sufficient housing and a qualitative living environment through all stages of dementia. And to see if this can contribute to the efficiency in care, so that people with dementia can still get the care they need.
This research obtains information through literature study, case studies and a fieldwork in an elderly care home to provide an answer to the main question. This research defines four main topics that contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia: distinctiveness, familiarity, independence and biophilic. This research investigates these topics on different scales. First the scale of the dwelling, than the building, and at last the near surroundings. Finally, this research has a chapter from the perspective of the caregiver on the living environment for people with dementia. This results in design guidelines.
It can be concluded from this research that by bringing together the fields of dementia,
dementia care and architecture, a qualitative living environment can be created for people
with dementia with a high quality of life. A higher quality of life will contribute to the efficiency of care and a decrease in the demand for care.
double aging, causing an increase of people with dementia. This also causes a growing imbalance between people who need care and people who can provide care. Adding to this are the current living arrangements for people with dementia not sufficient. Therefore the central question in this research is: what living environment features can contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia, and provide them with the care they need.
The aim of this research is to define design guidelines that provide people with dementia with sufficient housing and a qualitative living environment through all stages of dementia. And to see if this can contribute to the efficiency in care, so that people with dementia can still get the care they need.
This research obtains information through literature study, case studies and a fieldwork in an elderly care home to provide an answer to the main question. This research defines four main topics that contribute to the quality of life of people with dementia: distinctiveness, familiarity, independence and biophilic. This research investigates these topics on different scales. First the scale of the dwelling, than the building, and at last the near surroundings. Finally, this research has a chapter from the perspective of the caregiver on the living environment for people with dementia. This results in design guidelines.
It can be concluded from this research that by bringing together the fields of dementia,
dementia care and architecture, a qualitative living environment can be created for people
with dementia with a high quality of life. A higher quality of life will contribute to the efficiency of care and a decrease in the demand for care.
Fostering trauma recovery through citizen participation
Reshaping public space through trauma-informed urban design in Alytus, Lithuania
This research delves into the intersection of collective trauma and urban design within the micro-districts of Alytus, Lithuania. It aims to understand how participatory urban design can facilitate the healing of collective trauma while enhancing public spaces. The research focuses on the long-term renovation of buildings constructed during the Soviet occupation, a process impacting 60% of Lithuania's population. Alytus, our case study, has an urban fabric that was marked by the stamp of modernistic prefabricated blocks, that presents a unique challenge and opportunity for addressing collective memory and trauma.
Employing a multi-method approach, this research integrates literature reviews, case studies, spatial analysis, and participatory design exercises to explore the spatial dynamics of trauma recovery. Central to the study is the development of an engagement strategy based on trauma research, and the design of a participatory tool and process to test the initial phase of this new strategy. This strategy emphasizes the need for trust-building, safety, inclusivity, and community connectivity in micro-districts.
Key findings suggest that examining the process of building and public space renovation through the lens of trauma necessitates rethinking and challenging the existing tools and methods used in participatory design sessions involving public, private, and civic stakeholders. The project proposes a new three-step participatory strategy for designing public spaces in micro-districts. In addition to identifying the urban and social issues of the Vidzgiris micro-district, the research presents a vision for transforming public spaces. This transformation proposes a new hierarchy and identity for various public spaces, aiming to facilitate both individual and collective trauma recovery.
The research proposes that reshaping the existing participatory process can aid in acknowledging and recovering from collective trauma caused by the soviet occupation. This participatory process fosters learning, exploring and transforming together, and aims to enhance shared spaces to promote social cohesion among residents. The focus is on three distinct public spaces: the courtyards, the green corridors, and the railway park. These areas are examined for potential spatial interventions aimed at promoting both individual and collective trauma recovery, while also enhancing the spaces through the lens of climate mitigation.
Contributing to the broader discourse on urban resilience, this study offers insights into how cities can address historical traumas through thoughtful urban planning and design. It underscores the potential of urban design as a tool for recovery and community rebuilding, providing a framework adaptable to other post-traumatic urban contexts globally. ...
Employing a multi-method approach, this research integrates literature reviews, case studies, spatial analysis, and participatory design exercises to explore the spatial dynamics of trauma recovery. Central to the study is the development of an engagement strategy based on trauma research, and the design of a participatory tool and process to test the initial phase of this new strategy. This strategy emphasizes the need for trust-building, safety, inclusivity, and community connectivity in micro-districts.
Key findings suggest that examining the process of building and public space renovation through the lens of trauma necessitates rethinking and challenging the existing tools and methods used in participatory design sessions involving public, private, and civic stakeholders. The project proposes a new three-step participatory strategy for designing public spaces in micro-districts. In addition to identifying the urban and social issues of the Vidzgiris micro-district, the research presents a vision for transforming public spaces. This transformation proposes a new hierarchy and identity for various public spaces, aiming to facilitate both individual and collective trauma recovery.
The research proposes that reshaping the existing participatory process can aid in acknowledging and recovering from collective trauma caused by the soviet occupation. This participatory process fosters learning, exploring and transforming together, and aims to enhance shared spaces to promote social cohesion among residents. The focus is on three distinct public spaces: the courtyards, the green corridors, and the railway park. These areas are examined for potential spatial interventions aimed at promoting both individual and collective trauma recovery, while also enhancing the spaces through the lens of climate mitigation.
Contributing to the broader discourse on urban resilience, this study offers insights into how cities can address historical traumas through thoughtful urban planning and design. It underscores the potential of urban design as a tool for recovery and community rebuilding, providing a framework adaptable to other post-traumatic urban contexts globally. ...
This research delves into the intersection of collective trauma and urban design within the micro-districts of Alytus, Lithuania. It aims to understand how participatory urban design can facilitate the healing of collective trauma while enhancing public spaces. The research focuses on the long-term renovation of buildings constructed during the Soviet occupation, a process impacting 60% of Lithuania's population. Alytus, our case study, has an urban fabric that was marked by the stamp of modernistic prefabricated blocks, that presents a unique challenge and opportunity for addressing collective memory and trauma.
Employing a multi-method approach, this research integrates literature reviews, case studies, spatial analysis, and participatory design exercises to explore the spatial dynamics of trauma recovery. Central to the study is the development of an engagement strategy based on trauma research, and the design of a participatory tool and process to test the initial phase of this new strategy. This strategy emphasizes the need for trust-building, safety, inclusivity, and community connectivity in micro-districts.
Key findings suggest that examining the process of building and public space renovation through the lens of trauma necessitates rethinking and challenging the existing tools and methods used in participatory design sessions involving public, private, and civic stakeholders. The project proposes a new three-step participatory strategy for designing public spaces in micro-districts. In addition to identifying the urban and social issues of the Vidzgiris micro-district, the research presents a vision for transforming public spaces. This transformation proposes a new hierarchy and identity for various public spaces, aiming to facilitate both individual and collective trauma recovery.
The research proposes that reshaping the existing participatory process can aid in acknowledging and recovering from collective trauma caused by the soviet occupation. This participatory process fosters learning, exploring and transforming together, and aims to enhance shared spaces to promote social cohesion among residents. The focus is on three distinct public spaces: the courtyards, the green corridors, and the railway park. These areas are examined for potential spatial interventions aimed at promoting both individual and collective trauma recovery, while also enhancing the spaces through the lens of climate mitigation.
Contributing to the broader discourse on urban resilience, this study offers insights into how cities can address historical traumas through thoughtful urban planning and design. It underscores the potential of urban design as a tool for recovery and community rebuilding, providing a framework adaptable to other post-traumatic urban contexts globally.
Employing a multi-method approach, this research integrates literature reviews, case studies, spatial analysis, and participatory design exercises to explore the spatial dynamics of trauma recovery. Central to the study is the development of an engagement strategy based on trauma research, and the design of a participatory tool and process to test the initial phase of this new strategy. This strategy emphasizes the need for trust-building, safety, inclusivity, and community connectivity in micro-districts.
Key findings suggest that examining the process of building and public space renovation through the lens of trauma necessitates rethinking and challenging the existing tools and methods used in participatory design sessions involving public, private, and civic stakeholders. The project proposes a new three-step participatory strategy for designing public spaces in micro-districts. In addition to identifying the urban and social issues of the Vidzgiris micro-district, the research presents a vision for transforming public spaces. This transformation proposes a new hierarchy and identity for various public spaces, aiming to facilitate both individual and collective trauma recovery.
The research proposes that reshaping the existing participatory process can aid in acknowledging and recovering from collective trauma caused by the soviet occupation. This participatory process fosters learning, exploring and transforming together, and aims to enhance shared spaces to promote social cohesion among residents. The focus is on three distinct public spaces: the courtyards, the green corridors, and the railway park. These areas are examined for potential spatial interventions aimed at promoting both individual and collective trauma recovery, while also enhancing the spaces through the lens of climate mitigation.
Contributing to the broader discourse on urban resilience, this study offers insights into how cities can address historical traumas through thoughtful urban planning and design. It underscores the potential of urban design as a tool for recovery and community rebuilding, providing a framework adaptable to other post-traumatic urban contexts globally.
Grieving ecological losses
Creating space for ecological grief in the urban context to contribute to a societal transition towards eco-centric values
The world is facing an escalating environmental crisis marked by major socio-ecological losses. Human-induced environmental threats, like biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, underscore the onset of the Earth's sixth mass extinction, recently termed ‘ecocide’. Despite the urgent warnings from the scientific community and growing public awareness, inadequate and insufficient action has been taken to address the environmental crisis. In addition, recent research has shown that people are increasingly experiencing anxiety and feelings of hopelessness concerning these environmental issues, which prevents meaningful engagement with these topics. Yet, the role of emotions is often neglected in the Western discourse, impeding public acknowledgement of ecological grief (eco-grief).
This study recognises eco-grief as a legitimate response and the process of eco-grief as a catalyst for true engagement and pro-environmental attitudes, demonstrating how this alternative approach can inform the governance and planning of eco-centric cities. A conceptual framework based on Latour’s cognitive, emotional, and aesthetic virtues, the process of eco-grief and the X-curve for societal transitions is used to understand how people perceive the ongoing crisis.
Rotterdam Noord is taken as a case study, and a survey is used to gather citizens’ perceptions of nature, their experiences of ecological loss and grief, and their attachments to their local environment. In combination with a spatial and a governance analysis, a governance strategy is designed to create both physical and mental space for eco-grief to exist and be acknowledged in the urban context in order to contribute to a societal change towards eco-centric values. The strategy involves three elements focussed on building the relationship with our environment, revealing environmental losses and coping with the corresponding feelings.
This research contributes to debates around eco-grief by providing empirical insights from an urban setting while addressing urban-specific challenges like the “anti-urban bias” and the “shifting baseline syndrome”.
...
This study recognises eco-grief as a legitimate response and the process of eco-grief as a catalyst for true engagement and pro-environmental attitudes, demonstrating how this alternative approach can inform the governance and planning of eco-centric cities. A conceptual framework based on Latour’s cognitive, emotional, and aesthetic virtues, the process of eco-grief and the X-curve for societal transitions is used to understand how people perceive the ongoing crisis.
Rotterdam Noord is taken as a case study, and a survey is used to gather citizens’ perceptions of nature, their experiences of ecological loss and grief, and their attachments to their local environment. In combination with a spatial and a governance analysis, a governance strategy is designed to create both physical and mental space for eco-grief to exist and be acknowledged in the urban context in order to contribute to a societal change towards eco-centric values. The strategy involves three elements focussed on building the relationship with our environment, revealing environmental losses and coping with the corresponding feelings.
This research contributes to debates around eco-grief by providing empirical insights from an urban setting while addressing urban-specific challenges like the “anti-urban bias” and the “shifting baseline syndrome”.
...
The world is facing an escalating environmental crisis marked by major socio-ecological losses. Human-induced environmental threats, like biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, underscore the onset of the Earth's sixth mass extinction, recently termed ‘ecocide’. Despite the urgent warnings from the scientific community and growing public awareness, inadequate and insufficient action has been taken to address the environmental crisis. In addition, recent research has shown that people are increasingly experiencing anxiety and feelings of hopelessness concerning these environmental issues, which prevents meaningful engagement with these topics. Yet, the role of emotions is often neglected in the Western discourse, impeding public acknowledgement of ecological grief (eco-grief).
This study recognises eco-grief as a legitimate response and the process of eco-grief as a catalyst for true engagement and pro-environmental attitudes, demonstrating how this alternative approach can inform the governance and planning of eco-centric cities. A conceptual framework based on Latour’s cognitive, emotional, and aesthetic virtues, the process of eco-grief and the X-curve for societal transitions is used to understand how people perceive the ongoing crisis.
Rotterdam Noord is taken as a case study, and a survey is used to gather citizens’ perceptions of nature, their experiences of ecological loss and grief, and their attachments to their local environment. In combination with a spatial and a governance analysis, a governance strategy is designed to create both physical and mental space for eco-grief to exist and be acknowledged in the urban context in order to contribute to a societal change towards eco-centric values. The strategy involves three elements focussed on building the relationship with our environment, revealing environmental losses and coping with the corresponding feelings.
This research contributes to debates around eco-grief by providing empirical insights from an urban setting while addressing urban-specific challenges like the “anti-urban bias” and the “shifting baseline syndrome”.
This study recognises eco-grief as a legitimate response and the process of eco-grief as a catalyst for true engagement and pro-environmental attitudes, demonstrating how this alternative approach can inform the governance and planning of eco-centric cities. A conceptual framework based on Latour’s cognitive, emotional, and aesthetic virtues, the process of eco-grief and the X-curve for societal transitions is used to understand how people perceive the ongoing crisis.
Rotterdam Noord is taken as a case study, and a survey is used to gather citizens’ perceptions of nature, their experiences of ecological loss and grief, and their attachments to their local environment. In combination with a spatial and a governance analysis, a governance strategy is designed to create both physical and mental space for eco-grief to exist and be acknowledged in the urban context in order to contribute to a societal change towards eco-centric values. The strategy involves three elements focussed on building the relationship with our environment, revealing environmental losses and coping with the corresponding feelings.
This research contributes to debates around eco-grief by providing empirical insights from an urban setting while addressing urban-specific challenges like the “anti-urban bias” and the “shifting baseline syndrome”.
(Re)mediation
A research on how the heavy metal soil pollution in the IJmond region caused by the steel industry can be remediated and its social impact can be mediated
This research addresses the heavy metal soil pollution of the IJmond region caused by the presence of the industry for over a hundred years. Currently, Tata Steel’s steel industry is transitioning towards Green Steel production, which will decrease air pollution significantly; this does not solve the issue of soil pollution that has accumulated over the years within the region. Even though heavy metals in the soil surpass the legally allowed concentration, nothing is being done about it. Heavy metal soil pollution influences human health when interacting with the soil and can indirectly contaminate produce grown on the soil. Due to this decennia-long pollution of the steel industry, the value of the surrounding landscape (the IJmond region) has decreased, limiting the residents’ health and future potential for development. That is why this research will focus on how to return value to the IJmond region in the Green Steel future of the steel industry. This will be done by creating a strategy concentrating on the spatial impact of soil pollution and the societal impact on the residents in working towards healthy soil again.
The revaluing strategy will focus on three sub-values: the current value that should be maintained, the intended value that should be created and the process value of ensuring a just process in revaluing the landscape. The current value is the presence of the steel industry within the region and how it is engrained within the societal structure of the IJmond region. A consequence of the presence of this current value is soil pollution, which causes a conflict with the livability of the region. This is why the intended value is a healthy soil that returns livability and remediates pollution. The process value stresses the need for an inclusive process that creates agency and transparency for residents.
The strategy combines these values by integrating collaborative governance with spatial remediation, both of which are essential to realising healthy soil on a large scale. This is done in four phases that focus not only on planting, maintaining, and harvesting plants that clean the soil through phytoremediation but also on creating stakeholder interaction and engagement.
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The revaluing strategy will focus on three sub-values: the current value that should be maintained, the intended value that should be created and the process value of ensuring a just process in revaluing the landscape. The current value is the presence of the steel industry within the region and how it is engrained within the societal structure of the IJmond region. A consequence of the presence of this current value is soil pollution, which causes a conflict with the livability of the region. This is why the intended value is a healthy soil that returns livability and remediates pollution. The process value stresses the need for an inclusive process that creates agency and transparency for residents.
The strategy combines these values by integrating collaborative governance with spatial remediation, both of which are essential to realising healthy soil on a large scale. This is done in four phases that focus not only on planting, maintaining, and harvesting plants that clean the soil through phytoremediation but also on creating stakeholder interaction and engagement.
...
This research addresses the heavy metal soil pollution of the IJmond region caused by the presence of the industry for over a hundred years. Currently, Tata Steel’s steel industry is transitioning towards Green Steel production, which will decrease air pollution significantly; this does not solve the issue of soil pollution that has accumulated over the years within the region. Even though heavy metals in the soil surpass the legally allowed concentration, nothing is being done about it. Heavy metal soil pollution influences human health when interacting with the soil and can indirectly contaminate produce grown on the soil. Due to this decennia-long pollution of the steel industry, the value of the surrounding landscape (the IJmond region) has decreased, limiting the residents’ health and future potential for development. That is why this research will focus on how to return value to the IJmond region in the Green Steel future of the steel industry. This will be done by creating a strategy concentrating on the spatial impact of soil pollution and the societal impact on the residents in working towards healthy soil again.
The revaluing strategy will focus on three sub-values: the current value that should be maintained, the intended value that should be created and the process value of ensuring a just process in revaluing the landscape. The current value is the presence of the steel industry within the region and how it is engrained within the societal structure of the IJmond region. A consequence of the presence of this current value is soil pollution, which causes a conflict with the livability of the region. This is why the intended value is a healthy soil that returns livability and remediates pollution. The process value stresses the need for an inclusive process that creates agency and transparency for residents.
The strategy combines these values by integrating collaborative governance with spatial remediation, both of which are essential to realising healthy soil on a large scale. This is done in four phases that focus not only on planting, maintaining, and harvesting plants that clean the soil through phytoremediation but also on creating stakeholder interaction and engagement.
The revaluing strategy will focus on three sub-values: the current value that should be maintained, the intended value that should be created and the process value of ensuring a just process in revaluing the landscape. The current value is the presence of the steel industry within the region and how it is engrained within the societal structure of the IJmond region. A consequence of the presence of this current value is soil pollution, which causes a conflict with the livability of the region. This is why the intended value is a healthy soil that returns livability and remediates pollution. The process value stresses the need for an inclusive process that creates agency and transparency for residents.
The strategy combines these values by integrating collaborative governance with spatial remediation, both of which are essential to realising healthy soil on a large scale. This is done in four phases that focus not only on planting, maintaining, and harvesting plants that clean the soil through phytoremediation but also on creating stakeholder interaction and engagement.
Towards a just heating transition
Exploration of socio-spatial inequalities in individual and collective access to clean heating technologies for The Hague
Exploring Gender Disparities in Accessibility Levels
A Comprehensive Analysis of Transportation Modes, Activity Types and Personal Characteristics
Accessibility is a fundamental concept concerning urban and transport planning as it is the elementary basis for socio-economic development in cities. It can be described as the potential to reach spatially distributed opportunities. Recent research has identified that excluding person-based features from this analysis might cause inaccurate measurement of accessibility. Age, gender, and income, for instance, are responsible for varying accessibility levels drastically. In addition, studies worldwide have shown that women face different challenges in reaching locations and spatially distributed opportunities. Despite the findings, this research identifies a gap in understanding how a person-based perspective, mainly gender, and other personal characteristics, affect accessibility levels, considering various travel purposes and transport modes. Thus, this research aims to answer the question, ”How do person-based characteristics, mainly gender, can impact accessibility levels?”. The primary objective is to explore how these characteristics influence accessibility metrics, identify the urban groups most affected by the absence of this perspective, and determine the key personal characteristics that significantly impact accessibility levels. To address these objectives, this study considers a combination of quantitative and case-study research approaches. It investigates the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam- The Hague in The Netherlands by applying surveys to obtain perceived accessibility data. In the same region, spatial analysis is conducted by mapping transport networks and points of interest. Then, this study compares spatially calculated accessibility with self-reported accessibility and the presence of mismatches. In addition, cluster analysis identifies the urban profiles most vulnerable to mismatches and their main characteristics. A Binary logistic regression is conducted to determine the variables’ importance in the mismatch occurrence. From the survey answers, it is identified that women have less access to cars than men. In addition, the comparison between perceived accessibility and spatial accessibility uncovers that women present the most critical mismatches to reach activities by car. In other words, several women perceive the car as an impractical option to access points of interest that are spatially considered reachable by car. It raises the hypothesis that the lack of car access highly impacts their accessibility perception. Furthermore, the clustering analysis reveals that foreign women exhibit a higher prevalence of car-related mismatches when compared to other urban groups. Moreover, this research identifies that fathers of young children also encounter greater disparities across all transportation modes. Additionally, the binary logistic regression underscores the importance of safety as a critical factor influencing women’s perception of walking as a viable mode of transportation. This safety importance is also identified from the survey answers. The findings raise new hypotheses that warrant investigation in transport engineering, urban planning, and social sciences. Consequently, this research can contribute to developing more inclusive transport policies and establishing a more equitable transport system.
...
Accessibility is a fundamental concept concerning urban and transport planning as it is the elementary basis for socio-economic development in cities. It can be described as the potential to reach spatially distributed opportunities. Recent research has identified that excluding person-based features from this analysis might cause inaccurate measurement of accessibility. Age, gender, and income, for instance, are responsible for varying accessibility levels drastically. In addition, studies worldwide have shown that women face different challenges in reaching locations and spatially distributed opportunities. Despite the findings, this research identifies a gap in understanding how a person-based perspective, mainly gender, and other personal characteristics, affect accessibility levels, considering various travel purposes and transport modes. Thus, this research aims to answer the question, ”How do person-based characteristics, mainly gender, can impact accessibility levels?”. The primary objective is to explore how these characteristics influence accessibility metrics, identify the urban groups most affected by the absence of this perspective, and determine the key personal characteristics that significantly impact accessibility levels. To address these objectives, this study considers a combination of quantitative and case-study research approaches. It investigates the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam- The Hague in The Netherlands by applying surveys to obtain perceived accessibility data. In the same region, spatial analysis is conducted by mapping transport networks and points of interest. Then, this study compares spatially calculated accessibility with self-reported accessibility and the presence of mismatches. In addition, cluster analysis identifies the urban profiles most vulnerable to mismatches and their main characteristics. A Binary logistic regression is conducted to determine the variables’ importance in the mismatch occurrence. From the survey answers, it is identified that women have less access to cars than men. In addition, the comparison between perceived accessibility and spatial accessibility uncovers that women present the most critical mismatches to reach activities by car. In other words, several women perceive the car as an impractical option to access points of interest that are spatially considered reachable by car. It raises the hypothesis that the lack of car access highly impacts their accessibility perception. Furthermore, the clustering analysis reveals that foreign women exhibit a higher prevalence of car-related mismatches when compared to other urban groups. Moreover, this research identifies that fathers of young children also encounter greater disparities across all transportation modes. Additionally, the binary logistic regression underscores the importance of safety as a critical factor influencing women’s perception of walking as a viable mode of transportation. This safety importance is also identified from the survey answers. The findings raise new hypotheses that warrant investigation in transport engineering, urban planning, and social sciences. Consequently, this research can contribute to developing more inclusive transport policies and establishing a more equitable transport system.
Nature-based solutions (NbS) are increasingly being used around the globe as a climate action tool. In the Global South, which faces significant climate risks, higher urbanisation rates emphasise the importance of climate justice. While social valuations and interactions with nature-based solutions have been well researched, the relationships between nature-based solutions and social vulnerability to climate change remain difficult to capture. Furthermore, there exist little support for decision-makers to integrate social vulnerability into NbS planning. In this thesis, a social vulnerability framework to determine ecosystem service demand is presented using principal component analysis (PCA), and used with an NbS matching model to determine the types and locations of NbS to be prioritised, applied to a case study of Cape Town, South Africa. The presented framework allows for leveraging openly available quantitative data sets and incorporating different risk factors, while depending on expert interviews to contextualise the model and emphasize its limitations. Three potential policy considerations are recommended for the city of Cape Town to facilitate climate just NbS implementation: cooperation with conservation, potential for climate adaptation and justice, and the importance of community involvement. Using this method of prioritisation and selection, decision-makers of the city of Cape Town can incorporate climate justice into its urban planning for NbS, while taking consideration of the framework limitations and restrictions.
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Nature-based solutions (NbS) are increasingly being used around the globe as a climate action tool. In the Global South, which faces significant climate risks, higher urbanisation rates emphasise the importance of climate justice. While social valuations and interactions with nature-based solutions have been well researched, the relationships between nature-based solutions and social vulnerability to climate change remain difficult to capture. Furthermore, there exist little support for decision-makers to integrate social vulnerability into NbS planning. In this thesis, a social vulnerability framework to determine ecosystem service demand is presented using principal component analysis (PCA), and used with an NbS matching model to determine the types and locations of NbS to be prioritised, applied to a case study of Cape Town, South Africa. The presented framework allows for leveraging openly available quantitative data sets and incorporating different risk factors, while depending on expert interviews to contextualise the model and emphasize its limitations. Three potential policy considerations are recommended for the city of Cape Town to facilitate climate just NbS implementation: cooperation with conservation, potential for climate adaptation and justice, and the importance of community involvement. Using this method of prioritisation and selection, decision-makers of the city of Cape Town can incorporate climate justice into its urban planning for NbS, while taking consideration of the framework limitations and restrictions.
Brave Tolerant City
Planning for diversity forbearance in Kaunas
Tolerance is an essential tool of peaceful coexistence that allows diversity to flourish and a multicultural pluralist society to function. In times of globalisation, digitalisation, and polarization, it is becoming more critical than ever. Nevertheless, tolerance faces multiple issues. As a concept, it is being washed up, belittled, and critiqued either for its extensiveness or narrowness. Consequently, it became a vague notion, posing the question of what it means in contemporary society. Is it emotion, feeling, or attitude? How does it relate to other concepts of inclusivity and justice? In addition, even with an increasing amount of studies, there is still a gap in knowledge about the relationship between tolerance and space. It is still largely unknown how one associate with the other, what forces are affecting this link and how to use it to facilitate tolerance. Moreover, Kaunas, my hometown and choice as a case-study area, has very explicit issues regarding discriminatory but also changing attitudes, making it an optimal location to investigate (in)tolerance and conditions for it. Therefore in this paper I embark on a journey to study this concept, following the main research question: how can spatial and policy planning be used to foster more tolerant attitudes towards difference in everyday Kaunas?
Tolerance is subjective, partly non-representational, and unconscious. For this reason, I chose to use a mixed-methods explorative approach, combining comprehensive theoretical and empirical analyses. I consolidated spatial observations, institutional research, in-depth unstructured interviews, extensive literature and media review, and poetic investigation of artistic mediums. Through these methods, I integrated knowledge from a diverse range of disciplines, from psychology and philosophy to urban planning and architecture.
The fusion of multiple methods and disciplines allowed me to conclude on conceptual and spatial aspects of tolerance. By integrating tolerance into the affect theory, I argue that it is a process which, through encounter, transforms one state of being into another, meaning that tolerant attitudes are in constant flux. I transferred this new definition into the theoretical framework, which guided my empirical investigation in Kaunas. Based on unstructured interviews and an analysis of multiple cases, I uncovered a force affecting people’s attitudes in Lithuania – the Tolerance Event. It is a very active form of encounter that ruptures the passive status quo while at the same time addressing severe socio-cultural issues and allowing people to get to know diversity. Building on this theory, I propose multiple strategies as an example of how to use the Tolerance Event in Kaunas. They involve funding, policy, institutions, design, and planning proposals and are covered by one central vision – to become the Brave Tolerance City, Kaunas needs More Tolerance Events. ...
Tolerance is subjective, partly non-representational, and unconscious. For this reason, I chose to use a mixed-methods explorative approach, combining comprehensive theoretical and empirical analyses. I consolidated spatial observations, institutional research, in-depth unstructured interviews, extensive literature and media review, and poetic investigation of artistic mediums. Through these methods, I integrated knowledge from a diverse range of disciplines, from psychology and philosophy to urban planning and architecture.
The fusion of multiple methods and disciplines allowed me to conclude on conceptual and spatial aspects of tolerance. By integrating tolerance into the affect theory, I argue that it is a process which, through encounter, transforms one state of being into another, meaning that tolerant attitudes are in constant flux. I transferred this new definition into the theoretical framework, which guided my empirical investigation in Kaunas. Based on unstructured interviews and an analysis of multiple cases, I uncovered a force affecting people’s attitudes in Lithuania – the Tolerance Event. It is a very active form of encounter that ruptures the passive status quo while at the same time addressing severe socio-cultural issues and allowing people to get to know diversity. Building on this theory, I propose multiple strategies as an example of how to use the Tolerance Event in Kaunas. They involve funding, policy, institutions, design, and planning proposals and are covered by one central vision – to become the Brave Tolerance City, Kaunas needs More Tolerance Events. ...
Tolerance is an essential tool of peaceful coexistence that allows diversity to flourish and a multicultural pluralist society to function. In times of globalisation, digitalisation, and polarization, it is becoming more critical than ever. Nevertheless, tolerance faces multiple issues. As a concept, it is being washed up, belittled, and critiqued either for its extensiveness or narrowness. Consequently, it became a vague notion, posing the question of what it means in contemporary society. Is it emotion, feeling, or attitude? How does it relate to other concepts of inclusivity and justice? In addition, even with an increasing amount of studies, there is still a gap in knowledge about the relationship between tolerance and space. It is still largely unknown how one associate with the other, what forces are affecting this link and how to use it to facilitate tolerance. Moreover, Kaunas, my hometown and choice as a case-study area, has very explicit issues regarding discriminatory but also changing attitudes, making it an optimal location to investigate (in)tolerance and conditions for it. Therefore in this paper I embark on a journey to study this concept, following the main research question: how can spatial and policy planning be used to foster more tolerant attitudes towards difference in everyday Kaunas?
Tolerance is subjective, partly non-representational, and unconscious. For this reason, I chose to use a mixed-methods explorative approach, combining comprehensive theoretical and empirical analyses. I consolidated spatial observations, institutional research, in-depth unstructured interviews, extensive literature and media review, and poetic investigation of artistic mediums. Through these methods, I integrated knowledge from a diverse range of disciplines, from psychology and philosophy to urban planning and architecture.
The fusion of multiple methods and disciplines allowed me to conclude on conceptual and spatial aspects of tolerance. By integrating tolerance into the affect theory, I argue that it is a process which, through encounter, transforms one state of being into another, meaning that tolerant attitudes are in constant flux. I transferred this new definition into the theoretical framework, which guided my empirical investigation in Kaunas. Based on unstructured interviews and an analysis of multiple cases, I uncovered a force affecting people’s attitudes in Lithuania – the Tolerance Event. It is a very active form of encounter that ruptures the passive status quo while at the same time addressing severe socio-cultural issues and allowing people to get to know diversity. Building on this theory, I propose multiple strategies as an example of how to use the Tolerance Event in Kaunas. They involve funding, policy, institutions, design, and planning proposals and are covered by one central vision – to become the Brave Tolerance City, Kaunas needs More Tolerance Events.
Tolerance is subjective, partly non-representational, and unconscious. For this reason, I chose to use a mixed-methods explorative approach, combining comprehensive theoretical and empirical analyses. I consolidated spatial observations, institutional research, in-depth unstructured interviews, extensive literature and media review, and poetic investigation of artistic mediums. Through these methods, I integrated knowledge from a diverse range of disciplines, from psychology and philosophy to urban planning and architecture.
The fusion of multiple methods and disciplines allowed me to conclude on conceptual and spatial aspects of tolerance. By integrating tolerance into the affect theory, I argue that it is a process which, through encounter, transforms one state of being into another, meaning that tolerant attitudes are in constant flux. I transferred this new definition into the theoretical framework, which guided my empirical investigation in Kaunas. Based on unstructured interviews and an analysis of multiple cases, I uncovered a force affecting people’s attitudes in Lithuania – the Tolerance Event. It is a very active form of encounter that ruptures the passive status quo while at the same time addressing severe socio-cultural issues and allowing people to get to know diversity. Building on this theory, I propose multiple strategies as an example of how to use the Tolerance Event in Kaunas. They involve funding, policy, institutions, design, and planning proposals and are covered by one central vision – to become the Brave Tolerance City, Kaunas needs More Tolerance Events.