Towards a Transformative Battery Territory
A Spatial Exploration of Response-able Future Pathways for North-East Hungary
F. Kovács (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Alex Wandl – Mentor (TU Delft - Environmental Technology and Design)
F. Rizzetto – Mentor (TU Delft - Urban Design)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
Currently, Hungary is undergoing a rapid (re)industrialisation process, manifesting in the rise of lithium-ion battery manufacturing driven by the economic vision of the government. While framed as an important cornerstone of the energy transition towards decarbonisation, in reality this process deepens resource dependencies and results in spatially and socially uncontextual, unsustainable development - triggering what can be described as a battery manufacturing-induced crisis. The project focuses on North-East Hungary, which has become a key region in this phenomenon, bearing the disproportionate costs of a transition from which it gains minimal long-term benefits.
Therefore this thesis proposes a paradigm shift from transition to transformation, by addressing the research question: ‘How could the current battery crisis be leveraged to enable long-term spatial, transformative change in North-East Hungary?’ Grounded in theories of change and resilience thinking, the research aims to offer a long-term vision for the region that allows for transformability in moments of crisis, at the same time responding to the short-term impacts of unsustainable battery development patterns.
Using a multi-scalar lens, the study combines a territorial capital and a frequency of change analysis to identify static and dynamic regional elements and their transformative potential. Two future scenarios - based on the opposing transformability principles of efficiency and redundancy - are constructed and assessed through a value-based evaluation system. These inform a balanced, flexible long-term spatial framework and a set of transformation pathways that bridge immediate decisions regarding the battery industry with broader transformation goals. By proposing an engagement strategy and a new, landscape-based governance system as well, the project aims to call for action and serve as a catalyst for spatial imagination.
Ultimately, the thesis attempts to provide a future direction to an otherwise disadvantaged region, shifting the narrative of an unsustainable transition towards a flexible, circular, socially just and spatially integrated territorial transformation in North-East Hungary.