The Haarlemmermeer is a municipality in the west of the Netherlands that has formed completely through the reclamation of the former lake of the same name. In its extensive history, we can suppose that the Haarlemmermeer has not had a linear development, in the sense that through time, it has faced many setbacks that impeded different kinds of progress to take place. Firstly, we see this in the efforts to reclaim the lake, which took over two centuries and many plans to achieve. Secondly, we see this through the harsh conditions that were present after the reclamation, where urbanization started of slowly and agriculture was made difficult. Lastly, we see it in infrastructure, where shipping, railways and the airport have all faced hurdles in attempts to grow. This paper uses a series of schematic maps to examine and understand the non-linear development of the Haarlemmermeer since the first reclamation plans of the 1600s, till the present.

The neighborhood of Nieuwland, located in Schiedam, Zuid-Holland is one example of the many post-war neighborhoods the Netherlands offers. It formed the extension of Schiedam’s city center and consisted of a clear functionalist lay-out upon its completion in 1965, characterized by monotony, frugal architecture, and a clear separation of functions and traffic. Although initially inhabited by a relatively homogeneous population of predominantly Dutch working class families, this is not the case currently: after several decades, the population shifted towards a more heterogeneous mix of inhabitants, with a significantly stronger presence of lower income households and households with a migration background. For two reasons, socioeconomic and sociospatial issues increased as a result of this shift. Firstly, because the neighborhood became poorer in general. Secondly, because it became harder for the people of this neighborhood to live together, as the amount of cultural backgrounds and ways of living started to increase. 
There have been several plans to mitigate the issues at hand in Nieuwland in the past. It became one of the Vogelaarwijken in 2007 for example. However, things have still not improved as much as in other neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the way we (re)develop neighborhoods in the Netherlands has shifted, as the focus on inner city redevelopment has been growing in contemporary strategies that try to combat national issues like the Dutch housing shortage. Through this we could say that there is a certain necessity to find new ways to effectively redevelop Nieuwland. One innovative approach for this is to get to understand the citizens perspective of the neighborhood, and use this to discover what is not working and what can be improved in Nieuwland.
In this graduation project, the fieldwork technique of narrative cartography has been used to attempt to get an interpretation of this citizen perspective. 12 interviews have resulted in that many verbal and visualized stories (through the creation of narrative maps), showcasing how the inhabitants of Nieuwland experience the neighborhood, what their routines look like, how and with whom they interact, and what they would improve. 
From this, design principles have been developed that have been applied to redevelopment proposals for the central part of Nieuwland (which is the area where most interviews have been held). Combined with two other important perspectives - that of non-citizen stakeholders (housing association and municipality) and the urban designer - a framework has been developed and used for establishing these design proposals. A general vision for this part of Nieuwland has been created, and focus area have been selected and worked in detail to showcase how delicate, nuanced and feasible interventions based on predominantly the perspective of the current inhabitants of Nieuwland can lead to an inclusive and strategic redevelopment of the neighborhood.

The Earth is currently coping with global warming as a result of human behaviour. One of the causes is plastic, namely not only the production and transportation of plastic, but also the spillage is extremely damaging for the environment. Some awareness has already been raised and some actions have been taken but this is not enough to turn the tide, a change in the plastic chain is needed. Therefore, the following research question was raised: How can regional planning and design stimulate circularity throughout the plastic network in Zuid-Holland? Fantastic Plastic is a project that articulates a framework for this sustainable future with plastics. We relied on an integrated framework that combines spatial interventions with circularity and the plastic network.
Vision
We envision that by 2050, the way we use plastics within the province of South-Holland has changed drastically. The plastics industry, which is primarily linear at the moment, will shift to a circular model. The province will no longer rely on the import of non-renewable resources as raw materials for this industry, or rely on the export of excess plastic waste as an end of pipe solution - to plastic waste issues. Consumption has been limited to a minimum through socioeconomically fair and viable alternatives. End-of-pipe solutions shift to recycling and, perhaps, composting - diminishing the environmental impacts and closing the loop of the plastic cycle. In thirty years, the circular model will entail fair and viable solutions throughout the plastic lifecycle.
Strategy
This report identified four different spatial interventions that are crucial for making the plastic chain circulair, namely: The HUB centre, the HUB industry, the Park and the Port. These spatial interventions coexist and are integrated in people's daily life. They keep plastic flows at the lowest scale possible and make people actively interact with plastic on different levels. These interventions can accelerate the transition towards a sustainable future so that in 2050 plastic is transformed into Fantastic Plastic.