Our society is dealing with multiple wicked problems: the Climate Crisis, poverty, inequality and our need for a sustainable and healthy environment to live in. The Climate Crisis increases the urge to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels and requires a structural transformation to our management and distribution of space, economy and community. More than 8% of the Dutch population faces energy poverty, and this percentage will increase with the rising energy prices and unstructured national framework. The Province of South Holland, in the Netherlands, is a region thriving from an economy based not only in the biggest port in Europe, the Port of Rotterdam, but also thriving design, technologies and innovations in the cultural centres of cities like Delft, Leiden, Rotterdam and The Hague. This region has a great potential to strategically change the energy generation towards alternative, renewable sources, as well as the energy consumption of the region to tackle social inequalities such as energy poverty.
This report will elaborate on the question of how a just energy transition towards 100% renewable energy of the Province of South Holland can be created through synergising and adjusting the spatial distribution. Through research by design, approached by students of the department of urbanism of ‘Bouwkunde’ at the TU Delft, the scope and application of regional planning for energy development will be illustrated to facilitate an adaptive, inclusive and collaborative energy transition in the Province of South Holland.
A systemic change is needed, which will create the opportunity for the Port of Rotterdam to evolve from the current petrolscape to a renewable energyscape and to become a leading role model in the energy transition towards regional renewable energy generation and distribution, and a global hydrogen hub. A fair system without energy poverty, accessible, affordable and efficient energy and mobility, a repurposed energyspace for diverse renewable energy systems and a recycling system, and a local energy production will enable a just transition towards a fossil fuel free future for the Province of South Holland.

In recent years the need for action against climate change has severely grown. Action is needed now and circularity can help to make sectors more sustainable. The agri-food sector plays a big role in this, as we need three times the surface area of our country to support the needs of the inhabitants.The agri-food sector is putting too much pressure on space and resources and this pressure will only increase as the population continues to grow. However, by creating spaces that are used more efficiently this pressure can be reduced while also providing for a growing population.Decreasing the pressure of the agrifood sector on space and resources will lead to a drastically new South Holland in 2050. To achieve this new South Holland, research will be done on several aspects. First the current situation needs to be analysed. Furthermore, research is needed on possible interventions and the future implications of these interventions. After extensive research is done, a vision of 2050 can be formulated:By 2050, both the land and the sea are used in a space-efficient way, reducing the (carbon-) footprint of the province and providing more food for its own population. Buying and eating local food have encouraged people to become more aware of the process and where the food comes from. This has resulted in a shift in diet and the inefficient space for cattle farms is reduced.This conversion provides space for nature, housing and agriculture while also leaving room for the plans of the next generation. By reducing the meat and the dairy industry, space opens up for more nature and some small scale housing in the green heart. To replace the loss of dietary protein, the province makes a shift towards seaweed and aquaculture. More circularity is achieved through the use of “waste” streams of the harbour, horticulture, arable farming and the meat and dairy industry

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.