People are feeling more and more lonely, especially in cities. This has negative effects on mental and physical well-being as well as on the economy. Feeling lonely is not just caused by internal factors like genetics and social skills, as many people think. The environment we live in contributes 52% to the feeling of loneliness. This environment is something changeable, especially for urbanists. Therefore, this thesis aims to bridge the gap between the existing theories about loneliness and the practical applications of these in the built environment of Linkeroever. Linkeroever is a deprived modernist neighbourhood in Antwerp separated from the rest of the city by the Scheldt River, where urban loneliness is a serious issue. This thesis will propose spatial and programmatic interventions through different scales and grounded in literature and empirical research that stimulate social cohesion and collective development on a legible human scale, countering urban loneliness. This will be done by answering the research question: how to improve spatial and programmatic conditions in Linkeroever that stimulate social cohesion and collective development, countering urban loneliness? Methods including research by design, literature analysis, and field trips helped by answering this question and resulted in an urban design for Linkeroever. Key takeaways from this research and design are that to counter urban loneliness important topics are social cohesion, social interaction, collective and personal development opportunities, and a legible and human scale. Spatial elements like hybrid zones, collective courtyards, and better public transport connections, together with programmatic solutions like a diverse public space offer, providing people with choices regarding social and development spaces, and making people proud through landmarks, can be used by urban designers and planners to counter urban loneliness all over the world.

With the growing world population and concerns about resource scarcity, environmental pressures, and social challenges more and more industries have a growing interest in transitioning towards a circular economy.

In South Holland, specifically in the port of Rotterdam, the ship manufacturing sector requires fundamental change. Circularity is currently hardly integrated into the ship manufacturing sector, as the lifecycle of most ships follows a linear path. The cycle starts with raw metals being extracted from the earth, ending with scrap steel being poorly recycled for other sectors in Asia. Because of the lack of a global regulatory framework, and the growing capacity and capability pressures on the ship recycling business in Europe, the business will not be able to process the increasing number of ships to be recycled in the future.

To generate a spatial vision and strategy to solve these issues, which helps transition to a more circular ship manufacturing sector, this research uses evidence-based design. Several methods are used including literature research, data analysis, site analysis, and research by design.

This is done to work towards the final goal: integrating spatial, technological, and regulatory solutions into the ship manufacturing business of South Holland, to build circularity into every stage of the ship’s lifecycle. Essential in reaching this goal, is safeguarding the ship manufacturing sector, which is in a vulnerable position, in symbiosis with resilience, innovation, collaboration, and transparency.

In the end, the province of South Holland will be a world-leading example demonstrating more circular ship manufacturing in the port of Rotterdam. Spatially, this will result in a better port-city relationship, where ship manufacturing is embedded and mixed with other activities where possible, creating a synergy between different stakeholders. In addition, flows are connected by sustainable water transport.

By transitioning to a more circular ship manufacturing sector, the port of Rotterdam can contribute to the mitigation of the negative effects of climate change and resource scarcity. Additionally, the port of Rotterdam and its shipbuilding sector is of great international importance, which means the implementation of circularity can stimulate change and benefit people from the local to the global scale.