Shifting to a circular biobased building sector is imperative to address pressing environmental challenges while meeting societal needs. The construction sector, responsible for a significant portion of global carbon emissions, faces the additional demand of constructing and refurbishing millions of houses by 2050. To achieve sustainability goals set out in the Dutch National Circularity Programme, the Dutch Government has allocated €200 million to transition to a circular biobased building sector, with flax emerging as a promising candidate, especially for fiber reinforced composites, due to its technical properties and suitability for Dutch climate and soil conditions. However, strategies on the spatial integration of a flax value chain do not exist yet.
This thesis addresses the research question: “How could a flax-based value chain be spatially facilitated to sustainably contribute to a circular biobased building sector?” Drawing upon theory on circular and biobased economies, the research investigates the potential applications of flax, the historical evolution of the flax industry, and the spatial, environmental, and socio-economic dimensions of a circular flax supply chain.
By formulating concrete scenarios and backcasting from desired outcomes, the study envisions future trajectories for the flax value chain and lays the groundwork for informed decision-making and strategic planning. A suitability analysis is performed to optimize land use and allocate functions of the flax value chain geographically, resulting in a national plan for the Netherlands. Furthermore, the use of a pattern language, stuctured along the flax value chain, provides a structured and systemic approach to understanding and modifying the system and translates research insights into tangible design interventions.
Lastly, the thesis extends beyond theoretical frameworks to practical implementation, by the application of the pattern language in the case of Lelystad, Flevoland. Through iterative design processes, spatial frameworks emerge as instruments for sustainable land-use optimization and system modification.
In conclusion, while flax emerges as a promising component of a circular biobased building sector, its role is just one part of the broader transition. Acknowledging uncertainties and complexities, and the need for environmental resilience, the research underscores the necessity for adaptable spatial design strategies and continued interdisciplinary collaboration and research to navigate the evolving landscape of the biobased built environment.

Urban villages in China, such as those in Chengdu’s Green Belt, are typical informal settlements inhabited by a large number of migrant workers. These workers maintain short-distance food systems characterized by small-scale agriculture and local food sales, which are crucial for food security. However, under the “grain security” policy, the government has been acquiring fragmented farmland in the Green Belt area for unified management by food companies. Simultaneously, urban village renewal driven by real estate development is demolishing low-rent housing and shops, threatening the livelihoods and homes of migrant workers.

This project conducts a cross-scale study in Chengdu’s Green Belt, Jinniu District, and Anjing urban village, integrating circular development and spatial justice theories into the urban regeneration discussion. The aim is to develop a vision, policy, and strategic framework for circular development in these sites, exploring how transforming city-scale food systems could drive the regeneration of urban villages by recognizing overlooked spaces and labor, thereby enhancing the well-being of marginalized groups.

The project begins with document analysis and mapping, summarizing the landscape characteristics of three types of urban villages and a concentrated farmland area. Subsequently, field surveys and interviews are conducted to collect data on the foodscapes managed by migrant workers. Supported by a literature review, a circular development assessment system is developed to evaluate these foodscapes. This assessment forms a planning vision for the development of a circular food system in the Green Belt, including the material flows of food, food waste, and construction debris. Based on this vision, a strategic framework called “Pattern Language” is proposed, focusing on socio-spatial adaptation, resource looping, ecological regeneration, and spatial justice.

The application logic of this framework is demonstrated through its implementation in the spatial structure planning of Jinniu District and the spatial design of Anjing urban village. Additionally, a simulated stakeholder co-design workshop showcases its potential to negotiate and balance the needs of different stakeholders across various knowledge backgrounds.

This thesis project explores the imperative of strenghening Vienna's climate resilience through mitigating weather extremes and fostering knowledge of them by reimagining its current water and ecosystem dynamics. The central focus is on integrating a blue-green infrastructure into the urban environment and a just distribution of their services, thereby establishing a balanced coexistence with the ecosystem.

The objectives encompass mitigating pressing urban challenges such as the urban heat island effect and biodiversity loss, while fostering awareness of the symbiotic relationship between a healthy ecosystem and human well-being. These efforts are pivotal in the city's journey toward climate resilience and adapting to dynamic climate conditions.
The broader aspiration is to illuminate a path towards socially and environmentally sustainable urban transformations.

The current linear food system in the Netherlands has a negative impact on the environment, requiring almost ten times the biocapacity the country has to offer. The food sector plays a big role in generating this inequality - this overconsumption, and of the entire food supply chain up to a third of food waste is generated by the consumer. The linear food system contributes to environmental problems such as loss of biodiversity and wasting of food. Negative effects – such as rising vulnerability to extreme weather conditions, low urban quality, decreasing biodversity, and higher obesity rates - can be seen in the urban built environment, especially in Dutch post-war neighbourhoods like Schalkwijk, Haarlem. Changing peoples’ behaviour in their day-to-day life can be a starting point for establishing loops for food, water, and energy resources.

This project highlights a significant knowledge gap in the effective integration of circular principles into the built environment at the neighbourhood scale and underlines the importance of social and environmental integration in research.
Previous research has identified significant vulnerability to climate risks and inadequate availability of nutritious, locally grown food, resulting in high levels of obesity and vulnerability to climate extremes in the selected post-war neighbourhood. In addition, the opportunity to separate organic waste from general waste is not fully realised, resulting in the loss of recyclable organic matter, which would have a great potential for energy transformation and introducing local agriculture. However, this waste separation needs to start in our daily lives. In contrast, food production takes place in isolation from our daily lives.

This raises the question: How can the transformation of Dutch post war neighbourhoods facilitate actions of our daily life towards a circular foodscape?

The main objective of this research project is to create a pattern language as a co-design method for the transition to a circular built environment in Dutch post-war neighbourhoods.
The creation of circular networks, such as mobility, sewage, heating infrastructure, and social networks that are interconnected, are very much needed to support the transition to a holistic circular system for everyday life in the respective neighbourhoods.
The project will use a design approach, conduct qualitative and quantitative research, and confirm the results with workshops and design development - in particular creating a pattern language. A systemic design approach will form the basis of this research and design process, as it embraces urban metabolism, co-creation and respects the diverse and complex nature of the project. The use of a pattern language as a research and design tool allows for the exchange of research and design through a co-creation approach and possible spatial implementations of a circular neighbourhood with circular actions in the everyday life of the inhabitants of Schalkwijk.

The primary outcome of this project is the design of a co-creation process, using the developed pattern language to show possible outcomes of a circular built environment. This includes bringing food production closer to our everyday lives and integrating circular systems within the local community. Urban planners have a facilitating role in presenting options for a circular future, starting processes that support the information and interest exchange of stakeholders, and providing participatory methods for shaping spatial circular strategies in post-war neighbourhoods.

The research highlights how outcomes can vary based on perspectives, interests, and needs during the co-creation process. While the study concentrates on the food system, it also recognises wider aspects of circularity within the built environment, such as water and energy supply. The unpredictable human element in the co-creation process affects workshop dynamics and results.

In short, this project aligns with the continual changes in sustainable development, participation, and circularity. It presents the pattern language as a useful tool for stakeholders working on circularity transitions, offering new opportunities for collaboration and resource efficiency at the neighbourhood scale. The findings contribute to filling existing research gaps by proposing a way to a sustainable, participatory, and circular urban development in Dutch post-war neighbourhoods.

Urban regeneration and urbanization are always concomitant topics and phenomena that appear in the history of China and other countries. Until the end of 2021, China's urbanization rate has reached 64.72%. Cities of different sizes and levels have been, are, or will soon be entering the era of inventory planning. Urban villages are the author's primary focus topic of urban regeneration under rapid urbanization. On the one hand, urban villages are the product of rapid urbanization.On the other hand, urban villages are also the key potential areas for urban regeneration. Urban villages have their inevitable "dynamic" and "transitional" nature in the process of urbanization. They are the link between urban and rural areas and the "first stage for living" for different groups.

Many western European countries have undergone the process of deindustrialisation. The has resulted in a changed economy focused on knowledge. This went hand in hand with urbanisation, resulting in explosive population growth in many cities. In combination with the rise of neoliberal planning made cities an attractive investment object. All three of these trends have caused many industrial areas to be transformed in often glamorous projects
to revamp cities images. While aesthetically improving cities, it has also often started or intensified processes of gentrification. The canal zone of Brussels however seems to be very stable in this regard, and has not undergone
any big transformation. My hypothesis is that this could be attributed to strong path dependencies within the area, which expresses itself in three ways: the segregated social profile, the industrial land use and its governance fragmentation. Often neoliberal planning treats these types of path dependent location as a sort of ‘tabula rasa’ that can be used to maximise profits and thus deals with these path dependencies by path breaking: demolishing urban fabric and displacing people and/or economic functions. Due to the fact that these path dependencies seem quite strong in Brussels and have not yet undergone such a transformation, makes it a unique opportunity to look at a different approach of urban development. Approaching these path dependencies from the perspective of path renewal, these could be starting points for a just, productive and place-based development. How can a just, productive and place-based development be achieved in the Canal zone of Brussels, utilizing the area’s path dependencies
through path renewal? First the past, present and future for the canal zone will be analysed to see how these dependencies have and possibly will develop. After that a synthesis will be made from which values are derived. Based on these values a vision and strategic framework will be constructed, which will be tested on case study sites. This strategy is underpinned by a pattern language which is used to explore pathways to path renewal. Ultimately this strategy aims to intensify the local economy, empower local communities and preserve spatial identity.

One of the largest productive and economic chains in the world is the textile area. Not only providing the highest level of employment around the world but also making this one of the most polluting activities (Provin et al., 2020). There is a growing awareness among the Dutch government that something should change. To take responsibility for contributing to solving this global problem, the Dutch government has formulated the goal to have a fully circular textile industry in 2050. Although the formulation of this goal is a valuable step current initiatives and policymakers are missing a sense of direction and different scholars have pointed out that the current state of affairs is not enough to reach the goals that are formulated.

The current textile industry is facing a global lock-in leakage, which is forcing businesses to make unsustainable choices with as leading motive for economic growth.

This pattern seems difficult to break. As the current value chain is spread all over the world and production and consumption have become geographically and socially far removed from each other. Dutch circular initiatives focus on end-of-pipe solutions or technical improvements to their own value chain. These solutions can be seen as incremental changes to the system instead of more radical change and deep cultural change that is needed to break the lock-in leakage. This thesis aims to understand the spatial implications of this more radical change and therefore it focuses on answering the following question:

How should the urban landscape of Noord-Brabant be configurated to overcome the metabolic imbalance with spatial circularity in the textile industry, while achieving its own sustainability?

Answering this question, the research first formulates preconditions, dimensions, and circular ground rules for local textile production. This is done with a diachronic analysis. This allows understanding of how the system changed and through time is influenced by the dynamics of the context. The next step of the research is to create an understanding of how circular solutions translate to spatial and design interventions. This is done with research by design that is shaped by the systemic design approach. An important conclusion of the research by design is the insight into how different design solutions are related throughout scales, this results in the realization that systemic changes lead to programmatic changes and eventually cause land-use and alternative settlement patterns.

Apart from this theoretical understanding of what a systemic change entails the research by design chapter focused the research on wool production as this material flow closely relates to both the historical and the contemporary context and metabolic imbalances. The different principles and design solutions are translated into a design tool that emphasizes the relation between the solutions. This tool is a pattern language. It breaks down a complex system into easily understandable blocks of knowledge (Ben Croxford et al., 2020). The last part of the research focused on finding a certain hierarchy in the formulated pattern language. This hierarchy is important as it values the relationship between the different patterns. To find the value of the links a structure map was established. The structure map showed how the context both facilities the implementation of the patterns but also how the patterns help to achieve the goals that the region has set. The answer to the main question is the structure map that shows the spatial framework that is needed to both help Noord-Brabant achieve its sustainability goals and help with the establishment of a local circular textile ecosystem.

This graduation thesis looks at the possibilities of
densification in the city without having negative effects on the thermal comfort in the micro climate. During warm periods heat stress arises in the micro climate. Heat stress is the stress on the human body caused by a large heat load. People suffering from heat stress experience
discomfort, health problems and in some cases death as the core temperature rises due to more heat being
absorbed than given off (McGregor & Vanos, 2018).
Due to the high pressure on the housing market, more space is needed, but in the cities there is a lack of space. This often goes hand in hand with more surfacing, causing more heat stress. Due to climate change, heat stress will become more common and to prevent this, the thesis will address the question:

How to densify in The Hague in order to mitigate and
prevent heat stress and the urban heat island effect to improve the livability of the city and the health of its
inhabitants?

Through targeted research and analysis of heat stress, densification and the test location The Hague, more insight is gained into the problems and solutions in Moerwijk. By using the Pattern Language the analysis is linked to the design.
In this way the solutions can be transformed into patterns. The results of this thesis is a toolbox of heat patterns and densification patterns that can be applied in different ways and be used flexibly in a city. Also the translation step is made to an implemented design whereby the district Moerwijk is taken as an example. Ultimately, a maximised situation for heat stress and densification is created, which also takes the livability and ecology problems of the
neighbourhood into account. The design focuses on
different scales from neighbourhood to street level,
applying different patterns at each scale.

Keywords: Densification, heat stress, the urban heat island effect, micro climate, The Hague

The sixth episode of 'Post-Pandemic Public Spaces' is the last chapter of the series. The previous five episodes have explored the future of our public spaces. At the end of each episode, key factors are summarised. This final episode concludes the journey by bringing together important lessons learned and setting the agenda for the future design of the public space. @en

The second episode ‘Design’ dives further into the challenges in the post-pandemic era and it illuminates possible design solutions. The documentary searches for approaches in which the design of public spaces can be updated and improved. It also questions if there is any one-size-fits-all public space at all. Depending on how and if people can get there, public space are very different as are people. Not all spaces are equally attractive and safe to stay in. From a different angle we may question; who is touched by which place, and how. Differences have become very clear during the pandemics and awareness on this has risen. Public space is also no longer static, but constantly adaptive to new needs. How can we design for this? Can we design for flexibility? Can we release physical design; if so, to what extend? The increasing need for green space is also exemplary for the post-pandemic era; partly grown out of necessity for health reasons, recreational purposes, or simply a lack of space in the house. We will have to design green spaces as a new quiet place, and for outdoor activities like sports, online connectivity in public, and/or just natural climate-adaptive space at the same time.@en

The fifth episode presents 'Behaviour'. With the interviewees, the discussion on inequality is stretched to people’s behaviour in the public space. How has it changed during and after the pandemics and did their perceptions of public spaces change along? City beaches and parks have become popular, while the lack of outdoor terraces, restaurants, or discos has been manifest. Measurements taken during the pandemic have forced a change in our behaviour. While social distancing will be abandoned and masks in general, we seem to have become aware of human vulnerability. Public health will be related to public space again. What more will stay in the future? A lot of people have canceled their sports club subscriptions. Everyone is training outside now. It's really nice to see all those active people, says Annemieke Fontein; but at the same time, it also takes up space and changes the nature of parks as designed for quiet relaxation. Also in other forms, we can see that the need for connection, and in particular for encounters and meetings, in public spaces has grown. Yet whereas online presence continues to grow, thus new networks emerge and ways to meet change, thus place to meet also change. Communities gather in a wide variety of public spaces. Are new bubbles emerging? When will people come together as a whole? The culture of a place; and of a city will change and develop. Appreciating public space as a daily life environment in the Netherlands has one of the positive outcomes of the pandemics.@en

The fourth episode of the series presents the topic 'Inequality'. In line with last episode, it is important to remember how mobility relates to (in)equality. The measurements taken during COVID-19 outbreak, like social distancing and staying home, has shown once more that not everyone has the same pattern, can have the same pattern, and/or is able to have equal patterns. Public spaces in different neighbourhoods have different qualities. The pandemic has shown that not everyone lives under the same conditions. Not everyone has access to equal public spaces. There is, for example, not always shaded space near the house. Places for stay in general and distances to recreational (green) spaces can differ greatly, as is the safety along the routes not equal. Power structures and distribution of resources, if we define public space along these lines, are unequal almost by definition, and thus access abilities and agency is diverse. This, generates questions: How can we realise a more inclusive network of public space? How can we create a human space, lively at the street level? What public amenities and facilities should we include? Is privately-owned public space a (fair) solution? Can we create common spaces on the roof, for example? What needs to be done in different neighborhoods to contribute to a just city?@en

The third episode ‘Mobility’ follows up on the discussed new ways to approach the design of public spaces and it shines particularly the light on the changing mobility patterns. This includes general strategies to remove cars and give space back to the residents. Yet, induced by the COVID-19 crisis, these approaches move to a shift in commuting patterns: Will people keep working from home? Do they want to spend an hour in the car or on the train for four or five days when there is an alternative in the remote office and on-distance work? Other travel needs emerge, depending on the needs and desires of the different social groups. The pandemic influenced public transport. Many people feared this mode. Trust will have to be regained in order to make mobility more sustainable by traditional means. New forms of individual transport have taken off in addition. Think of micro-mobility, like shared scooters. Thus multi-modal chain mobility seems to increase in importance. The concept of the 15-minute city, in which living and working hybridise and facilities and amenities are nearby, also seems to have made a breakthrough too. Places and mobility are being brought together, in the words of Lior Steinberg. This may resemble the Dutch-rooted idea of neighborhood thought ('wijkgedachte'), making cities fairly democratic: Everyone uses similar modes of transport; bike use as examplars for the world. Still, also in the Dutch city, pedestrian traffic and social safety need to be improved.@en

The first episode of the documentary Post-Pandemic Public Spaces ‘Challenges’ introduces expected paradigmatic shifts caused by the situation induced by the COVID-19 crisis. It extends the discussion on public space, which has been about making cities more sustainable and liveable while working with major transitions. During the pandemic, health has been challenged in addition. Also, new ways of using public space have become manifest. This exposes different claims. Can we continue to use public spaces as we did? Are we reverting to our old behaviour? Do we realise how important public space is? In conjecture with the challenges that already emerged before the crisis, we can question if we shouldn’t reduce traffic, for example, and kick-off from our car addiction? New challenges have an effect on the size, accessibility, and quality of the public spaces and, together with changing human needs, its presence and design remain to be essential in the future.@en

The integrated, cross-border, cross-territorial and macro-regional planning paradigm is recalibrating the world and planning practice all around the globe. The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) has become one of the exemplary models of macro-regional practice in the European Union (EU) context. It is recognized as a flexible entity due to its activities, actors and informal institutions (Purkarthofer et al., 2021). Since the
first initiatives of the Helsinki Commission for integrated Baltic sea management around 1980, many strategies and organizations have been developed. Also, the spatial vision for the Baltic Sea Region is being updated. Indeed, the BSR has entered a new chapter of development with a new generation of Interreg projects.

However, the planning of the BSR is pictured as the highest authority conformative planning. On the one hand, there is a struggle to integrate different stakeholders, planners, ministries and citizens, to name a few. On the other hand, the linkages between the strategic documents and their local implementation could be stronger and more visible in a surrounding environment.

The project aims to carry out the planning framework for the BSR. The patterns for cooperative planning, design and principles inform what systemic solutions and actions are required to achieve the region’s performative, integrated, cross-scalar planning. The framework is applied in 4 scales: district, city, regional and macro-regional strategies and visions. The emphasis is given to the ports, cities and their regions as the main catalysts for cross-border cooperation. These units are crossed by sustainability, manufacturing and shipping lens. Here the macro-regional planning meets local target design and implementation.

The framework of Meta-territory is introduced as a synthesis between theories of soft space and territoriality. Meanwhile, strategic-spatial planning frames the project, so these theories inform the cooperation framework. Moreover, a mix of scientific methods has been used to determine the complexity between different scales, time-frames and society. The exploratory research is based on semi-structured, static, dynamic and proactive methods. Finally, the method of pattern language defines the cooperation framework.

The project is expected to inform and inspire planners, decision makers or citizens about their capacity to act and the necessity of complex and integrated planning. Nevertheless, geopolitical uncertainty might occur if the macro-regional planning practice is sufficient enough to ensure the presence of public goods and safety and sustainable development simultaneously.

The project is situated in the Sphinxkwartier in Maastricht, positioned in-between
the inner city and the urban hinterlands. Underneath the fast pace of the city and factory, nature moves slowly, cascading down from the lock at the Maas river towards the fortification park, ever growing through the cracks.This project for an open air school on the old factory terrain, attempts to move away from the broad
concept of sustainability, towards a grounded and personal view on what it means to coexist with nature in the city.

The urban periphery of Vienna is becoming increasingly dense and its population increasingly diverse. These rapid changes contribute to new conflicts and political polarization. Inclusive spaces can help democratic and diverse societies to deal with these challenge. However, no comprehensive model of centrality has emerged in the periphery until today. Therefore, this project investigates today’s structure of public space and centrality in the district Donaustadt in the context of theories on social cohesion and democracy. Moreover, it takes a look at policies and planning processes to understand how space is currently being developed. Based on the results, potential strategies and interventions for the consolidation of public life are explored. The focus for these proposals lies on the axis Kagran-Stadlau as this area is under-represented in research as well as planning documents. Through this approach, the project aims at contributing to the challenge of adapting the outskirts of European cities to the changing requirements of their societies, a topic with relevance for many other locations outside Vienna.

There is a growing urbanization trend in Amsterdam, this causes dwellings to be less affordable. That is why several areas in Amsterdam are being densified. One of these areas is Sloterdijk Centrum, a typical monofunctional office park of the 80’s and 90’s. The municipality wants to transform this park to a lively mixed use area by adding new buildings and transforming existing ones. One of the buildings that has the potential to be transformed is the monofunctional office building De Knip. I choose this building for my graduation project, because it addresses two important current issues, namely transformation and high rises. In my graduation project these problems are addressed by transforming the building De Knip to function as a neighbourhood connected within the city. This was done by creating Collective Private Commisioning groups that live in corridors that function like streets. These streets have a high permeability and adaptability in the high rise and a strong focus on nature inclusiveness in the low rise. Its overall strong dwelling atmosphere created the perfect setting for a lively multifunctional building where people can feel at home, express their identity, connect to their neighbours and where future transformations can be carried out easily due to the prefabricated and adaptive design. This design can stimulate the future transformation of Sloterdijk centrum with the liveliness and dwelling atmosphere that it brings and can be an example to similar office areas.

Although the benefit of agglomeration has been hugely emphasized by the central government which led to the majority of amenities and services are only in cities and the household-registration system (Hukou) equipped the city with more advantages, the exclusively focus on “megacity-making” eventually leads tothe mega-city problems, environmental deterioration and the urban-rural disparity. In the 30 years since the reform and opening up, the rapid urbanization has brought many urban problems to China, such as the widening gap between urban and rural areas and the worsening environment.Urbanization is still in progress in China, with another 300 million people expected to become urban in the next decade. Based on the studies of the Kunming peri-urban area, this project will analyze the competitive advantages and disadvantages of peri-urban agriculture development in Kunming, and reveals that the rural industry transformation is the development trend of peri-urban village reinvention from the perspective of realizaing the diversified agricultural values - economy, ecology and society values. This project will also discusse the spatial planning strategy of peri-urban villages under the guidance of industry agglomeration and knowledge economy, forms the benign growth boundary between urban and rural areas by constructing the multi-functional industrial-space system, and finally realizes the urban-rural coordinating development with different characteristics respectively.