The conservation of place-based memory is pivotal for both tangible and intangible heritage; however, the unyielding momentum of urban dynamics frequently propels cities into transformation, often overlooking the integration and assessment of personal and collective memories within urban preservation efforts. This investigation is propelled by the necessity to comprehend the complex functions of public spaces—not simply as physical locations but as vaults of shared memory, stages for political dialogue, and settings for social and cultural exchanges.This analysis posits that select public spaces function as dynamic platforms where the political narratives and societal dialogues of a nation are prominently displayed. In examining the case of Taksim Square, the objective is to illuminate the tangled processes through which public domains are vivified and acknowledged in scholarly debate as venues for discourse, demonstration, political participation, and contention.

This research investigates the importance of leisure practices in bringing rivers back to cities. It explores the historical and present significance of water-based recreation and its role in urban ecosystems. The paper analyses the development of waterfronts from centres of social activity, through their industrialization and neglect, to a recent rise in interest in restoring urban waterways. It looks at the revival of waterfronts in cities through the perspective of leisure practices, showing that reintroducing the once present water-based activities and adding new ones can contribute to establishing the social connectivity of the river. The research uses two case studies based in different contexts – Copenhagen's harbour and Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul. This allows a perspective on various approaches to urban waterfront restoration, and noticing patterns that can be applicable in other developments.
Literature search showed a gap in scholarly writing regarding the recreational use of waterfronts and its importance for establishing a connection between the river and the city. Articles that cover the topic of water-based urban leisure practices usually don’t look at their historical context. This paper combines a historical study of recreational activities practiced near urban rivers with research on contemporary guidelines regarding waterfront restoration, leading to a thorough overview of the role of leisure in reestablishing the social connectivity of rivers.

This research aims to investigate the cultural and historical significance of Mazagaon and its "bunders" within Mumbai's port area, specifically focusing on the informal economy, communities, and colonial heritage

Historically, rivers have shifted from being a natural element to a controlled confined channel, impacting urban landscapes. This relationship between rivers and urban development underlines the vital role of these watercourses in shaping the urban fabric. Cities are strategically positioned close to these water bodies, which are essential resources for their growth. They recognize the essential value of rivers, yet they have also been exploiting their potential by modifying their course over time. Additionally, over the years, this transformation of the urban landscape and the ongoing consequences of climate change resulted in a significant increase in river flooding. While specific infrastructures have been built to stop these floods and limit damage to the urban landscape, the recurring pattern of these floods questions the effectiveness of some of these infrastructures regarding the future of these dynamics.

Large plate panel building architecture is one of the important aspects related to the historical background and its development, especially in Slavic Europe where buildings were linked with the Soviet occupation. Through examination of case studies, the study focuses on social, economic, and political factors that played a role in the rapid introduction and implementation of "concrete pre-fabricated" houses, popularly known as "large plates" in Poland and other Eastern European countries.

Briefly, the paper covers the political dimension of large plate panel buildings. It is an argument in favor of aligning these buildings with socialist ideals and with other goals in shaping urban landscapes. The research provides insight into the impact of plate technology on city architecture, but it also focuses on the urbanization trends of Polish cities during the era of the People's Republic of Poland (PRL).

Furthermore, the studies focus on the existing conditions of the small plate buildings, factoring them in features like durability, problems in maintenance, and their estimated life span. Discourse on the housing crisis in Poland is undertaken, in which relevant aspects of revitalization costs are analyzed and the position of the government is examined. Despite the fears for the mere resourcefulness of big plate buildings experts say that they may have a life span of 100+ years under warranty conditions.

Thereafter, the research stresses the persistence of large plate panel buildings in the housing landscape by narrating their historical significance and searching the issues in their sustenance. Even today plate buildings constitute a very important part of Polish housing but the example of some other countries – Germany and Netherlands – show us at the same time they are facing certain deficiencies that suggest possible future developments in large sheet structures.

Significant population displacements have been taking place for centuries, most of the time as a consequence of natural disasters, wars, persecution or economic challenges. In 2023, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported 110 million people forcibly displaced worldwide (UNHCR, 2023). Conflicts in one country rapidly affect others, mainly as a result of these displacements and the vulnerable situation in which people find themselves in such circumstances. Thus, upon arrival in foreign countries, asylum seekers rely on the support provided by means of so called arrival/reception infrastructures, which can be material or immaterial means of aid.
The Netherlands, a country that receives refugees since its years as a republic, faced many crises in this regard over the years and keeps dealing with the consequences of episodes of high influx of refugees until nowadays. So, the objective of this research is to answer the questions “How did the reception infrastructure evolve during the main refugee crises in the Netherlands since World War II?”, and “What are the challenges and gaps in the spatial reception infrastructure offered by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA), considering the minimum standards required by the Common European Asylum System?”, by analysing and reflecting upon historical media, archival materials, and publicly available reports and articles on the news about the current physical conditions of reception facilities.
Even though the asylum seekers’ reception system gradually became more regulated and the infrastructure provided changed significantly over the years, inhumane conditions continue to take place. European policies that fail on taking individual basic necessities of refugees into account, and a lack of shelter places in the country demonstrate that the reception infrastructure does not comply with the ever changing numbers of asylum requests, resulting in extremely inhumane situations to happen over and over again.

Social housing stock, homelessness and poverty is a comparative study, investigating the effects of the spatial distribution of these three subjects on one another and their relations for the two case study cities of Amsterdam and The Hague.

Several studies show that social housing has its implications on homelessness and poverty, bettering the situation once social housing programs are set in place (Jacobs, 2019; O’Donnel, 2021; Whyte & Hawkey & Smith, 2023). This study sought to fill the knowledge gap on the effects of the spatial distribution of social housing on homelessness and poverty by means of literature reviews and spatial analysis.

The results show that areas with higher concentration of social housing more often have higher concentrations of poverty, while at the same time the presence of social housing itself has beneficial effects on tackling poverty and homelessness. Thus lowering poverty and homelessness in areas with concentrations of social housing relative to areas without these.
When analyzing the two case studies, the results show evidence for a correlation between the spatial distribution of social housing and the spatial distribution of poverty for the majority of neighborhoods in the two cities. Research into the spatial distribution of homelessness for the case studies lacked the sources needed for getting to results.

This research studies the effects of adaptive vernacular reuse on industrial heritage sites. Hereby the studied effects are focused on industrial sites in Dutch cities. Within the Netherlands a trend can be seen of cities trying to densify the urban environment. This trend is the consequence of a housing shortage and a low availability of developable space for urban growth. Because of this densification process an increasing number of industrial sites get redeveloped into mixed-use neighborhoods. Characterized by their indistinguishable architecture these redeveloped industrial sites generate a unique type of neighborhood where old and new are merged together. Why these industrial sites get recognized as valuable potential locations where densification can take place is studied in this research. Looking at vernacular aspects and the way they dictate heritage preservation. Thereby the preservation through use of adaptive reuse strategies and how these strategies can be combined with vernacular aspects get studied based on a reference study on the NDSM-wharf in Amsterdam. In this research both integration of vernacular architecture and adaptive reuse practices get combined in an adaptive vernacular reuse design study.