Planning in a conflict region is considered as one of the challenging discourses of urbanism due to extreme geopolitical and societal conditions. This research-design project addresses spatial planning, policies, and design in the contested areas, through the case of Kashmir which is a disputed geopolitical region between India and Pakistan. Due to this, political and cultural conflict emerge in the region resulting in underdevelopment and social fragmentation. In order to understand the theoretical aspects of conflict and urbanism, the major part of this thesis is dedicated to the literature review. In which literature by several urban scholars on this topic as well as policies by the Indian government and State government of Jammu and Kashmir has been analyzed. Which leads to the problem formulation for the thesis which constitutes and find out the missing link between current planning practices and cultural conflict in the region, in order to further assist in the conflict mitigation. Also, the analysis has been done by various methods like comparative analysis, Empirical analysis, field visit to understand the planning and governance system in Kashmir. This analysis resulted in finding spatial opportunities as an urbanist to develop the region. Finally, this project aims to create a strategic framework to achieve social cohesion in the area by altering the current planning practices and giving design interventions.

This thesis elaborates on the role and position of regional design in spatial planning. Building upon the argument that design in this realm aims to improve planning guidance by judging its implications for particular situations, the thesis develops an analytical framework for an enhanced understanding of how design both influences, and is influenced by, prevailing planning rationales. The analytical framework is applied to a set of regional design initiatives that evolved
in the context of Dutch national plans between 1988 and 2012. Significantly, the analysis reveals aspects of spatial planning frameworks that shape the performances of design practice, of particular importance being the flexibility of planning frameworks and the involvement of actors in initiating, conducting and judging design. In theoretical terms, the thesis contributes to the integration of planning and design theory. The societal relevance of this dissertation evolves
against the background of an increasing use of regional design-led practices in Dutch spatial planning since the mid-1980s.@en

The ‘resource curse’, a term coined by Richard Auty in 1993, refers to the paradox that the abundance of natural resources tends to have adverse effects in a country’s economic, social and political well-being (Ross, 2015). This correlation has also led many to refer to this phenomenon as the ‘paradox of plenty’. When a country depends exclusively on the extraction of non-renewable resources it faces a wide range of risks that can be extremely difficult to manage, since they are created by powerful external factors. And Venezuela, a nation that has mainly depended on oil and mineral extraction since the 1920s, has not been the exception. The astronomical rise in the prices of various metals over the past two decades has put great pressures on resource-rich countries all over the world, especially in the global south. In recent years, and pushed by the drop of oil prices, the Venezuelan government decided to shift its attention from the oil fields of the country to the tropical forests of the Venezuelan Guayana, where large deposits of iron, bauxite, gold, diamonds, coltan, and many other rare minerals can be found.

But the ongoing economic crisis and the subsequent lack of opportunities throughout the country, have also promoted the escalation of illegal small-scale gold mining operations in this part of the Amazonia. Thousands of people, especially in neglected and peripheral areas, have found a way to survive the crisis by working in the gold mines. However, this dependency on resource extraction is having far-reaching consequences that will be felt by many generations to come, from an environmental, social and economic point of view. And from a larger perspective, the idea of maintaining a model based on the exploitation of non-renewable resources hinders the possibility of a sustainable future for the region. But is there a way out of the resource curse? What kind of
regional and local development should be promoted to overcome this dependency, and for whom? These are difficult questions that nevertheless must be addressed, especially in the Amazonian context. Therefore, this work seeks to explore the spatial dimension of this problem in the Venezuelan Guayana, to understand if the restructuring of the territory can create the conditions for the generation of alternative economies from the bottom-up and reduce the current dependence of the region on resource extraction.

This research and planning project explores the influence of spatial planning in facilitating the process of energy transition within the context of Dubai. Energy use within the built environment is closely related to the organization of urban form and functions. Spatial planning can influence diverse sectors in urban areas including the energy sector. The role of spatial planning in the energy transition is a crucial one since it can challenge fundamental norms that don’t promote energy efficiency. Planning processes and systems can pave the way for a collective investment in public goods that can help to promote long term environmental benefits. The results of this research illustrate the impact of spatial planning to change the relationship of space to energy. Energy strategies need to start having a stronger link with urban development plans to be able to effectively change the ‘decision rules’ that can lead to an improved energy performance. Through this research I want to contribute to this question and explore the parameters of planning that can impact energy use in Dubai. The intention of this research and design project is to begin a discussion about the role of spatial planning in the energy transition in cities. My assumed role in this project is of an urban planner to inform Dubai government on how to facilitate a process for developers, urban designers and architects to work within. This project has a strong research base which will guide the redesigning of the planning process in Dubai to better balance competing interests and engage with all stakeholders. This research attempts to bridge the gap between energy strategies and urban development policies.

Automobile dependence and suburban sprawl have a cyclical compounding relationship. Automobiles require a large amount of space and infrastructure in order to be an effective means of transit. This prompts constructing the urban environment at a lower density, which generates suburban sprawl. The low-density development then requires an automobile for ease of access, which generates dependence. In this way automobile dependence and suburban sprawl build upon each other. This relationship has a series of primary spatial effects and secondary socioeconomic effects on the urban environment. The United States is currently stuck in a system of automobile dependence that perpetuates nearly all cities across the country. But, automobile dependence is more severe than the mere use of a car. It instead, refers to the necessity of an automobile for accessibility within nearly all aspects of daily life. Todd Litman defines automobile dependence in terms of three criteria: 1) reduced transport alternatives, 2) automobile oriented land use patterns, and 3) high levels per capita automobile travel. The three definition criteria were used as the main methodology by dictating the spatial analysis, key goals, and strategy themes. The key design goals of the thesis were 1) to consider destination as well as transportation 2) work to attract suburban inhabitants back into the city and 3) focus on pedestrianizing public space. The themes of this thesis are transit, development, and culture. It is crucial that these three themes work together in a cohesive strategy in order to alleviate the effects of automobile dependence. The design of this thesis concluded with proposals at the city, district, and neighborhood level, with the design at the neighborhood level being the focus.

India is urbanizing at a massive rate, and predicted to have 50% of its population classified as urban by 2050. The Mumbai Metropolitan region is an urban agglomerate that represents the emancipatory qualities of urbanisation while simultaneously showing signs of urban decay that reflects a poor urban strategy. This urban decay is however blamed on the city’s rural-urban migrants who are seen to contribute to over-crowding in the city leading to a competition for urban resources. The project attempts to identify these labour migrants through various narratives and historic precedents of migration in the city to form an understanding of the shortcomings of the present Metropolitan regional plan. To understand this rural-to-urban transition in the city, the research project identifies that urbanisation neglects to consider the rural landscape that it seeks to change in present day growth models and seeks to propose an alternative strategy for urban India. Review of literature on the subject indicates that rural change occurs by land acquisition and change in land-usage, rural to urban migration (transference of poverty), reduction in the agricultural production and villages reduced to slum like conditions. The design project seeks to propose an alternative model for urbanisation that incorporates the agricultural economy to improve the edge city sub-region of Vasai-Virar with examples at various scales.

With the emergence of the latest concept of smart cities, there is a rapid change of lifestyle and a mass migration to cities. At the same time, cities have high demands of infrastructure such as transport and building, and resources such as food, water, and energy, as well as issues like scarcity of adequate land, unapproachable government. All these are adding to the extreme need to find smarter solutions for cities, that can provide better lieable conditions for the citizens. Thus, the Indian government planned 100 smart city project. Many questions were raised on the proposal justification on time, money, approach and objectives. Through this project, I am evaluating the current proposal as an urbanist and using the opportunity to refine the project for a realistic and promising future, rather than creating a label of smartness.

In this project, I explore the conditional development of smart cities, investigating various examples from different continents and producing an analytical framework towards the approach of making a city smarter. These examples are assisting me to set guidelines, to shape the Indian cities with its own definition of smartness. The focal point of this project is Delhi, but the other Indian cities will be able to learn from the process of selection of projects and principles. Although, due to lack of time, I would emphasis of few sectors of smartness, in selective neighbourhoods of Delhi.

Post-war council estates in the UK - due to issues in built quality, maintenance, design and an accumulation of social problems - have been object to various regeneration initiatives over the past decades. The latest market-led regeneration wave, however, is controversially and heatedly discussed. Council estates are densified and developed into mixed communities with the introduction of market tenure. Particularly in the context of London’s housing crisis, this approach is criticised to prioritise market demands over the needs of the original inhabitants and cause a loss of much needed genuinely affordable housing. The aim of this research is therefore to contribute to the search of methods to achieve more socially balanced development within these regeneration processes in London – in particular, to explore the role planning and design can play to ensure that the needs of lower income groups are met. The main evaluation criteria are the provision of genuinely affordable housing, meaningful resident engagement and design that responds to the various needs within mixed communities. A set of recommendations is developed based on the analysis of London’s planning and policy framework and two differing case studies: the controversial Heygate Estate/Elephant&Castle development and the infill approach of the Dover Court Estate regeneration. What is more, lessons are drawn from regeneration approaches in Amsterdam and Vienna, two cities well known for housing. The research revealed that estate regeneration is dependent on multiple economic, political and social factors. In London, central government directives including housing policy, funding allocation and regulation of local authorities play a decisive role in how individual regeneration schemes can be approached. At the same time, planning tasks such as a thorough decision making process, meaningful resident engagement, detailed and transparent monitoring as well as effective negotiation with the private sector can be supported on the city-wide or local level. Therefore, the proposal does not only include process and design recommendations, but also institutional capacity building strategies.