The Soft Transition

Abstract

Currently the Construction & Demolition (C&D) sector in South Holland produces 2.581.840 tons of waste every year, it is also responsible for 50% of raw material usage and 35% of CO2 emissions. This issue is aggravated when considering the 200.000 houses that still need to be built in the region in the upcoming decade, increasing the amount of waste and pollution produced, not only by the construction of new houses, but also by new infrastructure. The province government has multiple obligations to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and so has committed to achieving an entirely circular economy by 2050.This report focuses on the Construction and Demolition sector and its implications on the province’s spatial structure, focusing on three key themes: housing, socio-spatial justice, and the C&D Sector.By using methods and practices found in Soft Planning theories, such as soft spaces, horizontal structure of stakeholders and open-ended proposals and design policies, the outcome of this research provides new perspectives on how to tackle social and spatial inequalities for the province of South Holland, whilst shaping the C&D Sector towards more sustainable, circular practices. The soft transition takes the existing initiatives within the construction sector into account and aims for utmost collaboration with all stakeholders. Particular attention is paid to low-income neighborhoods that bear the brunt of construction companies’ externalities and do not directly benefit from their proximity to educational institutions and job opportunities. Resultantly, a set of patterns is formulated in order to set the stage for co-creation and facilitate the collaboration of the different actors at the scale of province, city and neighborhood. The report further details how these patterns could be applied on a contextual basis, and explores these scenarios in two locations within the province; Binckhorst, in The Hague, and Dordrecht.