From Space to People

Abstract

Various progressive rural renewal programs have been launched in China over the past two decades. What does the future of rural areas and regions look like in China’s Yangtze River Delta Region, and what can we learn from these for other situations such as in the Northern Netherlands? Our aim is to find a new perspective for more sustainable spatial development. By walking we try to discover a new vision for the future developments of towns and countryside, especially in exurban areas at a medium distance from urban conurbations. Instead of only plowing through archives, this research is methodically based on “walking” in which not only the case is physically experienced intensely, but also a discussion is held with as many different people as possible. While walking there is time to see and discuss things from different perspectives. By walking we expect to discover hidden values in the countryside near metropolitan regions. “Walking through the landscape” is also a metaphor, with an assumption that by deliberate slowing down, we can find sustainable alternatives, as opposed to overconsumption and depletion of the planet.