atlantis As opposed to the linear economy, in the circular economy resources (materials and products) will not turn into waste. Instead, resources will be designed to be reused, recycled and remanufactured preserving their high value, in order to contribute both for the economy and the environment (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). “CE may be seen as a system for production and consumption, which aims at balancing economic growth and development with environmental and resource protection” (Naustdalslid,2014). We believe that a shift towards CE is necessary in order to achieve sustainable development in the region. In our project, we will use CE to promote clean production, as a mean to create a healthier environment that can provide prosperity for future generation to come. 2. Housing demand Another growth-related issue is that with an increasing population, there will be a higher demand for housing. In the Netherlands, the government targets to answer this demand by developing 1 million houses by 2040. The AMA will require to build 230.000 new houses. However, the regional development over the past couple of decades, along with the future trend for large housing development needs have resulted in a continuous spread and sprawl of buildings at the expense of the open landscape. This constant urbanization has led to an imbalanced relationship between ecological and urban needs. In our opinion, housing development has the potential to become more sustainable. In order to create a balance between eco-
urban needs, we suggest to focus on the densification of existing urban fabrics and protect open landscape areas. Furthermore, we aim to promote the reuse of building materials and introduce the use of biobased materials for construction. This approach will co-relate with our suggested move towards circularity in the region. 3. Spatial Justice The growing housing demand and continuous sprawl together with the problems of the current linear production are also resulting in an unjust environment. Spatial Justice is not only about equality for opportunities and rights but also for space, access to green, and access to public transport. Soja (2009) defines spatial justice as “the fair and equitable distribution in space of socially valued resources and the opportunities to use them”. Currently within AMA, due to the high amount of industries, the pollution within the environment is unacceptably high. In the Netherlands, around 8000 people are killed by particulate matter in the air every year (Algemeen Dagblad News, 2018). The current impact on the environment increases risks and pressures on the future generation. We consider that a just society not only focuses on immediate accessibility of resources but also on the right to live in a clean healthy environment. With sustainable interventions, clean production, and reinforcing of ecosystems with the development of new policies for the region, we can help in achieving a just environment.
In light of these growth-related pressures (higher demand for resources and housing), our objective is to find a sustainable solution for the further densification of the region, emphasizing on a healthy clean environment. In order to achieve this, a shift towards CE and a more just environment is suggested. However, such a solution requires space for action, therefore, our next step is to find a possible space within the region where we can act in order to achieve our goal. Territories in between (TiB) The two growth-related issues will need an actual space in order to be resolved. First, as mentioned, since in the future the current linear production will not be able to answer the higher demand for resources, a shift toward a circular economy is necessary. However, in order to perform a circular economy in the region, an actual space is required for the recycling, storage, sorting, distribution, and manufacturing of new circular products. Second, in order to answer the growing housing demand of, space is needed for the construction of 240,000 by 2040. Yet, when addressing this demand with sustainability in mind, the conflict between the continuous spread and sprawl of housing at the expanse of open landscape and ecological systems should be considered. Over the past couple of decades, Amsterdam region continuous growth has resulted in the emergence of a distinctive spatial form, which does not match the definitions of urban nor rural or sprawl (Wandl, et.al,2014). This form is not exclusive for AMA but can be seen in other regions across Europe (Wandl, et.al, 2017).
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