I’m an urban planner passionate about creating sustainable, livable spaces. I love working on projects in sustainability, circular economy, and mobility. My university projects gave me the chance to collaborate with people from different fields, which grew my love for teamwork. I’m excited to keep learning and growing in urban planning. This portfolio is a selected collection of projects that I could contribute to and be part of.
Hope this portfolio gives more insight into me as a professional. Thank you for your attention!
- Hazael
Drowning Cities at Avans Hogeschool
PROJECT NEON, EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS
Placement project from Sept 2023 - Jan 2024 at Breda University of Applied Sciences
LAB project at Breda University of Applied Sciences
Academic Research and Analysis for the course Trends and Transitions at Breda University of Applied Sciences
PENINSULA, HO CHI
MINH CITY, VIETNAM
Minor Drowning Cities at Avans Hogeschool Ongoing project -
BACKGROUND
TYPE: Field Work
LOCATION: Thanh Da, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
HIGHLIGHTS: Water Management, Urban Planning
CONTEXT:
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), located in southern Vietnam, faces frequent flooding, especially during the monsoon season from May to November, which disrupts daily life. In response, the government is now focusing on flood mitigation and adaptation strategies to manage the annual impact.
The project site, Thanh Da Peninsula, lies near the bustling central business district and, like much of HCMC, is vulnerable to flooding. The redevelopment goal for Thanh Da is to address the city’s future needs by accommodating higher density and creating livable, resilient spaces. With limited land for expansion and a growing population, careful planning for both density and effective water management is essential.
Our project focuses on the theme of “urban super grids,” envisioning a recognizable grid layout that integrates water management, urban planning, architecture and design principles. The following sections will detail how these elements come together to create a sustainable and adaptive framework for Thanh Da’s future.
The objective is to redevelop Thanh Da peninsula by designing adaptive water management strategies, planning for future density, while also taking into account the current demographics and needs of people in the peninsula - designing for people/culture.
Ho Chi Minh City
Thanh Da
Visit to Vietnam
Additional to all the desktop research that was done; I was able to visit Ho Chi minh City, Vietnam in person in the begining of October this year. This gave me a much needed insight into the people and culture of Vietnamese. The week in Vietnam, there were workshops hosted by the partnering university - University Of Economics Ho Chi Minh City. This facilitated indepth discussions and knowledge sharing with the Vietnamese peers.
With their help my team and I could visit Thanh Da in person and explore the area. This brought us amazing new insights into the area and its current conditions.
These are some of the site visit pictures that I took for further analysis.
PROPOSAL - SPIDER WEB GRIDS
Now we are developing the micro area plan further, so the project is still ongoing!
PROJECT NEON, EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS
Placement project from Sept 2023 - Jan 2024 at Breda University of Applied Sciences
BACKGROUND
TYPE: Academic work, Field work
LOCATION: Eindhoven, The Netherlands
CLIENT: Eindhoven Municipality
HIGHLIGHTS: Urban Planning Internship
CONTEXT:
NEON (New Energy and Mobility Outlook for the Netherlands) is an ambitious research initiative aimed at tackling climate action, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation challenges in the Netherlands. By combining expertise from technology, social sciences, and the humanities, NEON works toward achieving zero-emission energy and developing innovative, sustainable mobility solutions.
The project is centered in Eindhoven, where the municipality’s goal is to transition to a low-carbon future. A key focus is enhancing mobility through the creation of mobility hubs, improved public transport connectivity, and a more bike-friendly infrastructure, encouraging people to use public transport and bicycles over private cars
At the end of the project, a set of customised solutions were presented in the form of a toolbox was developed to help Eindhoven incorporate sustainable, green mobility solutions into urban planning. This was informed by consultations with PhD specialists in sustainability, mobility, logistics, and human behavior, and involved close collaboration with the Eindhoven municipality, universities, and industry partners. My ongoing internship with NEON has allowed me to actively contribute to these efforts!
ANALYSIS
To understand Eindhoven’s context, we analyzed its relationship with nearby municipalities, particularly Helmond. As Eindhoven is the largest urban center in the area, many surrounding towns rely on it. Unlike Eindhoven, which lacks a suburban environment, Helmond offers a contrasting, smaller-scale context that provided insights into how Eindhoven’s urban strategies impact neighboring cities.
For this analysis, we researched:
• - Long-term goals, policies, and growth strategies for Eindhoven and Helmond
• - Existing mobility systems in both cities
• - Sustainable mobility technologies and cleaner energy alternatives
• - New energy-efficient strategies
• - Comparative analysis of urban and suburban contexts, including demographics, urban fabric, and energy usage.
This was a large scale analysis and gave an overview of the area and the base of the research. Then, a neighbourhood scale case study was done on selected neighbourhoods from Eindhoven and Helmond.
ZERO EMISSION ZONE
CURRENT AQUATHERMAL
CURRENT GEOTHERMAL
CURRENT BIOMASS
INNOVATIVE/BUSINESS CAMPUSES
RESTRICTED ZONE
POTENTIAL FOR WIND ENERGY
POTENTIAL FOR SOLAR ENERGY
Industrial Estates
EINDHOVEN
Energy
Industrial Estates EINDHOVEN
Trading BUS ROUTES
Energy Trading
Type of Industrial Estates
Campus
Campuses are characterized by high-quality real estate and high-quality public space, with a lot of attention to the residential quality of the area. Campuses are characterized by a strong management organization that closely monitors the quality, sustainability and type of activity of the site and the established companies.
Modern Mix
Modern mixed is characterized by more modernand higher-quality real estate and a wellmaintained public space. These industrial estates function are generally good and generally have a lower vacancy rate. They are popular locations because of their good location and accessibility. Many industrial, manufacturing, construction and wholesale companies.
Functional Mix
Functional mixed is characterized by average real estate quality and reasonably wellmaintained public space. These business areas have varying strengths and weaknesses. They offer entrepreneurs a diverse, functional business environment. From a market perspective, the 'weaker' places offer opportunities to settle for low to vacancy ratesrieves, through which new business and creative concepts can be created.
WORKSHOPS With PhD Students
We consulted PhD students specializing in mobility and sustainability in two sessions to refine the toolbox’s energy and mobility solutions.
The first workshop covered the broader context and Eindhoven’s goals, supported by spatial data, maps, and diagrams to guide discussion. The second session focused on area-specific details, compared to national averages for clarity, following feedback that the broader approach was overwhelming. The major concepts and takeaways from the workshops with PhD students which helped us develop the toolbox solutions
PROPOSAL
TOOLBOX TABLE
EINDHOVEN Neighbourhoods
HELMOND Neighbourhoods
REDEVELOPMENT OF DHARAVI SLUM, MUMBAI, INDIA
LAB project at Breda Applied Sciences
BACKGROUND
TYPE: Academic work, Field work
LOCATION: Mumbai, India
HIGHLIGHTS: Urban Planning
CONTEXT:
Mumbai, the financial capital of India and Maharashtra, is one of the world’s most populous metros, with over 21.3 million residents. Key financial institutions like the Bombay Stock Exchange, Reserve Bank of India, and major corporations such as Tata and Reliance Industries are concentrated in South Mumbai, the city’s economic core. Mumbai’s population is expected to grow due to natural increase and rural migration, fueling the expansion of slums.
Project focus: Dharavi, Mumbai’s largest slum, houses about 1.2 million people and is among the densest residential areas globally. Established in 1884 as a refuge for rural migrants, it grew with the city’s industrial expansion.
This project aims to create a 100-year Settlement Plan for Dharavi to make it humane, sustainable, and affordable, with phased interventions every 25 years to improve living conditions for both Dharavi residents and Mumbai as a whole.
DHARAVI SLUM - Site Analysis
THE MICRO CITY MUMBAI : DHARAVI
URBAN INDIA AND LONELINESS
AMONG ELDERLY , A RESEARCH STUDY
Academic Research and Analysis for the course Trends and Transitions at Breda University of Applied Sciences
BACKGROUND
TYPE: Academic work
LOCATION: India
HIGHLIGHTS: Urban Planning, Analysing trends
CONTEXT:
India, with a population density of 438.58 people per square kilometer and 1.44 billion residents as of January 2024, is among the world’s most densely populated countries. Despite this, loneliness is prevalent, with 43% of Indians reporting feelings of loneliness in a 2021 survey. Changes in modern lifestyles have increasingly left elderly Indians living alone, raising their vulnerability to isolation and associated health risks. A 2004 NSSO survey reported 4.91 million people living alone, a number that rose to 15 million elderly individuals by 2014 and continues to climb.
As India’s elderly population grows, addressing loneliness among the elderly becomes urgent, especially given its link to mental and physical health declines.
This research investigates loneliness among urban elderly in India, aiming to identify its causes, understand societal perceptions, and assess current policies on elderly well-being. Findings will support policy and program recommendations to reintegrate the elderly into urban life in Kerala.
URBAN INDIA & LONELINESS AMONG ELDERY
PROPOSAL FOR COMBATING LONELINESS IN ELDERLY IN URBAN AREAS OF KERALA
Dispersed urban centers in
Proposal for reducing loneliness of elderly in urban areas of Kerala
