Building Futures

editors Marcel Hertogh & Fransje Hooimeijer

BUILDING FUTURES

Integrated design strategies for infrastructures and urban environments

editors Marcel Hertogh & Fransje Hooimeijer

PREFACE

Most inspiring experiences occur when people from different backgrounds and organisations work together on contemporary and future challenges to create new, inspiring approaches and solutions. I have been fortunate to work on the Ecoshape initiative, where we have developed and implemented ‘Building with Nature’ solutions for water-related infrastructure, such as flood defences and sustainable ports, and for the restoration of ecosystems. Through this approach, we can develop sustainable infrastructure while simultaneously contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals. We are doing this in a partnership of public, private, and knowledge organisations.

The big themes we addressed in Ecoshape are very similar to the topics that TU Delft | Delft Deltas, Infrastructures & Mobility Initiative (DIMI) has worked on over the past 12 years. Transitioning from the Water Centre, DIMI is one of the so-called Delft Research Initiatives (DRI), along with ‘Energy’, ‘Health’, and ‘Global’. A DRI aims to make a significant scientific contribution to urgent challenges faced by society, working from a thematic, interdisciplinary cooperation. In this context, DIMI focuses on integrated solutions related to vital infrastructural facilities for water safety and smart mobility, which are inherent in the natural and built environment.

We are living in demanding times. It is not easy to find approaches and solutions for our infrastructural and spatial challenges. The intention of this publication is to serve as an inspiration for current, daily life challenges in two ways. Firstly, by discussing the fundamentals of these approaches, such as methods and methodologies for integrated design and new ways of learning. Secondly, by presenting a selection of 16 signature projects out of a portfolio of 200 ‘special projects’ carried out over the last twelve years, categorised in Flood Risk, Infrastructure Innovation, Sustainable Urban Development, and Ports & Hubs.

The enthusiastic contribution of many has been indispensable to the development of DIMI. For this, we thank our societal partners with whom we have been working so intensively: public organisations, companies, civil society organisations, and residents. And, of course, the colleagues at TU Delft and fellow knowledge institutions with whom we work so pleasantly. A special mention deserves the external advisory board that constantly challenges and stimulates us. Finally, we thank our Executive Board for initiating the DRIs and for their continuous support and encouragement.

We wish you much inspiration, courage, and perseverance in your own professional challenges. Hopefully, you will find inspiration as you read through and browse the fundamentals and challenges. This book is not the end of a journey. It is an intermediate stop, from which we invite you to join us on our journey towards sustainable infrastructure and an attractive living environment. Let’s make it happen!

Prof.dr.ir. Stefan Aarninkhof

TU Delft, Dean Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Flood Risk

Infrastructure Innovation

Sustainable Urban Development

Ports & Hubs

The Port and the Fall of Icarus P 242

Role of Stations

PortCityFutures Dualities P 232

P 92 Japan Tsunami Reconstruction in Yuriage & Otsuchi P 204 Eco City Jingmen

P 66 P 112

Reflection

Flood Risk Infrastructure Innovation

Ellen Tromp P 68

Reflection

Marc Verheijen P 114

Ellen van Bueren P 170

Van Acker P 216

DIMI –

TU Delft Deltas, Infrastructures and Mobility Initiative

Marcel Hertogh

DIMI Manifesto

Our society faces major challenges in climate, biodiversity, and ongoing urbanisation, along with related issues of water safety, mobility, liveability, inclusiveness, circularity, sustainability, housing, energy, and ageing infrastructure. These challenges are interconnected, and uncertainties loom regarding their future development. What are the ‘tipping points’ on the horizon?

The conventional sectoral and planned approach, filled with protocols and established regimes that we have grown accustomed to for constructing our world and addressing challenges, is reaching its limits. Indeed, it is no longer adequate to deal with today’s complex spatial challenges. This approach departs from a particular, sectoral perspective and takes insufficient account of other interests and broad values. The focus is on efficiency and legality rather than effectiveness, leaving insufficient room for adapting to future uncertainties. We are witnessing a quest for evolving task-oriented approaches with adaptive and transformative solutions that require more proactivity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and rigour.

Through our imagination and the connective power of visions, such as design studies involving various disciplines and organisations in the early stages, we can make ambitions tangible, cleverly link them, and visualise them. At the same time, we keep making progress by learning and adjusting as we go. Top-down and bottom-up, holistic and decomposing. Monofunctional, single-goal solutions give way to integrated, multifunctional, durable, and context-specific solutions for a variety of scales and spatial dimensions.

The time when a single organisation could achieve all this lies behind us. ‘Everyone is in charge’. To tackle these challenges successfully, we strengthen connections between disciplines and organisations, considering cultures, values, systems, routines, and knowledge. We develop tailor-made, unique collaborations where each party brings its expertise and feels responsible for the collective outcome, opening up to the others. It is from the joint expertise of public, private, societal, and knowledge organisations that suitable and sometimes even innovative solutions emerge.

Active connectors within organisations, known as boundary spanners or integrators, are crucial in this regard: they are the professionals of the future. They collaborate intensively with fellow specialists from

their own and other organisations. It is interesting to explore which practices and competencies contribute to mutual understanding and appreciation for better, more sustainable, and smarter solutions. Connecting competencies, imagination, and perseverance are key.Organisations involved in these developments and contributing to societal transitions are undergoing a transition themselves. Continuing to work in the familiar way no longer fits the bill. Executives sense this urgency, convey it, and act accordingly. Organisations capable of change are attractive to new talent. Spaces for experimentation emerge for learning, for those who are willing to engage. They know that engagement contributes to realising ambitions by creating a concrete impact. The quick wins serve as catalysts, with shared learning experiences to build upon.

For organisations, cooperating with research and educational institutions – that is to say, students and researchers – is invigorating. All students in higher education become involved in societal challenges through design studios, internships, interdisciplinary projects, challenge-based learning, etc. Bonding with the immediate environment, such as the city and region nearby, makes working on these challenges even more appealing. The same mechanisms apply globally, for instance in broad h ydraulic engineering-related challenges. By applying high-quality, specialised knowledge within specific societal contexts and challenges, students broaden their perspectives and hone their skills. Researchers actively contribute to initiatives, foster learning, and offer validated guidance. They, in turn, are inspired and learn by working at the interface of science and practice.

TU Delft Deltas, Infrastructures and Mobility

The TU Delft Deltas, Infrastructures and Mobility Initiative (DIMI) is a platform at TU Delft that was set up in 2009. DIMI has been bringing together scientists from various faculties around societal spatial challenges: infrastructure, mobility, and water safety in relation to urban and landscape challenges. To this end, we collaborate with public, private, societal, and knowledge-based partners to better understand these challenges and jointly develop approaches to address them, both methodically and practically. Our students embark on this journey in multidisciplinary teams, interdisciplinary design studies, and graduation programmes. The manifesto from the previous section is rooted in these experiences and the knowledge gained in the process.

DIMI is organised around six themes, with researchers, students, and practitioners working together on a specific theme. There are three domain themes – innovation airport, deltas of the future, and future-proof built environments and infrastructures – and three overarching themes – education, methods, and communications.

Each theme has its own ‘special projects’, which have been running since 2013. To qualify as a special project, four criteria must be met:

1. Starting with a Societal Challenge

Academics typically start from within their discipline and explore its practical applications in an inside-out manner. However, the DIMI approach adopts an outside-in perspective: starting broad with the societal challenge and collaborating with societal partners. This sets the stage for interpreting the following three criteria.

2. Engaging Stakeholders

To grasp the challenge’s essence, involving representatives from the field is crucial. They provide insight into the actual needs and their contexts. An interactive setting stimulates the generation of new ideas, designs, and implementation strategies, allowing for preliminary evaluations of their feasibility. Establishing relationships could be a stepping stone for further collaboration.

3. Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Societal challenges do not conform to disciplinary boundaries, necessitating an interdisciplinary approach. The selection of disciplines involved should be relevant to the transdisciplinary framework established with the partners. For TU Delft, this implies cross-faculty cooperation among colleagues.

4. Achieving Impact: Societal and Educational

Impact means adding value to the challenge at hand. This can involve identifying problems, such as deepening the understanding of the challenges stakeholders face, and finding solutions, such as developing an integrated design. Impact also encompasses collaborative learning to address current and future issues and foster network growth.

The criteria imply that each project addresses a specific social challenge and deserves a serious process and outcome; this is not merely optional. It raises the interesting question of responsibility

for the societal impact, alongside the scientific impact of DIMI. At DIMI, we bring parties together and facilitate and evaluate the process, but ultimately, the ‘problem owners’ are responsible for the societal impact.

In our projects, we examine which technological developments and innovations can be useful, sometimes even organising workshops to explore them. However, these activities are not goals in themselves; the primary focus remains on the societal challenge.

Because of these principles, DIMI’s projects are all inherently ‘transdisciplinary’: they involve various organisations and integrate multiple disciplines. Since 2013, 200 special projects have laid the groundwork for this book. Chapter 3 – Challenges features some of these special projects, while the next chapter is devoted to the fundamental insights drawn from them.

DIMI plays a pivotal role in bringing together stakeholders and subject matter experts for each challenge, fostering a comprehensive understanding, and mobilising the necessary expertise to forge integrated and often innovative solutions. DIMI’s efforts spearhead exploratory research that precedes the fundamental research, providing alternative perspectives where funding might be sparse. The insights and results of DIMI projects subsequently inform proposals for fundamental research. Moreover, new initiatives benefit from DIMI’s accumulated knowledge and experience for initiating, organising, and evaluating special projects in terms of content and network building.

Many organisations, including TU Delft, traditionally operate along discipline lines. Adopting a transdisciplinary approach will require colleagues to step out of their comfort zones. While this transition may take time, it is vital because the intersections of disciplines are where the most significant innovations occur. DIMI supports this transition, notably producing not just tangible results, such as designs or products, but also insights in processes and competences that will shape the development of new methodologies and tools.

Purpose of this Publication

While this publication draws from the portfolio of TU Delft Deltas, Infrastructures & Mobility Initiative, its aim extends beyond academia. It seeks to inspire and inform a broader audience of scholars,

Figure 1: In the centre of the four-leaf clover is the ‘DIMI engine’ that ignites and organises this transdisciplinary, impact-driven collaboration. involvementStakeholder Importantsocietalchallenges

engine

policymakers, and practitioners who are engaged in current and future spatial challenges, committed to achieving sustainable societal impact, and eager to learn from these challenges to enhance their methodologies and solutions.

This publication addresses a critical gap identified in policy statements and specialised publications, which underscore the necessity for transdisciplinarity but often fall short of systematically evaluating its application in day-to-day practice. It serves as an invitation to collaborate, inspire one another, and drive sustainable societal impact, marking a continuous journey of learning and development, replete with trials and triumphs.

The content is structured along two main paths: Fundamentals and Challenges The Fundamentals route delves into the theory behind key aspects of transdisciplinarity and the outcomes of projects featured in Chapter 3 –Challenges. These Fundamentals are:

• Inter- and Transdisciplinary Learning

• Methods and Methodologies of Inter- and Transdisciplinarity

• Research and Practice of Inter- and Transdisciplinarity

• Research and Education of Inter- and Transdisciplinarity

• Longue Durée as an Aspect of Inter- and Transdisciplinarity

The Challenges route offers a detailed examination and analysis of projects organised around four primary challenges:

• Flood Risk

• Infrastructure Innovation

• Sustainable Urban Development

• Ports & Hubs

These Challenges were addressed through initiatives launched and conducted in partnership between TU Delft and various societal partners, following the criteria symbolised by the four-leaf clover model. The publication concludes with Chapter 5 – Conclusions.

bonding with the immediate environment

FUNDAMENTALS

Society faces major interrelated challenges in the areas of climate, biodiversity, sustainability, flood safety, mobility, quality of life, housing, and energy. Fundamental to the practices of inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration are methodologies and approaches that support actors from academia and practice in understanding and developing integrated solutions for these challenges, which will be presented in the next chapter.

This chapter goes into the theoretical and methodological fundamentals of key elements of inter- and transdisciplinarity, both generally and specifically within the context of the projects discussed in the following chapter. The key elements of the Fundamentals, which are also the topics in the Project descriptions, are as follows: Inter- and Transdisciplinarity learning, Methods and Methodologies, Research and Practice, Research and Education and Longue Durée.

Inter- and Transdisciplinarity Learning

The section on Inter- and Transdisciplinarity (ITD) explains multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary collaboration and learning, along with their theoretical backgrounds. There are different perspectives on these concepts and the ways in which they are understood. We focus on three fundamental issues of ITD that are often underestimated:

• task dependency and integration as key variables to distinguish between multi- and interdisciplinarity,

• the use of shared or ‘boundary-crossing’ deliverables that enable such integration,

• the variety of integration processes in practice.

These are illustrated by initiatives from the DIMI portfolio of special projects.

Contemporary societal challenges demand an approach to urban infrastructure, environment, and mobility projects where a variety of fields of expertise work together. However, academia, despite being highly specialised, remains fragmented into disciplinary silos. In the case of the academic DIMI portfolio, transdisciplinarity is adopted as a means to align with the necessary societal impact.

Methods and Methodologies

The second fundamental, Methods and Methodologies, showcases a variety of tested methods for inter- and transdisciplinary knowledge creation, including research by design, scenario planning, and design charettes. While some methods are specific to specific fields, others facilitate the amalgamation of knowledge into inter- or transdisciplinary outcomes. This section introduces such methods and encourages project contributors to identify and evaluate their effectiveness and interrelationships.

Research and Practice

The third fundamental explores the relationship between research and practical application. In the quest for innovation, contemporary practice – much like academia – seeks to cultivate professionals and novel approaches within infrastructure and environment sectors. Bridging the gap between practice and academic knowledge production and contemporary challenges offers a valuable opportunity to accentuate the learning aspect. Practical involvement with academic knowledge production can take various forms, including presenting research challenges to consortia, sharing data, conducting reality checks on findings, offering facilities, or co-creating knowledge. The nature of this involvement may evolve across different project phases, ranging from consultation to active participation.

Research and Education

This fundamental addresses the diverse educational strategies to prepare students for future roles in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary settings, aiming to educate T-shaped engineers as pivotal innovators. It reviews the educational models within knowledge consortia, such as studio and challengebased learning, interdisciplinary student projects, Living Labs, internships, etcetera, highlighting how these approaches contribute to the development of versatile, skilled professionals.

Longue Durée

The concluding fundamental of this chapter is dedicated to the Longue Durée concept. It delves into how institutions, public and private stakeholders, academics and professionals operate within different temporal frameworks. For instance, the timelines for infrastructure development decisions can vary markedly from those of political or legal processes. This section explores longterm development, historical institutionalism, path dependence, and critical junctures, focusing on the significance of temporal dimensions in project design and execution. It acknowledges the influence of a long-standing past on current and future designs through the lens of existing infrastructures, enduring institutions, and ‘hidden designers’ such as laws, policies, regulations, or cultural narratives (Sorensen, 2018). An analysis of how historical decisions shape contemporary realities is a key focus, offering insights into the long-term impacts on design and planning.

major societal challenges demand integrated fundamental research

“In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice, they are not.”

(Einstein)

Inter- and Transdisciplinary Learning – Theory and practice

Nikki Brand, Marcel Hertogh and Fransje Hooimeijer

Contemporary societal challenges demand an approach to urban infrastructure, environment, and mobility projects that integrates a variety of fields of expertise and different organisations. However, in academia, a sector known for its specialisation, professional expertise is often even more segregated in disciplinary silos than in practice. This segregation may explain academics’ concerns about a possible lack of positive societal impact and the drive towards inter- and transdisciplinarity (ITD) by many universities. In the case of the Delft Deltas Infrastructures and Mobility (DIMI) portfolio, transdisciplinarity was embraced in academic projects to align with the required societal impact. Moreover, a prerequisite for the projects was the involvement of both societal organisations (public, private, social) along with the scientific, and the various relevant disciplines.

But what do inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration and learning entail in theory and practice? This section explains key concepts of ITD and their theoretical background, as there are different perspectives on these notions and how they are understood. More importantly, we focus on three fundamental issues of ITD that are often underestimated: task dependency and integration as key variables to distinguish between multi- and interdisciplinarity, the use of shared or ‘boundary-crossing’ deliverables that enable such integration, and the variety of integration processes in practice. To conclude, we arrive at the hypothesis that for all organisations, public, private, academia, and society, to build positive societal impact, a closer, detailed analysis and practice of knowledge integration processes should be on the agenda.

Trans-, Multi-, and Interdisciplinarity: Task Dependency and Integration are Key

Contemporary societal challenges demand an approach to urban infrastructure, environment, and mobility projects where a variety of fields of expertise and organisations work together in a knowledge consortium to enable the making and realisation of different design decisions. Interdisciplinarity, as a mode of knowledge production that is effective in addressing and ‘solving’ challenges with the ambition of sustainability, has been an academic policy goal for decades. Unlike multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity refers to a way of working where there is task dependency between contributions from different disciplinary origins. For reference, see Nissani’s 2004 textbook paper on ‘fruits, salads, and smoothies’; or Bammer et al. 2013, Disciplining Interdisciplinarity

Transdisciplinarity can be viewed in two ways: first, as referring to the highest rank in a hierarchy of stages of integrated cooperation (e.g., September 2018) or, as this publication adopts, as a cross-sector way of working where contributions from academic and societal partners are combined. This is a natural approach for some academic fields, such as urbanism and governance, which work with practice and what is known as ‘grey’ literature, including policy briefs. However, for more fundamental technical expertise that is further removed from practice, referring to ‘trans’ only occurs when using grey literature.

For this reason, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches are often used interchangeably and referred to collectively as ‘ITD’. In this publication, the label ‘trans’ specifically indicates cross-sector involvement with practice, not the level of interdependency, while ‘inter’ denotes a high degree of interdependence, but not necessarily if multiple organisations were involved. The term transdisciplinarity is often employed to anticipate a significant difference between the types of expertise that are expected to collaborate, suggesting it is more challenging to work across organisations than between departments within the same organisation, such as a university.

Within the Delft Deltas and Infrastructures & Mobility Initiative, both boundaries are considered very challenging. Since societal challenges necessitate interdisciplinarity and collaboration with societal partners, DIMI has adopted transdisciplinarity to achieve a positive societal impact more swiftly.

The collaboration in transdisciplinary strategies within research can manifest in two main forms: multi- or interdisciplinary. In urban infrastructure, environment, and mobility projects, monodisciplinary approaches are not prevalent, though they may occur in research projects. In a multidisciplinary context, contributions are pursued either parallelly or sequentially (without and with task dependency, respectively), leading to assembled outcomes without the imperative of integration, such as financial or smarter solutions. However, multidisciplinary projects, such as road maintenance, do exist.

Interdisciplinarity involves combining cross-sector contributions to ensure task dependency, resulting in shared, integrated outcomes. This approach is common in the DIMI portfolio. However, this does not imply that interdisciplinary is inherently ‘better’ than multidisciplinary; the appropriateness of each depends on the nature of the challenge. Moreover, if a multidisciplinary approach suffices, complicating matters by opting for interdisciplinarity is unnecessary.

This discussion is pertinent, given academia’s challenges in facilitating interdisciplinary learning. Several factors contribute to this, including biases against scholars specialised in interdisciplinarity during recruitment and assessment procedures in academic departments, and key differences in language, methods, notions of validity, and general culture between disciplines – especially between the exact and social sciences (EURAB, 2004; National Academy of Sciences, 2005; Balstad, 2010; Von Wehrden et al., 2017). Based on Pfirman & Martin (2017), scholars specialised in interdisciplinarity often find themselves frustrated by the underestimation of the coordination load and transaction costs associated with ITD. This suggests that many efforts labelled as interdisciplinary are, in fact, multidisciplinary. For that

2: Forms of ‘disciplinarity’ This figure illustrates four forms of disciplinarity, with transdisciplinarity depicted as interdisciplinarity, enclosed in a circle of relevant actors from society. Transdisciplinarity may also appear in combination with multidisciplinarity.

reason, Von Wehrden et al. (2017) argue that presenting projects as multidisciplinary remains common, and academic policy tends to reward the premise of ITD rather than the hard work it entails. This risks diminishing the credibility of genuine interdisciplinary work and dismissing the value of interdisciplinary learning for the wrong reasons (Brand & Hertogh, 2021).

The projects featured in this publication are both interand transdisciplinary. For instance, in the Yuriage case, student teams developed an integrated approach to post-tsunami reconstruction, engaging with various disciplines and local stakeholders. Similar collaboration was evident in the Texas case and the City of the Future project, where teams explored alternatives for coastal protection for Galveston Island and Dutch cities, respectively, alongside local stakeholders. Other more interdisciplinary examples include ‘research-by-design’ studies, such as the prototypes for the bio-based bridge and the solar-powered charging station.

To mitigate confusion and acknowledge academics who genuinely want to integrate knowledge across disciplines and organisations, a more precise, dayto-day understanding of distinguishing between inter- and multidisciplinarity is called for. We argue that interdependence (task dependency) is a critical variable in this differentiation: there is no recognisable

knowledge integration if the outcomes of one task do not influence the outcomes of another. This brings us to the second fundamental: the importance of shared deliverables. Such deliverables help us identify genuinely interdisciplinary products and offer insights into how integration functions in practice.

The Importance of Shared or BoundarySpanning Deliverables

Knowledge integration is facilitated by working together on a shared deliverable. Understanding the importance – and the challenges – of creating shared deliverables, where diverse forms of expertise are brought together, can be partly illuminated through the boundary-spanning theory. Slob and Duijn (2013) identify four key conditions within the concept of the boundary-spanning theory beyond merely recognising the premise and boundaries: the boundary-spanning objects, boundary spanners, and the boundary-spanning process. These elements are indispensable for a joint production process.

‘Boundary-spanning objects’ can take various forms, such as maps, action plans, or policy notes, yet they all share common characteristics: they ‘connect involved communities’, contain knowledge, and provoke action. Notably, boundary-spanning theory seems tailormade for communities of practice because of cultural,

Figure

Concepts in boundary-spanning theory

Premise

Boundaries

Communities are separated through boundaries that hamper communication and joint action.

Perceived boundaries between communities that are different in terms of organisation, culture, geography, etc.

Examples from the organisation of the DIMI portfolio

Academics are rewarded within their disciplines (e.g., journal articles, funding); Practitioners work mainly from ‘siloed’ organisations.

Ways of working (routines); language (jargon); separation of location (buildings); attitude, unfamiliarity; existing workload.

Boundary spanning

Activities undertaken to cross boundaries, such as communication or joint activities.

Boundary-spanning objects

Boundary spanners

Boundary-spanning processes

Tangible products of joint activities that satisfy the communities involved, such as maps, action plans, policy notes, etc., because they contain knowledge and provoke action.

People who cross boundaries and intermediate between different communities. They may, for instance, be accepted in this role by the communities involved because they are part of those communities.

Processes that are needed in order to produce the boundaryspanning objects with the communities involved.

Figure 3: The most important concepts of boundary-spanning theory (Slob and Duijn, 2013).

DIMI as a facility, directly supported by the board of the university;

Introduction of DIMI Special Projects for ITD collaboration; DIMI seed money for DIMI Special Projects; community building within the university, and with societal partners on societal challenges; facilitating joint activities (e.g., conferences, training courses, interdisciplinary student teams, publications, website).

Development of ITD methods, such as the ‘research by design’ series; development of interactive ways of working (e.g., Yuriage); dissemination of effective methods, tools, etc., across the DIMI community.

DIMI programme team; coordinators of DIMI special projects; ‘self-motivated’ colleagues who want to collaborate despite the discipline-oriented rewards within their organisational unit; professionals from sectors with enthusiasm for ITD working to achieve societal impact.

Development and communication of dissemination tools; Long-term community building within academia and with societal partners.

geographical, or organisational boundaries that hamper communication. This theory equally applies to interand transdisciplinary communities of practice, where the primary goal is knowledge production, and action is secondary.

This observation presents two issues. Firstly, within the academic sphere, with its emphasis on peerreviewed journals, what type of boundary-spanning object effectively connects the involved disciplinary sectoral communities? Does this differ in integrative efforts across different sectors, where a wider variety of shared deliverables might be both possible and welcomed? And does the key to successfully facilitating transdisciplinary collaboration, involving both academics and non-academics, lie in diversifying accepted academic output beyond peer-reviewed publications to include those with societal impact and learning? Ultimately, does the potential for knowledge integration not increase significantly with transdisciplinary efforts?

The second issue that emerges when applying boundary-spanning literature to understand ITD focuses on specific collaborative roles. Slob & Duijn (2013) highlight the role of ‘boundary spanners’, individuals who intermediate between different communities through additional communication efforts and joint activities. This concept closely aligns with Hargadon’s (1998) definition of ‘knowledge brokers’ as “individuals or organisations that profit by transferring ideas from where they are known to where they represent innovative new possibilities.” Both concepts underscore the critical tasks that foster cross-communication across organisational boundaries (Slob and Duijn, 2013).

This concept also resonates with the notion of interdisciplinary scholars bearing an additional coordination load and social transaction costs, as described by Pfirman & Martin (2017). These efforts are challenging and “prone to bias and distortion” due to excessive specialisation within organisations (Tushman and Scanlan, 1981), a phenomenon exacerbated by the division of labour aiming to boost productivity as one

of the basic economic concepts. “Specialisation and the existence of organisational boundaries are also associated with the evolution of local norms, values, and languages tailored to the requirements of the unit’s work” (Tushman and Scanlan, 1981). These localised norms, values, and languages also hinder communication and interaction during urban development processes and thus stand in the way of knowledge transfer. There should be a conscious act in an interdisciplinary approach to overcome the fact that “individuals use different meanings in their functional setting” (Carlile, 2002)

Given the variety of boundary-spanning objects and processes, it stands to reason that boundary spanners also come in many forms. Hoffman et al. (2017) introduced the concept of integration specialists in ITD projects. Unlike traditional academic settings where all experts are expected to have integration expertise and organically contribute to the integration process, these specialists assume a leadership role, managing more responsibilities and potentially making independent intellectual contributions beyond mere group facilitation (Hoffman et al., 2022)

This brings us to the last point: variation of integration processes in practice. The next section illustrates these theories with examples from the DIMI portfolio, such as the bio-based bridge and the solar-powered e-bike station.

Variation of Integration Processes in Practice

A closer analysis reveals that variations in shared deliverables and the division of labour in transdisciplinary work are evident. For instance, analysing the design process of two prototypes and a research-by-design competition within the DIMI portfolio indicates that integration in the front end of the boundary-crossing process facilitates effective interdisciplinarity.

Consider the bio-based bridge project (P 148). A clear division of labour among the cross-sectoral partners was made, with specific tasks assigned according to

expertise in production methods, circular economy, and structural and engineering design. This collaboration involved two universities, a centre of expertise, and an engineering company. Schuylenburg (2019) detailed the design process phases. For the bio-based bridge, where an unorthodox material was used to build a prototype, testing occurred between the ‘conceptual design’ (integration testing) and the ‘detailed design’ (unit testing), which ultimately resulted in the ‘building design’. This approach allowed for the collective organisation of work while managing uncertainties about the material’s behaviour. The design acted as a boundary-spanning object, and the multidisciplinary design process served as a boundary-spanning process.

A different integration process unfolded for the solar-powered e-bike station (P 138). Here, labour was divided among experts in photovoltaic system design, electric systems (including circuit & inductive charging), mechanical engineering, software support, and administration. Construction, especially the assessment of structural reliability, was outsourced. The building design served as a boundary-spanning object for all partners except the construction firms, for whom the actual prototype was the final deliverable.

The division of labour and design process for the bio-based bridge and the solar-powered e-bike station showcase significant differences, partly due to the distinct expertise required for each project. A notable distinction lies in the design process phasing. In the bridge project, iteration was planned during the ‘integration testing phase’, between the conceptual and the building design. Conversely, site changes in the e-bike station project resulted in new expertise requirements, causing delays and an unexpected iteration round.

Schuylenburg (2019) suggests that early integration or engaging in interdisciplinarity at the ‘fuzzy frontend’, enhances project performance by preventing unnecessary delays and reducing costs. Anticipating iteration, along with the associated coordination and social transaction costs of aligning expertise at a

specific stage of the boundary-crossing process, appears to boost knowledge integration. This is achieved by transitioning from a broad initial concept to a detailed shared deliverable.

More variation in integration processes can be observed for the research-by-design competition of City of the Future (P 174). Based on the reconstruction of the design processes from several teams, Kroese (2019) observed differences not so much in the phasing but in the leadership of different forms of expertise throughout the process. Unlike the first two cases discussed in this section, the range of expertise in the teams was extended to include insights from the social sciences. In addition to this ‘wide disciplinarity’, the integration process introduced a new dimension, aiming not for a working prototype but for an interdisciplinary design incorporating knowledge from non-design disciplines.

Kroese observed three distinct approaches to expertise dominance within the teams, each leading to different outcomes:

1. Designers in the Lead: This approach saw urban designers taking the initiative to integrate expertise from non-design team members. The result was a compelling, integrated design, although the narrative explaining the design choices was somewhat limited.

2. A Specific Design Discipline in the Lead: (i.c. transport): Here, the particular design expertise – transport – was prioritised, and other forms of expertise were integrated afterwards. This led to an integrated design where other land uses were adapted to support a dominant function (transport), employing a strategy known in urban and land use planning as ‘co-coupling’.

3. No Dominance: In some teams, no single form of expertise was dominant, resulting in multiple iterations of the design narrative and a less defined integrated design. Strikingly, in these cases, the narrative detailing the design considerations was more detailed than the design itself.

Two key considerations emerge from these rough reconstructions of integration processes in practice:

1. Phasing of the Shared Boundary Crossing:

Understanding trans- and interdisciplinary learning and the role of integration within these contexts underscores the importance of the deliverable’s phasing. This approach allows for the gradual matching of diverse forms of expertise through a trial-and-error process. It helps avoid the potential time loss incurred by adding too much detail early on for a shared concept that may later prove flawed. In other words, by anticipating failure at the ‘fuzzy front-end’, collaboration is rendered more effective.

2. The Impact of Leadership and Dominance:

The nature of leadership and dominance within a team seems to affect the form of the boundarycrossing deliverable. Teams led by designers tend to create more elaborate designs, whereas teams without a clear dominance focus more on creating detailed narratives and less elaborate designs. This observation aligns with the composition of these teams, which often include an equal mix of design and non-design expertise.

The case studies in the DIMI portfolio reveal that integration processes are predominantly designoriented, with designers frequently assuming leadership roles. This observation supports Van Buuren’s (2023) assertion that design processes inherently involve integration since the main deliverable – the design –cannot be realised without it. The degree of integration, the diversity of knowledge, and the deliberate use of design as a boundary-crossing object to foster

transdisciplinary learning vary widely. Basically, all designers have the potential to act as boundary spanners, and examining how knowledge integration unfolds in design processes can offer valuable insights into integration processes in general.

Concluding Words: a Closer Look at Design and Practice

In general, it can be noted that interdisciplinarity demands an open attitude of the people working from distinct disciplinary focuses, as well as across different organisations, to integrate goals, concepts, and measures effectively (Hooimeijer et al., 2021). In contrast, transdisciplinarity is centred around the integration of academic research with professional practice, requiring a unified approach to intellectual frameworks that transcends disciplinary boundaries (Huutonieme et al., 2010). Notably, literature often emphasises the diverse disciplinary origins of knowledge within academia and their interrelationships. However, there is less focus on the variety of contributions from societal actors.

While it is acknowledged that societal actors can contribute in varied forms throughout the research process (Schmidt et al., 2018; Chambers et al., 2021), these contributions are frequently presented as singular and unfragmented. The epistemological variety of societal inputs – ranging from professional to lay knowledge – may be significantly broader. Furthermore, even within individual societal actors, knowledge may be fragmented.

To conclude, we would like to make a case for a more detailed examination of the differences and similarities in knowledge integration within academia and, more importantly, beyond its boundaries.

going beyond boundaries

Methods and Methodologies – Methodology of trans- and interdisciplinary processes

Fransje Hooimeijer, Mark Voorendt, Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin and Saskia Postma

The demand for a more conscientious and integrated design process in urban infrastructure design arises from the realisation that the environmental crisis can only be addressed by enhancing the resilience of the built environment (Amirzadeh, Sobhaninia, and Sharifi, 2022). Resilience can be achieved through a meticulous design process that seamlessly integrates spatial design and engineering in a smart way (Cutter et al., 2008). However, since the era of industrialisation, civil engineering and spatial design have evolved into fields with distinct cultures and languages, characterised by protocols and efficient organisation in multidisciplinary cooperation. Meanwhile, the core of urban infrastructure design remains inherently interdisciplinary (Hadfield-Hill, 2020).

Inter- and transdisciplinary urban infrastructure design should involve a deliberate and coordinated process where disciplines present their ideas within a shared value system formulated for the project. This system serves to articulate the shared ambition before systematically integrating disciplinary ideas (Hooimeijer et al., 2022). The challenges in this context are both personal and cognitive, covering various aspects such as communication, maintaining an openness to perceive and respond, processing and understanding information, retrieving data, making decisions, and generating appropriate responses for co-creation. While having an ‘open attitude’ is inherently a personal trait, it can be cultivated through understanding its importance, which in turn fosters a willingness to embrace it. This recognition is rooted in the necessity and enhanced quality of re-integrating engineering within the spatial design process.

Collaboration in urban infrastructure design in deltas involves integrating spatial design and spatial engineering. Specific methodologies are essential to facilitate this collaboration and harmonise different approaches, as simply bringing people together in a room does not guarantee effective teamwork. This is particularly true because engineering thinking is oriented towards problem-solving, while design thinking is focused on identifying problems. As argued by Tim Brown in ‘Change by Design’ (2009), the design thinking process utilises visual representation, which, according to Liedtka and Ogilvie (2011), is considered ‘the mother of all design tools’ as it plays a crucial role in every stage of a design thinking process.

The significance of these visualisations extends beyond aesthetics; they also contribute significantly to understanding the operational logic of a territory, as demonstrated by the work of James Corner

(1999), a prominent figure in the landscape urbanism discourse. Corner advocates for prioritising the agency of landscape – how it functions and its impact – over its mere appearance. He emphasises the need to blur or transcend boundaries between technology (understanding the natural system and the consequences of interventions) and urban design.

Trans- and interdisciplinary collaboration should commence with a shared understanding of the challenge, acknowledging the specific perspectives of all stakeholders and disciplines involved. This collaboration entails integrating goals, recognising that each discipline holds distinct value in its objectives. The key to success lies in combining knowledge and language by applying shared methods, unified concepts, and integrated scales – a hallmark of trans- and interdisciplinary design.

Mere dialogue is insufficient; dedicated methods are required to achieve goal integration. The DIMI portfolio projects employ various applied methods to address this need. These include the Tohoku Method, Scenario study, SEES, Research by Design, Exploratory research, Voorendt’s integrated design approach, and

Challenged-Base learning (as referred to in section 2 of this chapter). In this section, these are explained and underpinned.

Tohoku Method

The work in Japan, involving students from hydraulic, transport and geo-engineering, along with water managers, architects, urban designers, landscape architects, and managers in the built environment, led to the development of a methodology named after the region affected by the 2011 Tsunami: Tohoku. This method provides interdisciplinary design conditions and a process design with specific methods to facilitate conscious integration among different disciplines and avoid superficial dialogue (Hooimeijer et al., 2022). The process involves iterative analysis, synthesis, and design phases, as depicted in Figure 4. Fundamental methods during the transition from synthesis to design include the Scoping in a charrette formation. Scoping entails integrating information and ideas by establishing a shared understanding of the problem and the case context. The Charrette format refers to the organisation of dialogue in rounds, allowing disciplines to integrate their knowledge and ideas one-on-one before synthesising them as a group.

Setting multidisciplinairy context

Making crossdisciplinairy relations

Investigation of the context: fieldtrip

TOHOKU METHOD

I. From an interdisciplinary preliminary group vision on the problem(s) and potential solutions strategies on the basis of a shared value system, II. From a disciplinary body of knowledge, III. Define a scope of each discipline applying the same criteria for evaluation,

IV. Integrate the scopes in several charrette rounds and define the final framwork,

V. Connect the framework to preliminary vision.

Iterations of disciplinary refinement & interdisciplinary integration

Final plan & report

Figure 4: Interdisciplinary design process

Although the design process is ambiguous, personal, and somewhat intangible, Van Dooren et al. (2013) have organised it into a clear framework. This framework identifies five generic elements involved in designing: Experimenting, Guiding Theme, Frame of Reference, Sketching and Modelling, and Domains.

• Experimenting: This involves exploring ideas and sketches, which are then further evaluated.

• Guiding Theme: This element focuses on defining a guiding theme, which encompasses concepts, ambitions, and goals. This theme ensures that all decisions contribute to a coherent and consistent outcome.

• Frame of Reference (or Library): All design decisions, whether made consciously or unconsciously, draw from existing knowledge. This element underlines the importance of having a frame of reference or a library of knowledge.

• Sketching and Modelling: This element describes a setting in which the physical counterpart of the mental process helps shape the design.

• Domains: Domains encompass the essential supportive knowledge (data) related to the engineering of the built environment.

interaction between stakeholders planning systems, institutional context

This framework provides a structured approach to understanding and navigating the complexities of the design process.

The Tohoku method consists of five steps: I. The initial step involves creating a preliminary group vision or deciding on a ‘Guiding Theme’ to align the disciplines under a common vision. This is most effective when established before introducing disciplinary concepts and measures. Alongside the vision or guiding theme, the group develops a shared value system using the 4P tetrahedron by Van Dorst and Duijvestein (2004), as illustrated in Figure 5. It’s foundation is the triple bottom line of sustainability: people, planet, and prosperity (United Nations, 2002). To make this approach more applicable for spatial intervention, Van Dorst and Duijvestein added a fourth P to make the 4P tetrahedron theory, representing both ‘Project’ and ‘Process’. ‘Project’ refers to the physical outcomes, covering aspects such as spatial quality, relationships through scales, (bio)diversity, robustness, and aesthetics. ‘Process’ focuses on the dynamics among stakeholders, their skills, and the institutional context in achieving a balanced design (Van Dorst and Duijvestein, 2004)

spatial quality, relations across the scales (bio)diversity, robustness, aesthetics

PROSPERITY

profit, affordability, fairness

world, flows, energy, water, material, mobility, purity

prosperity, health, freedom (of choice) social cohesion, participation, safety

Figure 5: The tetrahedron of sustainable construction (van Dorst and Duijvestein, 2004).

Creating scopes allows the disciplines involved to evaluate their concepts in Step II according to a value system that is shared with the other disciplines.

II. In the second step of the Tohoku methodology, the individual disciplines delve into the first three elements: Experimenting, Sketching, and the Frame of Reference. This step involves the development of a series of disciplinary concepts and measures.

III. Each discipline then evaluates its concepts and measures against the value system established by the group in step I.

IV. The concepts and measures from individual disciplines are aligned in rounds, known as the charrette. This one-on-one process facilitates the incremental integration of ideas. The shared value system ensures clear communication about the importance each discipline attributes to its measures. This charrette formation culminates in the entire group coming together, resulting in a set of shared guidelines.

V. Finally, the integrated set of concepts and measures is validated against the initial vision or guiding theme, with adjustments made where needed.

The entire process is demanding and time-consuming; however, feedback indicates that participants engage in thorough and organised discussions. Unlike approaches that immediately target solutions to problems, this methodology compels groups to progress from initial concepts to more refined ideas. Integration occurs while ideas are still in their formative stages, allowing for the comprehensive blending of diverse ideas. The ultimate outcome is a spatial vision, strategy, and design where the essential principles have been meticulously developed. A tangible example of this process can be observed in the ‘Japan Tsunami Reconstruction in Yuriage & Otsuchi’ (P 92) project detailed in Chapter 3.

Scenario Study

The separation of disciplines and the tendency towards sectorial research stem from an inherited deterministic and mechanistic worldview. However, there is an evolving shift towards complex dynamic systems theory and non-linear systems theory (Liening, 2013)

This philosophical shift has implications for virtually every discipline involved in shaping the world. The concepts of non-linear and open systems prompt a re-evaluation of the roles and interconnections among engineering, technology, design culture, critical thinking, and visualisations. Given that the societal and ecological challenges we face are intertwined with how we transform the land (Rockström and Klum, 2015), synthesising knowledge and action requires a reintegration of the arts, humanities, and sciences. This integration will foster a new transdisciplinary perspective guiding collaboration and research.

The Scenario Study instrument serves as a valuable tool for consolidating information, concepts, and perspectives from various stakeholders. Salewski’s (2012) research offers insights into understanding scenario studies in the Netherlands. In his exploration of Dutch planning practice from 1970 to 2000, Salewski distinguishes scenarios from other future-oriented concepts such as visions, trends, utopias, or dystopias.

According to Salewski, visions of the future, as seen in Structural Vision and Environmental Vision, presuppose a comprehensive and supported perspective on the future. In contrast, depictions of a flooded Netherlands in 2300 can be categorised as dystopias, serving as warnings about impending developments. Trends, as exemplified by projects like Op Water basis from Sweco, BoschSlabbers, and Deltares (2021), are utilised to project forward, understand current practices, or test new strategies. Notably, significant trends in subsurface development, such as densification, subsidence, and saline seepage, have been systematically delineated for the entire Netherlands across different time periods.

Scenario studies utilise these tools to explore uncertain futures by creating a sequence of possible events, culminating in a specific vision of the future. There are two fundamental methods at the base of working with scenarios:

• Method of forecasting: This approach is numerical, arithmetic, or factual, used to extrapolate future trends.

• Method of foresight: This method can be linguistic, visual, analytical, and creatively generate various futures for a specific challenge.

In a workshop setting, forecasting involves identifying trends or conditions to test across various potential futures, known as foresight. For instance, this setup for a workshop with students focused on addressing challenges in extreme landscapes, where the dynamic between humans and nature is a central investigation. See Figure 6.

Another example is the scenario used in the ‘Spatial Exploration (2023)’ by the Dutch Environmental Agency (PBL). PBL has developed four scenarios for the spatial order of the Netherlands in 2050: ‘Globally Entrepreneurial’ (a future scenario in which large companies lead), ‘Fast World’ (increased digitalisation makes distances disappear), ‘Green Land’ (providing

FORESIGHT

No Humans

This is part of a retreat strategy over a longer time (total shrinkage). Who leaves first?

FORECASTING

What does it mean for:

Resources

Environmental risk

Eco life

Demographics

Economy

Figure 6: Example of three futures. One where all humans have left; one where nature is first and the last where thechnology is reduced.

ample space for nature), and ‘Regionally Rooted’ (where citizens take the initiative in their own living environment). For each scenario, detailed maps of the associated Netherlands in 2050 have been created based on spatial modelling and design research. These scenario maps illustrate the consequences of different choices.

During the development of the High-Speed Line in the south of the Netherlands, the transport project team used scenario analysis to overview alternative developments relevant to the transport contract and to support decision-making. The experience showed that this approach improved awareness of the threats and opportunities and was helpful in managing the complex environment. Their experience suggested that reality tended to be a mixture of distinctive scenarios (Hertogh, Westerveld, 2010)

Nature first

In the redesign of the city, nature is put central as part of a ‘de-growth/shrinkage/give back to nature’ strategy.

No technology

In this scenario there is growth and densification; in the design of the city, natural solutions are preferred over technological solutions, but the technology is still there, it implies ‘deep ecology’ – so designing nature/ re-nature process.

In conclusion, scenario studies are a powerful and flexible tool for navigating uncertainties, testing strategies, and fostering a more holistic perspective on future challenges and opportunities. Their application across disciplines and contexts makes them invaluable in shaping informed decisions and strategies.

The DIMI portfolio includes several examples using this method. ‘The Rhine River Mouth as an Estuary’ (P 72) explores a foresight for a more natural future of the Waterweg; design studies like ‘Highway & City’, (P 118) the ‘Zaan Corridor’ ( P 128) and ‘City of the Future’ (P 174) , as well as ‘Intelligent Subsurface Quality’ (P 184) also work with a sustainable future as the goal for design.

System Exploration of Environment and Subsurface (SEES)

The System Exploration of Environment and Subsurface (SEES) methodology was developed during the project ‘Design with the Subsurface,’ involving Deltares, TNO, TU Delft, and the Municipality of Rotterdam, see figure 7. The objective was to integrate subsurface data from urban development into the design process. SEES was initiated to bridge the gap between engineers with their subsurface data and urban designers creating development plans. This methodology facilitates a creative design process that integrates engineers’ data early in the urban planning process, which is crucial for adapting to climate change and fostering closer collaboration with the natural system.

The key questions SEES addresses are identifying climate change and environmental crisis issues that can be tackled using the natural system and determining which aspects still require technical solutions. By integrating the ecosystem, climate, and dynamics of soil and subsoil into urban redevelopment, a more resilient design can be achieved. The System Exploration of Space and Subsurface methodology is not fundamentally new but promotes common sense and open communication, emphasising direct exchange and constructive outcomes. In this regard, it aligns well with the ‘lean’ thinking prevalent in

the international construction industry, or possibly scrum. The methodology leverages existing insights and investigations of the surface and subsurface, simplifying and clarifying them in a system overview for professionals.

The system overview divides the Y-axis into layers corresponding to the Layer Approach: occupation, networks, and subsurface layer (De Bruin et al., 1987) Originally a strategic policy model, this new division of layers now serves to describe and analyse the physical domain. The layers include the subsurface, networks, public space, buildings, flows (the ‘software’ such as water, energy, waste, etc., not the ‘hardware’ like the sewer system), and the top layer, representing people. Each layer exhibits different dynamics and requires distinct knowledge and expertise. This classification not only aids in spatial analysis but also supports ‘knowledge brokerage,’ illustrating different domains of knowledge and actor groups and enabling them to position themselves relative to each other.

The substrate layer is expanded upon the X-axis of the system overview, acknowledging that there is no singular ‘subsurface expert.’ This layer includes subsurface qualities categorised into water, soil, civil construction, and energy. While this classification deviates from the usual categorisation employed by soil scientists, it frames the subsurface’s regulating, producing, informing, and supporting functions. Importantly, this classification aligns more coherently with the language and concepts of spatial planning, making water, energy, civil structures, and soil logical and understandable categories within urban tasks.

Within the substrate layer, further division is based on depths. The shallow subsurface, water layer, and deep subsurface domains each serve distinct purposes and fall under different jurisdictions. The deep subsurface is regulated by the Mining Act and, consequently, the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The water layer is managed by provinces and water boards, while the shallow subsurface is primarily overseen by provincial and municipal practices. This division according to

fields of knowledge and competence proves highly functional.

The workshop process that incorporates all disciplines involved in an urban development project consists of the following seven steps:

1. The panel chairman introduces the SEES (10 mins).

2. Each participant introduces themselves and identifies their specific domain within the system (15 mins).

3. The project leader of the urban development provides an overview of the area’s characteristics, socio-economic ambitions, and plans (15 mins).

Data for each category, along with the associated subsurface qualities, is systematically presented, considering natural and technical boundary

Civil Construction: Involves archaeologists, specialists on explosives (when expected), and experts on cables, pipes, and geotechnical aspects related to subsurface building and carrying capacity.

b. Energy: Includes ATES and geothermal energy specialists.

c. Water: Features geohydrological and water management specialists.

d. Soil: Comprises soil experts and ecologists.

Figure 7: SEES

5. Discuss the opportunities, challenges, considerations, and requirements for boundary conditions.

6. Establish connections: Record the main findings in the system exploration scheme, clearly noting the relationships.

7. Once all subsurface qualities have been discussed, evaluate them against each aboveground layer to identify conflicts and synergies within each domain.

The outcome of this process is a comprehensive overview of opportunities, challenges, considerations, and boundary conditions in the area. This facilitates the possibility of more cost-effective, climate-resilient, and sustainable development. Gathering the necessary stakeholders and specialists into a workshop saves valuable time by fostering a dialogue where both aboveground and subsurface specialists can understand each other’s perspectives.

Importantly, the methodology deliberately avoids incorporating spatial objects or types in the system overview to prevent oversimplification. For instance, the question of ‘where does water belong?’ often arises during discussions about the data. Treating water solely as surface water simplifies a more complex reality. Water is a system that traverses the entire cityscape, necessitating a broader consideration. Hence, the methodology promotes a systematic approach that does not categorise systems merely based on their spatial appearances. For instance, a river is considered a part of the groundwater system that happens to be visible.

This methodology effectively consolidates content and encourages systematic thinking, as explored in projects such as ‘Intelligent Subsurface’ (P 184) and technical sessions of ‘Spatial Design starts with a Cross Section’ (P 194). Using this methodology, opportunities and challenges in plans are identified early on. This supports a creative process where involved parties, both above and below ground, can fully grasp each other’s perspectives. Based on this collaborative understanding, an urban designer can create a Subsurface Potential Map, illustrating the impact of the subsurface on the topsoil, which can be utilised in spatial design.

Research by Design

Design serves as both the subject of investigation and the means through which the study is conducted (Glanville, 1999). The former is referred to as ‘design research,’ which involves examining designs and the knowledge production process inherent in the act of designing (Biggs, 2002; Laurel, 2003; Fallman, 2007; Koskinen et al., 2001). This investigation employs specific methodologies, encompassing strategies, procedures, methods, routes, tactics, schemes, and modes that contribute to the creation of the designs. Design itself encompasses observation, testing of ideas, materials, and technologies, innovative conceptual development, and the generation of alternatives – all within the cultural, social, economic, aesthetic, and ethical framework.

De Jong (2005) explored various relationships between research and design, contingent on context and object (Figure 8). De Jong delineates four categories: ‘design research,’ ‘typological research,’ ‘design study,’ and ‘study by design.’ Design research may focus on specific objects within defined contexts, but designs inherently differ, and the context is subject to variation and change. Consequently, other forms of design-related studies may vary in terms of the object (design study), the context (typological research), or even both.

Typological research involves examining contextindependent types of design concepts, while a design study utilises design as a means of inquiry to investigate a specific context. The design study addresses a set of related problems within the context, taking into account the desirability and probabilities of stakeholders and specialists to formulate a concept.

Study by design is characterised by generating knowledge and understanding through the active and systematic variation of both design objects and their context. This approach allows for a comprehensive exploration of the effects resulting from these variations. In addition to these categories, research in (art and) design can be further classified into three types: research into (or about) design, research through (or by) design, and research for design. The first involves

investigating the canons in design (the science of design), the second entails practical experiments (design science), and the third focuses on development work (scientific design) (Roggema, 2016)

Research by design, described as a strategy by Hauberg, explores the interconnectedness of design and research when new knowledge is produced through the act of designing. This methodology aims to generate desirable and possibly unexpected urban perspectives, contrasting with probable but less desirable urban developments (Hauberg, 2011)

Engaging in the act of designing leads to the emergence of research questions. By focusing on specific goals for a new future, insights into quality and potential are gained through testing the context. Provocative or explorative designs, which break or bend boundaries, possess the power to investigate transformative futures significantly different from the status quo. These designs contribute to a repertoire of plans essential for shaping and organising our shared space.

Several examples of Research by Design can be found in the DIMI projects, notably in the projects ‘The City of the Future’ (2019) and ‘Design from the Section’ (2022). Design research has been utilised as a means by which multidisciplinary teams from various organisations collaboratively interact with stakeholders

in a ‘low-policy’ environment. Even in the earliest stages, the design process starts with the required disciplines and stakeholders, thereby gaining better insights into the challenges, systemic knowledge of the location, technical constraints, and opportunities for sustainability. The intention is to create designs for the future and then, through ‘backtracking’, to examine what can be done now. It is noteworthy that in addition to the substantive plans, many teams in such studies also explicitly address how to interact and arrive at designs during this phase: ‘the process of arriving at.’ For instance, the team for the Utrecht study (‘City of the Future’) compiled a glossary to clarify the various terms. In Oostende (‘Designing from the Cross-Section’), the design team devised an extensive toolbox to realise circular development. One prominent component was a matrix consisting of 30 design actions. Each design action included action cards with design principles, serving as instruments for ‘interdisciplinary co-creation’. These studies can take place at various scales, ranging from neighbourhood and city to regional levels.

Exploratory Research

Another societal trend worth noting is the shift towards purpose as a key element of prosperity, extending beyond material concerns to encompass the quality of life, relationships, family health and happiness, work satisfaction, and shared meaning in communities (Jackson, 2010). This societal challenge calls for creating

Types of design-related study

Figure 8: Types of design and research (De Jong, 2005)

conditions that foster such holistic prosperity in society and in academic institutions.

In response to these trends, a new research perspective emerges-one that is inclusive of history, nature, and purpose. Deltas, given their vulnerable and fertile nature, are particularly suited to embracing these trends in the development of methodologies and methods. A research approach that aligns with this trend is exploratory research. Exploratory research focuses on generating hypotheses rather than testing them and often relies on qualitative data from brainstorming sessions, expert interviews, or short surveys on social networking websites.

The project ‘Intelligent Subsurface’ was particularly exploratory due to the lack of fundamental knowledge on better integrating the subsurface into surface developments when designing urban constructions. This led to an overview of innovative technologies and their impact on urban management and spatial design.

Voorendt’s Integrated Design Approach

Since the 1970s, the engineering and spatial design approaches have diverged in academia and practice. This separation has led to a sub-optimal design process where hydraulic structures are engineered first, and then efforts are made to enhance the spatial quality,

Engineering design

Linear, sequential process

Prescriptive

Problem is well-defined

Problem is decomposable into parts

Analytical character

Normal abduction

or vice versa. Voorendt (2017) sought to develop a transdisciplinary design approach that integrates the systematic approach of engineering with the creative and learning characteristics of spatial design (Figure 9).

The integrated design approach proposed in his dissertation is cyclic and highly iterative. It fosters creativity, experimenting, and learning from developing concepts and provides a framework to organise the process within a multidisciplinary team. It considers landscape, nature, and cultural values, includes stakeholder participation, and involves multiple disciplines in the design process, ensuring that feasible and functional results are achieved.

The approach outlines seven main steps (Figure 10). that can be repeated across multiple design loops, starting with an overall conceptual design, and culminating in a final design that includes construction drawings:

1. Exploration of the problem,

2. Development of concepts,

3. Drawing up a programme of requirements, evaluation criteria and boundary conditions,

4. Verification of the developed concepts,

5. Evaluation of the verified alternatives and selection of the best solution,

Spatial design

Cyclic, iterative process

Descriptive

Problem is ill-defined

Problem is not decomposable

Experimental, learning character

Design abduction

Figure 9: Comparison of the engineering and spatial design methods with their supposed differences (Voorendt, 2017)

6. Validation of the result,

7. Decision to proceed with the validated result to a more detailed design loop or to commence construction.

The proposed approach is documented in the DIMI portfolio under the ‘Bio Bridge’ project and has been tested by student design teams. It proved intuitive and creative while ensuring that all necessary design

activities were included. If attention is given to several aspects of the application of the proposed method, an integrated design is guaranteed. The approach is most suitable for conceptual functional design loops. For detailing loops, such as the design of reinforced concrete elements, the added value of working in multidisciplinary teams is limited.

Challenge-Based Learning

Preferred methods for Challenge-Based Learning focus on experiential learning and guide learners through three distinct phases: (1) Engage, (2) Investigate, and (3) Act, see figure 11. As Malmqvist et al. (2015) suggest, challenge-based learning is characterised by learning through the process of identifying, analysing, and then designing solutions to highly complex, socio-technical problems. The goal is to work towards a solution that is co-produced, viable, and sustainable.

Challenge-based learning starts with a specific problem and requires establishing a connection between the problem and larger, overarching grand challenges. This approach grants students greater autonomy and responsibility, as it is up to them to move from a more abstract ‘big idea’ to a concrete challenge. In fact, challenge-based learning can foster the development of a crucial transdisciplinary skill: joint problem framing (Pearce & Ejderyan, 2019). Challenge-based learning is inherently value-driven, and its multidisciplinary nature necessitates ample time for developing a joint understanding and framing of the problem. The scope should be defined in co-creation with stakeholders relevant to the overarching challenge. For this reason, challenge-based learning often involves stakeholder mapping and the application of user-oriented design thinking principles.

In the next phase, learners engage in research together to develop actionable pathways for solutions. Given the complexity of the challenges, this may involve various activities, including desk research, simulations, focus groups, games, or experiments. Because challenge-based learning is rooted in problembased and experiential learning, this educational

Figure 10: The proposed process for integrated design (including other life-cycle stages) (Voorendt, 2017)

approach aligns with Kolb’s (1984) learning cycle for complete learning, which includes (1) Active Experimentation, (2) Concrete Experience, (3) Reflective Observation, and (4) Abstract Conceptualisation. Embedding students in the process of framing a problem alongside stakeholders enables them to experiment actively and reflect on their experiences with complexity. Developing this reflexivity is crucial in shaping actionable, sustainable solutions that are not just based on theoretical mono-disciplinary insights but adopt a more holistic approach. The Engagement phase should lead them to Investigate specific knowledge or experience gaps, which they then analyse collectively. For instance, local environmental factors can be significant in determining the success of sustainability solutions. Employing multi-level analyses can provide important insights into feasible pathways that address both local and global aspects of grand challenges.

The third phase of challenge-based learning pedagogies always involves some form of prototype testing with an authentic audience. The extent to which learners can test and evaluate implementation may vary, but it remains a required element. This goes back to Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. Challenge-based learning is an iterative process, relying on evaluation and feedback collected in this final ‘acting’ phase. Solutions can be adapted to ensure they align with the initial challenge and achieve the desired impact. However, the value of challenge-based learning is centred more on the process than the product, as defining the end product learners will produce is challenging. Additionally, while an authentic audience determines the product’s value, teachers can monitor and evaluate the process.

Challenge-based learning is especially suited for conceptualising interconnected, complex problems that represent the grand challenges of the 21st century. Students learn how their disciplinary knowledge contributes to solving these challenges at both micro and macro levels, enhancing engagement, agency, teamwork, effective communication, and design thinking. This approach is particularly effective for multidisciplinary sustainability challenges (GutiérrezMartínez et al., 2021). Depending on the level of engagement

and course duration, challenges can take various forms, such as hackathons, design projects, or long-form participatory action research projects.

The portfolio of the DIMI is challenge-based, aiming to address current societal problems with a longerterm perspective on greater challenges. Collaborating with practitioners in these challenges is vital because practice is also keen on researching and improving concepts and methods. Research is not confined to academia.

Figure 11: Phases of challenge based learning (Nichols, Cator, Torres; 2016)

Research and Practice - The basic conditions spotlighted

Jutta Hinterleitner

In recent years, it has become clear that research by design plays a crucial role in highlighting, analysing, and devising solutions to urgent spatial issues. However, what considerations are essential in executing research by design trajectories? What are the practical foundations of a successful project? What conditions must be met for a process to lead to useful outcomes?

This paragraph examines projects at the intersection of science and practice, particularly those where researchers and students from TU Delft collaborated with government bodies and market entities. It observes how the design approach, policy, and practical implementations are interconnected. The lessons learned from analysing these diverse projects can help initiators of design explorations set up optimal processes.

Urgency

For several years, there has been a growing awareness that the Netherlands is not the ‘finished’ entity it was once perceived to be but is instead confronted with major challenges: adapting to climate change, transitioning to sustainable energy sources, fostering a more localised and circular economy, and pursuing more sustainable agricultural practices, along with the construction of nearly a million new homes. These challenges are compounded by critical issues such as water safety in the Dutch Delta and mobility within the Netherlands Urban Network – areas in which the Deltas, Infrastructure, and Mobility Initiative (DIMI) is actively engaged. All these tasks carry substantial spatial implications, particularly when compounded and where spatial demands intersect. Research by design is pivotal in facilitating the spatial imagination necessary for decision-making, effectively aiding the integration process. The definition of ‘research by design’ in this

context is: a method that extracts knowledge and insights about an issue and translates them into spatial representations of possible futures, where conducting research and designing these futures happen in tandem.

Room for a Design Approach

Following the dissolution of the Ministry of VROM (Housing, Spatial Planning, and the Environment) in 2010, there was a noticeable lull in visionary spatial planning in the Netherlands. Thanks to the new Minister of VRO (Housing and Spatial Planning), the design tradition is currently being revived. Various programmes are now forging short-, medium-, and long-term visions, often using research by design. Examples include the ‘Stel-dat verkenningen’ (What-if explorations)1 for the Netherlands in 2100 and the ‘Ontwerpend onderzoek NOVEX’ (Research by Design NOVEX)2 with a 2050 horizon, in which provinces are developing integrated spatial proposals for their

territories. Here, research by design serves an analytical, agenda-setting, and policy-preparatory role, while also acting as a vital connector among stakeholders and a laboratory for emerging narratives.

However, this new momentum in design does not imply a seamless process. The difference between designers and governments is substantial. Governments operate within policy cycles tied to election timelines, prioritising purposeful, efficient, and implementationfocused work. In contrast, designers engage in explorative, experimental, and intuitive practices3

Nevertheless, both parties have much to offer to one another. The exploratory nature of designers aids in clarifying the question at hand (‘Am I asking the right question?’) and mobilises stakeholders in an area around a shared vision (‘If this is the goal, I want to participate and commit to it!’). For designers, engaging early in strategic phases of spatial planning and area development presents a significant opportunity. Early involvement allows them to exert greater influence on spatial quality than if they were only involved in the final stages of a plan. However, this approach requires expertise in cross-sectoral thinking, designing across scales, and understanding administrative and political processes – skills that are increasingly, yet still insufficiently, taught in design schools.

The University Context: Knowledge Building at TU Delft

At TU Delft, students from various departments are trained in scenario thinking and strategic design approaches. DIMI initiates interdisciplinary research and education around concrete spatial-strategic issues, contributing to the development of a new generation of designers skilled in integral and strategic thinking. The Area Development chair at TU Delft seeks to

1. https://www.pbl.nl/sites/default/files/downloads/ruimtedialoog_03_steldat-verkenningen_2023-11-09_0.pdf

2. https://deltametropool.nl/publicaties/ontwerpend-onderzoek-novex/

3. PONT Programme proposal (Publieke Ontwerppraktijk), 2023.

bridge the gap between science and practice, offering tools to those wishing to use design as a strategic instrument. A recent example is the brochure4 outlining success factors for research by design in practice: basic conditions that facilitate the use of this method.

In this article, we introduce a selection of projects from the extensive portfolio of DIMI and its project partners to illustrate these success factors. The projects selected had an academic component but at the same time were firmly rooted in practice, and research by design played an important role. This analysis aims to provide insight into how to manage impact during the process of a research-by-design project.

1. Establishing the Degree of Freedom

Creating ‘free space’ is essential for effective research by design. Maarten Hajer5 refers to this as ‘soft space,’ although the term ‘in-between space’ also aptly describes this process area, where parties can engage as experts, independent of daily hierarchies and responsibilities. By creating such a space, questions that are typically overlooked in conventional processes can be explored. However, it is vital to define the boundaries of this space clearly, as creating disconnected, parallel worlds would be counterproductive.

The Spatial Design Satrts with a Cross Section –

The subsurface as a building block for the futureproof city (P 194) created a policy-free context for six sites, where standard policies and formal procedures were suspended for the project’s duration. This arrangement allowed interdisciplinary design teams to pursue unconventional thought processes in their design explorations. To ensure the generation of practical results, the free thinking space was delineated by four criteria for evaluating outcomes: spatial efficiency, quality of life, future-proofing, and feasibility.

4. Hinterleitner, J.; Van der Linden, H.; Daamen, T. (2023). Ontwerpen in Gebiedsontwikkeling, Ontwerpend onderzoek als strategisch instrument, TU Delft/SKG. https://dh1hpfqcgj2w7.cloudfront.net/media/ documents/Ontwerpen_in_gebiedsontwikkeling_WEB_11-04-2023.pdf

5. Hajer, M. (2017). De macht van verbeelding. Inaugural lecture at Utrecht University.

The projects were required to demonstrate that they served a general interest, with this aspect being monitored through reflections on the (interim) results by municipalities and spatial policy-makers from the Flemish and Dutch central governments.

2. Framing the Design Brief

Research by design typically commences early in processes that are often not yet clearly defined. Nevertheless, the more explicitly defined the task, the client’s objectives, and the sensitivities and goals of the stakeholders in the research area are, the more successful the outcome is likely to be. Consequently, ‘framing’ entails defining the goals, characteristics, and key players in the area and collating and interpreting previous research, encompassing ideas that have either succeeded or failed. See, for instance, the timeline on page 57, which shows a series of visionary projects and publications focused on urban mobility – a valuable source of inspiration and a starting point for current research by design.

An example of this literal ‘framing’ is seen in the City of the Future (P 174), a design study on five urban square kilometres in the five largest Dutch cities. The participating municipalities each selected a specific urban area earmarked for significant transitions, and the design firms began their explorations within the square kilometre assigned to them. Over time, it became clear that the various systems being modified (including mobility, water, and energy) extended beyond the initial plan boundaries. Consequently, these boundaries were re-evaluated, expanded, interpreted, and either embraced or disregarded. By critically discussing the developments for the square kilometres across all five locations, the teams could discern differences and similarities. The framework thus provided the necessary guidance.

3. Finding the Right Task and Problem Owner

Finding the right task, also known as joint factfinding, is crucial. Meaningful spatial designs can only emerge when the underlying problems or issues and

their owners are clearly understood. This process of uncovering the ‘question behind the question’ and critically evaluating the assignment is part of research by design. By involving designers in determining the project’s purpose and direction, the problem definition is often re-examined, objectives are refined, or overlaps with other tasks are identified – a process not always welcomed by clients but vital in establishing shared principles.

The project The Rhine River Mouth as an Estuary (P 72) illustrates this search for the correct problem definition. Traditionally, water safety is perceived as a technical challenge, addressed through dikes, pumping stations, and barriers. In this project, a consortium viewed the Nieuwe Waterweg, a canal linking the North Sea with Rotterdam, through the lens of the natural system. A stable and secure system can form a robust foundation for future economic development. The designers re-envisioned the Nieuwe Waterweg as a silting natural system, while redirecting future ship traffic through the Caland Canal. In this project, nature became the primary focus, ultimately addressing Rotterdam’s water safety concerns and laying the groundwork for sustainable economic growth. This reinterpretation of the water safety task from a technical to a natural perspective illustrates how research by design can foster new lines of thought and identify new stakeholders. While not all stakeholders were equally involved in the design explorations and scenario development, it became clear that entities such as the Delta Programme, the Municipality of Rotterdam, the Province of South Holland, the Port Authority, and nature organisations become relevant if the Rhine estuary is to become a natural system.

4. Consciously Involving Politics, Policy, and Decision Makers

The creation of ‘free space,’ as described under 1, and the deliberate distancing from the prevailing policy are crucial for research by design. However, research6 shows that engaging administrators and decision-makers through periodic updates increases their sense of ownership. Decision-makers who feel involved in ideas

generated in a design exploration are more likely to champion these concepts. Conversely, the ‘not invented here’ notion is a dangerous mindset that can easily marginalise the outcomes of research by design.

The Zaan Corridor design study (P 128) examined station environments along the railway line between Amsterdam and Heerhugowaard. Viewing the stations through the lens of Transit-Oriented Development allowed for an analysis of each location’s strengths within this network. Castricum Station, for instance, was envisaged as a ‘landscape gateway,’ enhancing access to dune trails for visitors arriving by train. The project was seamlessly integrated into the ongoing policy processes of the Province of North Holland, dovetailing with earlier explorations commissioned by the province to the Vereniging Deltametropool (Deltametropolis Association)7 Regular communication with the municipalities involved and joint workshops where local alderpersons engaged with the designers’ visions were instrumental in this project’s success. Several ideas from this study were adopted into the spatial agendas and execution plans of the municipalities along the Zaan Corridor.

5. Activating Local Initiatives

Research by design plays a vital role in engaging stakeholders, creating support, and enabling residents and entrepreneurs to align their initiatives with the plans created.

The Japan Tsunami Reconstruction in Yuriage & Otsuchi project (P 92) highlighted the importance of local involvement in design explorations. Local scientists, students, residents, and others worked together to develop master plans for the village’s reconstruction and think about the resilience of the larger region.

Similarly, the City of the Future project included not only municipal experts but also the Stichting Hart voor Prins Alexander, a foundation representing local entrepreneurs and residents from Rotterdam’s Prins Alexander district. This collaboration ensured that vital elements of the plan, particularly the quality of public spaces, remained a focus after the study’s completion.

6. Starting at the Right Scale

Research by design can pinpoint the most appropriate scale for addressing an issue and identify the most suitable solution owner. For instance, addressing mobility issues at the neighbourhood level clarifies which aspects should be tackled locally (such as mobility hubs) and which require regional or national attention (such as main infrastructure networks).

The Highway X City project (P 118) involved governments, knowledge institutions, and multidisciplinary design teams, each focusing on a section of urban ring road, exploring ways to integrate the city and the highway. This required multi-scale thinking – from national mobility systems to specific public space designs along the highway. In Amsterdam, for example, the intersection of the A10 highway ring and the Lelylaan urban boulevard was a key test case. The designers considered the infrastructure node and then expanded their focus to include the larger traffic system and the immediate urban surroundings.

The Living Lab Building with Sediment (P 102) is another example, starting from the smallest scale –sediment dredged from the Nieuwe Waterweg. The project explored the potential uses of this sediment on an urban scale for Rotterdam, such as creating tidal parks along the Meuse, which would enhance biodiversity and recreational facilities for residents.

6. Hinterleitner, J., Daamen T.A. & Nijhuis S. (2021): Design studio performance in complex spatial projects: lessons from the Netherlands, Journal of Urban Design, DOI: 10.1080/13574809.2021.1917986.

7. Noord-Holland, Provincie, Deltametropool, Vereniging (2013). Maak Plaats. Werken aan Knooppuntontwikkeling in Noord-Holland.

8. Kingdon, J. W. (1995). Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies. HarperCollins. New York, USA.

7. Building in Flexibility

Considering the limited predictability of the future, design visions must incorporate a degree of flexibility. The Role of Stations project (P 222) illustrates this. Amidst a mobility transition and the growing emphasis on Transit-Oriented Development, predicting the future role of stations is challenging. Researchers and designers are asking, ‘How can we create designs that are inherently flexible?’ For instance, if autonomous vehicles or demandresponsive transportation become predominant, how will this alter the station environment compared to today’s standards? The ageing population is another variable significantly impacting the functionality and design of mobility hubs such as stations. It is therefore essential to conceive design visions that allow for adaptability, acting as catalysts for future developments. This implies designing spaces that can change in function over time.

8. Choosing the Right Moment

This recommendation implies sensitivity to the various processes surrounding area development – including policy, political dynamics, and urgent environmental concerns such as climate change. Scientific literature refers to ‘policy windows’8, moments when problem streams, solution streams, and political streams converge, creating opportunities for action.

Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami represented such a moment, when necessity and political will converged to prioritise resilient building and planning. The research by design undertaken by Japanese and Dutch students produced vital insights (P 92). More nuanced examples include the Living Lab Building with Sediment (P 102), where the need for a new application for sediment, coupled with the ambition to construct tidal parks, created a unique opportunity.

Conclusion

From the projects described in this publication, practical tools have been identified to strategically position (research by) design more effectively. However, there is still much to learn. Compilations like this are invaluable for drawing lessons at a meta-level. In addition, it is crucial that experimentation with design as a strategic tool continues. In the coming years and decades, we will need tools that enable us to rally stakeholders around necessary transitions. Anything that contributes to this process is welcome.

By learning from projects, innovation accelerates, allowing lessons to be implemented in education and practice. DIMI plays a key role in connecting themes, experts, and students across sectoral boundaries. Let’s hope we will hear more from this small yet important connector between science and practice in the years ahead.

connecting infrastructures

Research and Education

Education in the context of research and practice

The collaboration between civil engineering and spatial design disciplines specifically encompasses significant challenges, primarily due to differences in vocabulary, starting with the definition of ‘design’ itself. In the broadest sense, design is described as a method to find common ground in cases where the measures, problems, and goals are still undefined (Van de Ven et al., 2009). However, most civil engineers are trained to use a linear and optimisation approach to solve problems, while most spatial designers adopt a more explorative, research-by-design approach. Each field employs different paradigms and rationales for problem-solving.

Moreover, Webber and Rittel (1973) argue that engineers are typically used to deal with ‘tame’ problems, whereas spatial designers frequently address ‘wicked’ problems. This discrepancy leads to a gap between striving for the most optimal ‘efficient’ solution for a problem and seeking the best ‘contextual’ solution within the open societal systems without clearly defined boundary conditions. Webber and Rittel (1973) note that this shift, marking the end of the era of efficiency, began at the end of the 1970s when the urban context was reintroduced.

A similar transformation has occurred in engineering education. Since the 1980s, engineering education has generally been dominated by research-focused faculty (Crawley et al., 2007). This shift has encouraged students to focus on deeper, fundamental knowledge, with less emphasis on application or group work skills. Moreover, the introduction of the computer brought unprecedented calculation capacity that allowed for

theoretical system behaviour and exploratory scenario analysis. However, before this shift, engineering education had been dominated by practitioners, not researchers, who placed greater emphasis on project work and learning by doing – testing – in practice. In recent decades, industry leaders in engineering have appreciated the depth of knowledge in modern engineering graduates but have lamented the lack of balanced group skills for a multidisciplinary working environment (Lang et al., 1999). Mills and Treagust (2003) reviewed a range of project-based, interdisciplinary engineering programmes and concluded that while students from traditional engineering programmes possess good fundamental knowledge, they require additional on-the-job training and experience to be productive in practical project settings. Conversely, students from undergraduate programmes with a heavy emphasis on interdisciplinary work often struggle with engineering fundamentals and thus have difficulties with core engineering tasks. Lee (2011) makes

Fransje Hooimeijer, Hans de Boer and Taneha Kuziecow Bacchin

a distinction between problem-seeking and problemsolving design. Voorendt (2017) distinguishes spatial design (problem-seeking) from engineering design (problem-seeking), see P 41, Figure 9.

Education in the field of spatial design, including architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture, is creative-design oriented, aiming to balance stakeholders’ interests in urban projects at all scales. This educational approach is inherently interdisciplinary, involving a variety of disciplines and fields of expertise. Unlike engineering, this field is characterised by an epistemic culture that builds on diverse scientific fields such as engineering, sociology, economics, history, and natural sciences. A diverse epistemic culture implies diverse scientific fields, each characterised by its own methods, instruments, and tools of inquiry, as well as its own way of reasoning and establishing evidence (Knorr Cetina, 1999). However, designers often operated under the hypothesis that technological knowledge could realise any design they created. Thus, it can be observed that engineering has been removed from this epistemic culture (Hooimeijer, 2014). However, the contemporary demands of climate change necessitate the re-integration of engineering within the spatial design process to plan and build resilient cities of the future.

The review by Mills and Treagust (2003) suggests that intradisciplinary education is essential at the outset of undergraduate engineering studies to establish a foundation of practical knowledge. They argue that interdisciplinary education becomes advantageous when applied in upper undergraduate or graduate curricula. Traditionally, the Dutch and European university systems offered a 5-year programme culminating in the degree of Ingenieur (Dutch for engineer). However, following the Bologna process (European Commission, 2019), this structure has been divided into a 3-year bachelor’s (BSc) programme and a 2-year master’s (MSc) programme. At Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the first year of the engineering master’s programme comprises in-depth courses within each student’s chosen discipline, which are more

focused than the broad engineering curriculum of the bachelor’s programme. Interdisciplinary education is incorporated in project-oriented courses and the minor at the bachelor’s level and in the second year of the master’s programme, which consists of project work and thesis research. This section discusses various forms of interdisciplinary education executed at TU Delft, including Challenge-Based education, the minor (bachelor), MSc Studio (Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment), and Delta Futures Lab, an interfaculty laboratory at the MSc level.

Challenge-Based Education

Originally conceived by Apple Inc. as part of a pilot study on student motivation and curiosity, challengebased learning first entered higher education in 2008 through the ‘Classroom of Tomorrow – Today’ project. This initiative aimed to identify skills, knowledge, and ideas crucial for thriving in the increasingly technological society of the 21st century. Many of today’s significant challenges are categorised as ‘wicked problems’ due to their complex and interconnected nature. For instance, the energy transition intersects with climate change, public policy, engineering, housing, social welfare, health, psychology, and even conflict.

In response, higher education institutions, originally organised by discipline, have made concerted efforts to prepare students to tackle these challenges within their professional fields. At TU Delft, there are specific courses dedicated to integrated approaches and working in multidisciplinary teams. For example, the minor (bachelor) in Integrated Infrastructure Design, supported by DIMI, involves students from various disciplines collaborating on challenges posed by the municipality of Rotterdam. Similarly, the Joint Interdisciplinary Project, a centrally organised master’s course at TU Delft, has students in multidisciplinary teams working for clients to achieve interdisciplinary results.

To facilitate this type of education, more flexible or combinable courses are required in the curriculum to better adapt to the uncertainties and complexities

of today’s world. The term ‘challenge-based learning’ or ‘challenge-based education’ is often used for educational initiatives that utilise challenges as a means to an end—to produce better-prepared graduates – or view solving these challenges as the goal itself. While different institutions may apply their specific labels for challenge-based education (CBE), certain foundational elements are consistent across the method. Primarily, CBE aims to enhance student engagement by demonstrating the relevance of their discipline to ongoing real-world problems. Its emphasis on authentic challenges and self-directed learning aligns with experiential learning, although challenge-based learning does not necessarily involve first-hand experiences for students.

As mentioned earlier, the wicked nature of 21st-century challenges necessitates a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach. Consequently, CBE is often understood as rooted in problem-based and projectbased learning, encouraging students to ideate, analyse, and design together, drawing on their diverse perspectives and experiences. The open-ended nature of these problems increases the likelihood of uncertain outcomes, which can complicate assessment in ways not seen in problem-based or project-based learning but also positively affects student agency and creativity.

The execution and conceptualisation of CBE vary across institutions. Some create ‘similar to reality’ cases or recycle challenges to minimise the uncertainty of outcomes. Malmqvist, Kohn Rådberg, and Lundqvist (2015) proposed the following definition: “Challengebased learning takes place through the identification, analysis, and design of a solution to a sociotechnical problem. The learning experience is typically multidisciplinary, involves different stakeholder perspectives, and aims to find a collaboratively developed solution, which is environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable.”

Most recently, Malmqvist, Kohn Rådberg, and Lundqvist (2015), along with Beemt, Bots, and van de Watering (2022), introduced a conceptualisation that distinguishes CBE

from other modes of learning, noting that CBE engages students through the direct involvement of stakeholders – a feature absent in traditional problem-based learning but integral to the DIMI approach. Moreover, CBE requires students to consider both the problem and the solution. In assessments, process and product will therefore need to be balanced. This philosophy aligns with the concept of the T-shaped professional, who must not only master fundamental knowledge and skills but also contextualise that knowledge and skills in both real-world applications and their broader relevance (Hertogh, 2013).

Minor ‘Integrated Infrastructure Design’ BSc Education

DIMI has focused on design research as a scientific approach, and this knowledge is integrated into education through the Integrated Infrastructure Design minor. Students from various design and engineering disciplines work together for a semester on design cases addressing concrete infrastructure challenges. Collaboration with municipalities like Delft and Rotterdam, as well as the Province of South Holland, are vital, as these issues, still in an exploratory phase, are not yet ready to be presented to engineering firms but are well-suited for study-through-design research.

Initially, students learn the fundamentals: the analytical and design skills and the perspectives of different disciplines. “Urban planning, landscape design, architecture, civil engineering, and technical public administration: we bring together all these perspectives in the various courses.”

The minor begins with a comprehensive introduction to various objects of integrated transport and water infrastructures, exploring their historical development and environmental context. It introduces a wide range of design perspectives and approaches to familiarise students with analytical and problem-solving methods and techniques. As part of this course, students are required to write an essay from a theoretical standpoint about an infrastructure and how it presents an integral challenge.

The core of the minor is the design course, which includes in-depth design exercises for bridges, flyovers, underpasses, and route design across different scales and levels of complexity. This course stimulates and develops students’ design, collaboration, and presentation skills through multidisciplinary teamwork in a studio setting.

Other courses delve into present and future mobility and flood protection issues, design challenges for transport and water infrastructures within the context of contemporary urban and landscape conditions, infrastructure planning and governance, and the intricacies of (infra-)structures from a reverseengineering perspective.

The culmination of all courses is the final project, where students, as part of multidisciplinary teams in a studio setting, work on an assignment from a commissioner in practice to tackle a complex infrastructure design issue in a real-world context. Examples include the (re)design of a large bridge or a multimodal transport hub, and its integration into the urban transport system and public space. Besides designing the object and its integration, students also develop ideas for social and economic added value and financing options.

Interestingly, the minor also promotes collaboration among scientists from the various disciplines involved. In this way, education also serves as an important means of integration and facilitates networking between research groups and faculties.

Studio MSc Education

In the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, the studio serves as a collaborative platform for students, where they collectively advance their design projects by collaborating on analysis, diagnosis, and executing collective or individual design tasks. Each step is complemented by additional lectures, and students engage in at least one day of contact hours per week dedicated to presentations and receiving feedback from tutors. Typically, studios are affiliated with a group of researchers; for instance,

the Transitional Territories studio is connected to the Delta Urbanism Research Group. This particular studio focuses on the concept of territory as a constructed project across various scales, subjects, and media. Transitional Territories specifically explores the role of design in shaping fragile and highly dynamic landscapes at the interface of land and water, such as maritime, riverine, and delta landscapes, emphasising the inseparable relationship between nature and culture. Through interdisciplinary and situated knowledge –drawing from theory, material practice, design, and representation—the studio investigates lines of inquiry and action, building upon the Delta Urbanism research tradition while also moving beyond conventional methods and spatial concepts.

Adopting a transdisciplinary approach, the studio brings together experts from diverse fields, including landscape architecture, planning, engineering, earth sciences, humanities, and arts. This diversity enriches students’ perspectives and encourages them to challenge disciplinary boundaries. Given pressing issues such as the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, resource scarcity, and the intersectionality of subjects and histories, there’s a need for a fundamental shift in mindset and actions – from viewing land as a passive backdrop to recognising its active role in shaping intergenerational life.

The studio organises its work around three main modes: archive, laboratory, and atelier. Documentation, analysis, synthesis, and narrative exercises support the development of interventions that address the nature and causes of urban issues and their externalities. During the graduation year, students are guided to construct and apply a theoretical, analytical, and conceptual framework that intersects urban design, landscape architecture, and political ecology to study systemic relations leading to states of scarcity.

Critical thinking, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods, and the pursuit of innovative design solutions are central to the studio’s ethos. Students are encouraged to formulate their thesis topics and develop

their own critical perspectives on the future trajectory of urban projects.

Delta Futures Lab

The Delta Futures lab is an inter-faculty collaboration platform that aims to integrate education, research, and practice through innovative interdisciplinary projects. The lab provides a multidisciplinary network for students who aspire to become interdisciplinary frontrunners in spatial design, engineering, and the governance of deltas. Students, societal stakeholders, and university staff collaborate within thematic working groups, projects, and courses.

The Delta Futures Lab facilitates cross-pollination between practice and university and between students and researchers from different faculties. It is an addition to the regular master’s graduation programmes at TU Delft for students interested in interdisciplinary design connected to practice and research. Involving three connected faculties, i.e., Architecture and the Built Environment A+BE (Delta Urbanism group), Civil Engineering and Geosciences CEG (Water Management, Hydraulic Engineering, Geo-Engineering, Construction Management Engineering and Transport), and Technology, Policy and Management TPM (Multi-Actor Systems), the research programme offers opportunities for collaboration with students and practice. Beyond learning from the researchers and professionals, students in the Delta Futures Lab benefit from ‘peer learning’, where they learn from each other.

There are three models for collaboration in the lab: specific research lines, research projects and educational projects.

Research Line Model

The ongoing research line connects graduation projects from students of different masters over the years with long-term partners. Students from faculties other than A+BE do not graduate within a collective programme. The CEG faculty has graduation committees consisting of at least three tutors, with the possibility of including an external member from practice. The purpose of the

lab is to bring students together around a challenge in thematic groups. They meet with supervisors from different faculties and engage in ongoing exchanges during their projects, adding an extra dimension to their graduation experience beyond the regular tutoring. This specifically targets the interdisciplinarity of the challenge as it is experienced in practice.

Research Project Model

In addition to regular and graduating students, the lab also serves as a platform where students participating in the MSc Honours Programme and Multidisciplinary Project students (CEG) collaborate on research projects. Master’s students with above-average performance are eligible for a place on the TU Delft-wide Honours Programme aimed at developing talent. The Honours Programme is a challenging 20 ECTS extra-curricular programme that is largely self-designed by the students. It offers additional teaching, research, and projects related to specific themes, such as those offered by the Delta Futures Lab for the A+BE faculty students. These students have the flexibility to integrate research into their regular studies and are encouraged to exceed their disciplinary boundaries.

In the Multidisciplinary Project (MDP), teams of students from various disciplines within the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences investigate a problem posed by a client. They develop a strategy for a solution or other forms of advice. The client can be external or consist of faculty staff, and the project is organised into three phases:

• Preliminary Investigation: This involves analysing the problem to formulate a clear problem statement and objective that supports a project strategy with methods and multidisciplinary contributions.

• Design and/or Research: This phase executes the research strategy by developing design or solution alternatives.

• Round-off: This final phase involves delivering the project results to the client and supervisors.

Bringing together Honours and MDP students around the same case is an important method of ‘goalintegration’ that promotes interdisciplinary design, contrasting with the multidisciplinary collaboration typically seen within MDP projects. Assembling students from vastly different disciplines around a shared project goal enhances cooperation, as there is a mutual interest in understanding each other’s perspectives. The goal integration approach allows students significant freedom in an MDP, though it tends to yield interdisciplinary outcomes less frequently than multidisciplinary results. A multidisciplinary project typically involves each expert contributing their discipline-specific knowledge to the project. In contrast, an interdisciplinary project, particularly one involving Honours students, takes it a step further: experts not only contribute their knowledge but also gain an understanding of methodologies from significantly different disciplines, leading to a more coherent and valued overall project outcome. This shared case adopts an interdisciplinary framework, thereby fostering a more experimental approach within the project’s scope.

Educational Model

While similar to the research model, the educational model at TU Delft is more deeply integrated into regular education and unfolds during the second year of the MSc education. The university has streamlined the master’s programmes across various faculties to foster collaboration. In Q4 of MSc 2, the focus is on intradisciplinarity, promoting collaboration among students from different tracks within the same faculty. The focus shifts to interdisciplinarity in Q5 of MSc 3, encouraging collaboration between students from tracks in different faculties.

DIMI Portfolio

The DIMI portfolio has been developed with substantial support from working with students. Conversely, students have greatly benefited from the research projects executed within the frame of DIMI, as they provide context and tools for their work. Moreover, the collaboration with tutors and their research partners enriches critical thinking. This interaction forms

the basis for challenge-based learning; it presents challenges not only in content or societal context but also in the format and collaboration of the research.

The Integrated Infrastructure Design minor is a tangible outcome of DIMI’s ambition to focus on design research as a scientific approach and to integrate this knowledge into education. At the bachelor’s level, this minor offers students their first experience addressing concrete societal challenges in infrastructure and urban development. For instance, the ‘City of the Future’ (P 174) project involved 300 first-year civil engineering students who worked in teams of about eight to produce designs for specific sites within a larger design study. At the master’s level, Research by Design projects such as ‘City of the Future’, ‘Highway x City’ (P 118) and ‘Spatial Design Sarts with a Cross Section’ (P 194) have provided a context for work in the graduation studio ‘Cities of the Futures’ and the MSc 2 Architecture and Urban Design elective course. Both groups consist of students from Architecture and Urban Design with Transport Infrastructure and Logistics. The exchange between professional teams in the study and the students has been particularly fruitful; students pose basic questions that require re-evaluation, and professionals demonstrate decision-making in design.

The ‘Highway x City’ project has also been an important catalyst for another DIMI project, ‘Intelligent Subsurface’, to connect the subsurface with other urban challenges, such as new mobility, through the elective course Infrastructure and Environment Design. Here, students become a catalyst for collaboration or expanding on a research approach, making it more explorative in connecting research topics. The transition from fossil-fuelled to electric mobility has significantly impacted the soils in areas targeted for urban design and infrastructure development.

The ideal education and research model was explored in projects in Japan, combining the research line (with graduation students) and project models (with MSc 3 students) in the Delta Futures Lab. Both groups consisted of students from five departments: Hydraulic

Engineering, Geo-Sciences and Engineering, Transport Infrastructure and Logistics (TIL), Urban Drainage Engineering, and Urbanism.

Fieldwork was done collaboratively, with an important component being the workshop in which the charrette and integrated design were performed with the goal of understanding the scope of interdisciplinary possibilities for the case. Subsequently, the project group developed a group output, and the graduation students continued with their individual projects. Sharing the location and the workshop meant that all were involved in each other’s projects. This was a significant added value that was explored in depth during regular meetings throughout their graduation period. Presentations to each other enhanced the interdisciplinary exchange, characterised by dialogue and commitment.

students and practice learn together

Longue Durée

- A matter of time

Carola Hein and Fransje Hooimeijer

The existence of a long-term past impacts present and future design through the existence of built spaces and long-standing formal or informal institutions. The concept of path dependencies, developed in the political sciences as part of the concept of historical institutionalism (Sorensen 2015, 2017), highlights the role that decisions of the past have on decisions for the future. This impact is particularly significant when it relates to structures that require extensive investment and are designed to last for a long time. The concept of the Longue Durée, introduced by Fernand Braudel (Braudel, 1968), emphasises the relationship between natural conditions and human interaction, creating specific geographies. The concept supports an approach based on understanding earlier typologies and development patterns. It allows for contextualised understanding and avoids uninformed copying and pasting of designs from the past into current cities. It allows designers to identify critical junctures in previous decades and understand the underlying political, social, and cultural contexts of contemporary redevelopment. This influence across time is particularly strong when it has been solidified into concrete or built into extensive and expensive infrastructures, including for water management or ports.

The passage of time is also central to the design and use of infrastructures. From planning to construction and ultimately to rebuilding, each spatial intervention is a reaction to the natural environment or the cultural setting in which it is situated. Sociologists have argued that our understanding and perception of time are socially constructed. Time is lived and understood differently depending on whether it is experienced by individuals in the everyday or applied to economic, political, or legal processes, which may take years or even decades. In spatial planning and design, professionals constantly deal with places designed

based on values and concepts of the past. The form and function of these structures depend as much on technological innovation as on institutional frameworks and socio-cultural contexts. Faced with multiple urgencies, humanity must look both back and forward. Careful assessment of the past can also provide insight into the workings of ecosystems in the past and inform future living strategies (Hein et al. 2023). We need to learn from the mistakes of the past that have brought about the current situation and understand how long-term investments in infrastructure form the foundation for today’s changes.

Design processes also require awareness of the multiple layers of time embedded in nature (seasons, day-night) and cultures (working hours, traffic jams), and the time it takes to bring a project from initial sketches to completion. Each city has its own rhythm of change, as argued by Dietrich Henckel and Susanne Thomaier (Henckel, Thomaier, 2013; Zhu, Hein 2020). Whether a city or territory adapts quickly, largely depends on the relationship between different groups within the city and how they negotiate time. The various stakeholders are in constant dialogue (or struggle) over space – a dialogue that often continues over decades or centuries and is written into local institutions and processes as well as into the built form. These long-term histories and experiences often allow cities and territories to adjust to changing conditions as they prioritise, distribute, and organise their resources.

Path dependencies can have both positive and negative impacts. They can form the foundation for resilience, as actors and the built environment maintain structures during critical junctures. Conversely, they can also be a foundation for an inability to change. By studying the history of a place, one gains insight into the socioeconomic forces that have shaped this place over time (Hein and Hanna, 2023). Awareness of historical paths can help designers provide solutions that produce changes and help readers understand where current conditions may obstruct innovative solutions. The particular relevance of time to the built environment is also reflected in the disciplinary attention to history for spatial planning and design. History and historiography are important ways of positioning spatial planners and designers. Recent decades have seen increased calls by historians for the critical use of history in the field, as discussed in the journal Critical History Studies,1 which has also prompted a rethinking of the role of designers in relation to power. How can spatial designers be aware of the historical contexts of the buildings and landscapes they work in and ensure they do not perpetuate historic, colonial, and other exploitative practices?

Designers need to acknowledge future needs and potential developments. To achieve this, we need to develop adaptive strategies in line with the theory of change that pinpoint a long-term perspective and identify intermediary development steps. Such an approach requires an awareness of values and their dynamics and changing perspectives of space. Adaptive histories consider the passing of time. Adaptive strategies can facilitate new spatial configurations that go beyond fragmentation, encourage new collaborations at the scale of the city and the region, and promote a profound shift in the governance structure (Hein, Van Mil and Azman, 2023). This thinking requires an openness to potential disasters, from pandemics to wars, and the ways in which the built environment may need to respond to dynamics of change and even temporalities of trauma. Such adaptive strategies need to question the longevity of infrastructural and other interventions. Design studios in practice and in educational contexts need to acknowledge these path dependencies and the role of history.

Projects in the built environment need to include historical developments, understand the current situation, and anticipate potential future directions. The built environment is the outcome of a series of decisions made in the past that also constructs the legibility and logic of space. Learning from the past can assist us in understanding and shaping current challenges based on the recognition of patterns and understanding of path dependence. Within this, the fact that related elements operate on different time scales needs to be taken into account.

Flood Risk

The Longue Durée in managing flood risk within the Dutch context was analysed by Van der Ham (2002) and Van Dam (2010). Van der Ham (2002) establishes a framework for analysing the Dutch landscape based on water-state historical criteria. He references Bijhouwer (1977), Het Nederlandse Landschap (The Dutch Landscape), the Atlas van Nederland (Atlas of the

Netherlands, Piket, 1987), Van de Ven’s Manmade Lowlands (Van de Ven, 1993) and The Making of Dutch Landscape, a historical geography of the Netherlands by Lambert (1971), to formulate the following phases:

I. Natural water state (until around 1000): Nature over culture, coastal development, young dunes, thick peat layers, free rivers, and wild grounds.

II. Defensive water state (1000 – 1500): Territory exploitation leads to protective measures, land loss, subsidence, sea and river dikes, mounds, dams, ditches, waterways, and sluices.

III. Offensive water state (1500 - 1800): Aggressive diking, reclamations, windmills for pumping, and large-scale land exploitation.

IV. Manipulative water state (1800 – present): intervention in systems, including new riverbeds, redefining rivers, damming larger waters, artificial water levels, and the loss of old structures

These phases are marked by a certain attitude and technology used to manage the wet conditions of the Dutch territory. On a larger scale, Van Dam (2010) identifies the ‘Amphibious Culture’, the tradition of cultural adaptation to a landscape riddled with waterways: rivers, canals, ditches, and lakes. In this culture, transport is predominantly by ship: every farmer or city merchant is also a shipper. The boat is simply the principal means of transport, facilitating amphibious behaviour as people navigate between wet and dry parts of the landscape. The land features are man-made, utilising the slight elevation difference between sea and average field levels. The land is compartmentalised with interior dikes, and many settlements are situated high enough above the field level to avoid flooding when dikes break. Daily life is disrupted during flood disasters, but people continue to function in this partially submerged environment. Like islands in

the landscape, cities play a crucial role in providing resources for restarting terrestrial life, offering refuge, labour, food, technological expertise, organisational capacity, and financial capital (Van Dam, 2010)

Understanding the cultural aspects of the Dutch attitude over time is important in relating it to the geography and how flood risk management has evolved to the present day, where efforts are made to reintegrate natural systems. This is exemplified in the project The Rhine River Mouth as an Estuary (P 72), which explores how to re-adopt the natural system in synergy with economic developments for a safe and sustainable future.

Another aspect of flood risk and its Longue Durée is highlighted in the project Japan Tsunami Reconstruction in Yuriage & Otsuchi (P 92), where the irregular and extended intervals between tsunamis cause people to forget about this natural hazard over time. In this case, the Longue Durée pertains to the historical approach to tsunamis that occur far apart in time. The study revealed that despite the risks, people have consistently rebuilt houses in the flood risk zone. Students in both groups addressed this by creating spatial interventions as reminders of the risks and programming the flood zone for temporal functions.

Another interesting way to consider this Longue Durée perspective is by adopting long-term tactics rather than focusing on singular projects. The Long Now Foundation, a nonprofit organisation established in 1996 to promote long-term thinking, exemplifies this approach. Their work fosters imagination on a timescale spanning civilisation – the next and last 10,000 years, a concept they refer to as ‘the long now.2 This perspective is evident in the Living Lab Building with Sediment (P 102), where integrating the natural system has become part of the strategic approach.

1. www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/chs/current

2. https://longnow.org

time matters

Infrastructure Innovation

Adhering to the Layers Approach, as outlined by De Hoog, Sijmons, and Verschuren (1998), is a systematic method widely employed in contemporary Dutch spatial planning and design, in which infrastructure serves as the mediator layer between the substratum and occupation. This concept, rooted in Ian McHarg’s Ecological Inventory Approach (McHarg 1967), colloquially referred to as ‘the layer cake’ by his students (Whiston Spirn 2000), was introduced to the Netherlands by Meto Vroom, a professor of landscape architecture in Wageningen. It was further developed as a strategic planning concept in the 1990s (de Hoog, Sijmons, and Verschuren 1998). The original approach delineated three interconnected strata – occupation, network, and substratum layers – that constitute a spatial system encompassing various rates and types of potential and actual spatial development and change (see Figure 12). The authors

envisioned the model as a swift and straightforward strategic planning tool, explicitly not designed to describe or explain the environment and its uses.

The Longue Durée in infrastructure innovation is inherent to the object: these constructs are built to last and impact the space over extended periods. This concept is explored in the Highway X City project (P 118), which examines how new mobility technologies, such as self-driving and electric cars, redefine the relationship between highways and cities, prompting a redesign of this historically evolved interaction. In projects such as the Sustainable E-bike Charging Station (P 138) and the Biobridge (P 148), the Longue Durée is captured in the concept of renewability – where energy or materials that are renewable and sustainable do not overburden resources or produce environmental waste over time.

T=10 – 30

T=30 – 100

T=50 – 500 Nature as a Side-effect Nature as a Goal EHS Nature as meens Planning Horizon

Figure 12: The Layers Approach by De Hoog, Sijmons, and Verschuuren (1998)

Sustainable Urban Development

The Longue Durée in sustainable urban development is encapsulated in the concept of durability that is integral to sustainability, as articulated by the Brundtland Commission in a widely accepted definition: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (United Nations 1987)

This aspect of Longue Durée is evident in the Intelligent Subsurface Quality project (P 184). The project acknowledges the longevity of certain natural and human-made structures, arguing that they should be considered valuable elements in development projects. Urban systems leave artefacts in the subsurface, providing insights into historical contexts and influencing redevelopment plans in terms of risks and opportunities. Furthermore, the water and geomorphological systems in the subsurface serve as enduring spatial elements. Man-made systems, such as networks of cables and pipes, contribute to the Longue Durée by shaping urban layouts that are challenging to modify. These projects have facilitated the creation of a community of practice at TU Delft and its partners, offering tested instruments and knowledge for practice and education. They also highlight the importance of speculative design in envisioning the impact of future developments on urban operations and raising awareness among municipal participants about the significance of subsurface elements for surface development.

The City of the Future project (P 174) addresses the concept of Longue Durée, emphasising long-term thinking and gradual changes in various aspects such as mobility, energy, and circularity, all impacting the use of public space. The results underscore that transitioning systems and redesigning public spaces, including infrastructure, are not quick fixes but processes that take decades and involve multiple generations. Just as the effects of climate change unfold gradually, social processes also require time to gain momentum, political

support, and professional expertise. Changing the built environment is a slow process, leading to incremental, specific, and small-scale changes, with a new sense of place often taking generations to emerge.

Ports & Hubs

The Longue Durée is highly relevant for infrastructural hubs, such as railway stations, airports, and ports. These structures are large in size and take a long time to build. They require long-term investments and planning and can shape urban form and function over decades and even centuries. These nodes also depend on other large infrastructures and spatial developments in their vicinity. Decisions on the transfer of goods and people through infrastructure nodes – stations, ports, or airports – impact nearby lived-in urban spaces and other builtup and natural areas. Often considered primarily as engineering structures, infrastructures serve effectively as hidden designers and are key to changing territories. Transport activities can be both supportive and detrimental to the nearby cities and territories. As Hein and Schubert have demonstrated through port- and cityrelated urban developments in London, Hamburg, and Philadelphia, historical institutional and governance dynamics impact design over the centuries (Hein, Schubert 2020). The form and function of transport infrastructure and their relationship to cities provide a vivid example of the power of path dependencies as spatial conditions, institutional settings, and local values inform future decisions. Common respect for temporalities is crucial in healthy and just development and is a condition for planned adaptation to climate change (Henckel et al. 2013). Infrastructure construction engages with both the natural and cultural environment and evolves in relation to the political, economic, or institutional conditions in which they are located. The transport structures themselves have a major impact in and beyond cities.

The Role of Stations

(P 222) project examines the potential of stations beyond their traditional role as mobility hubs, focusing on their integration into urban development. Underused stations in peri-urban areas can benefit from targeted design interventions.

Collaborations among diverse stakeholders, both public and private, are key to developing new solutions from a long-term perspective. The LDE PortCityFutures Center has undertaken this challenge, aiming to explore the multiple forces that shape these spaces and propose spatial planning and design measures to enable the port, city, and region to evolve jointly.

The project PortCityFutures Dualities (P 232) explores the dynamic relationship between ports, waterfronts, and cities, which operate in different time regimes. This ongoing dialogue, or struggle, over spaces in and around the port is a critical area of competition between economic and citizen time, influencing the built environment significantly. Shipping elites have historically imposed their schedules on these urban areas, affecting the daily lives of shippers, workers, tourists, and residents in diverse and sometimes non-democratic ways. Adapting urban areas to the evolving needs of the port requires flexible political and economic strategies, particularly in selecting which areas within the port, city, and metropolitan zones should be modified. This rapid adaptation also affects the city’s spatial dynamics, transforming different parts at varying speeds. Despite a shift away from traditional city connections, ports still rely heavily on the broader metropolitan support to thrive. Emphasising mutual respect for different temporalities is key for just and effective urban development and is crucial to adapting strategically to climate change.

The PortCityFutures Dualities’ exploration of the relationship between ports and cities was presented as part of the exhibition The Port and the Fall of Icarus (P 242) in a public installation made of corten steel on the Riva dei Sette Martiri, Venice. The project examined the architecture of logistics, providing a transdisciplinary platform for exploring the changing paradigm in logistics. The reference to the character from Greek mythology who fell to his death when the sun melted the wax holding his wings together emphasises the longue durée. Like all Greek mythologies, this tale represents human behaviour that essentially remains unchanged over time, yet profoundly affects the environment. Linking this historical figure to future scenarios in terms of change magnitude and pace, the modes of coexistence required, safety and reliability concerns, and operational, environmental, and energy performance connects long time with space.

The Airport Technology Lab (P 252) focused on aviation as another major transport node, aiming to minimise environmental impact and transition to sustainable aviation. Airports are the focus of this project, with students involved in several of its elements. Multiple approaches and data sets were used, with input from the behavioural and cognitive sciences. A concluding point was the need to develop new approaches in response to the development of alternative fuels, such as liquid hydrogen and electricpowered aircraft.

Challenge-based research and education directly address societal challenges in the areas of climate change, biodiversity, sustainability, flood safety, mobility, quality of life, housing, and energy. This chapter highlights best practices of inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration within the DIMI collaboration, aimed at connecting actors from academia and practice to explore and forge integrated solutions for these challenges.

Challenges Overview

The chapter describes and analyses projects organised into four thematic groups: Flood Risk, Infrastructure Innovation, Sustainable Urban Development and Ports & Hubs.

CHALLENGES Sustainable Urban Development

Ports & Hubs

P 214

Flood Risk

The first section on flood risk encompasses four projects, each illustrating how flood risk, like other natural hazards, is a product of probability and consequences. A complex interplay of factors, such as the increased frequency of extreme climate events and the urban concentration in delta regions, escalates the risk of damage and loss of life. These projects take the likelihood or mitigation of flood risks and other natural hazards as their cue for transdisciplinary engagement, focusing on resilience strategies, such as sediment management, and fostering conditions conducive to this.

Infrastructure Innovation

The challenge of Infrastructure Innovation delves into how infrastructures, such as roads, railways, waterways, and subsurface networks, cut across the urban fabric in deltas. Their relative permanence provides a foundational, long-term structure for delta development, yet their life cycles vary, necessitating adaptation to the evolving demands of their users. The projects in this section embrace these needs and the possibilities inherent in the (re)design of infrastructures as prompts for transdisciplinary collaboration.

Sustainable Urban Development

This section showcases projects that tackle the environmental complexities in urban deltas, where spatial demands, global trends, and local processes present particularly intricate challenges. Addressing these challenges requires a diverse array of expertise and stakeholder engagement. The projects featured in this section take the complex challenges of the urban environment as catalysts for transdisciplinary cooperation.

Ports & Hubs

The concluding section on Ports & Hubs examines sea- and airports alongside hubs, pivotal for orchestrating global, regional, and local movements. These critical nodes within the urban fabric face increasing demands for safety, efficiency, and user experience. Projects in this section utilise the challenges and opportunities facing future ports and hubs as a platform for transdisciplinary innovation.

Project Descriptions Format

Each challenge is introduced and critically reflected upon by an appointed referent.

The format for the project descriptions is standardised to enhance clarity and comparability. Initially, general information and the project’s location are provided, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of the context (where), the core challenge (why), and the collaborative process (who). Subsequently, the outcomes of the projects are detailed, leading to an evaluation based on the five fundamentals: inter- and transdisciplinary learning and methods, research and practice, research and education, and the Longue Durée. The conclusion synthesises the lessons learned, personal reflections, and potential follow-ups, situating each project in both contemporary and future contexts.

climate change biodiversity sustainability green mobility

renewable energy quality of life

Flood Risk

The Rhine River Mouth as an Estuary

The Houston-Galveston Bay Region

Japan Tsunami Reconstruction in Yuriage & Otsuchi

Living Lab Building with Sediment

Fostering Flood Resilience

– Collaborative approaches and future directions

Ellen Tromp

A significant part of the world population lives in floodprone areas such as coastal zones, river plains exposed to coastal or fluvial flooding, and lowlands susceptible to flooding from heavy rainfall or groundwater. Their number is likely to increase in the near future. Recent insights (IPCC, 2023) suggest that climate change is accelerating at a higher rate than previously thought and that low-lying populated areas are exposed to an even higher risk than initially believed (IPCC, 2019).

Current Complications in Flood Risk Management

Although rooted in technical knowledge, flood risk management is currently facing particularly complex challenges due to high levels of uncertainty and conflict (Ackoff, 1979; Rittel & Webber 1973). The field is complex because flood risk issues are entwined with other local problems involving a range of stakeholders, institutional fragmentation, and the non-hierarchical distribution of resources (Tromp, 2019). The increasing complexity presents new challenges and demands.

Evolving Narratives in Dutch Flood Protection

In her research, Lotte Jensen (2020) identified four recurring narratives in the Netherlands’ historical approach to flood protection: (1) the technological narrative, highlighting Dutch hydraulic ingenuity, adaptive capacity, and pioneering spirit; (2) the apocalyptic narrative, which focuses on catastrophising; (3) the ecological narrative, emphasising nature’s supremacy and the need to allocate it space; and (4) the secular narrative, which interpreted floods as divine punishment for humanity’s sin. The currently dominant technological narrative fosters reliance on technology and the belief in societal constructability. Despite the Netherlands’ renowned hydraulic engineering expertise, recent extreme events have revealed the limits of engineering soil, sediment, and water systems.

Society faces additional challenges, such as sustainable agriculture, clean energy, biodiversity restoration, and the development of housing and industries. Meanwhile, climate change strains the Dutch water management system, impacting flood risk management and freshwater supply. To ensure decisions that will stand the test of time, a new concept, flood-resilient landscapes (de Leeuw et al., forthcoming), has been developed. With its long-term development perspective, this concept reconciles desired socio-economic developments with the carrying capacity and potential of the underlying physical landscape. Its underlying principle is to create social added value while promoting or at least maintaining flood risk management in light of spatial and societal changes. Recent research has identified eight logical narratives representing future attitudes towards flood risk management (de Boer et al., 2022). One of these narratives advocates for allowing water to flow naturally, rather than confining it within dikes. This ecocentric approach is based on the idea of cooperation between humans and water, potentially leading to nature-based solutions and increased citizen participation. Alongside seven other narratives moving beyond purely infrastructural flood protection, these ideas are being applied on a regional scale to design flood-resilient landscapes. The case study

The Rhine River Mouth as an Estuary (P 72) shows the benefits of aligning economic and spatial developments with sustainable waterway solutions, emphasising the need to integrate them with other societal challenges and resonating with the ecocentric narrative.

Towards Transdisciplinary Flood Resilience

Flood-resilient landscapes now require, more than ever, a transdisciplinary approach that incorporates other societal challenges to find innovative long-term solutions. There is an excessive focus on short-term solutions and incremental adaptation under the presumption that climate change progresses smoothly (Tessler et al., 2015). However, disruptive events, such as the extreme rainfall in Europe in 2021, have sometimes served as catalysts for transformative change. Initiating such changes requires understanding potential moments of synergy and opportunities for radical reorientation (Lenton et al., 2022). These can catalyse transformative processes addressing climate change and other societal issues. We believe that considering the values of future society will ensure that investments and decisions are made without regrets, aligning with the principles of decision-making under deep uncertainty (Marchau et al., 2019). From this perspective, we anticipate that other narratives will converge with the technological narrative.

The necessity for a multidisciplinary approach is evident in all four cases studied. Flood risk management is a complex sociotechnical issue, demanding expertise from science, engineering, and behavioural disciplines. Multiple parties with varied interests and responsibilities are involved, striving to minimise trade-offs. This complexity underscores the need for effective knowledge management and continuous learning. However, collaboration does not come naturally, either among academics or practitioners. The Japan Tsunami Reconstruction in Yuriage & Otsuchi (P 92) case study demonstrated the potential impact of a Japanese approach applied to a Dutch context, offering valuable insights in terms of content, cooperation, and potential solutions.

Another example of cross-border learning is the Houston Galveston Bay Region (P 82) project, where a long-term strategic partnership was formed for interdisciplinary research and teaching. However, differences in approaches by country are apparent. In the Netherlands, there has been a shift towards an integrated, task-oriented approach, whereas in Texas, the focus still seems to be on engineering solutions. The Dutch expertise in this area is highly sought after, and we agree with the authors’ argument that incorporating knowledge from the social sciences and humanities not only enhances our understanding of the problem but also expands the range of potential solutions.

In fields where knowledge management is crucial, flood risk management is a standout example. The Houston Galveston Bay Region case highlighted the power of transdisciplinary knowledge production. Through the reciprocal exchange of questions and concepts between academia and practice, both sides reinforced one another, with academic contributions accelerating coastal flood risk reduction practice. Similarly, the Living Lab Building with Sediment (P 102) case demonstrated the potential of circular sediment management and its scalability to the Rhine-Meuse estuary. The collaboration between academics and practitioners has led to pilot projects and inter-organisational learning among the scientific community, NGOs, and government organisations.

Involving Stakeholders in Flood-Resilient Strategies

Addressing flood risk management issues requires an integrated approach that prioritises dialogue with all stakeholders. Consequently, continuous learning within the field of flood risk management will soon become essential, particularly when confronting multiple societal challenges. It is important to note that knowledge utilisation in this context is problematic across three dimensions: (1) Decisionmaking power is distributed among stakeholders, necessitating their commitment; (2) Knowledge is dispersed across these stakeholders.

The presence of content-related and/or strategic uncertainties often hinders sharing this knowledge; (3) Since knowledge is context-specific, its exchange between stakeholders is inherently challenging, further complicating its application.

When developing flood-resilient landscapes, communication and stakeholder engagement strategies will need to be reimagined. Rather than initiating discussions from a current flood risk management perspective, stakeholders will be involved in a future value-driven approach. This shift will pave the way for a strategy that not only addresses climate change and societal attitudes towards flood risk but also embraces emerging societal challenges and the sustainable ecosystem services of the natural system. Such an approach fuels the drive toward transdisciplinary learning and collaborative work in an international setting.

In the Japan Tsunami Reconstruction in Yuriage, the concept for Yuriage is applied to the Dutch city. The basis of the concept of team A was raising core of the city and surround it with a natural buffer. Here the design details are presented. (Source: Areso Rossia et al., 2018)

Green landscape allowing partial flooding Dunes Beach Residential area, population density decrases heading more inland Industrial area Evacuation route

Vlaardingen

Schiedam

Rotterdam

The Rhine River Mouth as an Estuary

Rotterdam region (The Netherlands)

AUTHORS Han Meyer (Deltastad and TU Delft), Esther Blom (ARK Rewilding Netherlands), Jasper Hugtenburg (H+N+S Landscape Architects), Marcel van der Meijs (Palmbout Urban Landscapes)

TYPE OF PROJECT Design study

YEAR 2020 – 2021

PARTNERS TU Delft, Deltastad, ARK Rewilding Nature, H+N+S Landscape Architects

LOCATIONS Rotterdam Region (The Netherlands)

KEYWORDS Building with nature, Sediments, Ports and navigation, Energy transition, Living in the delta

DESIGN PRINCIPLE Inside bends of the river deliver conditions for sediment deposits and tidal parks; outside bends of the river need strong quay walls

INTRODUCTION

Rising tides and resilient solutions

The Rotterdam region owes its economic and urban development largely to the Nieuwe Waterweg (New Waterway), excavated 150 years ago to facilitate access to the Rotterdam port for the largest seagoing vessels. This open connection with the sea has ushered in substantial economic prosperity for the region and the whole of the Netherlands. However, with the accelerated sea-level rise in the coming decades –potentially exceeding two metres by 2100 – this open connection to the sea also presents major problems. In the context of the Dutch Delta Programme, a research programme is now underway to understand how the region can be protected against the threat of higher water levels at sea in the future. Several proposals have emerged, suggesting the closure of the Nieuwe Waterweg through a lock complex or even the creation of an entirely new coastline at sea. This would add a new chapter to the renowned Dutch tradition of hydraulic engineering established in the 20th century with projects such as the Afsluitdijk and the Delta Works (Meyer 2017)

This situation has spurred nature conservation bodies Worldwide Fund for Nature and ARK Rewilding Netherlands (Esther Blom), in collaboration with TU Delft and Deltastad (Han Meyer), to explore an alternative, nature-based solution. Discussions with experts from diverse fields such as hydraulic engineering, port economy, river morphology, spatial planning, and dredging suggested that restoring the estuarian nature of the river mouth could be the key to the Nieuwe Waterweg’s future. This resulted in a proposal, ‘The Rhine River Mouth as an Estuary’, which was introduced in the ‘Kennisprogramma Zeespiegelstijging’ (‘Sea Level Rise Knowledge Programme Sea’) under the Delta Programme in December 2020. In the course of 2021, H+N+S Landscape Architects (Jasper Hugtenburg) joined the team, and students from the University of Technology Delft and the University of Applied Sciences Rotterdam dedicated their final master’s thesis research to validating various aspects of the proposal (Hensen 2021; Iglesias 2022).

Reinventing the Nieuwe Waterweg

The proposal ‘The Rhine River Mouth as an Estuary’ argues for a fundamentally different approach, emphasising long-term attention and priority to the natural dynamics of the delta. Instead of completely adapting the water system for economic development, it advocates for aligning economic and spatial development with a sustainable water system solution. For the Nieuwe Waterweg, this would mean transforming the canal into an estuary, prioritising the restoration of lost delta nature and thereby the river estuary’s central role as a ‘crossroads’

Rotterdam

Den Haag

The Haque Rotterdam

FIGURE 1

Birds eye view of a possible future of the Rotterdam region, seen from the north, with a shallowed Nieuwe Waterweg, combined with new urban landscapes and new energy production on outerdike areas (Palmbout Urban Landscapes)

in the global ecosystem. Providing more space for the natural dynamics of this part of the delta will also contribute to reducing high water levels and salt intrusion.

The initiating team has launched this proposal as an appeal to the Delta programme to investigate the possibilities of shallowing the Nieuwe Waterweg to start this transformation process. The project aims to initiate the thinking process, discussion, and ultimately, the decision-making process on the future of the Nieuwe Waterweg. Currently, the Dutch Delta Programme considers it a valid option for the future.

In addition to new measures against sea-level rise, other major transition tasks are at stake in the Rotterdam region, such as the necessary energy transition in the port area, the structural improvement of biodiversity in this region, and the addition of 50,000 new homes. The parties involved in the various tasks depend on and need each other.

The concept of ‘The Rhine River Mouth as an Estuary’ has been used as the basis for the ‘Two-River Region’ design for the future of the Rhine-Meuse estuary, submitted to the Eo Wijers Foundation’s design competition ‘Where do we want to live’ in 2022 – 2023 (Figure 1). In September 2023, the jury chose ‘Two-River Region’ as the competition’s winning entry for the Rhine-Meuse delta region.

Two-River Region is the collaborative effort of TU Delft, Deltastad, H+N+S Landscape Architects, Palmbout Urban Landscapes, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Worldwide Fund for Nature, and ARK Rewilding Netherlands. The Municipality of Rotterdam, the National Delta Programme, the Rotterdam Port Authority, and the Province of South Holland are deeply involved in discussions about the results of this competition.

a new approach

PROJECT RESULTS

The evolution of the Nieuwe Waterweg

The Nieuwe Waterweg has been instrumental in developing the Rhine-Meuse delta over the past 150 years. A crucial element of this delta’s evolution is the construction of a series of hydraulic works, leading to an artificial redirection of the main discharge from the Rhine and Meuse rivers. From the fifteenth century, the river system’s mouth gradually shifted southward from Nieuwe Maas to Haringvliet. Consequently, the Nieuwe Maas silted up, increasingly hindering access to the port of Rotterdam. However, the construction of the Nieuwe Waterweg, complemented by other river regulation projects, effectively ‘pushed back’ the main discharge northward towards the Nieuwe Waterweg (Vellinga et al. 2014). (Figures 2 & 3)

Maintaining the Nieuwe Waterweg’s depth for the largest bulk carriers and container ships necessitates constant upkeep. Every year, 14.5 million m3 of sand and silt are dredged from the Nieuwe Waterweg and adjacent ports and deposited back into the sea. The natural dynamics of sediment transport and settling are vital for a unique delta ecosystem, but they also mitigate high water levels and restrict salt intrusion. The dredging activities undermine these significant aspects of the natural dynamics.

The construction and regular deepening of the Nieuwe Waterweg have created exceptionally favourable conditions for port development and shipping but also led to the loss of 95% of the delta environment, as well as an increase in the tidal range, high-water situations near Rotterdam, and greater salt intrusion (Paalvast 2014). As the Nieuwe Waterweg has been deepened (to its current level at 16.5 metres below sea level) and combined with the closure of the Haringvliet estuary with a dam (part of the Delta Works, Figure 4), these adverse effects have intensified (Vellinga et al. 2014)

Coupled with climate change and the associated accelerated sea-level rise of two metres by 2100, the current situation is unsustainable (Deltares 2018)

Adapting to change

The Maeslant storm surge barrier in the Nieuwe Waterweg was constructed in the 1990s to protect Rotterdam from flooding. This barrier will be closed when water levels are expected to reach +3 metres above Mean Sea Level (MSL) near Rotterdam. Currently, such high water levels are expected approximately once every ten years. However, if sea levels rise while the depth of the Nieuwe Waterweg remains the same, the frequency of barrier closures will increase. Should this frequency escalate to four or more times a year, an alternative solution will become imperative due to the unacceptably high failure probability of the Maeslantkering.

Given the accelerated sea-level rise, the pressing need for energy transition and decarbonisation in the port area, the urgent requirement for radical biodiversity restoration, and the demand for 50,000 homes in the Rotterdam region, the necessity for a new approach is clear. This approach would lead to a comprehensive transformation of the entire Nieuwe Waterweg area. The ‘Two-River Region’ proposal aligns with the natural predisposition of the rivers to discharge water primarily via the Haringvliet estuary.

This alignment indicates that various adjustments must be made in the river area to effect this change in the main discharge. The most important of these changes are (1) the redistribution of sediments in the Nieuwe Waterweg, resulting in a substantial reduction in the depth of this channel (Figure 5), and (2) the transformation of the existing Haringvliet dam into a storm surge barrier that remains open most of the time and closes only during storm surges.

Rhine-Meuse delta in 1860, seen from the west The mouth of the river Nieuwe Maas is a shallow estuary. The Haringvliet (at the right) has become the main discharge channel of the rivers Rhine and Meuse.

(H+N+S Landscape architects)

Birds eye view of Rhine-Meuse delta in 1900, seen from the west The construction of the Nieuwe Waterweg is completed.

(H+N+S Landscape architects)

Birds eye view of Rhine-Meuse delta in 2020, seen from the west Additional waterworks and port expansions have resulted in the current situation, with the Nieuwe Waterweg as main discharge channel and a 12,000 hectares port area.

(H+N+S Landscape architects)

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

FIGURE 4

With these adaptations in the rivers’ main discharge, the Nieuwe Waterweg can be shallowed and, where feasible, broadened, allowing the waterway to regain the characteristics of an estuary (Figure 6). This restoration provides several benefits:

a) Enhancing the delta environment. This naturebased proposal seeks to restore the natural processes of siltation and sedimentation in the estuary as much as possible (Figure 6). This will primarily benefit the biodiversity and the conservation of the unique delta nature. The proposal thus builds on and serves as an extension to the ‘The River as a Tidal Park’ programme. ( https://www.ark.eu/ areas/delta/getijdenpark). Restoration of the natural dynamics also has significant implications for the following aspects.

b) Reduction of high water levels. According to a master’s student’s calculations for his graduation project at Hogeschool Rotterdam, elevating the riverbed by 50 cm decreases the tidal range by roughly 5 cm (Hensen 2021). A six-metre shoal (i.e., resulting in a channel depth of 10.5 metres) diminishes the tidal range by approximately 30 cm. It is assumed that this will also reduce the occurrence of extremely high water levels (> +3 m). If the shoaling process aligns with (or even outpaces) sea-level rise, the point at which the Maeslantkering must close four or more times per year could be delayed, potentially indefinitely.

c) Reduction of salt intrusion. A master’s degree project at TU Delft indicated that shoaling would significantly contribute to curtailing the saltwater tongue. When the channel is shallowed by four metres, the salt tongue in the Nieuwe Maas will retract by approximately five kilometres (Iglesias 2022).

d) New urban riverbank environments. Since the 1980s, the city of Rotterdam has endeavoured to render the riverbanks more appealing for living, working, and leisure. A constant limiting factor has been the predominant presence of quays roughly four meters high, with steep quay walls. A tidal river with smoother transitions between water and land

allows for new types of river-oriented urban spaces (Figure 7)

e) Transition of the port economy and transformation of the port area. The redevelopment of the Nieuwe Waterweg into an estuary is feasible only if the development of Rotterdam’s port and related shipping is adjusted accordingly. This adjustment is now conceivable due to the requisite energy transition. Sixty per cent of the port’s land area is devoted to the storage, transhipment, and processing of fossil fuels. The transition to non-fossil energy sources can be organised to free up space for the redevelopment of the Nieuwe Waterweg into an estuary (Figure 8).

regain the character of an estuary

Cross section of the Caland-kanaal (left) and Nieuwe Waterweg (right), current situation (Palmbout Urban Landscapes)

Cross section of the Calandkanaal (left) and Nieuwe Waterweg (right), future situation. The depth of the Nieuwe Waterweg will be reduced; the channel will change into a shallow estuary The Calandkanaal can maintain the current depth and is still navigable for large sea vessels. (Palmbout Urban Landscapes)

Sediment supply

Circular sedimentation in urban area

Natural sedimentation in exchange polders

Redistribution of sediments in the estuaries of the Rhine-Meuse mouth (H+N+S Landscape architects) FIGURE

FIGURE 6

EVALUATION

A nature-centric approach

This project addresses the need for an innovative approach to spatial planning and design that considers the long-term geological, climatic, hydromorphological, and ecological developments within a territory. Over the centuries, these processes have instigated changes in the nature and contours of territories, especially in river deltas (Seybold et al. 2007; Kleinhans 2010; Vos 2011). The cultivation of ‘nature-based solutions’ should focus on these enduring processes within the water system and territory. This project proposes establishing a new equilibrium, adopting a new, integrated, interdisciplinary strategy grounded in the principle that providing space for the gradual, yet fundamental natural evolution of the water system and territory is paramount, taking precedence in the spatial organisation of the plan area. The main focus should not be placed on economic and urban expansion as the primary catalysts, with the modification of the water system and territory as afterthoughts, but rather on allocating space for the natural dynamics of the water system and territory, thereby enhancing the long-term security and quality of the area. Economic and spatial development must be modified to suit these priorities.

Potential new urban areas with tidal parks in the eastern part of the Rotterdam port territory (Palmbout Urban Landscapes)

coherence of the city and the region

This project’s significance extends beyond the Rotterdam region. Numerous similar shipping channels in deltas and estuaries around the world have resulted in similar problems. The introduction and implementation of a novel, integrated method that prioritises the long-term trends of the natural system will prove crucial across these other coastal landscapes.

Possible adapted land use of the Rotterdam port territory (H+N+S Landscape architects)

CONCLUSION

Initially, the project was hypothetical. The assumed advantages (restoration of biodiversity, reduction of high water levels, mitigation of salt intrusion) deserve further substantiation.

The essence of the proposal is not a comprehensive design but a strategic intervention in the river system (the shallowing of the Nieuwe Waterweg and the opening of the Haringvliet dam). This will create conditions conducive to the emergence of new delta nature, a transition in the port economy, and enhanced protection against high water levels and salt intrusion. Consequently, it affords considerable scope and flexibility for the precise configuration of land use in the long term.

The decision of the Eo Wijers competition jury to name the ‘Two-Rivers Region’ as the winner has thrust the proposal to the forefront of discussions on this region’s future. This development has created new perspectives regarding the acceptance and actualisation of the proposal’s fundamental tenets.

The Delta Programme has included the proposal as one of the ‘solution paths’ for the Rotterdam region’s future. Both the City of Rotterdam and the Province of South Holland have expressed a keen interest in delving into the proposal’s implications for the spatial quality and coherence of the city and the region.

In the imminent future, a pivotal step will be engaging the Port of Rotterdam Authority and collaboratively conducting explorations into the port area’s reconfiguration.

The HoustonGalveston Bay Region

A decade of cross-disciplinary learning on flood risk reduction in Texas

City of Houston, Galveston Bay, the barrier island of Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula, including Bolivar Roads and San Luis Pass (United States of America)

AUTHORS Nikki Brand (TU Delft), Bas Jonkman (TU Delft), Baukje Kothuis (NBSO Texas), Matthew Malecha, (Texas A&M University) Charles Penland (Water P Moore), Luis Rodriguez, (Deltares) Han Meyer (TU Delft)

TYPE OF PROJECT A series of intermittent multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary projects on integrated flood risk reduction

YEAR 2012 – 2022

PARTNERS Texas A&M (Galveston and College Station campuses), Delft University of Technology, BACPA, I-Storm, World Bank, SSPEED center, University of Houston, DIMI

LOCATIONS City of Houston, Galveston Bay, the barrier island of Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula, including Bolivar Roads and San Luis Pass (United States of America)

KEYWORDS Integrated flood risk reduction

INTRODUCTION

Dutch contribution to Texas flood risk research

Between 2013 and 2022, a series of cross-disciplinary research and education efforts on the topic of flood risk reduction in the HoustonGalveston Bay Region was developed by TU Delft in collaboration with academic partners in Texas (Texas A&M and Rice University). Usually referred to as ‘the Texas case’, it was the first ‘special project’ of the Deltas, Infrastructures and Mobility Initiative (DIMI). Funding to support cross-disciplinarity in research was received in 2013, 2014, and 2017, and for multidisciplinary student teams (Mdps) in 2014 and 2018. The case was interesting for two reasons. First, two key knowledge institutes in Texas proposed a set of competing solutions to address flood risk from storm surges, among which were hydraulic structures and a natural buffer in the flood zone (Brand & Kothuis, 2017). Texas A&M Galveston and the SSPEED center were seeking inspiration from Dutch examples of flood risk reduction, motivated by the storm surge produced by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and, to a lesser extent, tropical cyclones and excessive rainfall (such as tropical storm Alison in 2001 and Hurricane Ike in 2017). Over time, Texas A&M Galveston in particular became a structural partner for cross-disciplinary research and education.

Houston: ‘US Flood Capital’

Aside from fostering viable partnerships, the socio-technical nature of the flood risk challenge has been a significant catalyst for crossdisciplinary collaboration (Brand & Kothuis, 2017), as the region presents a peculiar contrast: the Houston-Galveston Bay Region houses a vibrant economy and a technically advanced culture that struggles to protect itself against the evident flood risk. Located on Galveston Bay and separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the barrier island of Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula, Houston is a rapidly growing metropolis that has earned the moniker ‘US Flood Capital’ (Erdman & Dolce, 2021). The region’s subtropical climate contributes to heavy rainfall due to tropical storms and cyclones throughout the year and hurricanes in late summer and early fall. Urban expansion and climate change – colloquially referred to as ‘weird weather’ in Texas – create conflicting dynamics, resulting in increasing flood-related damage. A typical aspect of this region’s challenge lies in its ‘compound flooding’ scenario: an amalgamation of storm surges from the Gulf and wind set-up in the Bay, compounded by the bayou system’s peak response to intense rainfall. The historical city of Galveston is primarily concerned about extreme storm surges, while Houston struggles with the peak discharges from its bayou system and the threat of storm surges impacting its petrochemical port.

Houston

GALVESTON BAY & HOUSTON, 2000

(MUST Stedebouw, source: Meyer 2021)

urban

purple

Houston

1

demand-driven research

Texas-Dutch partnership

The nature of the collaboration changed over time, starting with the incorporation of the Texas case into the Multifunctional Flood Defenses (MFFD) research programme, which was based at TU Delft in 2013. The 2016 NSF-funded PIRE programme, named the Coastal Flood Risk Reduction Programme (CFRRP), consolidated the collaboration with Texas A&M, Rice University (which houses the SSPEED centre), and Louisiana State University, with TU Delft serving as a host for the PIRE programme. By the end of 2016, the case had sparked a complex web of cross-disciplinary learning efforts, including yearly research visits by US (PhD) students with backgrounds in coastal engineering, urban planning and design, alongside research by Texan partners such as the Bay Area Coastal Protection Alliance (BACPA), and to a lesser extent, SSPEED and Texas A&M. Their assignments included conceptual designs for coastal barriers (conducted by TU Delft with consulting or engineering design partners from the Netherlands, such as IV-Infra, Defacto, and Royal Haskoning DHV), as well as a review of the Midbay barrier proposed by SSPEED and a study on the Eastern Scheldt barrier and system with lessons for Texas.

Overall, the process developed organically, marked by demand-driven research and consistent student exchange projects. Over fifty students from Delft University worked on the case. Except for the Hurricane Harvey report, which made a quick inventory of the nature of the severe, rainfallinduced flooding in Houston in the late summer of 2017 and was entirely funded by DIMI, the bulk of the financial support came from Texas.

FIGURE

Left: Peak surge height of Hurricane Ike, with a barrier at Bolivar Roads and San Luis Pass

Right: Peak surge height of Hurricane Ike, with a barrier at Bolivar Roads and without a barrier at San Luis Pass (Texas A&M University Galveston, n.d., source: van Schaijk, 2022)

PROJECT RESULTS

Given the size of the Texas case, an exhaustive listing of results is beyond the scope of this contribution. Key results include (but are not limited to):

a) The development of a risk-based screening method that evaluates various alternative strategies based on costs, risk reduction, and societal and environmental impacts called the Multiple Lines of Defense Optimisation System (MODOS) (van Berchum et al., 2019; van Berchum et al., 2020).

b) A preliminary design for a coastal spine, including storm surge barriers at Bolivar Roads and San Luis Pass, and several alternatives for the land barrier, such as a fortified dune (van Berchum et al., 2016)

c) A series of student-designed flood risk reduction measures, ranging from building to region levels (for examples, see the book by Kothuis et al., 2015, or the thesis of Van der Sar, 2016, and Rodriguez Galvez, 2019, Van Schaijk, 2022)

Land barrier conceptual design (Source: Van Berchum et al., 2016)

d) An understanding that both infrastructural and land-use interventions aimed at flood risk reduction in Texas often conflict with political, predominantly Republican, values (Brand et al., 2015; Brand & Kothuis, 2017)

e) The introduction of CIGAS, a multi-stakeholder workshop approach that seeks a systematic assessment of flood risk reduction strategies through the lens of cultural values (Kothuis et al., 2014).

f) An early assessment of the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, as documented in the Hurricane Harvey report (Sebastian et al., 2017), which also included a hackathon.

g) An evaluation of the performance of Houston’s ‘network of spatial plans’ regarding flood resilience, undertaken in the PIRS programme, a part of PIRE (Malecha et al., 2021)

Illustration of the nature-enhancing flood protection dune at the beginning (left) and during the storm (right) (Source: Rodríguez Gálvez, 2019.)

Galveston Bay Park Plan, 2019 (SSPEED Center, Rogers Partners, Walter P. Moore, 2019, Galveston Bay Park plan, Houston, source: Meyer, 2022)

conflict with political values

EVALUATION

Goal integration and interdisciplinarity

The MFFD consortium employed the strategy of ‘goal integration’ (De Boer et al., 2006), assuming that utilising the same case study would naturally engender learning across fields of expertise. While this certainly enhanced cohesion across the disciplinary working packages, the consortium ultimately deduced that the breadth of solutions identified for the region did not align with the tools and authority of Texas decision-makers (Kok & Brand, 2017). An interdisciplinary approach to knowledge integration was adopted by Jonkman et al. (2015) and Berchum et al. (2016) in their reports Coastal Spine Interim Design and Land Barrier Preliminary Design, respectively, in which hydraulic engineers and landscape designers collaboratively developed a preliminary design for a land barrier across Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula. This success might be attributed to the shared focus on a collaborative design artefact ensuring integration (Van Buuren, 2022)

The PIRE (CFRRP) programme also utilised goal integration as a strategy, specifically a blend of place- and problem-based learning (Lee & Kothuis, 2022). The rationale behind the PIRE programme was the notion of convergent research, which requires a deep integration of knowledge, tools, expertise, and diverse modes of thinking and communication to construct a comprehensive framework for tackling scientific and societal challenges. In order to optimise the potential success of integrative research education, the physical amalgamation of classroom and field, and the formation of multidisciplinary teams focusing on a specific overarching research question and

problem-solving were deemed vital ingredients. Over time, the diversity of disciplinary expertise dwindled: hydraulic engineering design remained central to the transatlantic knowledge exchange, with a changing array of other expertise. Spatial planning and design occurred relatively frequently, with the social sciences and humanities gradually becoming less prevalent.

Practical outcomes

Though research, in the form of the MFFD programme, kickstarted the transatlantic collaboration, practical application played a key role throughout the cooperation. As mentioned before, BACPA commissioned TU Delft to conduct a series of research assignments on the land barrier (Jonkman et al., 2015; Van Berchum et al., 2016). Many of these studies and sketch designs were co-authored by professional engineering and landscape design firms from the Netherlands. It appears that the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Texas General Land Office (TGLO) have adopted parts of the design, albeit with lower levels of risk reduction and several in-bay features (Jonkman & van Berchum, 2021). In this instance, practice served to clarify the research question and to receive and assess the findings. USACE and Rijkswaterstaat, national executive agencies tasked with flood safety infrastructures, joined forces in the I-Storm research network. While multi-disciplinary research initially constituted the heart of the Texas case, turning it into a so-called ‘curiositydriven’ endeavour by academics, practice increasingly incentivised collaboration, transforming it into a challenge- and demand-driven effort.

External forces on the shade curtain barrier at San Luis Pass (Source: van Schaijk, 2022)

interactive research education

The societal relevance of the design and research on the Texas case is evidenced by its regular coverage in media outlets such as the Houston Chronicle and the Texas Tribune, as well as on the national scale through outlets such as Fox News. Over time, the emphasis shifted from academia (in 2012, alternatives were mainly elaborated on by university-based institutes) to governmental institutions such as USACE and TGLO. At the time of writing, the design of a coastal barrier system is led by public institutions, with input from market parties.

Student exchanges

The PIRE grant allowed education to become a sustaining factor in the Texas case, with yearly visits from Texas MSc and PhD students to the Netherlands. Multidisciplinary MSc programmes, funded by TU Delft’s Deltas, Infrastructures & Mobility Initiative, ran throughout the project. The approach of these so-called Mdps improved over time, for instance, by initiating a stakeholder analysis before exploring design alternatives for Galveston’s back-end barrier. The 2014 Delta Interventions Studio applied the studio format to stimulate learning across spatial and engineering design disciplines. Unlike the research, which became less diverse over time, the breadth of expertise within education did expand. For example, in 2019, Area Development (BOSS) students visited and studied the Texas case in response to the damage wrought by Hurricane Harvey. Flood risk-focused MSc theses were written throughout the 2011-2021 period, for example in 2011 (Ruijs, ‘Effects of the Ike Dike’), 2014 (Karimi, ‘The Navigational Surge Barrier’), 2019 (Rodriguez Galvez, ‘Dune-Based Alternatives’), 2021 (Van den Berg, ‘Urban Water Bodies’), and 2022.

Urgency of regional flood strategy

The impact of the region’s past on the nature of the Houston-Galveston Bay Region’s flood risk challenge was not studied as such between 2011 and 2022. However, the key role of the region’s sprawling urban form and the preference for recovery-based rather than prevention-based risk reduction strategies as products of political values, were noted multiple times in the integrated reflections of the MFFD programme (see, for instance, Brand et al. 2015, 129-130; Brand & Kok 2017, 187-9). The dominant Republican political culture encourages urban development without accounting for natural hazards, which ultimately exacerbates flood risks (Malecha et al., 2021) but is also reluctant to adopt preventative strategies, including regional land use planning and the construction of large-scale protective infrastructures such as levees and storm surge barriers using national public funds (Berke, 2017). In response to Hurricane Harvey, Brand (2017) compared the historical evolutionary paths of the Houston-Galveston Bay Region and the west of the Netherlands by examining historical density maps of Harris County and the Dutch Randstad for OffCite, Rice University’s design review. She concludes that Houston’s relative youth, rapid growth, and high urban dynamics have created a situation where a regional flood risk strategy must be created within a decade or so, while the Dutch Randstad has had centuries to do so.

a wider knowledge base

Pre- and post-1945 buildings for

CONCLUSION

Lessons learned

Although this paper has only begun to delve into the extensive knowledge exchanged and produced during the collaboration between TU Delft and various parties from the Houston-Galveston Bay region, four key lessons regarding flood risk and cross-disciplinary knowledge production can be gleaned.

Loop 610 area of Houston (Courtesy: Kinder Institute, source HCAD. Walker, 2017)

Firstly, effective future flood risk reduction is likely to be a composite of multiple strategies ranging from the building to the regional scale and necessitating increased rather than diminished cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Secondly, multidisciplinarity, rather than inter–disciplinarity, seems more manageable to orchestrate in cross-disciplinary collaboration, especially in the absence of a shared design outcome. Furthermore, multidisciplinarity appears more straightforward to organise and evaluate for quality, a key consideration for academic research. However, this could lead to a disconnect between perceived problems and proposed solutions, as in the MFFD programme. The fact that this discrepancy was revealed at the programme’s conclusion when the results were integrated highlights the risk of multidisciplinarity. In this instance, it manifested as a lack of synchronised learning between the engineering, political, sociological, and administrative packages, which were in fact exploring the viability of solutions.

Thirdly, despite its restricting influence on the direction of flood risk solutions, the Texas governance system appears to be adaptable enough to accommodate flood risk reduction. In 2021, the Gulf Coast Protection District was established, a dedicated government body that is expected to co-sponsor and maintain the future coastal barrier ( https://www.gcpdtexas.com)

Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard (PIRS) results for Western Houston, near the Barker Reservoir Despite generally positive outcomes for how spatial plans that guide land use and development in the area impact flood vulnerability, there are sites where plans and policies increase vulnerability, particularly outside the 100-year (1% annual chance) flood zone. (Source: Malecha et al., 2021)

Finally, the Texas case exemplifies the power of transdisciplinary knowledge production. Through the reciprocal exchange of queries and concepts, academic work and practice have reinforced each other, with academia ultimately contributing to the acceleration of coastal flood risk reduction practice.

Engaging a wider knowledge base

To conclude, a personal reflection seems pertinent. Over time, the Texas case thrived primarily on a key form of expertise: hydraulic engineering design. Other forms of expertise, such as spatial planning and design, featured less frequently, while the social sciences and humanities did not reappear after the MFFD programme. This can be attributed to the demand from our Texan partners, who were primarily looking for our world-renowned Dutch engineering knowledge. However, we also speculate that well-established, technical research with a focus on engineering solutions is more readily accepted and easier to fund, perhaps due to its seemingly ‘neutral’ cultural association that does not raise sensitive questions about social and political norms. Social sciences and humanities tend to broaden the problem definition, which can be disheartening when addressing an urgent problem such as flood risk. The deeper question here is whether we should not try more strenuously to engage such knowledge in a way that not only expands the understanding of the problem but also widens the range of possible solutions.

PROJECT

Downtown Otsuchi in September 2018, flood gates and seawall under construction (Jeremy Bricker)

Japan Tsunami Reconstruction in Yuriage & Otsuchi

International and interdisciplinary research and education

Yuriage and Otsuchi (Japan)

AUTHORS Fransje Hooimeijer (TU Delft), Jeremy Bricker (University of Michigan), Frans van de Ven (Deltares), Adam Pel (TU Delft), Amin Askarinejad (Swiss Federal Office of Energy)

TYPE OF PROJECT Two student projects

YEAR 2017 and 2018

PARTNERS Tokiotech, Tohoku, Waseda and Tokio University, Municipality of Natori, Otsuchi disaster recovery office, Municipality Vlissingen

LOCATIONS Yuriage and Otsuchi (Japan)

KEYWORDS Tsunami, Interdisciplinary, Urban infrastructure, Designdelisti

INTRODUCTION

After the earthquake

On 11 March 2011, Japan experienced a magnitude nine earthquake that caused an enormous tsunami that was felt across the Pacific Ocean. Waves with heights of up to 40 metres destroyed most of the eastern coastline in the Tohoku region; 560 square kilometres of land were inundated. Over 15,000 people died, and more than 2,500 people went missing (Conti, 2018). The displaced population is estimated at around half a million, and the damage at around US$ 200 billion (Oskin, 2017).

This area was already in socio-economic decline due to the shrinking fishing industry, internal migration to other Japanese cities, and demographic changes. Yuriage is a coastal village, part of Natori, on the Sendai plain in the Miyagi prefecture. Almost one thousand residents of Yuriage lost their lives, and around 80% of the houses were washed away (Murakami et al., 2012). Otsuchi is a coastal village of approximately 10,000 inhabitants in Iwate Prefecture, located among steep mountain slopes. The disaster took 1281 lives (Nakai, 2013), while a built-up area of 216 ha was destroyed.

Both towns were reconstructed with the funding of and along the guidelines issued by the Government of Japan, which gave the municipalities a leading role in the reconstruction process on the condition that only what was there before could be reconstructed (Tanaka et al. 2012). In Yuriage, this resulted in moving housing out of the coastal zone, raising the town centre by 4-6 metres, and implementing vertical and horizontal evacuation routes. In Otsuchi, the main measure was the construction of a 14m-high seawall and floodgates, raising a 31 ha residential area by 2.2m, and restricting specific functions in the coastal zone.

Challenge

The restrictions of the national programme meant that urban planning departments had to reconstruct the original, pre-disaster condition of the towns. The hydraulic engineering department engineered two levels of protection: L1, dike building, and L2, landlevel raising and displacement. The research aim was to create an integrated approach and to research whether the post-tsunami reconstruction could include innovation and anticipate population shrinkage while creating high-quality urban areas.

Yuriage

Otsuchi

BETWEEN DISCIPLINES

Otsuchi

Yuriage

Yuriage’s reconstruction with top left the blocks of flats also with vertical evacuation routes, top right the view to the sea with only dedicated to industrial use, bottom left the new elevated residential area and bottom right the height difference between the housing area and the surrounding polder landscape (Fransje Hooimeijer)

PARTICIPANTS

The research was done by TU Delft staff from the departments of Urbanism, Water Management, Hydraulic Engineering, Geo Science, and Transport, together with master students in Urbanism, Landscape architecture, Architecture, Management in the built environment, Hydraulic structures and engineering, Water management, Geoscience, and Transport. The field trip was organised in cooperation with staff and students from the Sustainability Science and Coastal Engineering departments of Tokyo Tech, Tohoku University, Waseda University, and Tokyo University. The methodology developed during this project guided the process and focused on integrating goals and ideas from all participating disciplines.

PARTICIPATING STUDENTS

Hydraulic Engineering Xenofon Grigoris, Toni Glasbergen, Jochem Roubos, Jesse Salet, Álvaro Prida Guillén Urbanism Jesse Dobbelsteen, Nasiem Vafa, Marieke Oosterom, Neil Moncrieff, Gayatri Mujumdar, Emma Flores Geo-engineering Mustaqim, Femke van Overstraten, Nataly Filipouskaya, Antoine Gori Transportation Marieke van Dijk, Robert Moehring, Toshiya Yasaku, Eline van Unnik Water Management Sven Suijkens, Ainoa Areso, Ilse Nederlof, Sophie Broere Landscape Architecture Aditya Rao; Building Technology Nimmi Sreekumar Management in the built environment Aylin Özcan Architecture Zoe Panayi

visions applied

PROJECT RESULTS

Yuriage

The impact of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami off Japan’s east coast on 11 March was enormous, as were the consequences for the affected communities and the trauma sustained by the nation as a whole. Were its dikes and coastal defences to fail, the Netherlands would face a disaster of similar proportions.

A group of students from five disciplines investigated how multidisciplinary teams could work together in post-disaster reconstruction and how these working methods and recovery solutions might be applied to a hypothetical flood scenario in Vlissingen, the Netherlands. Two collaborative workshops were conducted – one in Yuriage and one in Vlissingen –in which the students performed interdisciplinary research and design.

The criteria

For the Yuriage case, the focus was on the process of interdisciplinary cooperation that shaped a project vision that was elaborated upon with a conceptual design. The design requirements for the Japanese case had to meet the Level-1 and Level-2 protection criteria (City Population, 2018). Level 1 is for the inundation area of a 1:100-year tsunami, where no industrial or residential land use is permitted; Level 2 is the inundation area of a 1:1000-year tsunami, where only hospitals and schools must be safe. The design requirements for the Dutch case are that the primary flood defences should protect the area against a 1:4000-year storm and that the plan should account for 2 metres of sea-level rise. With these requirements in mind, two multidisciplinary teams prepared a vision and strategy for Yuriage.

Vlissingen

In the second workshop, the merits of this vision were applied to Vlissingen. To prepare for a scenario in which a similar disaster would hit Vlissingen, Group A decided to reduce the circumference of the city and move a compact, elevated centre further inland. In this scenario, the centre of Vlissingen remains will remain in the same location to preserve the historical and emotional connections. The space between the sea and the new core will become a natural flood defence area with a coastal forest combined with dunes as a first layer of flood defence, suitable for seasonal and permanent flooding. The area will supply rainwater buffers, recreation, agriculture, and biodiversity to the city, which is elevated with the debris of the destroyed town. Water will also play a role within the city, as infiltration and storage capacity will be added to the streetscape in t he form of water squares, urban infiltration strips, and blue-green roofs on buildings.

Group B chose to rebuild the area washed away by the hypothetical flood. The buildings, infrastructure, and cultural artefacts that survived have sentimental value, like the ones in Yuriage, which is important when recovering from a disaster. The new urban infrastructure plan consists of zones of typical land use geared to their relative flood vulnerability. The coastal zone is the main line of coastal defence with a dike that also plays a role in water storage and public space, mitigating as much as possible the forming of a barrier, by forming a functional connection between the city and the sea.

Although the city centre, the second zone, is elevated, there will be a greater acceptance of occasional flooding by floodproofing the building typologies and providing an evacuation infrastructure. The third zone changes most dramatically, as the low-lying agricultural and suburban lands will be allowed to be flooded periodically for flood attenuation, redirection, and water storage. The current traditional land use will be adapted to the cultivation of saline crops or the creation of a natural environment.

Top image shows the concept design for the reconstruction of Yuriage by team A in which they continue on the raised city and surround it with a natural buffer: a tsunami-proof forrest. Below: the application of this concept to Vlissingen, and the design details. (Source: Areso Rossia et al., 2018)

Green landscape allowing partial flooding

Dunes

Beach

Residential area, population density decrases heading more inland

Industrial area

Evacuation route

Naturally safe Yuriage

Mixed use housing

Fishing industry

Mixed use industry

Memorial park

Sea Beach

Top image shows the concept design for the reconstruction of Yuriage by team B in which they continue on the raised city and propose different functional zones. Below: the application of this concept to Vlissingen, and the design details. (Source: Areso Rossia et al., 2018)

Multifuctional dike with integrated parking and water storage xx zone of natural flood defensive barrier

Small scale adaptors to building typologies

New building typologies to xx for periodic flooding

New landuse typologies to alwa partial flooding

Evacuation route

Otsuchi

The tsunami reconstruction strategy for Otsuchi was captured in a transferable framework that could be used to build on the reconstruction plans of other municipalities subject to devastating natural disasters. The first step of the strategy was to define clear objectives and aims for the project. The objectives were fulfilled by creating a shared project vision for the technical disciplines involved, resulting from the scoping method (see chapter 2). The project vision stands for the resilient future development of Otsuchi, aiming to improve the day-to-day quality of life and provide the necessary safety measures in the case of a disaster. The design vision was worked out on two scales: the building scale and the urban scale.

The design

The design developed by the group consisted of a Level-1 multifunctional flood defence along the shoreline, and flood gates at the mouth of the Otsuchigawa and Kozuchigawa rivers to stop the tsunami from progressing upstream. The spatial plan was modified to reduce the material damage in case a Level-2 tsunami occurs. Furthermore, a more effective evacuation plan was developed to create awareness among the population about the horizontal evacuation routes and identify strategically optimised locations for new vertical evacuation buildings. Finally, the new spatial plan includes space for growth, to facilitate the return of citizens displaced by the previous tsunami.

Spatial integration

a transferable framework

The improvements to the interdisciplinary team’s reconstruction plan provided by the interdisciplinary design concern the spatial integration of L1 and L2 measures. The dike can be lowered to L2 because the spatial configuration of residential and recreational natural zones behind the dike will reduce the consequences of flooding.

The reconstruction of Otsuchi: Land use; Building typologies and Evacuation map (Source: Broere et al., 2019)

Masterplan Otsuchi showing the interventions on regional scale: the tsunami buffer in front of the bay, the production islands in the bay and redesign of the dike as a multifunctional public space (Aditya Rao)

The redesign of the village in which housing is concentrated in the centre and the bufferzone is productive landscape with markation of the wells (Aditya Rao)

Details of the design of the landscape pergula that connects the village to the sea side (Aditya Rao)

transferable framework

Objectives and aims selection

Scoping and section general and individual aims

All disciplines, mainly Management of the Built Environment

Building scale design

Buildings design

Architecture, Building technology, Geoengineering

Urban scale design

Land use and transport design

Urbanism, Urban water management, Transport engineering

Material and human damage assessment Hydraulic engineering

Building typologies

Foundations

Proposed interdisciplinary strategy for developing the new design for Otsuchi on the left that is supprted by the interdiciplinary design connections on the righ (Source: Broere et al., 2019)

EVALUATION

According to an evaluation conducted by the students, the civil engineering students felt they already had been trained in multidisciplinary work, while the architecture students had received training in interdisciplinary work. This is indicative of the greater trend where engineers are trained to solve problems with well-defined boundary conditions (tame or structured problems), while spatial-design students are more comfortable with wicked problems, in which they need to define the boundary conditions themselves. For these boundary conditions to be defined in a practical, implementable way, engineers need to be up to the task of tackling wicked problems head-on, together with architects and other non-technical disciplines. If engineers are not equipped for this task, then unfeasible, uneconomical, and unsustainable solutions may be promoted by disciplines without training in optimisation, innovation, and implementation.

New approach

The projects in Japan have given a tremendous boost to interdisciplinary learning and resulted in the Tohoku method (see chapter 2). This enhanced the research collaboration between the participating faculties and research groups, especially urbanism, hydraulic engineering, water management, geo-

technical engineering, and transport. This extended to cooperation with the Japanese universities and with students from yet another discipline: environmental engineering. Working with local scientists and students is essential to making cultural connections. In Otsuchi, Mio Kamitani of the Otsuchi Disaster Recovery Office introduced the group to local people, which helped the students and staff to gain an insight into the trauma of the tsunami, which has had a major impact.

The interdisciplinary design required for this research project had the added benefit of coupling the experience of mentors from different disciplines with the open attitude of the students. The students enjoyed the professional discussions with the mentors, which helped them to reflect on the projects, the methods, and the theory.

Longue Durée

The Longue Durée in the Japanese case is the historical way to deal with tsunamis: because they are far apart, people forget to adapt to the risks. In the towns in the area that was studied, houses have always been rebuilt in the flood risk zone over time. The students in both groups have incorporated this aspect by creating reminders of the risks in spatial interventions and by programming the flood zone with temporal functions.

CONCLUSION

The interdisciplinary and international research education project focused on urban development in disaster reconstruction areas that had suffered from pluvial, fluvial, and coastal flooding. The ‘disaster’ condition was important because it yielded current and active cases in which, due to recent experiences, the aspect of safety and the role of infrastructure were quite important. A second important issue was that for experiential learning, which is a structured activity focusing on participation and interaction. Urban development is a natural arena for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary design, balancing out sectoral or stakeholders’ interests. For example, interdisciplinary design can be found in urban spaces that serve diverse goals of multiple domains: as a green space for urban amenities and health (urbanism), an important

space for nature (landscape architecture), providing a good environment (architecture) that holds water but prevents flooding (water management) and that involves roads and transport (transport).

Lessons learned

The lessons learned are about the relevance of team building, organisation, methods (scope, values etc.) and clear process steps; knowing what each discipline can and cannot do; and recognising that in infrastructure and environmental projects in postdisaster reconstruction, which are wicked by nature, the learning process is evaluated quite differently for disciplines used to solving tame problems than for disciplines used to dealing with wicked problems. There is not just one solution to the problem, there is not even just one problem.

The result of the scoping method of group B in Yuriage, showing the interventions and ideas per discipline allow for integration (Source: Areso Rossia et al., 2018)

Living Lab Building with Sediment

Rhine-Meuse Estuary (The Netherlands)

AUTHORS Peter van Veelen (Buro Waterfront), Kees Sloff (Deltares and TU Delft)

TYPE OF PROJECT Research and demonstration

YEAR 2016 – 2024

PARTNERS TU Delft DIMI, World Wild Life Fund, Port of Rotterdam, students from faculties of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Policy and Management, network of civil engineering and consultancy companies, Hollandse Delta district water board, the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat), de Vries & van de Wiel (dredging company), Natuurmonumenten (Dutch Society for Nature Conservation), Deltares, and Wageningen University.

LOCATION Rhine-Meuse Estuary (The Netherlands)

KEYWORDS Sustainable sediment management, Rhine-Meuse estuary, Tidal parks, Dredging, Scour holes

INTRODUCTION

Revitalising delta areas

Natural delta landscapes demonstrate a remarkable resilience to changing conditions, such as a rising sea level, due to their ability to capture and store sediments. However, this ability to grow with sea level rise requires enough space and sufficient incoming sediment. Precisely these conditions are lacking in most urbanised and urbanising delta areas.

Due to the development of (port)infrastructure, changes in land use, and the construction of dams and embankments, the floodable areas in deltas have become dramatically smaller and, in some cases, been completely lost. Mud and sand transported by the river are no longer being deposited on land or captured in the wetlands, preventing land from growing and causing further degradation of the existing wetland areas. The development of infrastructure also necessitates an increasing amount of dredging to maintain shipping routes and ports, producing large quantities of sediment. Most of this sediment is either sold as construction material or, when lacking direct economic value, dumped into the sea or, in the best cases, stored in deposits when polluted. To combat climate change, a change in course is essential. It is becoming clear that sediment is a precious material requiring careful management and that sustainable development of urbanised deltas increasingly depends on the ability to capture, store, and reuse sediment flows.

To address the challenges of the beneficial use of sediment, TU Delft DIMI, in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund and the Port of Rotterdam, initiated the Living Lab ‘Building with Sediment’. Initially, in 2018, this living lab operated as a multidisciplinary research project in which students from the faculties of Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Technology, Policy and Management participated. This research project resulted in several MSc theses and a joint exhibition of the results during the International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam in 2018. In a subsequent phase, the living lab expanded to the ‘Proeftuin Sediment Rijnmond’ (the Rijnmond testing ground for sediments), supported by a network of civil engineering and consultancy firms, the Hollandse Delta district water board,

Rotterdam

Den Haag

BETWEEN WILLEMSTAD AND OVERSLUIS; NUMANSDORP OOSTERSE BEKADE GORZEN

The Haque

Rotterdam

loswal Noordwest (slib)

Verdiepte loswal loswal kustfundament (zand)

Rhine-Meuse Estuary is a highly urbanised delta area with one of the largest ports of Europe (Source: Buro Waterfront)

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE PROJECT

Jill Jansma, Nadia Kalogeropoulou, Bas Roels, Philip Drontmann, Johan Boon, Daan Jumelet, Marco Wensveen, Henri van der Meijden, Pim Neefjes

the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Works (Directorate-General Rijkswaterstaat), de Vries & van de Wiel (a dredging company), Natuurmonumenten, and experts from Deltares and Wageningen University. Within the ‘Proeftuin Sediment Rijnmond’, three pilot sites are being developed to test and monitor the beneficial use of dredged sediment. The testing ground is underpinned by funding from the TKI Delta technology and contributions from partners, and will run from 2020 until 2024.

Nieuwe Waterweg

Nieuwe Maas

Noord

Maasmonding

Oude Maas

Dordtse kil Biesbosch

Beneden Merwede

Nieuwe Merwede Lek

Hollands diep

Rotterdam

Maasvlakte

Dordrecht

Loswal Slijkgat

Slufter

depot Hollands Diep

waterfront revitalisation and wetland restoration

PROJECT RESULTS

Local reuse of dredged sediments

In the Port of Rotterdam, over 10 million m3 of sediment is dredged annually, with even more removed during project dredging activities, for example when deepening the river to accommodate larger ships. Most of this material is currently transported to disposal sites some miles out to sea, resulting in the loss of most of its ecological and morphological functions. Since transportation costs and CO2 emissions comprise the main cost components of dredging, one of the promising solutions is to reuse the dredged sediment as closely as possible to the source, for example for waterfront revitalisation and wetland restoration projects. This also allows for retaining as much sediment as possible within the delta’s natural system. However, this necessitates a careful approach in which the supply and demand of sediment are aligned, both temporally and spatially. To explore the potential for such a novel approach within the ‘Proeftuin Sediment’, pilot projects are developed to act as test cases for potential large-scale purposes.

Innovative tidal park projects

In the urban region of the Rhine-Meuse estuary, a range of small-scale pilot projects is underway, aiming to reuse sediment for the development of intertidal river parks and nature restoration initiatives. These projects capitalise on the opportunities presented by urban renovation and the relocation of industrial and port activities. They are part of a regional ‘River as Tidal Park programme’, in which the Rotterdam Port

Authority, Rijkswaterstaat, and the cities of Rotterdam and Dordrecht collaborate with a consortium of nature conservation agencies and engineering firms to cultivate tidal nature and public spaces. This programme presents unique opportunities to test and implement new strategies for ‘building with sediment’.

One of the most appealing projects is the creation of tidal parks in the ports of Maashaven, Rijnhaven, and Feyenoord (Figure 2). Tidal parks are engineered wetland areas and green spaces established on former port sites, serving as natural habitats for various types of tidal flora and fauna and as refuges for migratory fish. These new parks also furnish residents with much-needed green and recreational spaces in the emerging high-density housing zones situated on former port and industrial sites along the river.

The Port Authority of Rotterdam uses clean sediment from routine riverbed dredging to shallow and clean the bottom of the basin. For the Maashaven alone, over 600,000 m3 of sand is used just to lay the groundwork for this park and wetland. A further 550,000 m3 of silt and sand is requisite for the Feyenoord tidal park. A primary design challenge lies in sculpting a landwater transition zone that optimally supports dynamic estuarine ecosystems while also accommodating the functional needs for recreation, navigation, water discharge capacity, and safety. This zone must also withstand extreme conditions.

Development of the planned Feyenoord tidal park and wetland area requires large quantities of silt and sand (Kees Sloff)

Gors van de Lickebaert is one of the few remaining natural sandy shores in the Nieuwe Waterweg (Source: Rijkswaterstaat)

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

gradual accumilation of dredged material over time

Historically, these parks have primarily been fashioned using sand and protective embankments. However, the sediment available from dredging activities predominantly consists of fine silt and clay that is not typically suited for construction purposes. A novel approach is proposed for the Feyenoord tidal park (Figure 2). Here, fine dredged sediment will be accumulated and drained in basins to create more cohesive material. These basins will reflect the park’s future layout, serving as an initial foundation for its future development. This strategy also allows for the gradual accumulation of dredged material over time, presenting a cost-effective solution. Moreover, it mitigates adverse environmental impacts by shortening transportation routes and decreasing sediment deposits at sea.

Another example of a mud flat restoration project using dredged sediment is the Groene Poort (Green Gate) project at Rozenburg (Figure 4, 5 en 6). Here, a new wetland is created along the banks of the New Waterway, the canalised section of the river Scheur, using groynes and breakwaters to guard against strong currents and waves. This brackish environment is crucial as a refuge for fish and birds migrating upstream the river, such as salmon and sturgeon. To enhance the ecological situation, sediment is essential for fostering more shallow and calm conditions. The challenge lies in depositing the sediments in such a way that current ecosystems are unharmed and sediment does not flow back towards the deep shipping channel. In this pilot project, Deltares, TU Delft, and Wageningen Marine Research monitor

the morpho-dynamical changes and ecological effects on organisms residing in or on the shore and the birds and fish reliant on these organisms.

Transdisciplinary research and learning

The shift towards sustainable sediment management necessitates the collaboration of multiple specialists and organisations, each possessing different, and sometimes competing, interests, values, and cultures. Foremost, this demands fostering a culture of trust and collaboration, coupled with a genuine interest in, and respect for, the existing practices and methodologies of each participant. Throughout the project, collaborative meetings and field trips have proven to be instrumental in cultivating a sense of community. Additionally, joint efforts in realising the pilot projects helped to deepen the understanding of the intricacies each participant faces when redirecting in sediment management strategies. As a case in point, an ecologist within the project wrote a paper on the ecological conditions of the Rijn-Maas estuary and ways to enhance them. Finally, transdisciplinary learning requires a small steering team capable of rallying the scientific community, NGOs, and other stakeholders around their mutual challenges.

While the primary objective of the ‘proeftuin sediment’ is to devise new practices for sustainable sediment management, it concurrently serves as a nexus for research and education. For instance, students from TU Delft participated in monitoring tidal flows and morphological changes at the Groene Poort project site.

Students of TU Delft during fieldwork on morpho-dynamics of the sediment suppletion at the Groene Poort test site (Kees Sloff)

FIGURE 5

FIGURE 6

FIGURE 4

new practices for sustainable sediment management

EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION

From pilot projects to delta management

Circular sediment management on a metropolitan scale brings new challenges in logistics, management, and governance. A major obstacle to achieving circular sediment management is the disparity between supply and demand in terms of timing, the type of sediment (sand or silt), and the quality of the sediment. Data management remains predominantly centred on volumes and the chemical quality of sediment rather than focusing on data that supports the reuse of sediment, such as information on the sand or silt fraction. Timing, in particular, poses a critical challenge. The transport, handling, and temporary storage of sediment are costly. There is a need to design areas that permit large-scale temporary sediment storage while simultaneously offering additional benefits, such as for recreational or ecological purposes. To attain circular sediment management, novel forms of governance, collaboration, and business models are required, encompassing the economic valuation of sediment. There is also a need to develop insights into the ecosystem services provided by sediment. For instance, might it be possible to delay dyke reinforcement by using sediment to craft natural foreshores? And how do we balance the costs and benefits among the various stakeholders?

However, the primary challenge remains that projects reusing sediment, while holding promise, are still largely standalone initiatives that are not yet integrated into comprehensive delta management or urban development strategies. The volumes of sediment reused within these projects fall short of making a substantial difference, both in terms of a business case and environmental advantages. The goal is to transition from these isolated pilot projects to largescale sediment reuse. This could be achieved, for instance, by formulating integral dredging contracts tendered on the basis of created added value rather than cost optimisation and efficiency. Such an approach also necessitates devising new sites and applications for dredged sediment to enhance estuarine nature, revitalise urban waterfronts, and bolster flood risk management both locally and on a metropolitan scale. This calls for a cohesive spatial strategy and a synergy of expertise in spatial design, river morphology, dredging technology, and ecology within a multidisciplinary framework. An interesting follow-up question would be: can the piloted approach be scaled up to match the sediment flows in the Rhine-Meuse estuary? What would transpire if sediment management of the delta were taken as the starting point for the sustainable development of the delta?

FIGURE 7

FIGURE 8

Depositing dredged sediment for salt marsh restoration Groene Poort test site (Kees Sloff)

Infrastructure Innovation

Highway X City

Zaan Corridor Sustainable E-bike Charging Station

Biobridge

Fluvial Metropolis Design, Planning, Engineering, and Governance

Educating Infrastructure Innovation – Infrastructure as a Challenge

Marc Verheijen

How do you train future infratects?

And how do you challenge students to shape the mobility transition that is still in its infancy? Over the past 100 years, we have developed an immense and complex network of networks. The task of educating engineers who can comprehend, maintain, and optimise this existing network of networks is daunting. TU Delft not only strives to keep pace with infrastructure development but also aims to shape these developments through innovations in thinking, teaching methods, design, and technology. This ambition is what draws Rotterdam to collaborate with TU Delft on various projects, research, and educational initiatives. Together, they are training a new generation of infratects equipped with the right attitude and skills – not merely followers, but leaders. This is the common ground where Rotterdam and DIMI meet. The introductory chapter of this book discusses how TU Delft accomplishes this, highlighting particular educational formats, collaborations, and strategies. Here, I spotlight three examples that, as a professional in the field, I find most intriguing. These are also clearly and convincingly showcased in the five projects featured in this chapter.

Integral

A key term at DIMI is ‘integral’. This word frequently appears in every lecture, project, and presentation, and for good reason. As I pointed out in The Architect journal of March 2012, which still holds true a decade later, the meaning of ‘integral’ in spatial planning has yet to make its way into the dictionary. As a professional active in the vibrant field of spatial planning, I take ‘integral’ to mean:

Examining an issue from all angles, fully understanding it, and aiming for thoroughness in approach, analysis, and design. It means crafting a solution that is comprehensive, where every aspect is considered, and all interests are weighed. This does not necessarily mean that all elements are included in the design or that every opportunity is seized. Deliberation and evaluation lead to decision-making, prioritising, and selecting.

This is what we, as professionals in the field in Rotterdam, expect from planners, developers, investors, and contractors. We also expect this from students preparing to enter our field. Recognising that this definition applies not just to the city’s hardware but also to the software and orgware aspects of spatial planning, one can appreciate the complexity and scope of the task and the high expectations we have for future professionals. Indeed, it is quite a challenge.

The reality is that integral projects are incredibly complex, demanding the involvement of numerous parties and disciplines, funding layers, decision-making coordination, and often taking a long time to complete. A timeline of 10 to 15 years from initiation to realisation is not uncommon. Yet, universities have only a few years within their curricula to train future professionals for these tasks. In my opinion, this can only be achieved by offering solid theoretical knowledge and somehow incorporating this practical complexity into the curriculum in a concise and effective manner.

Educational Strategies

This chapter illustrates how DIMI employs three educational formats:

• Design Research: Highway X City and Zaan Corridor

• Pilot: Sustainable E-bike Charging Station and Biobridge

• Practical Case: Fluvial Metropolis Design, Planning, Engineering, and Governance

These diverse educational strategies appear to be enjoyable for both lecturers and students. Importantly, they also attract participation from industry professionals. These formats offer clients, contractors, design agencies, governments, institutions, and other stakeholders the opportunity to engage and contribute.

Design Research

The essence of design research lies in the power of the imagination. It is about more than ensuring mutual understanding; it is about envisioning the future. Not through a crystal ball but through drawings, photomontages, illustrations, sketches, or renders. Strategically crafting a vision in the right ‘tone’ helps to foster belief in it. It brings persuasive power to the debate, enticing sceptics into discussion, and enabling contemplation of what does not yet exist. The Zaan Corridor (P128) and Highway X City (P 118) projects are compelling examples of this approach. Using visual imagery is common in art, design, interior, and in spatial design disciplines such as architecture, landscape architecture,

and urban planning. However, in civil engineering and infrastructure, using imagery to communicate ideas and plans is still an emerging practice. Technical drawings and spreadsheets often dominate the conversation, but the impact of infrastructure and civil construction on our daily living space is so significant that they can no longer be approached solely as technical challenges. An integral approach has become essential. This requires mediums beyond technical drawings. Visualising infrastructural interventions in the wider environment, merging various qualities, and enhancing the daily living space of citizens are increasingly integral to the practice of the infratect. Incorporating design research, where discoveries are communicated visually, is vital in education. The Highway X City project, for instance, has offered fresh perspectives on our own city, unveiling new possibilities, and altering our approach to solutions.

Pilot

The second educational strategy, the pilot, is a popular method for innovation in Rotterdam. Not by theorising or creating attractive visuals but by actually testing ideas in practice. This method involves discovering in real-world conditions what succeeds and what fails. This approach is potent, and the results are unequivocal; they don’t need to be read from a report or presented it in a PowerPoint. Instead, you can physically showcase the realised end product. It is usable, tangible, and can be experienced first-hand. It can be measured, tested, and experimented with. There is no more convincing evidence than this. Getting pilot projects off the ground in the practical realm of the city requires significant organisational talent, but it is achievable. It is particularly noteworthy that a university succeeds in integrating pilot projects into its curriculum. As seen in the Sustainable E-Bike Charging Station (P 138) and the Biobridge (P 148) projects, the duration of a pilot often exceeds that of an educational module, necessitating the handover from one student or group of students to the next. This demands perseverance and long-term commitment from staff, as well as concrete financing. Such ambition and non-conformity are commendable. It is impressive that the pilot-based approach, challenging enough to implement in a city such as Rotterdam, is organised within TU Delft’s educational framework.

Practical Case

Students receive plenty of theoretical knowledge through lectures, papers, and assignments. However, beyond the university walls lies the real world, where future challenges await. Practical cases are the ideal educational format for students to apply, test, and enhance their

academic knowledge in real-world scenarios. Undertaking a practical case in a completely different cultural or environmental setting adds an extra dimension of learning, requiring students to be exceptionally alert and focused. This is exemplified by the Fluvial Metropolis Design, Planning, Engineering, and Governance (P 158) project in Sao Paulo. An exciting aspect of this project is the collaboration among students from different disciplines and backgrounds on a single practical case. In Rotterdam, learning from your neighbours in a multidisciplinary setting is an underutilised form of knowledge development. We often neglect this, citing a lack of time as an excuse. But time is plentiful; it is more about unfamiliarity. We are not used to it, unsure of how to proceed, and uncertain of the potential benefits. Thus, it is encouraging that new talents are emerging who have this experience, consider such cross-disciplinary learning normal, and view it as an integral part of their ‘knowledge strategies’.

Five Example Projects

Five diverse projects have been selected for this chapter. Each markedly different from the others, they collectively illustrate the richness and scope of DIMI’s commitment to fostering the development of future professionals. This is achieved through engaging them in practical challenges and collaborative efforts with industry professionals. Notably, these professionals are not just educators or experts who already possess all the answers. By situating tasks within the framework of transitional challenges, the outcomes remain unpredictable. The professionals are driven by curiosity about the innovative solutions the students will propose. This ‘pracademic’ approach effectively merges different worlds, fostering interdependencies that stimulate and excite all involved, students and professionals alike. I am confident that for each of these example projects, both the students and the professionals can proudly recount at their kitchen tables what they have worked on, with whom, why, and what results they have achieved. And DIMI can take pride in the tangible outcomes, such as the Biobridge or the inspiring vistas they have helped to create.

richness of DIMI

Rotterdam North, A13 highway (Quirijn Kuchlein)

Highway X City

Future visions for urban ring roads

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht (The Netherlands)

Amsterdam

Utrecht

Rotterdam

Rotterdam Utrecht Amsterdam

AUTHORS Roberto Cavallo (TU Delft), Manuela Triggianese (TU Delft), Hans de Boer (TU Delft DIMI)

TYPE OF PROJECT Research by Design

YEAR 2016 – 2017

PARTNERS BNA Research, TU Delft DIMI, University of Antwerp, Ministry of Infrastructures and Water Management, municipalities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht, Deltametropolis Association

LOCATIONS Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht (The Netherlands)

KEYWORDS Mobility and space, Station areas, Ring roads, Urban transitions, Urban transformations, Densifications, Multidisciplinary projects, Multiscalar interventions

INTRODUCTION

Rethinking urban mobility and infrastructure

The project addresses current and future transformations of infrastructures, particularly highways, in connection with new opportunities and challenges in adjacent urban areas. Its goal is to present new ideas on the future interplay between urban ring roads and cities.

Highway X City was initiated by a group of partners and involved the collaboration of seven multidisciplinary teams from professional offices. These teams worked on five ring road locations proposed by the project partners: A13 Overschie and A20 Noordrand in Rotterdam, A10 Gooiseweg and A10 Lelylaan in Amsterdam, and the A27/A28 Science Park in Utrecht – the letter ‘A’ stands for ‘Autosnelweg’, which means highway or motorway.

By embracing Research by Design, the participants worked on the above-mentioned challenges based on relevant case study locations in the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. In this approach, the participating professionals formed interdisciplinary teams with other stakeholders in a laboratory setting, where they studied the problem definition and came up with research-underpinned solutions in their drawings. As a result, spatial challenges and possible future scenarios for the new relationship between highways and cities were studied, discussed, and further elaborated using tactual pictures and images that could be understood and shared by all participants. This way, all participants became co-owners of the process, content, and results.

SNELWEG X STAD / HIGHWAY X CITY (Source: Boer, H. de, Boomen, T. van den, Hinterleitner, J., 2017)

Highway X City laid new foundations for investigating the possible and probable effects of technologically advanced mobility solutions, such as massive electric or automated driving, and the subsequent reinterpretation of urban ring road areas along with the emergence of new spatial opportunities. In addition to providing concrete input for each specific site, the envisioned scenarios also put forward new and, in some cases, prototypical ideas on how to approach such challenges, inspiring future urban agendas and conveying new knowledge on integrated research and design through collaboration between the different disciplines and stakeholders involved.

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE PROJECT

TU Delft, TU Delft DIMI, BNA Research, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Deltametropool Association, University of Antwerp, University of Gent, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Amsterdam University of the Arts, Municipality of Rotterdam, Omgevingsdienst NL, Province of Utrecht, Municipality of Amsterdam, Municipality of Utrecht, Stegerwald Designs, AntennaMen, Mecanoo, Abel Delft, Arnold Reijndorp, mauroparravicini architects, Openfabric, Kartonkraft, Noha, move Mobility, Bijvoet Architectuur & Stadsontwerp, Marit Janse, Moniek Driesse, Arie Langkeek, Peter Volken Smidt, Observatorium, Bureau Stadsnatuur, Benthem Crouwel Architects, Edwards Stadsontwerp, BonoTraffics, Except Integrated Sustainability, Venhoeven CS, Sweco, Martijn Al Landschapsarchitect, René Kuiken Urbanism, NEXT Architects, veenenbos en bosch landschapsarchitecten, fabric, UNStudio, Goudappel Coffeng, 2getthere, GeoPhy

Rotterdam North, A13 highway (Quirijn Kuchlein)

Amsterdam Sloterdijk, A10 highway viaduct underpass (Quirijn Kuchlein)

Photograph/Collage: underneath the A20 highway in Rotterdam (Team Mauroparravicini Architects, Downgrading to upgrade)

new emerging ‘clean’ modes of transportation

PROJECT RESULTS

Envisioning the future Highway X City1 began with a general outlook on the future relationship between highways and cities and then focused on location-specific challenges in areas identified by the municipalities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht, which share overarching themes. Firstly, it considered the changes in inner-city mobility and the various policies discouraging the use of cars, particularly in urban areas inside the ring roads. Secondly, it took into account new emerging ‘clean’ modes of transportation, prioritising the use of public services, smaller electric-driven vehicles, and bikes. Thirdly, it aimed to make better use of public space in the vicinity of ring roads by rethinking the mutual relationships with the adjacent areas, especially when polluting factors are drastically reduced, and ring roads can be turned into city boulevards. In other words, Highway X City viewed ring roads not as physical elements intersecting the urban fabric and creating barriers and left-over spaces but as places of opportunities. This approach is necessary because today, as well as in the future, our cities cannot function without high-capacity arteries.

Integrating innovation

In most design proposals, the questions of spatial quality, accessibility, liveability, etcetera go hand in hand with the foreseeable innovations concerning transportation and mobility. To provide a certain thematic framing, two studies were offered to the participating teams: ‘Elektrisch rijden in 2050: gevolgen voor de leefomgeving’2, published by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, and ‘Chauffeur aan het stuur? Zelfrijdende voertuigen en het verkeeren vervoersysteem van de toekomst’3, published by KIM, the Dutch Institute for Transport Policy Analysis. Several design proposals make it clear that the ring road zone, while becoming more attractive, needs to accommodate new transfer nodes that will become pivotal for transferring goods and people from international, national, and metropolitan networks to the city centre.

Transforming city ring roads

Some teams are presenting more visionary proposals, such as UNStudio, which envisions a scenario in which cars do not enter the city, and people and goods switch to electric transport modes in attractively designed

Impression of the Lelylaan, crossing the A10 west highway in Amsterdam (Team UNStudio, The Hub, A multifunctional node in the urban network)

Impression of the A27 highway in

Impression of the A13 highway at Rotterdam Overschie (Team Mecanoo, A pact for Overschie)

Utrecht, Station Uithof (Team Venhoeven CS, An Accesible, Healthy City)

Perspective section on the Gooiseweg in Amsterdam, Gooiseweg, (Team NEXT Architects, From autonomous infrastructure to framework for the city)

making public

Photograph A20 highway in Rotterdam (Team Bijvoet, Rijkswaterwegpark 20, Hospitality in the Highway Landscape)

The urban typologies of the ‘50s, ‘70s and ‘90s and their revitelization options because of a new relation to the highway (Team Fransje Hooimeijer, Charlotte Chastel, Filippo Lafleur, Francesca Rizzetto, Federico Riches)

making better use of public spaces

future transfer hubs around the city. Other teams, such as Mecanoo or Mauroparravicini Architects, foresee ring roads with multiple uses. Smart vehicles will enable diverse users to coexist, adapting to different demands and facilitating new urban developments on and around ring roads.

Accessibility and urban quality

Other teams that address the current situation focus on its discrepancies and challenges. This is the case for Benthem Crouwel, Venhoeven CS, and Next, who all concentrate on improving the accessibility and spatial quality of the areas around and outside the ring roads. While team Benthem Crouwel conducts a careful study of traffic flows leading to E-bikes, Venhoeven CS chooses a light rail connecting to a nearby station to revitalise the area by attracting more potential users. For team Next, the highway goes underground, opening up better connections between the two parts of the

1. Snelweg X Stad Highway X City, BNA onderzoek, 2017.

2. Elektrisch rijden in 2050: gevolgen voor de leefomgeving, Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving, 2012. Translation of the title in English: ‘Electric driving in 2050: consequences for the living environment’.

city and delivering a lively, mixed-use area above and around the infrastructure.

Departing from slightly different research interests, team Bijvoet primarily examines the various connotations, including nature and fauna, and activities of the area. The intention is to create a visual inventory, the so-called ‘treasure map,’ enabling a closer look at opportunities and possible synergies between all parties operating in the location.

Although different in underlying motivations, all proposed interventions address the necessity of increasing social values in the project areas at various scale levels. Urban programmes, such as affordable housing and public amenities with green and blue spaces, are supported by a suitable degree of accessibility for pedestrians, bikes, and other forms of slow traffic.

3. Chauffeur aan het stuur? Zelfrijdende voertuigen en het verkeer- en vervoersysteem van de toekomst, Kennisinstituut voor Mobiliteitsbeleid (KIM), 2015. Translation of the title in English: ‘Driver at the wheel? Self-driving vehicles and the traffic and transport system of the future’.

places of opportunities

EVALUATION

Inspiring results

In practice and academia, breaking through habitual sectoral ways of thinking and related procedures can be challenging. Adopting Research by Design as a working approach, however, helps to overcome disconnections between disciplines and operational sectors, enabling agreement on shared actions and achieving betterintegrated results. In this respect, the project has proved to be very successful. The project’s outcomes were remarkable in terms of content. They contributed to establishing integrated collaborative encounters among the various disciplines, stakeholders, and institutions usually involved in such complex processes.

The multidisciplinary composition of the design teams and the involvement of specific stakeholders from the beginning provided the best conditions to search together for the most striking challenges linked to the assignment. In this way, transcending a specific discipline-related or sector-tied approach, the laboratory setting contributes to detecting and defining the problems. Working in this way is research-driven because the team uses design to problematise the matters at stake and determine a common agenda. Additionally, design helps to envision, clarify, and share findings during the project, assisting and leading communication among the various experts.

The project was interconnected with research and education activities at TU Delft of urban typology (team Hooimeijer) and the timeline (team Cavallo). The urban typology research connected future, cleaner mobility

to the environmental healing of the urban typologies in the 1950s, 1970s and 1990s. The new options were connected to revitalisation of the urban typologies. The timeline focused on the direct interplay between the development stages of mobility infrastructures and the advent and the establishment of specific building typologies.

Remarkably, some follow-up studies emerged after the project. Several locations around the highways of Rotterdam are indicated as potential development areas in city plans. Also, inner and outer ring connections, especially for cyclists, are now on the agenda for improvement of both the city and Rijkswaterstaat. For the municipality of Amsterdam, the study confirmed the potential of the area surrounding the ring road, as the highway zone was already part of the city planning.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the unique interactive moments that were carefully planned throughout the project, such as the masterclasses where researchers and experts from academia and practice interacted with the design teams and students based on shared themes and challenges. Many presentation moments facilitated fruitful encounters between practice, research, and education. The set-up of the project, the involvement of certain partners, the formation of multidisciplinary teams, and the way the teams worked and interacted at different times with various audiences, including the masterclasses, all served as important stepping stones. Together, these became an approach and model followed and refined in subsequent projects, such as Stad van de Toekomst or Stad X Ruimte.

CONCLUSION

Practical impact on Dutch research

This project was part of a series of multidisciplinary research-by-design-driven projects involving the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Deltametropool Association, BNA Research, several Dutch cities, TU Delft DIMI, and other partners. The fruitful collaboration among these organisations has generated increasing interest. As a result, the community of institutions, practitioners, scientists, educators, and other interested third parties is constantly growing nationally and internationally.

This initiative has been a great source of inspiration for addressing the many mobility and environmental challenges connected with urban transformations that are on the agenda of cities in the Netherlands

and abroad. Furthermore, the topic is tackled at several levels, in various disciplines, and with different stakeholders, making it suitable for linking with many other initiatives, even those not design-oriented. The project showcases a set of exemplary design proposals tied with compelling visuals, making them suitable for all types of educational purposes. Highway X City has given rise to several multidisciplinary educational Bachelor and Master courses, mainly design-based projects. The project has also impacted the Dutch research scene from a practical perspective because it involved established offices. In some cases, specific project results have become part of a shared professional jargon. Various new research initiatives in national and international networks have been inspired by themes, discussions, and results brought forward in the Highway X City project framework.

Timeline of visionary projects, realised projects and remarkable publications

(Team Roberto Cavallo, Valentina Ciccotosto, Manuela Triggianese,TU Delft, In view of the terminal)

Zaan Corridor

Future visions for station areas

Heerhugowaard, Castricum, Krommenie-Assendelft, Koog-Zaandijk, and Zaandam Kogerveld (The Netherlands)

Heerhugowaard

Heerhugowaard

Uitgeest

Uitgeest

INTRODUCTION

AUTHORS Roberto Cavallo (TU Delft), Manuela Triggianese (TU Delft), Hans de Boer (TU Delft DIMI)

TYPE OF PROJECT Research by Design

YEAR 2014

PARTNERS BNA Research, TU Delft DIMI, Province of North Holland, the municipalities of Zaanstad, Castricum, and Heerhugowaard, Amsterdam City Region, NS Stations, Deltametropool Association

LOCATIONS Heerhugowaard, Castricum, Krommenie-Assendelft, Koog-Zaandijk, and Zaandam Kogerveld (The Netherlands)

KEYWORDS Mobility and Space, Station areas, Urban Transitions, Urban transformations, Densifications, Multidisciplinary projects, Multiscalar interventions

(Source: Boer, H. de, Boomen, T. van den, Chorus, P., Hinterleitner, J., 2014)

linking infrastructures

Reimagining the Zaan Corridor

This project aimed to provide new insights into how mobility infrastructures can be better linked to current travel demands IN their urban context. The ensuing challenges and opportunities were investigated in a laboratory setting, without actual clients or contractors, but with the involvement of stakeholders. This interplay among the various participants was important at the beginning of the project; scenarios were envisioned that generated concrete contributions and ideas, enabling the project team to develop the future urban agenda for the case of the Zaan Corridor.

The point of departure for the Zaan Corridor project is the question of where a large number of homes can be added in and around the city of Amsterdam. Many people wish to live in attractive urban environments that are easily accessible and have all the amenities within reach. For these reasons, and in order to avoid increasing vehicular traffic congestion, the project elaborates on the spatial opportunities around five railway station locations along the railway route from Amsterdam to Heerhugowaard, named the ‘Zaan Corridor’. Following the initiative of several partners, ten professional design teams and five student teams from the Faculty of Architecture & the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, worked on future visions and solutionoriented scenarios or the five station locations mentioned, informed by the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) approach.

Leveraging the design proposals, the results of this study clarified the specific tasks for each location, visualising the relationship between these tasks and outlining possible solutions. Interconnecting tasks and spatial aspects generate new insights while improving communication with relevant stakeholders, residents of the specific locations, and travellers to the stations. In addition to creating the groundwork for follow-up discussions and concrete intervention plans, the project culminated in the insightful book Onder Weg!

mobility infrastructures

Heerhugowaard

Alkmaar Noord

Alkmaar

Krommenie Assendelft

Wormerveer

Koog Zaandijk

Koog Bloemenwijk

Zaandam Kogerveld

Zaandam

Corridor in 2000 (Source: Engel, H. et al.)

Castricum

Uitgeest

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE PROJECT

TU Delft, TU Delft DIMI (Delft Deltas, Infrastructures & Mobility Initiative), BNA Research, Province of North Holland, Deltametropool Association, NS Stations, Municipality of Amsterdam, Municipality of Zaanstad, Municipality of Castricum, Municipality of Heerhugowaard, Stegerwald Designs, Antenna-Men, M3H Architecten, HOSPER landschapsarchitectuur en stedenbouw, Carmela Bogman vormgeving in de openbare ruimte, Remco Rolvink Spatial Strategies, architectuurstudio HH (AHH), NOAHH, temp.architecture, van Paridon x de Groot landschapsarchitecten, Royal Haskoning, DHV, Jorna Advies, Stephan Schagen, Dingeman Deijs, Eric Klarenbeek, Maartje Dros, Knevel Architecten, DS landschapsarchitecten, Paul Baartmans, Groen Licht Verkeersadviezen, Venhoeven CS architecture & urbanism, Arcadis, René Kuiken Urbanism, Anik See, Korth tielens architecten, Lodewijk Baljon landschapsarchitecten, TNO Smart Mobility, Nunc architecten, Artomic, Nieuwbruut, Goudappel Coffeng, XVW architectuur, Ruimtelijk Plan, Buro Bol, Movin, Joost Körver architect, Architectenbureau Micha de Haas, Bespoke Stedelijke Ontwikkeling, Delva Landscape Architects,Goudappel Coffeng, Zwarts & Jansma Architects, Michel Heesen architecture & landscape design, Grontmij

Railway crossing in Heerhugowaard (Theo Baart)

Castricum railway station (Theo Baart)

Zaan

Heiloo

Onze lieve Vrouwe ter Noord

PROJECT RESULTS

Integrating mobility and urban design

This study builds on the results of the study Maak Plaats (Vereniging Deltametropool, 2013) (in English: ‘Make Place’) which clearly illustrated the potential of the Zaan Corridor and its public transportation nodes. Since that time, the reality has been that the use of cars has gained prominence in this area, and railway stations have been stripped down and increasingly difficult to reach by public transportation. Moving away from the typical misconceptions regarding Transport-Oriented Development (TOD), such as being synonymous with monofunctional urban areas or being associated only with new developments, the focus here shifts toward better utilisation of the existing railway infrastructure network and the spaces surrounding the stations, with the aim of attracting more users throughout the entire metropolitan region. However, this project also addresses other challenges. Historically, spatial developments, transport, and infrastructure have predominantly been the domains of planners, transport experts, and civil engineers. As the ambition of TOD is to enhance the spatial qualities of the station area and create new opportunities for the Zaan Corridor, the pertinent question is: why not involve urban designers, architects, landscape architects, or even artists?

To transform the Zaan Corridor into a connecting mobility link within the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area and a nexus for metropolitan spatial developments, designs are indispensable. These designs should offer insights that facilitate connections between matters at different scale levels. In addition to generating ideas for the five specific station areas based on their unique qualities and contextual locations, the design studies in this project have produced compelling visions for the Zaan Corridor as a whole. These visions highlight potential concentration areas for housing developments, such as Zaanstad and Heerhugowaard/Alkmaar, and opportunities for the slow and leisure-related use of existing traffic routes by integrating public transportation with spatial transformations.

What can be discerned from the proposals of the various design teams? Were there common denominators or new opportunities not identified before this study? Are there alternative perspectives that warrant further consideration? When examining these five railway stations, some recurring challenges pop up, such as their awkward accessibility for slow traffic, the barrier effect created by the railway in conjunction with the provincial road and the station itself, a lack of identity in the station and station area, and the near absence

Zaan Corridor and Heerhugowaard in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region in the year 2065 (Team Venhoeven CS, MRA- Heerhugowaard)

Castricum (Team Knevel Architecten, Landscape Oriented Developmen)

alternative perspectives

of other urban programmes. Consequently, the design teams have envisioned improved routing to the stations, considering spatial enhancements that could simultaneously elevate the user experience and enrich the station’s identity concerning the specific location’s recreational, tourism, and economic values.

However, there are also challenges at the level of the Zaan Corridor as a whole: activating sufficient passengers to induce a higher frequency of service; meeting the growing housing need around station locations; differentiating the locations by adding complementary programmes; and creating a

Castricum (Team Knevel Architecten, Landscape Oriented Development)

new spatial contradictions

Koog-Zaandijk (Team TU Delft students, Andrew Hollands, David Bravo Villafranca, Het Artefact)

Sections, from north (top) to south (bottom)

counterpoint from Amsterdam to the various stations. In response to these issues, the design teams proposed the following strategies and solutions: rethinking the ‘Sprinter’ train services (a Sprinter stops at every station) in combination with alternative public transport options; concentrating housing development in the larger municipalities; and introducing the tailor-made exploitation of the existing recreational, tourist and economic potential.

The teams adopted a Research by Design approach, which was implemented in the following way. The given assignments for each station location served as the starting points for the multidisciplinary teams, which focused on researching and mapping each issue to formulate critical responses through designs. The first cycle of visualised proposals was not primarily intended to find solutions to the given assignments, but

to problematise them, thereby establishing a solid basis for communication to achieve a degree of consensus among the various stakeholders. This approach was efficient, as evidenced by the teams’ final design proposals, which showcased a diverse range of effective strategies addressing multiple scale levels at the same time. On the scale of the individual stations, each design clarifies and elaborates on the specific assignments for that station; on the scale of the Corridor as a whole, all designs together clarify the relationships between several stations, their challenges, and possible solution pathways. The Onder Weg! publication brings forward and highlights the themes, illustrating the design proposals formulated by the professional teams and the students, and outlines the intervention strategies for the short-term (2014 – 2020), medium-term (2035), and longterm (2065).

Station Heerhugowaard (Team Architectuurstudio HH -NOAHH, Fields of Chances)

Krommenie Assendelft (Team Anik See Korth Tielens Architecten, Park Assenie)

EVALUATION

Research-driven design process

The combination of a laboratory setting, multidisciplinary set-up of the teams, and adoption of Research by Design as a working approach has proved to be very successful. Next to the remarkable results in terms of content, this project is an important contribution toward the establishment of integrated collaborative encounters among the various disciplines, stakeholders, and institutions that are usually involved in such complex processes but usually do not work together in such a manner. In that respect, this project has paved the way for a series of similar initiatives, the most salient ones documented in this volume. The multidisciplinary composition of the design teams, the involvement of stakeholders (see the list of partners) from the beginning, and the absence of specific clients, investors, or contractors, provided the best conditions to actually search together for the most striking challenges that were linked with the assignments. Design contributes to clarifying and disclosing the project steps, and the imaginative power of drawings helps to steer the communication between the experts. These are the reasons why this way of designing can be considered research driven, because the team is using design to problematise the issues at stake, in order to frame a shared pathway of actions.

Articulating design positions

The core work of the project involved contributing to, and integrating research and education activities at TU Delft. The transformations that the project instigated resulted in new spatial conditions at several scale levels, from regional to urban territories to the scale of individual buildings. Furthermore, as the reciprocity between infrastructure and the urban environment demands an interdisciplinary approach, each topic should be studied not merely in relation to specific issues or matters connected to a particular case study but should be elevated to a more abstract level. This involves putting forward ‘design positions’ that articulate specific conceptual stances. Such is the case in the research work focusing on infrastructures

as artifacts, proposing the section as the most instructive drawing through which the variety of existing and new relationships between city and infrastructure can be examined and discussed. This interpretation has formed the basis of the design proposals developed by students at the Faculty of Architecture & the Built Environment, which have been discussed during the project and are published alongside the practitioners’ work.

CONCLUSION

A model for future projects

The case of the Zaan Corridor has been a Research by Design experience that methodologically inspired multidisciplinary educational Bachelor and Master courses. It comes with a well-stocked repertoire of exemplary design proposals accompanied by very convincing visual material, making them extremely suitable for purposes related to education. In terms of themes, discussions, results, and impact, this project became renowned in the Dutch research scene by linking public institutions and associations (ministries, provinces, municipalities but also Vereniging Deltametropool), large companies (Dutch Railways but also engineering firms such as Arcadis) and practitioners (via BNA). And so, it has inspired many other research initiatives in national and international frameworks, such as Stad van de Toekomst or Stad x Ruimte.

This project has laid the groundwork for a series of multidisciplinary research-by-design-driven initiatives involving BNA Research, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Vereniging Deltametropool, several Dutch municipalities, TU Delft DIMI, and a variety of other stakeholders. Around this group of permanent partners, a community of institutions, practitioners, scientists, educators, and other interested third parties continues to grow. Finally, some of the project proposals developed within the framework of the Zaan Corridor have become distinctive works in their own right and are frequently cited or used as references, particularly because of how they articulate robust, forward-thinking ideas and concepts.

Station Castricum (Team TU Delft students, Espen Eide, Laurence Gibbons, De overgang vieren)

Section AA,from village to dune

Plan Section BB, exit village side

Section CC, platform dune side

Section DD, exit dune side

PROJECT

The objective of the e-bike charging station was to create a futuristic and sustainable landmark to charge e-bikes on the campus using solar energy

Sustainable E-bike Charging Station

Enabling AC, DC, and wireless e-bike charging from solar energy

TU Delft (The Netherlands)

AUTHORS Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli, Peter van Duijsen, Fenja Desirée Schuylenburg, Ajay Jamodkar, Tim Velzeboer, Gireesh Nair, Yunpeng Zhao, Ad Winkels, Harrie Olsthoorn, Joris Koeners, Bart Roodenburg, Sacha Silvester, Olindo Isabella, Miro Zeman, Pavol Bauer (all TU Delft)

TYPE OF PROJECT Infrastructure Innovation

YEAR 2016

PARTNERS This research was funded by the Delft Infrastructure & Mobility Initiative, 3E fonds, Climate-KIC

LOCATION TU Delft

KEYWORDS Battery charger, Contactless energy transfer, Electric vehicle, Photovoltaic, Power converter for EV

SOLAR E-BIKE CHARGING STATION

The objective of the e-bike charging station was to create a futuristic and sustainable landmark to allow on-campus e-bike chargings using solar energy

INTRODUCTION E-bike station

In this project, a solar-powered charging station for e-bikes and e-scooters was designed and installed at the TU Delft campus (Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli et al. 2018, 2020). The objective was to create an environmentally integrated photovoltaic (PV) system that seamlessly combined structural, electrical, and aesthetic elements, offering a safe, ergonomic, and convenient charging space for four e-bikes, one research bike, and one electric scooter as shown in Figure 1.

Motivation & context

Charging electric vehicles from solar panels at workplaces has several benefits, such as a strong synergy between sunshine and working hours, ample roof space for installing solar panels, reduced emissions, reduced peak power and energy demand on the grid (European Environment Agency 2019; Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli, Bauer, and Zeman 2016), reduced cost of EV charging (Lai and McCulloch 2017; Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli, Leendertse, et al. 2016), and the potential to use the EV as energy storage for solar energy (Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli, Leendertse, et al. 2016; Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli et al. 2019).

Multidisciplinary design process

The project started in 2013 and was concluded in 2016. Figure 2 outlines the responsibilities within the project organisation. The project was a collaborative endeavour, with students and researchers from the DCE&S group overseeing the electrical system design. The PVMD group was responsible for the Photovoltaic System design, while the IDE Faculty managed the mechanical design of the e-bike shelter and system integration. The project leaders and initiators were Pavol Bauer and Peter van Duijsen, with Ad Winkels joining as project manager in October 2015.

• Clean Energy

• Autonomous

• 5 E-bikes + 1 E-scooter

• Futuristic + Landmark

• Online Monitoring

• AC, DC, Contactless charging

TUDelft Campus

TU Delft Campus

Figure 1A shows the front view of the solar e-bike charging station with solar panels

Figure 1B shows the back view with the charging status display screen and the e-bike and Twizy EV charging

Multidisciplinary design process and roles

THE TEXT IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING PUBLICATION: G. R. Chandra Mouli, P. van Duijsen, F. Grazian, A. Jamodkar, P. Bauer, and O. Isabella, ‘Sustainable e-bike charging station that enables ac, dc and wireless charging from solar energy’, Energies, vol. 13, no. 14, 2020, doi: 10.3390/en13143549. ‘This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.’

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 1A

FIGURE 1B

Schematic of the solar e-bike station with 48V DC interconnection that facilitates the power exchange between the solar panels, e-bike chargers, and the AC grid

SPECIFICATIONS OF THE SOLAR E-BIKE CHARGING STATION

Solar panels

8x Sunpower X20-327-BLK, 327W

Battery 4x Victron Lead Acid Batteries, 220Ah, 12V

MPPT converter Victron BlueSolar 150/85

Grid Inverter Victron Multiplus 48/3000 Bidirectional

Weather station Lufft WS503-UMB

Controller Raspberry Pi

e-bike Charging 1xAC, 4xDC (10-50V), 1x Wireless

DC charging 100W, 24-48V, with isolation

Wireless charging 200W, 24-48V, via kickstand

sustainable landmark

Figure A: Google earth image showing the station location and nearby building

Figure B: Calculation of shading factor due to nearby buildings using Sketchup

Figure A: Interleaved flyback converter for DC e-bike charging

Figure B: Cable used for DC charging

FIGURE 5A

FIGURE 5B

FIGURE 4B

FIGURE 4A

PROJECT RESULTS

E-bikes & charging

Electric bikes and mopeds offer a practical solution for intra-city commuting, boasting advantages such as door-to-door connectivity and low energy consumption (5-15Wh/km) (Fairley 2005). For these e-bikes to be truly sustainable, charging them from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar energy, is crucial (Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli et al. 2020; Apostolou, Reinders, and Geurs 2018)

Charging

station – AC, DC, wireless charging using

As the e-bike station is installed at ground level, shading from nearby buildings, particularly the towering electrical faculty building in front, significantly affects the PV output, as shown in Figure 4(a) and 3(b). To account for this, 3D models were constructed using Sketchup and the LSS-Chronolux 3D plug-in. The resultant annual yield is 2012 kWh/year, providing an average daily output of 5.51 kWh/day. Given a charging demand of 6 kWh per day, the PV system has been sized to a rated power of 2.61 kWp. This implies that the PV system can supply over 90% of the total load demand on average.

DC power exchange

The e-bike charging station provides three charging methods: 3.7kW alternating current (AC) charging, which is adequate for smaller electric cars like the Renault Twizy; 100W direct current (DC) charging; and 200W wireless charging through the bike’s kickstand. The DC and wireless charging systems stand out, allowing users to power their e-bikes without additional chargers or cables.

Figure 3 presents the electrical schematic, while Table 1 outlines the specifications of the key components of the e-bike charging station. Since the solar photovoltaic (PV) system, electric vehicle (EV) battery, and stationary battery storage are all DC, the station uses a 48V DC nanogrid for power exchange. This is more efficient than exchanging power via AC. The station is equipped with 9.5kWh lead-acid gel batteries to facilitate off-grid operation.

PV system design

The 2.6 kW PV system serves as the primary power source. It consists of eight 327W Sunpower PV modules paired with a Victron maximum power point converter (Victron Energy n.d.). The PV generation potential was determined on the basis of factors such as solar insolation, wind speed, and temperature (Jamodkar, n.d.; Nair, n.d.). The aim was to ensure ample generation in December. Hence, a compromise was struck by setting the tilt angle at 51°. This leads to a less than 5% reduction in the annual yield compared to the optimal annual tilt of 28° (Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli, Bauer, and Zeman 2016)

DC charging

The DC chargers for the e-bikes deliver galvanically isolated power for charging. Figure 5 (a) displays the hardware of the flyback converter-based DC charger (Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli et al. 2020; Involar, n.d.), and Figure 5(b) shows the custom-designed cable employed to connect the e-bike to the charger. The plug on the right is magnetic, facilitating easy attachment to the station, while the plug on the left connects to the e-bike battery.

Wireless e-bike charging

Wireless charging offers the most convenience and safety for e-bike users. Cyclists are not required to carry cables or power adapters, as the charging is facilitated through the bike’s kickstand, as shown in Figure 7. The designed charging system activates once the bike is stationed on the designated 30x30 cm tile beneath the solar charging station.

Figure 6 present the schematic circuit diagram and specifications of the e-bike’s wireless power transfer system, which is based on inductive power transfer (Velzeboer, n.d.). In the system that has been developed, the transmitter coil is positioned beneath the charging tile and consists of a U-shaped ferromagnetic core with a central winding. Conversely, the receiver coil comprises a ferromagnetic core resembling a V-shape, mimicking the structure of standard double kickstands. The wireless charging system can detect and halt the charging process via communication and efficiency measurements if a foreign object is situated atop the transmitter coil.

FIGURE 6

Block diagram of the wireless power transfer system for the e-bike

8

energy yield (in kWh) of the 2.6kW PV system for the period October 2018 to September 2019 and the corresponding load demand including losses (in kWh)

Figure A shows the Laboratory setup of the e-bike wireless charging system

Figure B shows the e-bike with primary coil placed below the tile in the station and secondary coil integrated into the kickstand

FIGURE

FIGURE 5B

FIGURE 7A

FIGURE 7B

Measurement over one week in May Top Image: the generated PV power and power fed to the grid. The image in the middle: battery charging power (positive) and discharging power (negative) and the load and powerlosses. The image at the bottum: SOC of battery.

Experimental measurements

In terms of load demand, two e-bikes from the electrical engineering faculty are routinely charged at this site, supplemented by intermittent demand from other e-bikes, an e-scooter, and the Twizy.

Figure 9 illustrates the recorded monthly energy yield of a 2.6 kW PV system over one year, spanning October 2018 to September 2019. During this period, the system generated 2378 kWh of PV energy, averaging 6.5 kWh per day. Stark contrasts in PV generation between seasons are evident, with December’s yield being 40 kWh, while June’s reaches 315 kWh – almost eight times as much. In terms of daily energy output, the variation is even more pronounced, ranging from 0.64 kWh/day to 15.4 kWh/day – a factor of up to 25.

Figure 10 presents the observed power profiles of the PV, battery, grid, and the battery state of charge (SOC) across a week in May, with several cloudy days, all based on local power management (G.R. Chandra Mouli et al. 2019; van der Meer et al. 2018; Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli et al. 2020). Firstly, on sunlit days, it is evident that solar power addresses the load and contributes at least 400W to the AC grid while also charging the battery from 50% to 100% SOC. Secondly, there is a noticeable reduction in PV generation during the afternoon due to shading from the adjacent faculty building (as shown in Figure 4).

Thirdly, during diminished or absent solar production (especially in the evenings and at night), the battery discharges, supplying power to the AC grid.

EVALUATION

Technical and planning evolutions

Figure 10 depicts a phased design process punctuated by multiple iterative steps. A significant challenge encountered during the project was the modification of design requirements and the escalating demands of the external environment (i.e., scope creep), which were continually redefined. As a result, the project’s objectives shifted, from retrofitting an existing bike shed roof (located behind the EWI faculty) to establishing a stand-alone bike-sharing point with a landmark presence, championing sustainable modes of transport. From a technical viewpoint, this evolution influenced its load-bearing capacity (due to wind exposure) and forecasting the solar energy yield (given varying sunlight exposure) while it contributed to delays in finalising the design concept from a planning viewpoint.

As the project involved participants from diverse backgrounds, there was an extended period of adjustment, requiring additional meetings to comprehend the technical terminology, individual design prerequisites, and varied working processes. For example, the required civil engineering expertise was not immediately available within the team. In a similar vein, dividing the design across three MSc theses led to fragmentation, since each was guided by its own unique objectives and timeframes. Despite this fragmentation, integration remained vital, as modifications within one thesis inevitably impacted the design of the others.

Further, there was significant reliance on externalities, such as acquiring the necessary permits and navigating administrative protocols related to the project’s location. These procedural intricacies had not been anticipated at the outset.

Practical challenges

The station’s annual demand was considerably lower than initially theorised, averaging 1.5 kWh/day and showed seasonal fluctuations, with a notable decrease during the winter months. This reduction was attributed

Figure 8: Measurement over one week in May: [Top] the generated PV power and power fed to the grid, [Middle] battery charging power (positive) and discharging power (negative) and the load and power losses, [Bottom] SOC of battery

FIGURE 9

to a significantly diminished baseload (for instance, minimal lighting use) and fewer e-bikes than expected, especially during weekends. A significant drawback was the reduced solar generation in the winter months, compounded by shading from the nearby EWI building.

The selection of the highly efficient yet comparatively costly Sunpower X20-327-BLK modules was strategic, aiming to minimise the total area occupied by the PV system. This substantially reduced the amount of steel required for the station’s structure, which typically incurs considerable costs in both materials and labour.

An unforeseen and significant practical challenge was the lack of standardisation in DC e-bike charging connectors, a problem not present in electric car charging due to the existence of standards such as CCS (Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli, Kaptein, et al. 2016). This discrepancy meant that e-bikes from manufacturers had varied plug designs, pins, and communication protocols. Consequently, we had to use a customdesigned DC charging plug and reverse-engineer the communication between the e-bike charger and the battery. For the end user, this implied that despite the higher efficiency and convenience of DC-charging, only a limited set of e-bikes that had been reverseengineered could be charged at the DC-charging system. We therefore urge manufacturers of micromobility devices to recognise the value of DC-charging and to prioritise its standardisation and interoperability.

Specific challenges arose in the transition from scientific theory to practical implementation. One obstacle was locating a company capable of constructing the e-bike station in line with the specifications and designs of the academic staff and students. Complicating matters further were the constraints of the available budget and the company’s quote, for which additional funding had to be found. However, once the contract with the builder was secured, the construction phase went smoothly, thanks to regular meetings with the construction team. Ultimately, the academic plans were successfully translated into a feasibly executable construction plan.

FIGURE 10 The design process of the solar-powered e-bike station based on the thesis of J. Zhao, 2014

3.3.3

Living lab

The station has served as a demonstrator for sustainable mobility, meets the practical demands of charging e-bikes while simultaneously serving as a ‘Living Lab’ for ongoing research. A Lufft WS503-UMB weather station linked to a central Raspberry Pi controller and a dedicated website ( http://solarpoweredbikes.tudelft.nl) (Lufft, n.d.) records incoming solar radiation, ambient temperature, and local wind speed. The system data is accessible to students and staff, serving educational and research purposes.

Initially conceptualised via three MSc theses, the charging station’s development continued through further MSc and BSc projects. For instance, it contributed to enhanced models calculating the impact of Delft’s weather on solar insulation, culminating in a proposal for a new cloud model (Jamodkar, n.d.) and used in research to monitor and reduce PV flicker.

Diverse timelines

With respect to Longue Durée, the various participants, including the MSc students, university staff, and the building contractor, operated on different timelines throughout the project’s prolonged evolution. These differences were influenced by the duration of their involvement (for instance, students aiming to graduate within eight months) and the stage at which they were brought in (the contractors, for example, joined significantly later). The building contractor required clear commencement and completion dates, while the site owner needed numerous internal meetings before reaching a consensus on the e-bike station’s location. After installation, maintenance and operation were conducted collaboratively by the academic staff and the site owner. For example, while academic staff handled the upkeep of internal electronics, the site owner integrated the station’s external cleaning into the site’s general maintenance regimen.

This project differed from traditional research projects, which typically have fixed objectives and budgets. Here, the goals were more fluid and subject to change, and funding and expenses were constantly in flux. Nonetheless, there was substantial enthusiasm for the

project, driven by its environmentally friendly ethos, the commitment to rendering the campus climate-neutral, and the ingrained biking culture of the Netherlands.

CONCLUSION

A cohesive final product

The 2.6 kWp solar-powered charging station for e-bikes and e-scooters has been designed and installed, offering AC, DC, and wireless charging options. This station is an Environment Integrated PV system (EIPV), in which the mechanical and electrical components are seamlessly integrated, resulting in a single structure that combines aesthetics, modularity, safety, functionality, ergonomics, and usability (ZHAO, n.d.). Uniquely, the DC and wireless charging systems enable users to charge their e-bikes without a charging adapter. Additionally, the AC charging system can deliver up to 3.7 kW of charging power, sufficient for even compact electric cars such as the Renault Twizy. In 2018/2019, the station generated 2378 kWh of PV energy, corresponding to an average daily output of 6.5 kWh.

This multidisciplinary project was executed in a phased approach with multiple iterations. A significant obstacle was the absence of a standardised design process, and the integration of knowledge across various disciplines was not initiated at the project’s outset but only during the intermediate stages. This challenge was compounded by the incessant evolution of design requirements, particularly concerning the project’s purpose, location, and aesthetic appeal. Conversely, as the electrical system was fully developed in a laboratory setting at an early phase, many pertinent requirements had already been identified and could inform the remaining sub-assignments. A lack of familiarity with other essential disciplines (such as civil engineering) and the requisite administrative and permit processes led to an underestimation of the project’s initial scope. Nonetheless, the final product was a cohesive unit that met its objectives despite considerable impacts on time and costs.

FOLLOW UP The e-bike wireless charging concept has now found its place in a TU Delft spin-off called Tiler, https://www.tilercharge.com/

Biobridge

Innovation through a multidisciplinary design process

Delft (The Netherlands)

AUTHORS Fenja Desirée Schuylenburg, Nikki Brand, Marcel Hertogh, Joris Smits

(all TU Delft)

TYPE OF PROJECT Design Science Research

YEAR 2018

PARTNERS TU Eindhoven, TU Delft, NPSP, AVANS, the Center of Expertise Bio-Based Economy (CoE BBE)

FUNDED BY the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) via the ‘Kansen voor West II’ programme and supported by the Province of South Holland

LOCATION Delft (The Netherlands)

KEYWORDS Knowledge integration, Transdisciplinary, Innovation, Design process

INTRODUCTION

According to the UN, the ‘triple planetary crises’ of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution is caused by unsustainable consumption and production patterns. In the Netherlands, Dutch residents use approximately 3.6 times more resources than the ecosystem can renew each year. A transition towards regenerative growth is needed to combat this pressure on natural resources and biodiversity. Therefore, the European Commission has drafted a new circular economy action plan, aiming to reform the industry towards a climate-neutral, resourceefficient, and competitive economy. As a result, the circular economy must be scaled up to decouple economic growth from resource depletion.

Bio-composites in a sustainable construction

Since the construction sector accounts for 50% of all extracted materials, there is an opportunity to transition towards circular construction. Although circular bio-composites (Natural Fibre Reinforced Bio-Polymers, NFRBP) have been applied as non-load-bearing components in buildings, the design and construction of load-bearing bio-composite structures such as bridges have not yet been examined for their potential for circular design. Thus, the 3TU research team studied the application of fully bio-composite load-bearing structures with the goal of reducing emissions and resource depletion. The research group then went on to design and construct the first pedestrian bio-based bridge for the Campus of TU Eindhoven. The bridge was officially opened in October 2017 during the Dutch Design Week.

In the design process of the bridge, the integration of sustainability demands enhanced the complexity. It also increased the need for innovation by broadening the scope from a technical point of view and considering the societal and environmental context of the project. This resulted in design solutions that serve multiple purposes and optimise the aggregation of functionality and technology to enhance sustainable performance (Brand, Kothuis & Kok, 2017, p.5)

The characteristics of sustainable infrastructure projects are rarely limited to monodisciplinary scientific knowledge (Uiterkamp & Vlek, 2007) Hence, expertise regarding the different functional requirements of new bridge construction is needed, which requires knowledge integration through a design integrator (Smits, 2019. p 193)

Eindhoven University of Technology

DESIGN PRINCIPLE

Eindhoven University of Technology

PRODUCTION METHODS

LEPELAAR advisor on production methods

MATERIAL SUPPLIER

Outsourcing Material Delivery

BÖTTIGER

HOOGENDOORN responsable AVANS

STUDENTS

Materialfabricationtesting

BÖTTIGER

CIRCULAR ECONOMY EXPERTS

Additional Project Funding Provision of Resources (Personnel, Material, Equipment, Production Location)

STUDENTS structural design

STRUCTURAL DESIGN

3. TU collaboration (Main) Project Funding

STUDENTS architectural design

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Project organisation of the 3TU research group

A key question is how, in the case of the bio-composite bridge, an interdisciplinary design process can result in an integrated, innovative outcome. Based on this, a future question would be whether successful design processes can be duplicated and applied to other construction projects to enhance their future performance.

Pioneering uncertainty in design and materials

The design process of the bio-composite bridge holds innovative components in terms of untested materials, practices, or processes, which add uncertainty to the project’s outcome and to the design process itself. TU/e had previously researched bio-based structures in an indoor environment and was looking to expand their research to larger spans in an outdoor environment. They teamed up with TU Delft, the material and production expert NPSP, and the Center of Expertise Bio-Based Economy (CoE BBE) for the bio-composite bridge.

Figure 1 shows an overview of the project organisation, distinguishing expertise in production methods, circular engineering, architectural design, structural design, and external project funding.

3. TU COMMITEE

REQUIREMENTS

SPECIFICATION

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

DETAILED DESIGN

ACCEPTANCE TESTING

SYSTEM TESTING

INTEGRATION TESTING

UNIT TESTING

BUILDING DESIGN

minimise waste

Overview key milestones of the project

PROJECT RESULT

Integrating the V-model approach

As a point of departure, a comprehensive literature review identified the main premises in current design theory for an interdisciplinary approach leading to an integrated design process. For this matter, Voorendt (2017) provided a first attempt at a possible framework for integrated design approaches that recognizes seven stages of work. He argues that in the seven design stages (problem exploration, concept development, functional specification, verification, evaluation, validation and decision) the design loops at the highest scale levels can be done in a multidisciplinary way. The design of components and more detailed elements can subsequently be performed by specialists. The V-model by Forsberg & Mooz (1992) does not follow a staged or linear pattern, but the outcome of every phase needs to be verified before the design process moves on to the next stage. Because of this, requirements can change at any stage, enhancing the flexibility of the design process.

The left side of the V-model can be understood as the design process, which results in the implementation phase (right side of the V-model, see Figure 2). The design and implementation phase interact due to verification processes, whereby modifications to the design may be made if verification is not possible. However, while this model provides the advantage of a systematic view, including the prospect of iteration, the design process itself gains only limitedattention.

Balancing constraints

For the bio-composite bridge, the design requirements were partly determined by the boundary conditions. One of the major constraints was the time frame since the bridge had to be designed and constructed within one year. The other major constraint was the budget since the funding capacity was limited. Due to these constraints, other project drivers, such as quality, needed to be downgraded, resulting in a crafty-looking outcome. However, safety and usability were ensured at all times.

Voorendt’s V-Model for design and building processes. (Source: Forsberg & Mooz, 1992)

To ultimately construct a prototype, the design had to be simple and buildable by unskilled hands (i.e., students). Moreover, production methods imposed limitations on the possibilities for the bridge design. Furthermore, the design had to be structurally efficient to minimise waste while fulfilling an aesthetic function.

Collaborative design workshops

The design and construction process commenced with an internal kick-off to come to a collective understanding of the scope, deliverables, and constraints. Subsequently, two longer and several shorter workshops were held with the various team

members, resulting in rough bridge concepts that were then further refined. Figure 3 shows the different project phases.

In the first workshop, key design criteria, such as the required lengths and width of the bridge, were determined based on the available location (span) and budget constraints. Additionally, material options were explored in this phase. The outcome of this phase was broken up into sub-assignments that were then handed over to the various experts to obtain enough information to optimise the concept before the next workshop.

Bridge design concepts (drafts during the design process)

FIGURE 4

FIGURE 5

3.3.4 PROJECT Biobridge

Research on bio-based

Determining Objectives

• Design Workshops

• Sub-Assignments

• Knowledge Integration

In the following workshops, the whole team discussed the optimised designs and integrated them into two final design options for the bridge. The design requirements were further refined, and the project team was asked to start another optimisation cycle.

Iterative design and cross-disciplinary collaboration

Based on the final two optimised designs, the project team began the production planning and testing for the prototype. During the prototyping phase, the design was iteratively adapted to the production method constraints. The prototyping phase concluded with a 1:1 mock-up model of the design. This phase was critical due to the use of untested materials and the uncertainty related to the structural and material behaviour at the interface of the bio-PLA core and the bio-composite load-bearing skin. This phase led to further design optimisations to avoid deformations caused by the initial melt-down of the core.

The analysis of the design process showed that after a phase of close collaboration, aligning objectives, and the subsequent synthesis of a design vision based on creativity, there were phases of monodisciplinary subassignments followed by an increasing level of detail. This enabled the integration of specialised knowledge.

Strain Measurement & Testing

design • Reparation

This process was repeated multiple times to narrow down the number of design concepts in an iterative manner. Each iterative circle involved a phase of design updating, which integrated the outcome of the subassignment into the design variations, leading to a new concept and more detailed requirements. The design process is summarised in Figure 6.

The design process showed that the performance criteria set at the beginning, which merely described the intended outcome, left room for creativity. Moreover, the design process was ‘practice-based’ and ’use-inspired’, as reflected in the ‘hands-on’ nature of constructing the bridge, extensive testing, and prototyping.

The exchange of cross-disciplinary knowledge was stimulated in workshops and regular meetings, which fostered participation and engagement. Furthermore, all critical design decisions involved the entire team, showcasing a collaborative approach to the project. This teamwork was also reflected in the jointly drawn-up project proposal, which aligned objectives and clarified the expected design outcome.

Visualization of the multidisciplinary design process

an other cycle of optimitisation

Construction of the bio-based bridge Material testing

Bridge design

FIGURE 7

FIGURE 9

EVALUATION

Lessons learned

Concerning interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary learning methods, the design process reflected the need for disciplinary knowledge integration in the early project phases. When this integration was achieved, it allowed for monodisciplinary design optimisations. Specialised knowledge can be integrated by performing iterative design cycles in which alternating phases of multidisciplinary collaboration (creating a shared concept) and monodisciplinary sub-assignments with increasing detail feed into each other. This results in the following design phases, which integrate the design outcome by combining the specialised sub-assignment into design variations. Each iterative circle includes design updates leading to a new concept and more detailed requirements.

However, the implications for research and practice need to be further examined. For instance, the prospect for future duplication should be based on the uniqueness level of the project. The bio-composite project was set within a unique institutional context, as it was mainly funded by research subsidies. Hence, there was no actual client imposing design requirements or constraints on the project team. This provided a significant amount of design freedom and enhanced flexibility and creativity. Finally, as one of the interviewees remarked, the project was unique in terms of its level of sophistication.

room for creativity

Since the bio-composite bridge was primarily a research project aiming to acquire knowledge within a limited time frame, the design and execution leave room for improvement. This is particularly reflected in the adaptation of the bridge construction by repairing some of the material problems encountered rather than further improving the underlying design. In a ‘realworld’ project, such drawbacks would most likely not have been accepted by the client. Nevertheless, in the case of the bio-based bridge, tthe prime goal was to demonstrate the potential of the use of fully bio-based materials in load-bearing constructions, and this has been achieved.

Implications for education and practice

In terms of longue durée, the project provides only limited insights due to its brief time span from initiation, design, and construction to operation. In real-world infrastructure projects, time frames are much longer, and the process from initiation to construction can take several decades. Additionally, regulations often lag behind, and new production methods and materials lack product approval due to the highly regulated market. The knowledge integration process can be more complex, given the changing roles over time and the complex composition of stakeholders.

Overall, the study’s results advocate training students in multidisciplinary design processes following a similar design pattern, as observed in the in-depth

FIGURE 10

case study. Design tasks should be formulated in such a way that students follow a design process that alternates collaborative design phases and specialised sub-assignments. This can help students achieve an integrated design outcome.

From a programme or sector-level perspective, the project’s results (content and process) should be disseminated so that apart from those involved, the knowledge gained can still be used for other projects to improve design processes and provide orientation towards early knowledge integration.

CONCLUSION

Team dynamics in innovative projects

Despite the fact that the integration of specialised knowledge takes place at the fuzzy front end, there are some limitations with regard to the project team and the innovative character of the project.

First, the project partners were teamed up according to pre-existing boundary conditions rather than based on the design assignment itself. In addition, the project team members already knew each other, which facilitated trust-based collaboration and may have eased the design process.

However, this level of familiarity and trust cannot be expected of every multidisciplinary project within the construction industry. Usually, projects are based on one-off relationships established explicitly for the concerned project rather than on repeated collaboration among the same parties. This limits the prospect of learning and challenges the trust that needs to be developed over time. The pre-established level of trust within the design team for this case study limits the generalisability of the findings, as the team’s collaboration is likely to have played a role in the knowledge exchange and, thus, the outcome.

The design, build, and test cycles are necessary to verify different solutions. The process may differ for construction projects with a less innovative character or fewer possibilities for prototyping. The results suggest that an integrated process, including knowledge integration in the fuzzy front end, may lead to an optimised outcome. Follow-up research is recommended to assess the role of the trust established amongst the project team and the outcomes of less innovative construction projects.

FIGURE 11

FIGURE 12

PROJECT

Parana Waterway and Urban Waterway of São Paulo

(Source: Fluvial Metropoles Research Group FAU-USP, Alexandre Delijaicov)

Fluvial Metropolis Design, Planning, Engineering, and Governance

São Paulo Metropolitan Waterway Ring: an infrastructure ecology paradigm

São Paulo (Brazil)

AUTHORS Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin (TU Delft)

TYPE OF PROJECT A four-year educational project, alongside two international symposia between academia and the public sector of the city and the state of São Paulo, Brazil

YEAR 2013 – 2017

PARTNERS TU Delft Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, University of São Paulo, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, TU Delft DIMI – Delft Deltas, Infrastructures & Mobility Initiative

LOCATION São Paulo (Brazil)

KEYWORDS Infrastructure Ecology, Integrated Infrastructure Design, Metropolitan Planning, Urban Water, Smart Mobility, Waste Management, Civic Design and Spatial Justice, Public Equipment, Public Space

strategic design and governance

INTRODUCTION

Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Course Overview

Between the academic years 2013 – 2014 and 2016 – 2017, the TU Delft Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment – Department of Urbanism, in collaboration with the University of São Paulo, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism – Design Laboratory, Fluvial Metropolis Research Group, ran an interdisciplinary course dedicated to integrating urban water and waste management, mobility, civic design, and public space in the context of large-scale metropolitan areas. The course was intended for students from the master’s tracks in architecture, urbanism, and landscape architecture (TU Delft Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment), water management (TU Delft Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences), and transport, infrastructure and logistics (TU Delft Faculty of Technology Policy and Management). These students collaborated with those from the graduate school (MPhil and PhD Programmes) at the University of São Paulo, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism (FAU-USP). The course, titled ‘Smart Infrastructure and Mobility’ (SIM) at TU Delft, focused on the São Paulo Water Ring project in Brazil. It explored the design, planning, and engineering of sustainable and resilient infrastructure, with an emphasis on water, waste, and mobility.

Student Engagement and Organisation

THIS CHAPTER IS BASED ON WRITINGS BY FAU-USP Grupo Metropole Fluvial, Alexandre Delijaicov, Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin, Denise Piccinini, Roberto Rocco, and Arjan van Timmeren authors of this educational project with the research assistance of Carmen Aires

Over the years, more than sixty students engaged in analysing and interpreting the complexity of the São Paulo Metropolitan region at various scales, with a focus on future scenarios that include integrated water-waste-mobility infrastructure, flood risk management, and public space design. Each year, the course examined one of the three main subsystems constituting the Metropolitan Water Ring of São Paulo. In interdisciplinary groups, students addressed fundamental questions about improving conditions in densely populated areas and facilitating the transition to sustainable and resilient territories through strategic design and governance across scales and subjects.

São Paulo

São Paulo

Fluvial Metropolis –Everyday. The Metropolitan waterway system of ports: eco-ports, trans-ports, sludge-ports and tri-ports

(Source: Fluvial Metropoles Research Group FAU-USP)

Pinheiros River Navigable Canal

(Source: Danilo Zamboni, Fluvial Metropoles Research Group FAU-USP)

The course was coordinated by Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin and led by Arjan van Timmeren, with Denise Piccinini and Roberto Rocco as responsible instructors and scientific advice from Marcel Hertogh. The course’s development and case-study application were made possible through a partnership, joint research, and an educational programme with the Fluvial Metropolis Research Group of the University of São Paulo, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, led by Alexandre Delijaicov.

PROJECT RESULT

The Transformative Role of Infrastructure in Urban Development

As a project, the course and its associated international symposia, workshops, seminars, and fieldwork emphasised the critical role of infrastructure design, planning, and governance as a transformative force in urban landscapes, highlighting its potential impact on sustainability. It brought attention to the socio-ecological and political dimensions of large urban infrastructure projects and their integration into the urban fabric. The course recognised infrastructure’s capacity to contribute to equitable resilience and sustainability while acknowledging its role in perpetuating power imbalances and creating spatial divisions. Informed by this comprehensive understanding, the SIM course adopted an interdisciplinary approach. It involved experts and students in environmental technology and design, urban design, spatial planning, landscape architecture, water management and transport, infrastructure, and logistics. Striving to balance the pursuit of just and sustainable infrastructure with the legacy of past projects, the course introduced the concept of ‘malleable and

São Paulo infrastructure space and urban fabric

São Paulo urban flooding

Tiete River confined between the “Marginal” freeways heavy congestioned

multiple water use

hybrid infrastructure’. This concept suggested that all infrastructure investments could be shaped to foster spatial justice, equity, and sustainability transitions.

The course’s objective was to understand and address aspects of metropolitan mobility, urban water and waste management, riverfront design, and land use by incorporating mobility flows, biophysical layers, and spatial morphology within a large-scale metropolitan context. This explorative research and educational project was characterised by a strong interdisciplinary nature, built on integrated infrastructure design topics including (1) ‘malleable’ infrastructure, hybrid greenblue-grey infrastructure, water resilience, and liveability; (2) spatial justice (right to infrastructure), sustainability transitions, political processes; (3) metropolitan landscape design, urban ecology, place-making; and (4) civil infrastructural integration, maintenance and operation processes (planning and risk management).

São Paulo’s Metropolitan Waterway Ring

The course was based on the theme of the São Paulo Infrastructural Traffic and Water Ring, locally known as the Metropolitan Hidroanel of São Paulo. This network

comprises existing rivers and dams in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo and an artificial channel, totalling 170 km of urban waterways. The project was spearheaded by the Fluvial Metropolis Research Group of the University of São Paulo, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism. The navigable channels of the Metropolitan Waterway Ring form a river transport system for intra-metropolitan waste cargo and urban mobility. The concept of multiple water use, coined by the Brazilian National Water Resources Policy, considers water a public good and a limited natural resource, promoting its efficient use to benefit a greater number of people and serve a variety of purposes. The TU Delft SIM course studied the Metropolitan Waterway Ring of São Paulo, assessing its merits and strategies for incorporating water transport into the integrated use of water resources, urban mobility, and public space design for sustainable development. The Waterway Ring aims to enhance the public nature of São Paulo’s waters by transforming the city’s main rivers into navigable waterways and reimagining their banks as the metropolis’s primary public spaces.

Stair of Sluices of the Canal Billings-Taiacupeva – 17 km

(Source: Fluvial Metropolis Research Group, FAU-USP)

Addressing the Challenges

The Waterway Ring’s transformative approach begins by reenvisioning the river as the primary means of waste transportation in the city, aiming to reduce traffic from waste cargo transportation, enhance urban mobility, and improve the liveability of the riverbeds. This initiative supports urban ecology by revitalising São Paulo’s waterfronts, challenging the dominant car-centric urbanisation paradigm. The network of navigable canals uses the Pinheiros and Tietê rivers and the Billings and Taiaçupeba water reservoirs. This extensive waterway, comprising 170 km, is divided into three subsystems and six construction phases. Spanning twenty municipalities, the project integrates with other

infrastructural systems, including the highway ring, railways, peripheral highways, and airports, aligning with national policies on water resources, solid debris, and urban mobility.

The complexity of planning and designing for traffic and water resilience in a large-scale metropolis raises important questions: (a) how can the planning and design of urban and landscape infrastructures potentially improve the social, economic, and ecological conditions of densely occupied areas; (b) how can mobility, urban water and waste management, and public space design best support the transition towards liveable and resilient territories; (c) how can an

Field work TU Delft SIM Course, São Paulo 2017

understanding of metropolitan governance structures aid designers and planners to act in a more sensitive and informed manner, by taking real stakeholders and their concerns and objectives into account.

To address these questions, TU Delft students from various master’s tracks, working in multidisciplinary groups, designed spatial strategies and visions for the three subsystems of the Metropolitan Waterway Ring during the four years of the course. The proposed spatial strategies and visions explored how fluvial and road mobility could be integrated with the design of hybrid green/blue/grey infrastructure for urban water and waste management, along with public space and

riverfront design. These strategies were formulated by analysing imminent urbanisation issues, riverscape physiography, hydrology, ecology, and the built environment. This involved understanding governance arrangements, leading to the proposal of targeted spatial interventions across different scales.

Field work TU Delft SIM Course, São Paulo 2017

EVALUATION

Collaborative Learning and an Interdisciplinary Approach

From 2013 to 2017, the SIM course formed an integral part of the TU Delft Infrastructure and Environment Design Annotation. It successfully united students specialising in urbanism, landscape architecture, water management, transport, infrastructure, and logistics to work on an interdisciplinary design, planning, and engineering project for complex infrastructure projects. Over these four years, the collaborative efforts of the course, including international symposia, workshops, seminars, and fieldwork with the University of São Paulo, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, helped establish a new theme in ‘Design, Planning, and Governance of the Built Environment’ as part of the TU Delft Cross-Faculty Initiative for Research and Development Programme between the Netherlands and Brazil. This programme emphasises collaborative projects and facilitates the exchange of master’s students, PhD researchers, and scientific staff between the two countries.

The São Paulo Waterway Ring inspired the novel approach of the SIM course, engaging TU Delft in understanding the challenges of large-scale, rapidly growing metropolitan areas. The diverse disciplines involved in the course led to projects that articulate design, planning, governance, and engineering

objectives. The Waterway Ring’s concept promotes synergy between water management and urban waste cargo transportation. Efficient waterway regulation not only aids in urban drainage and flood prevention but also supports river cleaning initiatives, contributing to urban mobility. The design integrates principles of industrial ecology, zero-landfill, and innovative concepts such as reverse logistics. This sustainable and interconnected approach to infrastructure design encompasses public spaces, hybrid green/blue/grey infrastructure, waste collection and treatment structures, and mobility exchange hubs between road and fluvial systems.

Integrating Sustainable Practices

In line with the National Policy for Water Resources, the Metropolitan Waterway Ring facilitates diverse water uses and promotes sustainable urban development. Incorporating parks, harbour networks, fluvial piers, and beaches, the design reimagines river margins as public spaces with significant urban, environmental, and social potential. It introduces concepts of industrial ecology, zero-landfill, and reverse logistics, creating a cycle within the waterway system where waste from one industry serves as raw material for another, thus reducing landfill dependency. The Metropolitan Waterway Ring challenges conventional urban infrastructure, such as freeways along riversides, by fostering integration with the urban fabric and transforming central city regions.

Field work TU Delft SIM Course, São Paulo 2017

CONCLUSION

Multifaceted Approach

In over sixty individual designs and group projects, TU Delft students tackled the complexities of integrated infrastructure design and governance through the SIM course. The course propelled studies in multi-objective infrastructure projects focusing on sustainable, resilient, and equitable forms of infrastructure design that connects regional strategies to detailed site interventions. The series of knowledge exchange activities, fieldwork, and the resulting projects offered significant opportunities for generating new insights into the dynamic interplay between the legacy of past infrastructure projects, the development of new paradigms, and the realities shaped by socioeconomic and political agendas in rapidly growing economies and highly complex metropolitan regions. The metropolitan region of São Paulo, particularly the city and its intertwined infrastructural, environmental, and political history, served as a case study and field research site. Specifically, the study of the infrastructural and socio-ecological relationship between São Paulo and its riverscapes (rivers Pinheiros and Tietê) steered the development of the Metropolitan Waterway Ring project. Conceptually, the design aimed to restore the cultural significance of these metropolitan rivers while strategically contributing to water, waste, and mobility infrastructure.

Project Continuation

The course delved into the challenges of mobility and water management within the extensive context of a metropolitan area. Projects combined academic research and ‘research by design’ approaches across various scales, from macro strategies to nano-scale site interventions at the parcel/street level. Students collaboratively developed interdisciplinary projects for specific sections of the Metropolitan Waterway Ring, applying principles of multifunctional landscape infrastructure, spatial justice, and resilience. They learned to delineate spatial strategies and visions and to identify site-specific alternatives while taking into account social impact, economic viability, ecological considerations, and spatial characteristics. All projects were intricately linked to implementation and governance perspectives. It was crucial to involve a wide range of actors to ensure that decision-making was realistic and that the projects were applicable to the complex dynamics of urban development.

As an exemplary model of integrative infrastructure design, particularly regarding fluvial urbanisation, the research on the Metropolitan Waterway Ring continues in a new five-year joint research and educational programme between the University of São Paulo, TU Delft, and the Convergence Alliance, starting in 2024.

Field work TU Delft SIM Course, São Paulo 2017

Sustainable Urban Development

City of the Future

Spatial Design Starts with a Cross Section

Eco City Jingmen Intelligent Subsurface Quality

Sustainable Urban Development - Navigating complexity in urban transformation

Ellen van Bueren

As a discipline and study object, urban development features prominently in several DIMI projects, as it concerns the built environment. Cities, as places to live, love, work, and prosper, are key to our urbanised way of living. The continuing growth of cities calls for creative and innovative solutions: land is scarce and increasingly serves multiple functions. Densification and continued sprawl require creative solutions for developing space and functions, including servicing infrastructures. Infrastructures are essential in supporting our urbanised way of living, but they demand space, both above ground and underground.

The Need for Urban Adaptation

Cities are sometimes called obese due to their excess appetite for resources. Besides land, they consume energy, water, materials, and nutrients, produce lots of waste, and pollute air, water, and land. Cities are thus major producers of unsustainable outcomes that strongly impact the quality of life and living conditions in cities and their hinterland, which stretches far beyond the city boundaries and is sometimes even globalised. The unfolding climate crisis is an existential challenge cities face. Adapting the built environment, including buildings, infrastructures, and public spaces, is needed to cope with the changing climate and the extremes it brings, and to mitigate any further damaging emissions and ecological harm. The adaptation task is enormous. Deltas, the areas most at risk, are typically the places where, due to the accessibility and favourable conditions, people have settled and where monetary and many other forms of wealth have accumulated. The adaptation of densely built and populated deltas is an enormous undertaking.

Reimagining the City

When we consider urbanised environments as complex systems, we see that there are many interrelated spatial scales at which adaptation can take place. The individual effect and possible impact of interventions depend on other interventions that can either strengthen, reduce, or even annul the effect. The fragmentation of decision-making power for adaptation and the absence of a central direction further complicate the adaptation challenge. The complexity and enormity of the entire operation are difficult to oversee.

reimagining of the city

Traditional reductionist problem-solving approaches, at the heart of engineering, tend to deliver suboptimised outcomes to such systemwide transformation, if they succeed at all, given the numerous barriers to implementation. A design approach is essential in helping people, including decision-makers, to reimagine the city beyond extrapolations of current configurations, from which they can understand and identify interventions contributing to a transformative change of the system.

Alternative Problem-Solving

This reimagining of the city and its infrastructures has been at the core of the DIMI-supported projects presented in the following sections. The design contest City of the Future (P 174) showed the possibility of future cities and allowed the participants to experience how research through design can support the development of transformative change. The impressive number of participants – a mixture of professionals from a range of private and public actors engaged in the planning, design, construction, and management of urban development and infrastructures who voluntarily invested their time and knowledge in the design challenge – shows the need for problem-solving approaches alternative to more rational-planning-based approaches. The subsurface plays a crucial role in these changes. It provides the foundation for any urban development, but this conditionality has often been neglected.

Building a Joint Understanding

The design-based approaches used in two other DIMI projects, Intelligent Subsurface Quality (P 184) and Spatial Design Starts with a Cross Section (P 194), offer practitioners methods to develop

a joint understanding of the subsurface needed for the (re)design and (re)development of cities. The fourth DIMI project presented in this book, the Chinese case study of urban development in Eco-City Jingmen (P 204), underlines the complexity of sustainable urban development and the need for design-based approaches that help planners and decision-makers make decisions from a comprehensive understanding of how different interventions, which individually can be regarded as sustainable, together might not produce a sustainable outcome.

Towards Inclusive and Iterative Planning

The DIMI projects thus show that design-based approaches towards urban and infrastructure projects help the people involved, representing different stakeholders, to explore the opportunities that can be created despite the many constraints (budget, timing, coexistence with existing infrastructure and services, etc.). In addition, it helps them to understand the consequences of choices, direct or indirect, short-term or long-term. The visual nature supports communicating the possibilities and consequences to people not involved in the process. It can help reach the many unrepresented and underrepresented interests, listen to their voices, and contribute to inclusiveness. The potential benefits of design-based approaches towards such urban and infrastructure development projects will only be realised when the approach is embedded within the broader planning and decision-making process. It requires efforts by responsible decision-makers to consider the insights and include those insights in the plans, even if that means adding iterations to the process. This might contradict the more traditional rational-analytic and projectmanagerial approaches that focus on solving a particular problem within a contained budget and planning, which do not offer much room for iterations and change. Organisations thus need to adapt to this way of working, as do the professionals working within these organisations. Such changes may be supported by educational programmes for professionals and initial students. Once they have graduated and are working on these projects, these students may even make the biggest contributions to the organisational and professional change, as they will be gradually influencing their ways of working. Educational programmes, in turn, can contribute by focusing more strongly on developing the skills and competencies students need to navigate the complexity and uncertainty of the projects they will be working on and through which they will contribute to a more sustainable built environment.

need for designbased approaches

Intelligent Subsurface Quality

Provocative design for a new polder around the houses on slabs, with the added benefit of a high-quality green walking path structure

The houses outside the green belt would have to be rebuilt on piles. The groundwater level could be lowered within the green belt, and the houses could move flexibly with the subsidence. (Source: Hooimeijer et al., 2018)

The Hague Central Innovation District – Social-technical city, Technological transitions facilitate encounter and social connections

(Team Socio-Technical City, The Biopolus: water treatment and food production)

City of the Future

Ten design strategies for one square kilometre in five cities

Amsterdam, Den Haag, Eindhoven, Utrecht, and Rotterdam (The Netherlands)

The Haque Utrecht

Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Eindhoven

AUTHORS Marieke Berkers (Architectural Historian), Hans de Boer (TU Delft), Edwin Buitelaar (University of Utrecht), Roberto Cavallo (TU Delft), Tom Daamen (TU Delft), Paul Gerretsen (Vereniging Deltametropool), Maurice Harteveld (TU Delft), Jutta Hinterleitner (publicist), Fransje Hooimeijer (TU Delft), Hedwig van der Linden (Dérive), Ries van der Wouden (publicist)

TYPE OF PROJECT Design study

YEAR 2018 – 2019

PARTNERS BNA Research, TU Delft Deltas, Infrastructure & Mobility Initiative (DIMI), Ministry of Infrastructures and Water Management, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Delta Metropole Association, municipalities of Amsterdam, Den Haag, Eindhoven, Utrecht, Rotterdam

(Team Socio-Technical City) Amsterdam

INTRODUCTION

Balancing urban transitions

In many Dutch cities, multitudes of transitions are competing for the scarce space. How are we to deal with these transitions? How do we prioritise them – or could we integrate several claims in a clever manner without compromising their requirements and even create synergy? This design study should give the Dutch government a deeper understanding of the spatial and system impact of the transitions. These questions and insights are relevant to the development en implementation of a new ‘Environmental Law’, an integrated approach to which was laid down in the national spatial planning vision (NOVI 2020). The law embodies a new framework of policies, regulations, and instruments for spatial planning in the Netherlands.

To gain sufficient insight into the various claims for space and their impact on the urban systems, the design study focused on a fixed area of 1 by 1 square kilometre in five cities. The participating cities proposed existing areas such as a port, business district, large-scale shopping mall, and a peripheral city area. How do we prepare these areas for the future, meeting current demands for housing, business, accessibility, and liveability? How do we deal with issues concerning mobility, energy, climate adaptation, circularity, social inclusion, and biodiversity?

LOCATIONS Amsterdam Haven – Stad, Den Haag – Central Innovation District, Eindhoven –Fellenoord, Utrecht – Stadsrand Oost, Rotterdam –Alexanderknoop

KEYWORDS Transitions, Transformation, Future-proof urban environment, Spatial planning and design, Implementation strategies, Research by Design, Learning community

MULTITUDE AND INTERDEPENDENCY OF THEMATIC CHALLENGES

Interdisciplinary approaches

THE TEXT IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING PUBLICATION: Berkers, M. et.al (2019).

The city of the future. Ten design strategies for five locations. Visualizations for a square kilometre of city. Amsterdam: BNA Onderzoek

Two interdisciplinary teams were assigned to each of the five locations: Amsterdam, Eindhoven, The Hague, Utrecht, and Rotterdam. The teams, made up of architects, urban planners, various engineering disciplines, and even artists and sociologists, were assigned to the individual challenges based on their motivation and initial approach. In addition to the design teams, another TU Delft team explored the future city from the subsurface perspective, resulting in the Subsurface Equilibrium project. Students from various design studios and elective courses from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, and from design courses from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences joined in as well. Several masterclasses were organised in which practising scientists and experts addressed particular themes and topics concerning the future challenges facing cities, system innovations, stakeholder approaches, and business cases. Local studios provided interaction and discussion between the design teams and local experts. Plenary sessions offered an overview of the progress and final results of the design teams, plus a stage for debate and reflection with policymakers and experts about the completed studies.

The Hague Central Innovation District – Urban densification above the railway track (Team Socio-Technical city)

attractive and future-proof urban environments

PROJECT RESULTS

Integrated urban transformations

The study yielded a broad palette of creative visions and spatial designs, as each location was assigned two teams to tackle the challenge. This approach enabled them to find common ground and come up with different proposals. The designs were rooted in technological, social, environmental, or hybrid design approaches and expressions. The central question driving the design study was: ‘What are the possibilities for an integrated transformation of the study locations into attractive and future-proof urban environments?’ This open-ended question allowed the teams to adopt an approach that suited the local issues and conditions. To ensure that the proposals would meet the study’s desired quality, the organizers created a steering framework with a set of criteria, which included quality of life, spatial quality, sustainability, accessibility, system integration, resilience, adaptability, scalability, and feasibility. These criteria embody societal values and objectives that transcend locations and provide a means to review the contributions of the plans in terms of these values and objectives.

Beyond specific designs

The scalability and broader application of a particular design to other locations may be limited due to its dependence on the unique conditions and context of a particular location. However, the selected approaches, applied principles, and design strategies are more methodical and instrumental, offering a broader domain of application. Any vision, spatial strategy and design could be of value to local stakeholders in initiating

discussions and defining more specific policy or knowledge questions that could be resolved later. Designs at the idea formulation stage serve as explorative instruments rather than blueprints for implementation, as many decisions have yet to be taken. The process itself is valuable as it stimulates and facilitates collaboration between disciplines, sectors, and departments of the firms and municipalities involved. In everyday practice, linear processes and phases prevail, with various disciplines and sectors working successively and separately from general to specific, without influencing the initial idea, problem definition, or outcome. Collective learning and generating insights and practical knowledge within a design study serve both as an internalising activity and an externality beyond the designs themselves. These cognitive aspects form the foundation for broader applications, rather than the design itself, which is contingent on specific conditions.

Discoveries

The study has yielded valuable insights and practical knowledge from the approaches and designs of the interdisciplinary teams. Three key discoveries have been made:

Discovery 1: The city of the future will not be an abstract tech city but rather a smart city made by and with people. It will offer many opportunities for creating more space and quality at the smallest scale, focusing on the experiences of the people living in their streets and neighbourhoods.

Amsterdam-Havenstad

(Team INCity)

Rotterdam Alexanderknoop –The breathing city; proximity as a principle (Team CIAM XXI)

Water

Discovery 2: The city of the future will rely even more a on multitude of functions, with more, mixed and temporary uses than the existing one. The power of proximity is being rediscovered. The spatial separation of working and living creates the need for mobility with all its external and adverse effects. Spatial integration, on the other hand, stimulates walking and cycling, social interaction, and an increase in quality time, replacing the daily commuting ritual.

Discovery 3: The numerous transactions will allow the city of the future to create a new balance between robust structures – such as those for energy, mobility, water and technology – and the flexible, creative contributions of residents and users at the district level. A frame- or network-based approach offers a defined solution space that allows local demands to fit in at different moments in time.

To provide concrete guidance for these discoveries, the study has identified several principles, design strategies, and implementation tactics, which are grouped into three categories: 1) Starting Points, for the use of space; 2) The Design Compass; and 3) Stepping Stones, to facilitate the smart organisation of design and development processes. Examples of the use of space include promoting mobility as a healthy and efficient connector and utilising the sub-surface. Examples for design are attention to proximity, function mix, and robust structures with flexible spaces. In terms of implementation, the study emphasises the need to focus on shared and social values to gain commitment. Additionally, the study suggests redefining existing

planning instruments, such as blueprints or masterplans, as frameworks and transitional pathways.

This study had a significant impact on both local policies and national plans. The municipality of Rotterdam incorporated the location of Alexanderknoop in their high-rise policy during the study. Following the completion of the study, the location was added to the set of large city projects that aim to transform public spaces in strategic urban locations. The municipality of The Hague became more aware of the spatial implications of the desired densification through building and gave higher priority to space for climate adaptation.

Inspiring broader initiatives

The study also inspired the design study Region of the Future initiated by NOVI, with a focus on landscape, nature, agriculture, and regional economy as key factors (Regio v.d. Toekomst, 2019). The results of both studies were presented to a broader audience and were part of the presentation of the preliminary national vision in 2019. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water management referred to the study in their ‘Knowledge and innovation agenda for a future-proof mobility system’ on account of its methodological approach to the relationship between mobility and space. (Deel-KIA, 2019)

As a follow-up, the thematic focus and research-by-design approach were used in a series of sessions for smaller cities in 2020. These sessions aimed to assist the cities in rethinking problematic and strategic locations and taking first steps towards addressing these issues.

Mobility at every level

Rotterdam Alexanderknoop - The breathing city; proximity as a principle (Team CIAM XXI)

Living in a changing climate during periods of drought and heavy rains. Utrecht east city perimeter – Fit for the future, healthy city, healthy citizens. (Team FIT)

EVALUATION

Transdisciplinary explorations

The study involved a dedicated and extended preparatory phase aimed at defining local issues and locations, as well as assessing existing policies and demands. This is relevant for working within a transdisciplinary mode when the chance to influence present or future policies through spatial design seems limited. Policymakers and advisors need to pay close attention to the needs of the stakeholders to ensure that policy hypotheses are tested effectively, and tangible results are produced. However, a spatial design is not an instant as a prospect for action. Insights from spatial designs need to be incorporated into the broader policy context of political, financial, juridical, social, and technical topics. Spatial design is more of a signpost for a new direction in addressing the (re)defined problem. It should first question the problem statement and situation and then open up a new pathway or dialogue that provides new opportunities and insights, which in turn will stimulate policy discussions.

The project team, consisting of the core members BNA Research, TU Delft DIMI, and Delta Metropole Association, was responsible for organising and executing masterclasses, local studios, plenary sessions, and the final publication. The interdisciplinary teams dedicated substantial effort to analysing, envisioning, and designing their cases, partly funded by the study but mostly during their office study hours. The set-up encouraged knowledge sharing, production, and dissemination among all participants, including the municipal experts. The interaction between scientists and practitioners was crucial, as it allowed for the integration of formal conceptions of phenomena,

patterns, and structures with practical experience and tacit knowledge. Both cognitive aspects were relevant in assembling and structuring information and data into knowledge.

Several student design studios and courses were connected to the main activities of the study and invited to participate. Designers from the teams were invited to review the students’ results. Throughout the study, researchers from TU Delft’s Chair of Management of the Built Environment and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) monitored the study and provided methodological, juridical, and spatial-planning perspectives. Additionally, the TU team working on the subsurface presented a six-step approach to integrating circularity in the Subsurface Equilibrium project. These related education and research activities exposed students to the practical and scientific aspects of the research-by-design method used in the study.

Shaping future urbanists

As a follow-up to the study, a cross-disciplinary graduation studio called City of the Future was established. The current third edition is embedded in the Master’s programme of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. In the integrated design courses at the Faculties of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, the notion of transition challenges, as well as the spatial impact and embeddedness of transport infrastructures, were given a prominent position. These examples demonstrate that the project also had an impact on the curricula, which play an institutional role in educating current and future generations of students and in delivering graduates who are equipped to work on multiple transitions within a transdisciplinary context.

navigating complex challenges

Long-term system transitions

In line with the notion of Longue Durée, all designs proposed a system transition for various aspects, such as mobility, energy, and circularity, all related to a different use of public space. Neither the system transition nor the redesign of public space, including infrastructures, are standard commodities but processes with lead times of several decades, spanning several generations of graduates. Just as the effects of climate change gradually have a larger impact, the necessary social processes also take time to reach a threshold for action, sufficient political support, and a critical mass of professional capacity. The ability to change the built environment within a fixed timespan is limited, and changes will often be incremental, specific, and smallscale, and it may take generations to experience another sense of place.

CONCLUSION

Navigating complex challenges

City of the Future refers to the challenges that cities face in transitioning towards a more sustainable and liveable future and to the potential of research by design in addressing them. The aim was twofold: to create awareness about the complexity of these challenges and to propose a range of solutions for dealing with them. However, there are no simple answers; the solutions proposed are only a starting point for further investigation and discussion.

The study builds on previous design studies for the Zaancorridor, such as Designing Transit Oriented Design (TOD) (Van den Boomen et.al, 2014) and Highway × City (Van den Boomen et.al, 2016) This study defined the scope of multiple transitions in connection with

a series of masterclasses that provided relevant knowledge and expertise.

Pioneering smart solutions and educational synergy

The ambitions outlined in City of the Future (Berkers et.al, 2019) will take time to be realised due to the unpredictable pace and direction of politics and the inertia of change in the built environment. This requires a municipality to develop a prospect for action, followed by policy formulation and decision-making. Despite these challenges, professionals and future graduates are acutely aware of the transition challenges and remain committed to finding smart solutions within the defined scope of projects set by clients and commissioners. The integration of education with a design study stimulates thinking about the future by the next generation of professionals and provides insights into the practice and application of various disciplines.

On behalf of TU Delft, DIMI has played an active role in initiating design studies conducted by consortia with societal partners and connecting these with educational programmes. Following City of the Future, two other studies were initiated: City × Climate (Boer et.al. 2020) and City x Space (Boer et.al. 2022). The ability to act as a co-financer and to deploy dedicated personnel as a liaison between practice and academy from an interdisciplinary perspective, rather than from an exclusively financial perspective and objective, has contributed to this series of design studies.

Elaboration on the second provocative design in which all houses are built on piles, and the landscape becomes a wetland to stop the subsidence

The connection between the built-up area and the public space is dynamic and an architectural challenge (Source: Hooimeijer et al., 2018)

Intelligent Subsurface Quality

Drawing the subsurface: integrated infrastructure and environment design

Rotterdam and Leiden (The Netherlands)

AUTHORS Fransje Hooimeijer, Filippo Lafleur, Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin (all TU Delft)

TYPE OF PROJECT Special project

YEAR 2017 and 2018

PARTNERS Frans van de Ven (TU Delft Water Resources), Francois Clemens (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering), Wout Broere (TU Delft Geo-engineering)

Susanne Laumann (TU Delft Geo-engineering), Renate Klaassen (TU Delft OLD E&SS education center FOCUS), Municipality of Rotterdam and Leiden, departments of urban development and engineering

LOCATIONS Rotterdam and Leiden (The Netherlands)

KEYWORDS Oil, Water, Energy, Ecology, Integration

(Source: Hooimeijer

INTRODUCTION

Integrating the subsurface

The urban subsurface is a hybrid space consisting of intertwined technical and natural artefacts. It plays an important, even crucial, role in tackling issues of the urban climate, global energy transition and ecological crisis. Not only because problems like subsidence, pollution, infrastructure breakages or shortage of space for new urban systems manifest in the subsurface, but especially because it offers options for dealing with flood and heat stress reduction or decentralised energy systems, and because the subsurface is mother earth and the basis of all life. Therefore, it is necessary to include subsurface issues in an integral perspective that focuses on a resilient design bringing together the ecosystem, climate, and urban systems while taking into account the dynamics of the subsoil in general. However, at the moment the subsurface is not a part of spatial planning; it is a hidden domain without order. If we intend to integrate the subsurface in surface planning and approach the two as a whole, knowledge integration and management are crucial. This will mean involving technical information in the planning and design of the city.

Subsurface vision in cities

The project hypothesis was that in knowledge management, it is crucial to visualise the subsurface as a technical space, the ‘engine room of the city’, in order to be more innovative and efficient and to make cities more climate-proof, biodiverse, and healthy. To test this hypothesis, the disciplines within TU Delft that work on the subsurface and the designing and engineering departments of the municipalities of Rotterdam and Leiden were brought together in a learning environment. The departments of Urbanism, Water Management, and Geotechnical Engineering took the first step by creating insights into the past, present, and future of their specific disciplines in order to create opportunities to synchronise their disciplinary innovations. The second step was cooperating with the municipal urban development teams. The idea was to use provocative design to see how innovations, or new technologies, would impact the sustainable future of the case studies and so to reflect on the current practice from an outside perspective.

3.4.2 PROJECT

SYSTEM HUMAN SYSTEM

SYSTEM HUMAN SYSTEM

Overview of the impact of new technologies in the fields working in the subsurface What are the dependencies and opportunities, and how do they affect urban management?

(Source: Hooimeijer et al., 2016)

System overview of the surface and subsurface (Source: Hooimeijer and Maring, 2018)

PROJECT RESULTS

The stages of the project

The first ‘synchronisation’ phase used an explorative method tackling the question, ‘how can the different technological artefacts in the subsurface be synchronised to offer more space and add to a higher urban quality?’ Explorative research has been helpful in studying wicked problems, i.e., problems that have not been clearly defined. The three exploratory activities were: disciplinary analyses, visualisation, and creating pathways in co-creation workshops. A smaller working group worked out the results in greater detail. The first explorations were done using forecasting, backtracking, and hindcasting (Van de Dobbelsteen et al., 2006), by drawings the lines from past to present to future for each of the participating disciplines and by finding synergy or windows of opportunity between them. Table 1 gives the overview of the impact of new technologies in the fields working in the subsurface. What are the dependencies and opportunities, and how do they affect urban management? These technologies were applied to draft a vision and an adaptive pathway for a densifying and shrinking case study. These were designed and elaborated on in co-creation workshops. Visualisation was the underlying activity explicitly used throughout the process. This approach clarified the direct relationship between technology in the subsurface and urban design to the participants in this project. The focus was on potential future synergies between technologies and their contributions to urban quality.

The second phase of the project focused on ‘Architectural representation’ and elaborated on an earlier project of TU Delft and Deltares (2010): Design with the Subsurface. This project resulted in the System Exploration Environment and Subsurface (SEES) and the Subsurface Potential Map (See chapter 2, methods, for both). The SEES is a system overview in which the domains involved in urban development are mapped out. Each domain comes with its own specialists, concepts, and language. The Subsurface Potential Map is a map in which the data has been translated into information about the subsurface artefacts in the categories of civil constructions, water,

energy, and soil/ ecology. These instruments have been tested in the workshops with the municipalities of Rotterdam and Leiden. The resulting innovations completed the SEES and refined and contextualised the Subsurface Potential Map in the Technical Profile. The improvement added scales to the SEES and the Plan, and a shared legend with solid items and process items. The challenge was to draw the different artefacts in such a way that the relationships between the subsurface and the surface artefacts became clear and thus to enable decision-making about the desired interventions and effects.

In addition, some artefacts also affect the higher scales (such as water, energy, and ecology), while others (such as cables and pipes and ecology) also need to be represented on the small scale of a street section.

Two workshops were organised to have the participants step out of their silos in the municipalities and away from their protocolised way of working. In the first workshop, the case data was inventoried to provide insight into the context, challenges, and applicability of new approaches or measures. This workshop was structured using the SEES, and its purpose was to create a basis for understanding the disciplinary perspectives. In the second workshop, participants worked in multidisciplinary groups to respond to provocative scenarios. The purpose was to create interdisciplinary design thinking in which potential future synergies and cascading relations between technologies would contribute to urban quality.

Rotterdam and Leiden

The Rotterdam Bloemhof-Zuid case concerns an urban district built in the 1930s that is currently subsiding. The houses in the middle of the area are built on slabs and suffer from high groundwater, while the houses on wooden piles on the periphery would suffer from pile rot if the groundwater level were lowered; it is a very wet and soft terrain with ongoing subsidence. At the same time, the technical state of the houses is not futureproof, and the urban structure with its narrow streets, lack of parking space, green spaces, and playgrounds,

Visualisation of the water system in space as one of the visualisation experiments in the first phase of the project (Source: Hooimeijer et al., 2016)

new way of working

Visualisation of the warmdensification scenario in a perspective section in which the new technologies are introduced into a new urban system, with more room for nature and its buffering functions (Source: Hooimeijer et al., 2016)

Technical profile Rotterdam Bloemhof-Zuid showing the problem of the houses on piles on the outside and the houses with slab foundations in the middle X marks the houses on slabs that have installed pumps because they tend to flood. (Source: Hooimeijer et al., 2018)

Provocative design for a new polder around the houses on slabs, with the added benefit of a high-quality green walking path structure The houses outside the green belt would have to be rebuilt on piles. The groundwater level could be lowered within the green belt, and the houses could move flexibly with the subsidence. (Source: Hooimeijer et al., 2018)

does not meet modern requirements either. Given the subsidence, the question is how the real estate can be renovated in the long term. Therefore, the municipalities of Rotterdam and Woonstad are drafting a vision document in which the technical condition, or the technical profile of the district, plays an important role.

The Leiden central station area faces the question of using innovative technologies to support the energy transition, adapting to the changing hydrological cycle, and increasing the biodiversity in the Leiden, Katwijk, Oestgeest, Leiderdorp, Voorschoten, and Zoeterwoude regions. As part of this project, an inventory was drawn up to determine how innovative technologies could be integrated into the current urban constructions and systems in the Leiden central station area, where cascading effects could be positively utilised. The project revealed that addressing the water issue is crucial to solving the energy problem. With this aim, a zoning instrument was developed that mandates specific water performance for each lot in the area, which will help establish a well-functioning water system in the area.

The BioScience park in Leiden is an example of public and private partners collaborating to integrate climate-proof measures for private and public spaces. With extreme urban design, another integration of this relationship was explored in workshops with the municipal team of experts.

The zoning is not just about land use or public and private land; it lists open-soil surface and water storage percentages in the lot passports The zones are not just defined for the ground floor levels but also for lower and higher levels. (Source: Hooimeijer and LaFleur, 2018)

Provocative design for Bioscience in which private space is dedicated to nature and public space to public utilities (top) or the other way around (bottom) (Source:

Hooimeijer and Van der Heijden, 2018)

Scenario ‘Extreme Green Public’

Scenario ‘Extreme Green Privat’

EVALUATION

Bridging theory and practice

The Intelligent Subsurface Quality project focused on interdisciplinary design, including the disciplines working in the subsurface at TU Delft as a whole. The project was transdisciplinary because the cooperative research was carried out with the municipalities of Rotterdam and Leiden. The fact that it was a practical challenge means it was not always easy to frame it as a scientifically relevant challenge. It was not easy to pin down because it adapted protocolled ways of working and transitioned towards doing things differently in terms of organisation, data, and design. Even though much is happening already, these steps still need to be translated into fundamental knowledge to grow confidence and trust in the new approach. This means that on the scientific side, innovation lies in new approaches, methods, and integrated design, which are not technical innovations in themselves.

The project provided an opportunity to explore this gap and develop clear interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary learning outcomes and methods like the SEES, the framework used to understand the opportunity for coupling the Technical Profile as the visualisation of the disciplines in the subsurface with the urban design (presented in chapter 2). It was made clear that in the field of urban infrastructure environment, in particular, it is important for research to be coupled with practice to create new research fields. This study did not involve education directly, but the know-how and instruments

that came out of this study are part of the curriculum of the master’s programme in urbanism in the Sustainable Engineering of Territory course.

Longue Durée

The Longue Durée aspect of this topic is relevant in two ways. Longue Durée is a concept which acknowledges that some natural and human structures are so definitive that they remain in place over a long time and should be included in developments as a quality. First, the fact that urban systems produce artefacts in the subsurface enables us to look back in time. This is very literally the Longue Durée as reflected in archaeological findings, but we also need to take this into account when redeveloping areas with a view to risks and opportunities. The second point is that the water and geomorphological systems of the subsurface are Longue Durée structural, spatial elements. The man-made system also creates a (shorter) Longue Durée because these systems define the urban tissue: for example, the networks of cables and pipes are like corsets for the urban layout and are difficult to change.

The project brought forth a new community of practice within the TU Delft and its partners by creating a body of knowledge and tested instruments that are now used in practice and education. Moreover, the role of speculative design in rethinking the impact of new futures on day-to-day ways of working within urban maintenance and development made the participants from the municipalities aware of the relevance of the subsurface for surface development.

Result of the multidisciplinary workshop in which the team elaborated –within set specifications – on the model in which the private space was dedicated to nature (Source: Hooimeijer and Van der Heijden, 2018)

Explanatory drawing in which the relationship between surface and subsurface in relation to water, temperature, and greenspace is made explicit. For example, if the shadow of a tree falls on open soil such as grass, its cooling function is doubled, compared to when the shadow of a tree falls on the pavement. This is also connected with the position of the trees vis-à-vis the sewer and the street. (Source: Hooimeijer and Van der Heijden, 2018)

CONCLUSION

Visualisations in interdisciplinary co-creation

During the first phase of the project, the explorative method brought forth insights and design methods for the urban renewal of delta metropolises in which resilient, durable subsurface infrastructures are carefully balanced with the parameters of the natural system. The question ‘how can the different technological artefacts in the subsurface be synchronised to offer more space and add to a higher urban quality?’ was answered by taking procedural steps away from the technology to the design of public spaces and major urban structures. At each step, the translation from the engineering language to the language of urban designers, and viceversa, produced an informative and helpful overview of relating technological artefacts to urban quality.

The second phase of the project focused on the question: In what way must the subsurface be architecturally represented to support a new script that consciously links the surface to the subsurface in urban development processes and products? The research was done through analyses of visualisations of the different disciplines, a literature review on the design notions

stemming from Landscape Urbanism, and by using the agencies of visualisation and drawing to provoke and instigate interdisciplinary co-creation as well as advancing the project of Integrated Infrastructure and Environment Design.

The main conclusions of the project are that visualisations (especially the section) are not only a way to communicate an analysis but also a means for the internalisation of different types of data. The technical profile that was drawn up helped the urban designer better understand the technology in the area rather than being used to communicate this information to a broader audience. Interdisciplinary research has shown that the future legacy of various disciplines is moving toward the manifestation on the surface of previously ‘hidden’ technologies. Thus, the relationship between engineering and urbanlandscape planning and design will become more reciprocal than ever. This will require new ways of working and new methods of engagement in urban design and maintenance and a new attitude towards natural capital. The project laid the foundation for further research in the Highway & City, City of the Future, and City x Space projects.

PROJECT

Maastricht Case – Impression of Industriehof Rijdam (Team Obscura, -C-A-S-, Bureau Ufo, Oto Landscape Architecture, Studio Bereikbaar)

Spatial Design Starts with a Cross Section

The subsurface as a building block for the future-proof city

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Maastricht (The Netherlands); Leuven, Mechelen, and Oostende (Belgium)

Oosteinde

AUTHORS Fransje Hooimeijer (TU Delft), Hans de Boer (TU Delft DIMI)

TYPE OF PROJECT Design study with practice

YEAR 2021

PARTNERS TU Delft: Hans de Boer, Fransje Hooimeijer, and Joran Kuijper, Center for Underground Construction (COB): Gijsbert Schuur, Vereniging Deltametropool: Thomas Dillon Peynado, Departement Environment, Flemish government: Shana Debroc and Marleen Duflos, Municipalities of the cases, Sweco Belgium/BUUR, Enprodes, CITYFÖRSTER, Openfabric, MOVE Mobility, Delft engineers: BVR, VenhoevenCS, Sweco and Maakdestad, team HUS: Arup bv, MGR Infra, TEK architects, GHARP, RHDHV, Wieke Villerius, team SUPTERRA: Overlantlandscape architects, BD+P architects and planners, AGT, team GRONDWERK: Obscura, C-A-S-, Bureau Ufo, OTO and Studio Bereikbaar

LOCATIONS Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Maastricht (The Netherlands); Leuven, Mechelen, and Oostende (Belgium)

KEYWORDS Integrated and multifunctional use of space, Spatial advantage, Environmental quality, Modal-shift, Climate adaptation, Energy transition, Design strategies, Integrated business-model, Urban value

INTRODUCTION

Innovating from the subsurface perspective

This design study builds on research by TU Delft and the Environment Department of the Flemish Government and on the vision and design created by the multidisciplinary teams from the field and student teams from TU Delft. As in the Netherlands, there is a desire among Flanders’ politicians and administrators to realise new functions and programmes as much as possible within the existing built environment, with a higher ‘spatial efficiency’ for public space and buildings. Due to a multitude of tasks and systemic transitions in densifying cities, and with it, the increase in spatial claims, the pressure on public space is increasing. How much densification is still possible for locations already overloaded with programmes and where public space – both above ground and below ground level – is already filled up? How can the spatial efficiency of the city be increased in an innovative and, above all, sustainable manner? The design study looked at the possibility of designing the arrangement of urban functions from a subsurface perspective, building on the Intelligent Subsurface project.

(Source: Thomas Dillon, Vereniging Deltametropool)

Rotterdam

Mechelen

Oostende

CROSS SECTION Groundwater system of the six cities

Rotterdam

Enhancing urban resilience

The main challenge of the project was: How can the integral and multifunctional use of space – public space, subsurface, and buildings – within a densified urban environment create space and value that contribute to an attractive and future-proof living environment? The working hypothesis was that the integral design of subsurface, public space, and buildings requires an adaptive and resilient design in which the ecosystem, the climate, and the urban system are designed together and in which the soil dynamics are taken as the basis.

The subsurface plays an important role in the urban climate challenge. Higher rainfall calls for urban adaptations. The soil plays a major role in water storage and drainage. In combating heat stress, open soil is an essential element that lays the foundation for cooling greenery and acts as a carrier for improving biodiversity. Soil also plays a vital role in the energy transition. Systems for heat and cold storage (ATES) and the potential of geothermal energy in the Netherlands and Flanders are important elements of the new energy system. Everything that happens underground in civil constructions adds value to the city, so it is necessary to be smart about it.

When the whole spatial section is taken into account, more benefits could be created in order to justify making high investments in the subsurface and connecting it with urban surface development. Moreover, the soil is literally the substrate for spatial quality and robustness; it is the subsurface that houses the natural system.

Integrating urban and subsurface design

COB and TU Delft, together with the Flemish Government, have carried out a design study into the possibilities of integral and multifunctional use of space within densified cities in the Netherlands and Flanders. This was based on long-term research carried out by these institutions. In this project, seven consortia of architects, urbanists, landscape architects, and engineers from different disciplines were invited to work on six neighbourhoods in three Dutch and three Flemish cities. These areas all faced particular issues with regard to their urban locations and specific positions in the soil-water system and, more generally, the challenge of providing an attractive and future-proof living environment. What is interesting about the results is that the definition of the problem is based on each neighbourhood’s relative position in the design of the cross section of public space, subsurface, and buildings.

Ostende case – The application of different measures to the site (Team Sweco Belgium - Divisie Buur, Enprodes)

Ostende case – Circularity in five dimensions (Team Sweco Belgium - Divisie Buur, Enprodes)

replacing the natural system with urbanisation

PROJECT RESULTS

Addressing diverse subsurface challenges

The cities in the study are located in different positions in the delta with different conditions when it comes to the soil and water system. Their position determines the challenges they face, due to the conditions that can vary (from west to east) with regard to salinised groundwater, subsidence, flooding, and drought. These challenges are not only caused by changes in the hydrological system due to climate change but also by replacing the natural system with urbanisation. Two subsurface challenges that play a role in all cities are soil pollution and the underground infrastructure. All six cities aim to improve the quality and climate resilience (through adaptation or mitigation) of their public space and real estate in the neighbourhoods under scrutiny in order to support the socio-economic structure.

Ostende

In Ostende, the team has designed a matrix to link the subsurface challenges to circularity and high-quality and climate-proof spatial development derived from their circular approach. The challenges include dealing with the soil contamination of the former industrial area and the salinisation of the groundwater in the design process for the new maker district.

Rotterdam

Marconiplein in Rotterdam is a huge traffic and local public transport node intended to provide a highquality connection between adjacent, developing neighbourhoods. CityFörster’s team proposes to make

this connection by opening up the node and turning the intersection inside out, as it were, into a qualitative user space with its own green and open character, accessible from all neighbourhoods. The second team for this location, consisting of Delft engineers, elaborated on the idea of the multifunctional dike (water defence, park, and shopping facilities) of the adjacent Dakpark and designed a dike park that connects the surrounding neighbourhoods like a green heart. Both proposals make qualitative use of the height differences in the area: the dike and the inner and outer dike levels make the junction spatially interesting.

Amsterdam

The issues in the Amsterdam Bellamy district are typical of all polder cities in the Netherlands, where subsidence, an overload of subsurface infrastructure, and high groundwater levels make the redevelopment of the existing city virtually impossible. The Hus team developed a stakeholder and parametric design approach that should help navigate between the desirable and the possible. They designed a flexible green-blue network for the Bellamy neighbourhood that connects community energy hubs. They use the quay wall renewal to replace the wall with a multifunctional space housing a multi-utility tunnel. This tunnel will accommodate a heat network and underground bicycle park while the soil on top can be cleared and planted. Cars are banned from the streets and parked in a mobility hub located within a 15-minute walk. This improves the quality of the public space and stimulates the energy transition.

Maastricht Case – Impression of Industriehof Rijdam (Team Obscura, -C-A-S-, Bureau Ufo, Oto Landscape Architecture, Studio Bereikbaar)

Rotterdam Case – Perspective cross section with housing along the dike park and subterranean water storage (Team BVR, VenhoevenCS, Sweco, Maakdestad)

‘Nature streets’ in Nazareth, Maastricht (Team Obscura, -C-A-S-, Bureau Ufo, Oto Landscape Architecture, Studio Bereikbaar)

multifunctional use of available space

Mechelen and Leuven

In Mechelen and Leuven, the architectural assignments for both districts aim to include the underground space in the above-ground programme to add significant value without disturbing the groundwater system. In Mechelen, it was a central park building designed by team tek, using height differences, and anticipating future functions and their related values. In Leuven, the SUPTERRA design team designed a building as a sloping landscape with underground functions. Here, the design uses the stable subsoil, the deep groundwater table, and the high-quality sands that can be used as a raw material. There are three aquifers, two of which are highly suitable for thermal storage. The research question was as follows: How can we use the site to release the spatial pressure of urban densification by engaging the subsoil and, through phased restructuring, lay the foundations for an energyneutral, socially inclusive, ecologically robust, and liveable neighbourhood?

SUPERTERRA’s design used three clear and integral concepts: a pleated ground level, a living site, and climate joints. ‘Pleated ground’ entails opening up the soil and having inside and outside, above and below, flow into each other, creating new spaces tailored to the user. Flora, fauna, and people live together in the ‘living site’; the trees also grow ‘inside’. This principle maximises the proportion of healthy soil, permeable surface, and naturally built-up vegetation layers. Climate joints are created by bundling several urban and ecosystem services into hyper-effective continuous corridors. These are part of a network in which publicspace water storage, heat-stress reduction, increasing biodiversity, green mobility, and energy generation and distribution are systematically added to the city.

Maastricht

Finally, the Maastricht team deployed the Nazareth district heat network as a spatial strategy for clustering urbanisation in a shrinking region. Part of this strategy involved developing a ‘nature-street’ principle for the shrinking district. Instead of resorting to the demolition of houses and empty spaces in the neighbourhood, the Grondwerk team proposes replacing the demolished houses with greenhouses. These will be added to the remaining houses to increase the size of the houses and make them suitable for families and other target groups that would like to stay in the neighbourhood, which now lacks the desired type of housing. In addition, the greenhouse forms an intermediate climate where the air is heated and supplied to the rest of the house with a heat pump. These houses do not require connecting to the heat network. The greenhouse creates a new interaction between the inside and the outside, with the landscape as part of the living space. To us, this illustrates the potential living quality of the urban fringe of the future.

Lessons learned

The design results and the essays written for publication resulted in 14 lessons learnt. The main point was the innovative viewpoint that the subsurface could be used to tackle urban challenges and the use of space – another mindset and another way of dealing with actions. A paradigm shift is needed for the integrated and multifunctional use of the available space. The subsurface is part of the solution by setting new conditions for public space and existing or new buildings. This would include paying specific attention to the subsoil and the water system in order to restore natural processes. Finally, the need for other business cases is manifest; sustainability and its future benefits or avoidance of climate changerelated damage would justify the necessary investments.

(Team Overlant landscape architects, BD+P architects and planners, and AGT)

#VOID EARTH LEUVEN

The multifunctional embankment in the Amsterdam Bellamy district (Team Hus tea)

EVALUATION

Multidisciplinary insights and long-term perspectives

This study contributes to insights into integrating the qualities and interests of the subsoil and topsoil in vision formation with regard to densifying cities. The project is characterised by interdisciplinary design by consortia of members from various relevant professions. The teams were free to choose their approach to the issues formulated by the municipalities, the location, and the design proposition. The teams opted for different approaches, such as the stakeholder perspective, parametric design, system engineering, urban metabolism, layers, or a specific sustainability approach. While differing in their approach, the designs all meet the criteria of the central question of the design study in similar ways. This proves that tailor-made solutions can contribute to more generic social themes and challenges. The trans-disciplinarity was achieved by collaborating with the municipalities. In this sense, these design studies are exemplary for research and practice coming together.

With the publication of the design studies, the teams’ approaches and designs were subject to further investigation from five cross-cutting thematic perspectives in order to reveal more generic insights and practical knowledge at the study level. This concerned the integrated and multifunctional use of space, representation, planning and design of the sub-surface, architectural and urban concepts, the plan evaluation of the designs for their urban scale and system-level contributions, and business-case development.

The Longue Durée aspect of this topic has a twofold relevance. First, the fact that urban systems are left behind in the subsurface makes it possible to trace their history. This is the Longue Durée in the literal sense: legible archaeological findings. The accompanying risks and opportunities need to be taken into account when redeveloping areas. The second point is that the subsurface of water and geomorphological systems are

Longue Durée, structural, spatial elements with a long timespan. Man-made systems have their own – shorter –Longue Durée because these systems define the urban tissue, such as the networks of cables and pipes, which are like corsets for the urban layout and hard to change. On the other hand, new heat networks could restructure and renew the public space for the next decades. Both these relevancies were incorporated in the designs and brought into the future by the teams by explicitly adding a time dimension to their projects.

CONCLUSION

Unlocking the subsurface potential

The results of the study show that if a city’s cross-section is taken as a starting point for the creation of space and value above ground, unforeseen opportunities arise, and logical connections can be made between measures that are future-proof and will prevent further overexploitation of the soil by the city. This will take the pressure off of competing claims for the public space.

Apart from the introductory masterclasses, the ‘technical sessions’ provided additional support for the City x Space study. At the start of the consortia’s design processes, the technical data of the areas were discussed in the technical sessions. The differences between the six municipalities were extensive. While Amsterdam proactively involved specialists, Rotterdam had an urban planner who attempted to mediate. Maastricht hired an engineering firm that took part in the study.

The subsurface is different everywhere, as are other conditions, and because of these differences, it is important to involve specialists who can interpret the data. Increased insight and knowledge decrease the gap between the people with knowledge of the subsurface artefacts, the engineers, and the spatial designers, so that the interpretation of subsurface data can take a more prominent role in spatial planning and design processes for the built environment. Facilitating the integration of subsurface data into spatial designing and planning is an essential element of this process.

Antropogeen

Formatie van Echteld

Formatie van Nieuwkoop, Hollandveen laagpakket

Formatie van Kreftenheye

Formatie van Naaldwijk, laagpakket van Wormer

Formatie van Echteld

Formatie van Peize en formatie van Waalre

3.4.3 PROJECT Spatial Design Starts with a Cross Section

Riolering

Formatie van Kreftenheye

Drinkwater

Formatie van Peize en formatie van Waalre

Riolering

Rotterdam

Warmtenet-transport

Electriciteit

Drinkwater

Data

Warmtenet-transport

Antropogeen

Palen

Antropoceen

Electriciteit

Formatie van Nieuwkoop, Hollandveen laagpakket

Data

Formation of Nieuwkoop

Grondwaterstand in mNAP

Formatie van Naaldwijk, laagpakket van Wormer

Palen

Formation of Naaldwijk

Formatie van Echteld

Formation of Echteld

Grondwaterstand in mNAP

Formatie van Kreftenheye

Formation of Kreftenheye

Formatie van Peize en formatie van Waalre

Formation of Peize and Waalre

Riolering

Sewer

Drinkwater

Drinking water

Warmtenet-transport

District heating transport

Electriciteit

Formatie van Nieuwkoop, Hollandveen laagpakket

Electricity

Data

Data

Formatie van Naaldwijk, laagpakket van Wormer

Formatie van Echteld

Palen

Formatie van Kreftenheye

Grondwaterstand in mNAP

Foundation piles Groundwater level in MSL

Formatie van Peize en formatie van Waalre

Riolering

Drinkwater

Warmtenet-transport

Electriciteit

Data

Palen

Grondwaterstand in mNAP

Hoogte in mNAP

Bebouwing

Bebouwing

Archeologie

Water

Vervuiling

Groen

Boom

Riolering

Drinkwater

Height in MSL

Archeologie

Hoogte in mNAP

Water

Buildings

Bebouwing

Vervuiling

Archeologie

Archeology

Groen

Water

Water

Boom

Pollution

Vervuiling

Groen

Green structure

Riolering

Drinkwater

Boom

Tree

Sewer

Warmtenet- transport

Riolering

Drinkwater

Warmtenet - aansluiting

Drinkwater

Hoogte in mNAP

Weg

Hoogte in mNAP

District heating transport

Warmtenet- transport

Weg

Bebouwing

Warmtenet - aansluiting

District heating distribution

Archeologie

subsurface potential

Weg

Road

Water

Vervuiling

Groen

Boom

Warmtenet- transport

Riolering

Drinkwater

Warmtenet - aansluiting

Warmtenet- transport

Warmtenet - aansluiting

Weg

Antropogeen

Zand

Veen

Lichte zavel

Zware zavel

Lichte klei

Zware klei

Water

Antropoceen

Antropogeen

Sand

Zand

Peat

Veen

Antropogeen

Zand

Light sand

Lichte zavel

Heavy sand

Zware zavel

Veen

Light clay

Lichte klei

Lichte zavel

Heavy clay

Zware klei

Zware zavel

Water

Water

Lichte klei

Zware klei

Water

Antropogeen

Zand

Veen

Lichte zavel

Zware zavel

Lichte klei

Zware klei

Water

PROJECT

(Source: https://www.huitu.com/photo/show/20230811/192205372208.html, printing license purchased)

Duodao District in Jingmen

Eco City Jingmen

Advising a municipal government in central China on its urban and industrial transformation strategy

Jingmen (China)

AUTHORS Martin de Jong (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Meiling Han (Harbin Institute of Technology), Zhaowen Liu (TU Delft), Biyue Wang (Tsinghua University), Yun Song (Guangdong University of Technology)

TYPE OF PROJECT Challenges

YEAR 2016 – 2018

PARTNERS TU Delft (TPM/BK/CITG), Erasmus University Rotterdam (EI DoIP), Harbin Institute of Technology, City of Jingmen (Hubei), Institute for Building Research (IBR)

LOCATION Jingmen (China)

KEYWORDS Eco cities, Urban development –Jingmen China, Real-life consultancy project, Cross-regional teamwork

INTRODUCTION

Point of departure

Jingmen is located in central China, in Hubei province, and it is home to more than 2 million people. It has a strong tradition in the petrochemical and cement industries but faces increasingly severe environmental contamination due to the emissions produced by these industries. Air pollution in particular is noticeable during walks outside. Through the Institute for Building Research (IBR), the municipal government has asked international partners to come up with ideas and an integrated approach for making Jingmen an ecocity.

Balancing legacy and aspirations

The urban and industrial transformation of a working city reliant on manufacturing activities that offer employment to its population is a major challenge. In addition, some of these industries (i.e. petroleum) are state-owned enterprises that are controlled by the national government and therefore cannot easily (if at all) be regulated or abolished, while restructuring others will almost automatically hurt the economy. In addition to possible industrial interventions, revision of the transport infrastructure system is being considered, as is the development of a new green area near a beautiful and clean lake as an attractive tourist destination. City branding is proposed to further the process of self-reinvention and attract outside corporate activity. However, national and international goods, services, and people from outside Hubei province may experience difficulties in reaching Jingmen: it is a few hours away from Wuhan by road or rail, and its tiny airport is used to test aerospace industry innovations and does not handle regular passenger or freight traffic.

Research process

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE PROJECT Chang

Yu, Daan Schraven, Liang Dong, Marcel Hertogh, Mark de Bruijne, Martijn Leijten, Rui Mu, Wei Yang, Wenting Ma, Xinyu Liu, Yawei Chen, Qin Fan, Ye Qiu

Although the research team met with the city’s Deputy Mayor and key public officials in the presence of both IBR representatives and professors from TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam, the actual data was primarily collected by Chinese PhD students working at the Dutch universities. The various sub-reports were jointly written by the PhD students and their professors. At the end of the visit, a large-scale workshop with all participants and several external contributors was held to discuss the key findings and improve the draft reports that were already on the table, and the final report was presented to key officials from the Jingmen government.

Shanghai Jingmen

Jingmen Wuhan

Shanghai

balancing legacy

Position of Jingmen in the national mid- and long-term high-speed railway plan (Source: PRC National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), 2016)

Suburban area of Jingmen (Zhaowen Liu)

Aifeike Aviation Town (Zhaowen Liu)

Master plan of Jingmen (2011 – 2030) (Source: The Municipality of Jingmen)

city branding strategy

PROJECT RESULTS

Key focus areas

Since eco-city development is a broad topic and our team is not experienced in all relevant subject areas, the parties involved agreed to focus on four specific aspects: Jingmen’s city branding options, the development of its local (especially public) transport system, the location for a new High-Speed Railway station, and the feasibility of transforming its current industrial parks into one or more so-called Eco-Industrial Parks. Each subproject had its own head researcher(s) and was described in one chapter of the final report.

City-branding challenges

With regard to Jingmen’s city-branding activities, our research essentially demonstrated a mismatch between the industrial profile of the city and the economic activities generating most of its local GDP, that is, primarily heavy industry on the one hand and the municipality’s wish to portray itself as leading in agriculture (China’s Agricultural Valley) and as increasingly green and scenic on the other. Although the area does possess these features, as can be seen from its high-quality food production, its large-scale biological agriculture fairs, its famous natural lake in Zhanghe district, and its investments in hotels and entertainment facilities, these are primarily aimed at drawing the attention away from its less attractive industrial image. The new branding policy goes handin-hand with the new town development in the green Zhanghe district, where new middle-class housing construction has taken place and where impressive multi-lane road infrastructure has been built. In many ways, the local government sees a new future for the city, away from its old and densely inhabited, somewhat small, outdated, and polluted city centre and into the larger, green districts surrounding it.

The difficulty is that phasing in new areas with new economic activities coincides with the need to phase out or dramatically modernise existing areas. While the first is being undertaken with great zest, the latter is considered too demanding and too painful to execute. According to the team, dealing with this dilemma in the city branding strategy is an absolute requirement to make it actionable and realistic, but this has not happened so far. As researchers, we have shied away from proposing a brand because viable city brands are created in an interactive process with input from various departments and, in this case, should reflect the desire to build a strong eco-industry – which would entail reforming the existing industrial patterns. In short, we have given the Jingmen government pointers about what matters and how the process can be organised without giving a definitive answer on the brand to choose.

Developing public transport

With regard to the traffic situation in the city, we have concluded that the traffic plans express a strong preference for the development of higher quality public transport. However, this priority is barely or not at all reflected in current policy and investment patterns.

Large brand-new multi-lane roads have been built connecting Zhanghe New District to other parts of the city, while the bus system has not received new funding and is ailing and underused. The local government has expressly rejected ideas of moving towards a Bus Rapid Transit System, arguing that it would be ineffective, but one of the neighbouring cities has adopted the system, and there, in spite of initially mixed evaluations, it has more recently been shown to give a major boost to collective passenger traffic. Jingmen still has a long way to go in implementing its own eco ideals.

Challenges faced by Jingmen in promoting EIPs (Zhaowen Liu)

Deep circular development

 Enterprise energy synergistic supply and demand matching, resource synergistic utilization disjointed.

 The industry chain is single, and the degree of reuse and resource correlation is not enough.

 The lack of a convenient information communication platform.

 The information service support is few.

 Energy-efficient construction and systematic information silos need to be improved.

Enterprise development

 Industrial supporting services to support the development of enterprises are weak.

 Industrial support policies for enterprises are not competitive enough.

 There is no agglomeration competitiveness of enterprise group.

Sustainable operation

 The input-output of management is out of balance.

 Lacks the attraction for talents and technical funds

 Market competitiveness of corporate earnings

Excessively long sidewalks and bike lanes

Pavement occupied by vans and motorcycles

Bicyclists and pedestrians on the roadway (Yun Song)

Taxis violating the rules by picking up passengers in random places (Yun Song)

a more realistic and reasonable size

Situating a High-Speed Railway station

To a certain extent, the same argument applies to Jingmen’s initial policy preferences for the location of its new High-Speed Railway station. The local government has been particularly happy for its urban area to be selected after successful lobby campaigns for the construction of a medium-sized HSR station at the intersection of two large North South and East West railway lines, but finding the right location has been complicated. One should realise that building such stations in the Chinese administrative context is first a symbol of further extending the urban frontiers into developing new towns, boosting economic activity and augmenting GDP, and only secondly a means for efficiently transporting local and other passengers. Local government officials were asked to choose between three locations, one of which was further out of town, one in the suburbs, and one in Zhanghe, between the city centre and the lake, none of which are in a central location. Although the Jingmen government’s original preference was for the one furthest out of town (‘allowing it to develop totally new land’), pressure from the central government aimed at minimising risky infrastructure investments that are likely to disappoint, and our advice led Jingmen eventually to opt for the Zhanghe location. Moreover, they initially envisaged a massively large station building but later concluded that it might be better to scale down to a more realistic and reasonable size.

Initiating Eco Industrial Parks

Finally, we explored the possibility of turning the existing industrial complex into a (series of) Eco Industrial Parks in which the symbiosis of resources could be realised, in line with EIP complexes

established elsewhere in the country. That proved to be a tough job, given that apart from the very large national petroleum industry, many companies were relatively stand-alone and did not have demonstrable connections and interactions with others. Moreover, many were at great distances from one another, making the exchange of resources and knowledge fairly difficult. Although we did suggest applying for EIP status with the national government based on a convincing plan, we believe that making the current corporations more knowledgeintensive and gradually updating their pollution profiles by making their installations more environmentally sophisticated really is the way forward.

Smart industrial parks in China Blue: National Economic and Technological Development Zones; Red: National High-Tech Industrial Development Zones. (Source: by

Master plan of Zhanghe New District (2012 – 2030)

(Source: The Municipality of Jingmen)

Potential Jingmen HSR station locations (Biyue Wang)

Development zones related to the accessibility of an HSR place

Rail stations will differ depending on their location — downtown, airport transfer, suburban, and small town. While every station area is unique and should reflect local context, culture and climate, some common principles apply to the creation of forms and public spaces regardless of location. These principles and related strategies draw upon transit-oriented development (TOD) concepts. (Biyue Wang)

Location types of HSR stations (Yin)

• Front area-200m Public infrastructure, public transport, squares

• Station area-500/600m

Retail, restaurant, hotel, commercial and business

• Influenced area- 1,000m Tourism, education, sports, research

• Jingmen City

Station area and its environs (schematically)

Zhanghe New District

City center

Guishan

Zhouhe

Tandian

Type one: located beside or within the traditional CBD

Type two: located on the edge of cities

Type three: located in Edge City

(HSL)

Jingmen needs to become a City of Quality

EVALUATION

Productive Dutch-Chinese collaboration

The intensive interaction between the research team from the Netherlands (with Chinese members) and Chinese policy advisors and consultants has been uncommonly fruitful. Ideas were exchanged in a series of meetings, workshops, and dinners involving the key participants. During those occasions, most senior people from the Jingmen government and advisory agencies were present, while most or all senior members of the Dutch research team and a few external scholars were flown in. Critical discussions were held, and key decisions were made. The Chinese PhD students working in Dutch academia were based in Jingmen for a few months, where they familiarised themselves with the situation, collected data, read reports, and conducted interviews. These background studies led to draft texts that were discussed during the ‘full meetings’ and taken to a higher level. The final report was eventually presented by the project leader and, after slight revisions, approved by the Jingmen government.

The most demonstrable policy impact our interventions had, was on the choice for the HSR station location closer to town. On other counts, we nudged the policy debate in a more environmentally sustainable direction

without altering policy choices in terms of better public transport or eco-industrial parks. Our ideas about city branding were ardently discussed and proved very popular. Their realisation was interrupted by COVID, and the discussion has not yet been resumed.

Academic results

In terms of academic output, the project has been a remarkable success. The conditions agreed to in the contract allowed for the free use of the data gathered and this has benefited the public records enormously. The five Chinese PhD students involved have published at least one article on their experiences in Jingmen, and although their stay there was not always easy, it has enriched their view of Chinese life in a fourth-tier city.

CONCLUSION

Final recommendations

The key findings in our report can thus be summarised as follows:

1. Current agricultural and tourist brands are continued as niche brands, but a new overarching brand will incorporate the vital importance of the secondary industrial complex and start off the deep, genuine, and at times challenging transformation process of turning it into an Eco Industrial Complex. Only then can the green and tourist niche brands be taken seriously.

2. The new HSR station presents a great opportunity: not for constructing more massive-scale cheap real estate in the suburbs, but as one of the highquality service hubs in Zhanghe where a valuable connection can be made with service industries in the vicinity of the station, the new administrative section to the east of it, and the green and sensitive lake area to the west of it. Hence, the tertiary economic activity can grow and flourish. For this to work, the station should be built at an attractive, small scale with high-quality space, which can be expanded when demand picks up.

TOD community and TOD city Transit-oriented development (TOD) aims to prevent urban sprawl, encouraging integrated urban land use and transit system development, with relatively high density, mixed land use, pedestrian-friendly built environment within walking distance of a transit station (400-600m). TOD encourages priority of public transport, limitation of private car usage, integration of multi-mode transit and a slow traffic system.

3. A complete set of transport facilities must be provided, instead of just roads. The initially rejected option of developing BRT for the main city lines should be reconsidered (partly coming in lieu of current relatively unsuccessful regular bus services), TOD precepts for urban development should be taken seriously, and detailed secondary and tertiary roads and feeder buses should receive more attention than they have received thus far.

4. To thrive economically, socially, and environmentally, Jingmen needs to become a City of Quality where all three economic sectors and all transport modes are taken seriously and get their share of the municipal attention. Success will not come easy and may require tough choices, but the more conservative alternatives are dead ends.

Ports & Hubs

Role of Stations

PortCityFutures Dualities

The Port and the Fall of Icarus

The Airport Technology Lab

Maarten Van Acker

All Aboard! – Navigating the design and integration of next-generation transport hubs

How might we describe the relationship between our cities and their ports, railway stations, and airports in contemporary terms? Are they ‘frenemies’ or perhaps ‘co-opetitors’? Do they maintain a ‘Living Apart Together’ (LAT) relationship, or is it more akin to the non-committal stage of a ‘situationship’, as young people call it these days? For now, let us stick to Facebook’s nuanced relationship status of “it’s complicated” to describe their interaction. Despite the complexity, professional planning literature has no shortage of positive metaphors underscoring the superior significance of (air)ports and stations for the city: gateways to the city, economic engines, multimodal nodes, employment hubs, and development centres, among others. Each metaphor highlights the significant weight these hubs carry in urban growth and development. Yet, in the public perception, (air)ports and stations in major cities often represent society’s underbelly, frequently portrayed in the media as settings for undesirable activities and sources of irritation. Issues such as drug and human trafficking, homelessness, prostitution, noise pollution, traffic jams, and air pollution commonly feature in discussions about these urban hubs.

Cities and Hubs Juxtaposed

Such friction was already noted by Juel Christiansen in 1985 in his work Monument & Niche.1 He observed how the large-scale infrastructures of the modern city often sit in stark contrast to our historic urban cores. In the early 1980s, he chartered a small tourist plane to survey the outskirts of Copenhagen from the air, capturing new urban forms. Taken at a height of approximately 200 metres, his slightly oblique-axis photographs offered insights into the height, density, and age of various urban elements, unlike the traditional orthogonal aerial photographs. Amidst what initially appeared randomness, Juel Christiansen identified recurring ‘urban facts’ in the port and rail infrastructures. He noted the uneasy coexistence of elements from both the old and industrial worlds, often resulting in friction. On one side stood the historical city, an organically evolved space navigable by landmarks, hierarchical street patterns, and natural elements. On the other side lay the rational city, characterised by large-scale industrial developments and abrupt changes in scale, its locations defined more by GPS coordinates than by physical features, growing at a rapid pace. Christiansen concluded with a note of optimism that the boundary lines between those two worlds could become meaningful spaces, weaving together the intimate scale of the individual with the grand scale of industry and infrastructure.

Shifting History

Throughout history, the interfaces and boundaries between industrial hubs and the city have shifted dramatically. Indeed, until the 19th century, stations and ports were often intimately intertwined with the

urban fabric.2 More than that, these transport nodes frequently played a socio-economically vital role and, in some cases, even represented the origins of the city itself. Riverbeds gave rise to the first trading villages, while canal docks and quays facilitated transhipment and structured the first districts. Stopping points on the railroad lines spawned new station districts or working-class villages; station streets and squares attracted post offices, hotels, catering establishments, and industry. In the course of the 20th century, this symbiotic relationship came under pressure, often driven by technological innovation and economies of scale, as well as by the transformations in the overall network of which they were a part. Ports expanded in size, stretching beyond outdated city walls, with quays being relocated and lengthened and ever-larger warehouses and factories erected in their wake. They intertwined with rail and station, which in turn wove around themselves ever larger rail yards, residential areas, warehouses, and industry. In the early 20th century, aviation also began to establish a structured presence around our cities with the formation of Europe’s first commercial airports.

Only after WWII did the schism between the hubs and the city fully unfold. Ports sought ever larger areas outside the city, seaward or upstream, to accommodate ever larger industries and fleets, this time with trucks and highways serving as the vital links rather than rail. Meanwhile, airports expanded with more and longer runways; larger terminals and logistics centres, situated outside the city, claimed their spots in the transportation network. The airports, now also accommodating jets, increasingly functioned as multimodal hubs, becoming larger and more sophisticated with an expanding array of facilities for passengers and cargo. Stations, too, underwent major transformations to accommodate cars and, later, the high-speed trains (HSTs), alongside additional dense office and residential developments.

Challenges and Chances

Today, all three – ports, airports, and railway stations – often find themselves at odds with the city and its residents. Ports are a source of contention mostly due to the traffic congestion they create and the pressure they exert on urban infrastructure, not to mention their contribution to air pollution. However, this tension is equally driven by urban development pressures that covet the older port areas adjacent to the city, eyeing them for transformation into trendy residential areas. Airports, on the other hand, struggle with limited expansion options and, more critically, the noise pollution that affects nearby residents. Their impact on air quality and reliance on fossil fuels urgently necessitates a drastic and sustainable change in direction.

Photos and analysis from the flight over Copenhagen, from Juel Christiansen’s book Monument & Niche, showing port and rail infrastructures as a juxtaposition of urban facts

Of the three, railway stations seem to integrate best into their surroundings. The main tension arises indirectly, primarily due to the triggered development pressure, which leads to gentrification and resentment in the neighbourhood. Complicating the relationship between these hubs and the city is the fact that they are also often governed by other (i.e., higher) policy levels, administrations, and specialists, and involve stakeholders operating at a more international level than is typical for urban renewal projects.

Despite the apparent tension in the relationship with urban environments, the rapidly evolving landscape of infrastructure and urban development presents a broad spectrum of hopeful evolutions, posing significant design challenges for designers and planners. Whether it concerns train stations, ports, or airports, it has become spatially untenable to view these transport hubs merely as logistical necessities of the city or region, relegated behind planning buffer zones, in monofunctional business parks, or as an underground black box. The technical apparatus of the city profoundly influences the socioeconomic and cultural dynamics of the urban environment, making it imperative to address their spatial challenges and potential generative qualities without relying solely on engineers for their design.

Train stations today are recognised for their role beyond mere transit machines, as they were often perceived in the 1970s, with the surrounding public space often regarded as a ‘non-place’. They are increasingly being transformed into lively, multifunctional spaces that become integral parts of the city, positively impacting surrounding neighbourhoods. Initiatives such as Randstad in the Netherlands and Grand Paris in France exemplify this shift, focusing not just on increasing ride frequency or expanding the infrastructure network but also on integrating train stations into the socio-cultural and economic fabric of the city. They become mobility hubs as well as catalysts for urban development, driving sustainable lifestyles, circular economies, and a vibrant social fabric in metropolitan areas.

At the interface of land and water, ports today shoulder a dual responsibility: facilitating maritime activities while also stewarding the natural water landscape. Best practices include making the city resilient to climate change, leading in climate adaptation, energy transition, enhancing biodiversity, and restoring ecological continuity. At the same time, the ports are tasked with promoting sustainable and circular economic growth, inclusive employment, and social welfare. The relationship between the port and the city is now crucial to the port’s future vitality, merging what were once two separate worlds.

As international connectors, airports face the dual challenge of accommodating increasing numbers of passengers and cargo while operating sustainably. Successful airport designs and plans mitigate environmental impacts on air and noise, incorporate technological advances, and ensure seamless integration with sustainable urban transportation systems. However, thoughtful urban design also explores how not only tourists and local businesses, but also nearby residents can benefit from the airport’s additional amenities, logistics, and transportation capabilities.

Hub Research

The Ports & Hubs chapter presents four projects offering comprehensive insight into contemporary design approaches and strategies for developing transportation hubs.

Role of Stations (P 222) delves into the evolution of train stations, highlighting their multifaceted roles within urban environments. The authors identify three new roles for these rail hubs: firstly, stations are transforming from mere juxtapositions of platforms into intermodal hubs that integrate various modes of transportation; secondly, they are becoming social and economic meeting places; and thirdly, they serve as data centres, acting as urban nodes where information is collected and generated about the city and about ways to enhance the efficiency and user experience of the stations themselves.

PortCityFutures (P 232) examines the intricate dynamics of port cities, employing interdisciplinary methods to address the challenges and opportunities that arise at the interface of ports, cities, and their surrounding areas. The project contemplates several future scenarios: will the status quo prevail, or will ports take on pioneering roles? It poses the question of whether ports can transform into innovative centres for the circular economy, green energy exchange, creative entrepreneurship, and new technology in concert with urban development.

The Port and the Fall of Icarus (P 242), developed with the support of several institutions, focuses on the architecture of logistics and the social and political implications of infrastructure spaces in port cities. The installation emphasises the necessity of collaboration across disciplines – designers, artists, planners, historians, philosophers, engineers – and between academia, policymakers, and private sector entrepreneurs to harmonise the industrial demands of ports with sustainable urban development and climate goals.

The Airport Technology Lab (P 252), with a specific focus on Rotterdam-The Hague Airport, zeroes in on the digital and data aspects of these hubs. This field lab has embarked on pioneering research and innovation in airport technology to enhance airport operations, safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Innovations include software for flight-togate planning, 4D weather maps, and turbulence prediction at take-off, among other things.

Future Practices

These projects underscore the importance of viewing transportation hubs not just as transit points within an intricate global logistics network but as full-fledged destinations and pleasant urban spaces. This perspective necessitates correspondingly innovative designs, prompting a design practice that rethinks its fundamentals. Gone are the days of abstract zoning plans, purely technical engineering drawings, or architecturally generic layouts. Nor have past totalitarian master plans succeeded in addressing the spatial challenges of transportation hubs. The new design practice must ensure that the design of transportation hubs can adapt to rapidly changing needs and technologies, such as accommodating autonomous vehicles, responding to rapid changes in traveller preferences, or the highly variable real estate market. This calls for an adaptable approach to design, creating plans that inherently offer flexibility and scalability from the outset.3

A second constant across the projects is the collective aim to promote intermodality. Seamlessness has become the paramount objective. The outdated just-in-time model, with trucks as the main logistics conduit of the 1990s, is being supplanted by a more resilient and sustainable system, with hubs acting as nodes in rail and water networks. Properly connecting different modes of transportation is crucial to enhancing user experience and access, thereby promoting sustainable transportation. Alongside additional infrastructure and improved public spaces, ICT also plays a vital role. Avoiding the simplistic allure of ‘smart cities’ and maintaining a critical stance on dependency on technology giants, data analysis and new technology in these hubs can significantly improve operational efficiency and user comfort.

The projects also recognise the great potential of nature-based solutions and other green design principles to meet the high demands for sustainability and climate resilience. However, merely applying these principles to reduce the environmental impact of these hubs is not sufficiently ambitious. It would therefore be worthwhile to revisit these projects, some over six years old, through the lens of regenerative urbanism.

Finally, the research projects unanimously call for the engagement of a wide range of stakeholders in these complex design tasks. This includes co-creation sessions with stakeholders, participatory design with local residents, or expert consultation in scenario research. Exploring new forms of collaboration and public participation in the planning process is essential to ensure that the development of transportation hubs not only aligns with broader urban development objectives in a widely supported and inclusive manner but also addresses the concerns of neighbourhood residents.

Practising the future

Beyond practice, these projects highlight the necessity for academia to adapt and retrain itself to nurture designers capable of shaping the future of stations and ports. Education must produce individuals, young or sometimes not so young, who are equipped to tackle technically complex issues as well as navigate negotiations between major stakeholders and administrations. Thus, educational programmes should stress interdisciplinary learning, enabling students to master the languages of urban planning, environmental science, engineering, and social studies. Universities should promote innovation, critical thinking, and adaptability, preparing students to address complex problems with creative and viable solutions. This preparation is essential for equipping students to meet the real-world challenges they will face in their professional careers, making them more effective and in tune with contemporary urban needs. Consequently, education in this field should highlight teamwork, foster empathy towards stakeholders, and incorporate conciliatory public participation techniques as core components of the learning process.

If we want the relationship between ports, stations, and their cities to evolve from a complicated, toxic relationship or a volatile ‘situationship’ into a more stable relationship marked by mutual respect (as in the Greek philia) and unconditional commitment (as in ancient Greek agape) to jointly address future challenges, then these four projects already offer a hopeful path towards such a successful union!

1 Juel-Christiansen, C. (1985). Monument & Niche: The Architecture of the New City: Den Ny Bys Arkitektur. Rhodos.

2 Van Acker, M. (2014). From Flux to Frame. Designing infrastructure and shaping urbanization in Belgium. Leuven University Press: Leuven, Belgium.

3 Coppens, T., Van Acker, M., Machiels, T., & Compernolle, T. (2021). A real options framework for adaptive urban design. Journal of Urban Design, 26(6), 681-698.

PROJECT

Amsterdam Sloterdijk Station: potentials and limitations of the infrastructure (Sebastiaan van Damme)

Role of Stations

Exploring the role of stations in future metropolitan areas

Paris (France); Amsterdam and Rotterdam (The Netherlands)

AUTHORS Manuela Triggianese, Roberto Cavallo, Joran Kuijper (TU Delft), Tom Kuipers (AMS Institute), Nacima Baron (University of Gustave Eiffel)

TYPE OF PROJECT Special Project

YEAR 2018 – 2019

PARTNERS TU Delft (Deltas Infrastructure Mobility Initiative and the Department of Architecture), Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, Embassy of the Netherlands in Paris, Atelier Néerlandais, University of Gustave Eiffel Paris; Municipality of Rotterdam, Municipality of Amsterdam, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Fabrique de la Cité

LOCATIONS Paris (France); Amsterdam and Rotterdam (The Netherlands)

KEYWORDS Rail-metro stations, Urban transformation, Intermodality, Public space, Architecture and urban design

INTRODUCTION

Randstad and Grand Paris

Role of Stations focuses on the various roles of railway stations in the development and transformation of their surrounding urban and metropolitan areas. The main pillar of the project is the study of two rapidly developing metropolitan contexts: the ‘Randstad’ in the Netherlands and the ‘Grand Paris’ in France, where rail-metro stations are considered key elements in organising intermodal transport, acting as catalysts for urban development. In the field of public transport, both countries are developing large infrastructure projects.

The Netherlands has recently renovated its larger railway stations to accommodate the ever-growing flow of commuters and tourists.

The so-called National Key Projects – Rotterdam, Arnhem, Breda, The Hague, Utrecht, and Amsterdam Zuid stations – all function as important hubs, as the Dutch railways serve an estimated 1 million travellers a day. France, on the other hand, is now deeply involved in an ambitious automatic transport network project, called ‘Grand Paris Express’, with the aim to build 68 railway stations and laying down 200 km of railway. By 2030, more than 95% of the Ile de France region’s residents will live no more than 2 km away from a railway station.

Redefining railway stations

The main challenge addressed by the project was to identify new roles for railway stations that would go beyond their mobility (node) function on the network scale and to investigate their place and social values on the urban and architectural scale, becoming catalysts for new urban developments. To achieve this research scope, the project required collaboration with several stakeholders and experts from various fields.

The ambition of the Role of Stations project was to learn from other design practices and research approaches on station design and station area development in distinct geographical contexts, while addressing comparable mobility challenges on the levels of inner city, suburban, and peripheral areas. The knowledge gathered during the course of the project serves as the foundation for design and research explorations regarding the various station-city interplays in current and future metropolitan areas.

The process

The core approach of the Role of Stations project was to engage both academics (researchers and students) and practitioners (designers and stakeholders) in the research process through several activities.

PARTICIPANTS Prorail; NS Stations, Bureau Spoorbouwmeester, AREP, RATP, GVB, University of Antwerp, Fabrique du Métro, Société du Grand Paris, Fabrique, Movares, Rhônexpress, ENSA Paris-La Villette, International Union of Railways (UIC), SNCF Gares & Connexions, UNStudio, Benthem Crouwel, Provincie Noord-Holland, Delta Metropool Association, Royal Haskoning, SWECO, IFSTTAR, ARTELIA Ville & Transport, GVB, Vinci Construction, La Fabrique de la Cité, APUR, Sensual City Studio, Atelier Novembre, ILEX Paysage Urbanisme, KCAP, Mecanoo, PosadMaxwan, VenhoevenCS, KAAN Architects, Municipality of Maastricht, BNA Onderzoek

Three main types of activities are highlighted here: one Dutch-French debate with academics and professionals on best practices and research projects on stations (Stations of the Future/Gares du Futur), two one-week international summer schools with students focusing on a real case in Amsterdam (Sloterdijk Station and Havenstad) and MSc design courses at TU Delft in Architecture and Urban Design dealing with several suburban stations in Rotterdam.

The project kicked off during the ‘Stations of the Future/Gares du Futur’ event in March 2018, which was organised in Paris on behalf of AMS and DIMI, with the collaboration of the Innovation Section and the Economic Cluster of the Dutch Embassy in Paris, Atelier Néerlandais, and the think tank institute La Fabrique de la Cité. The embassy had proposed bringing together experts involved in the infrastructure projects from the Netherlands and Ile de France to exchange know-how and expertise. Together with Dutch and French planning authorities, mass transit operators, railway companies, station projects designers, and researchers, the event focused on case studies from both metropolitan areas to understand the role of stations as public transport and urban nodes. During this joint workshop, topics such as ‘Station as Intermodal Node’ (SaN), ‘Station as Destination’ (SaD) and ‘Station as Data Center’ (SaC), were discussed, including debates on the relationship between public space and architecture, densification and programming of station areas, pedestrian flows management, and data integration. Following the Paris workshop, the Summer schools ‘Integrated Mobility Challenges in Future Metropolitan Areas’ and ‘Smart Mobility & Urban Development in Haven-Stad’ took place in August 2018 and 2019 respectively. These were organised in Amsterdam and Delft on behalf of AMS and DIMI, with the collaboration of the ARENA architectural research network, University of Paris-Est, and the City of Amsterdam.

Both the event in Paris and the Summer Schools reinforced the research collaboration between the academic institutions and enlarged the consortium of partners interested in station projects and their role in the future development of the European city. Since 2020, Role of Stations has evolved in the form of educational courses at the MSc level at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment (City of Innovations project) and several research project proposals for European funding programmes, such as JPI and DUT Urban Europe (Horizon). In both instances, real cases of rail-metro stations in the context of the Rotterdam metropolitan area have been used as pilot projects for design-driven research.

Station as Intermodal Node (figure 1) and Stations of the future (figure 2) (Louise Plantin, source: visual note made during the workshops at the ‘Gares du Futur/Stations of the Future’ event in March 2018)

FIGURE 1

PROJECT RESULTS

The key station roles

The study of the two rapidly developing metropolitan contexts, the ‘Randstad’ in the Netherlands and the ‘Grand Paris’ in France, provided insight into topics that were crucial in defining the relationship between railways stations as hubs and their connections to the urban fabric of the areas in which they are situated. The key elements in organising intermodal transport and serving as catalysts for urban development discussed in Paris are: Station as Intermodal Node (SaN), Station as Destination (SaD), and Station as Data Center (SaC).

Station as Intermodal Node (SaN) – The development of a rail network is often associated with the most ambitious objectives: a tool for economic development and a driver for urban change and social innovation. The intermodal node not only connects different modes of transport but also several urban scale levels (local, regional, international). The main goals to achieve are finding an optimal mix of transport modes for each situation and making it as seamless as possible for the user. How can we design and govern flexibility? New challenges include providing answers to autonomous vehicles, demand-responsive transport, electric vehicles, information technology, and societal changes (e.g., an aging population).

Station as Destination (SaD) – Railway stations have become much more than just places for boarding and disembarking. Instead, they now serve as hubs for work, business, meetings, shopping, and relaxation. Cities have started viewing them as ‘Grand Projects’ to enhance their image, serving as symbolic and eyecatching entrances to the city. The development of a station project can promote high-quality architecture and the revitalisation of urban areas. Which financial mechanisms work best for a station as a destination?

Station as Data Center (SaC) – The use of information and communication technology (ICT) has revolutionised the travel process for those using not only trains but also other means of transport. Technology contributes to enhancing the experience of station users while also creating new demands from passengers using the rail network and managing the new services to be provided, such as being able to change the mode of transfer smoothly and safely and to find real-time and up-to-date information about their journey. The main challenges lie in the integration and cross-fertilisation of data from the various operators of different modalities converging at a station, as well as in integrating stations within their surroundings. This leads to the creation of new and optimal user experiences and designs based on data.

Station as Data Center (Louise Plantin, source: visual note made during the workshops at the ‘Gares du Futur/Stations of the Future’ event in March 2018)

Station as Destination (Louise Plantin, source: visual note made during the workshops at the ‘Gares du Futur/Stations of the Future’ event in March 2018) FIGURE

Aéroport Charles de Gaulle T4

Le Bourget Aéroport

Aéroport

Charles de Gaulle T4

Saint-Denis Pleyel

Le Bourget Aéroport

Nanterre La Folie

Saint-Denis Pleyel

Versailles-Chantiers

Nanterre La Folie

Versailles-Chantiers

10 km 5 5

Grand Paris Express

10 km 5 5

MassyPalaiseau

MassyPalaiseau

Aéroport d’Orly

Aéroport d’Orly

km 5 5

Grand Paris Express

Le Bourget Aéroport

Nanterre La Folie

Aéroport

Charles de Gaulle T2

Versailles-Chantiers

Aéroport

Charles de Gaulle T2

Noisy–Champs

Champigny Centre

Noisy–Champs

Champigny Centre

major transit hub to other modes of transport (metro, light rail)

Grand Paris Express

airport

major transit hub to other modes of transport (metro, light rail)

airport

PARTICIPANTS AT THE PARIS EVENT

Prorail; NS Stations, Bureau Spoorbouwmeester, AREP, RATP, GVB, University of Antwerp, Fabrique du Métro, Société du Grand Paris, Fabrique, Movares, Rhônexpress, ENSA Paris-La Villette, International Union of Railways (UIC), SNCF Gares & Connexions, UNStudio, Benthem Crouwel, Provincie Noord-Holland, Delta Metropool Association, Royal Haskoning, SWECO, IFSTTAR, ARTELIA Ville & Transport, GVB, Vinci Construction, La Fabrique de la Cité, APUR, Sensual City Studio, Atelier Novembre, ILEX Paysage Urbanisme, KCAP, Mecanoo, PosadMaxwan, VenhoevenCS, KAAN Architects, Municipality of Maastricht, BNA Onderzoek

(Schiphol Airport) Amsterdam Zuid

(Schiphol Airport) Amsterdam Zuid

Aéroport Charles de Gaulle T4 (Schiphol Airport)

Grand Paris Express

Aéroport

major transit hub to other modes of transport (metro, light rail)

Major transit hub to other modes of transport (metro, light rail)

Aéroport Charles de Gaulle T2

Saint-Denis Pleyel

airport

Airport

Nanterre La Folie

Versailles-Chantiers

MassyPalaiseau

Noisy–Champs

Noisy–Champs

Den Haag Centraal

Champigny Centre

The Randstad conurbation compared with the Grand Paris Metropolis (Joran Kuijper and Manuela Triggianese)

Aéroport d’Orly

Champigny Centre

Aéroport d’Orly

Rotterdam Centraal

Railway within the Randstad

railway within the Randstad

Railway outside of the Randstad

railway out of the Randstad

(Schiphol Airport) Amsterdam Zuid

Main railway station

main railway station

Key project railway station

Key Project railway station

Airport

airport

Den Haag Centraal

Zuid

Rotterdam Centraal

railway within the Randstad

railway out of the Randstad main railway station Key Project railway station

Utrecht Centraal

Breda

FIGURE 5B

‘Gares du Futur/Stations of the Future’ Board of Intentions signed by consortium partners and participants of the plenary session at Atelier Néerlandais Paris, 16th March 2018 (Bart Koetsier)

Design scenario ‘Havenstad Station: From machine to human landscape’ (Students of the International Summer School 2018 ‘Integrated Mobility Challenges in future metropolitan areas’: Biyue Wang, Cornelia Dince, Chia-Ju Lin, Diego Irizarri, Frabcesca Lucenti, Ninoslav Jankovic, Sabah Mohammed, Sara Semiali, Xueni Hu. Mentors: Hans de Boer, Valentina Ciccotosto)

Working sessions at the International Summer School 2018 ‘Integrated Mobility Challenges in future metropolitan areas’ at Delft University of Technology, 23th – 27th August 2018. (Valentina Ciccotosto)

Design scenario ‘Gateway Sloterdijk 2050’ (Students of the International Summer School 2018 ‘Integrated Mobility Challenges in future metropolitan areas’: Isabella Flore, Sabrina Menger, Benedetta Gatti, Lindsay Wiginton, Ana Cvetic, Jolien Kramer, Salwa Cherkaoui El Baraka, Sebastiaan van Niele, Tom van Vilsteren. Mentors: Tom Kuipers, Manuela Triggianese)

FIGURE 6

FIGURE 8

FIGURE 9

FIGURE 7

Summer schools

Following the Paris workshop, the Summer Schools ‘Integrated Mobility Challenges in Future Metropolitan Areas’ and ‘Smart Mobility & Urban Development in Haven-Stad’ expanded the debate among young international professionals, academics, and master’s students by examining an important rail-metro node in the metropolitan area of Amsterdam: Sloterdijk Station. This crucial hub in a larger urban area is vital for mobility, exchange, and urban growth. The main question was: which approaches and scenarios can be tested and applied to these intermodal nodes, especially when dealing with limited space and a growing number of users? The results included proposals to improve the Sloterdijk Station area and to make the station a ‘future-proof’ intermodal hub by suggesting strategies for accommodating new passenger flows, converting parking spaces into drop-off lanes for new shared mobility, and creating flexible programming and adaptable spaces for unforeseen urban conditions.

In the 2018 edition, the Gateway Sloterdijk 2050 Students’ Project (example) proposed policy and design solutions guided by the following principles: establishing Sloterdijk as a main port for tourism in the Netherlands, planning for future mobility (growth in volume and modes), promoting accessibility for all users, and emphasising a liveable public space. Recognising that change will be incremental, the strategy proposes phasing and an evolving role for the station over time. The primary goals for developing a new strategy are: to reinforce the integrity of the node in a fragmented urban place, facilitate seamless pedestrian flows, and redevelop the node as a ‘place’ with a more defined urban character for the current users of the station as well as the future inhabitants and visitors (target group).

The second workshop extended the debate on the Haven-Stad area and employed the ‘smart mobility’ and ‘MaaS’ (Mobility as a Service) concepts as a potential means for the urban integration of mobility nodes and new urban developments in the northern part of Amsterdam, connecting the two sides of the river.

Autonomous City, day and night (Jelle Boorsma, Nico Stutz, Yannick Bakker)

Recharging Slinge, day and night (Fruzsina Kovács, Mats Kolmas, Melanie Waidler, Mirko Cestari, Olivia Wong)

FIGURE 10A

FIGURE 10B

FIGURE 11A

FIGURE 11B

EVALUATION

Enhancing station – area synergies

Stations and station areas are more than ever places of transformation. As a result, alongside updating and upgrading the railway-related functions, there is a constantly growing need to enhance and often maximise the interplay and synergies between stations and their surrounding areas on various scale levels. For these reasons, the theme has garnered attention from an increasing number of disciplines in academia, practice, and among involved institutions. The challenge of linking different, sometimes even divergent, expertise and approaches has been the leitmotif of the Role of Stations project throughout these years. The strategy of placing spatial issues at the core and adopting a design-oriented approach to interconnect the agenda and interests of various participants has been key for each initiative and event. At the same time, the success of initiatives such as Stations of the Future has contributed to the increased interest of non-design disciplines to be part of the project and to the strengthening of international networks (Paris, Polimi Milan, Hafen City University Hamburg, University of Antwerp, among others).1

Implementation in education

Role of Stations has established a strong connection with education through international summer schools and, since 2020, with several MSc courses and interdisciplinary graduation projects at the Department of Architecture. The MSc2 elective course ‘City of Innovations Project’ (CoI) benefits from the contributions of the City of Rotterdam and several design experts on station developments. This elective allows students to develop research-based design projects with a strong exploratory approach, aiming to connect education to urgent issues in dialogue with stakeholders outside TU Delft. The studio is organised using the charrette method (a period of intense design activity and short-term design projects, developed in teams), focusing on several sub-urban stations with different characteristics in the Rotterdam Zuid area. In 2021 the following stations locations were analysed: Rotterdam Zuid, Zuidplein, and Slinge. Students begin with an urban analysis of the station areas on different scale levels (the city, the neighbourhood, the building).

They develop initial scenarios for the studied areas after a gaming session, during which they play the roles of stakeholders (city, public transport providers, investors, activists) to achieve a consensus for a common agenda. Following the ‘stakeholder workshop’, students incorporate the research results into spatial criteria and quality requirements. With varying priorities, the students develop different scenarios on both the urban and architectural scales for a more sustainable and inclusive station within the context of new mobility implementation. Two examples:

- Autonomous City: this scenario proposes the creation of an autonomous, sharing, and connected society. It relies on a society that is aware of climate change, sustainable choices, and a willingness to share their modes of transport. The focus is on adaptive streetscapes, shared mobility, and the Internet of Things (Figure 10A and B)

- Recharging Slinge: the goal of this vision is to transform Slinge station from a place into a space by incorporating and reactivating existing public spaces and reconnecting the east and west sides of the neighbourhoods. This is primarily a pedestriancentred approach, breaking down the barrier of the station, improving social safety, and creating cohesion between Pendrecht and Zuidwijk by adding cultural activities and transforming the station area into a community hub (Figure 11A and B).

Students were invited to reflect on the importance of transport networks within and extending from the city, considering how they shape the urban territories. The conclusions focused on the negotiations between architecture, urban design, network infrastructure, public realm, policy & governance, and the territory. The work is published in a book series called City of Innovations in the volumes Living Stations, Inclusive Stations, and Transit Stations with TU Open.2

CONCLUSION

Enhancing adaptive station design

The intention of the cross-disciplinary Role of Stations research is twofold. Firstly, the programme aims to

influence, implement, and contribute to the ongoing Future of Public Transport 2040 policy of the Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management (I&W) through a research-driven approach that brings together various types of expertise by using the design activity as a collaborative research methodology. Secondly, the programme has established a consortium of public and private partners involved in station projects. Viewing the station as a focal point in the mobility network, this research is also closely connected with the DIMI initiatives ‘Stad van de Toekomst’ and ‘Zaancorridor’, which are also part of this publication. Furthermore, the Role of Stations project has increased awareness of design potentials in helping to define adaptive characteristics of stations among city makers and involved stakeholders. Through design studios and workshops, the project has placed design-driven research at the core of urban transformation related to infrastructural changes. Many consortium partners and professionals engaged in the project activities have been involved in the design studios, workshops, and in the preparation of several calls for proposals, expanding the existing network of partners established within the project’s activities.

An example of a follow-up to Role of Stations is the Walk-In (Widening sustAinable mobiLity networKs: Impact on Nodes) project that recently received funding from the Dutch Research Council (NWO), which focuses on the challenges, potential, and role of peripheral stations in the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The project specifically targets small and medium-sized suburban transit stations, characterised by a combination of modes and P+R locations. With the Dutch government’s goal to build one million homes in the next twenty years, these stations areas will become densified and completely transformed. Walk-In proposes a toolkit for designers that assists in conversation with different actors when making decisions. It is developed in collaboration with academia and public and private partners. Walk-In

1. The open access publication ‘Stations as Nodes’ contains the results of the project activities: https://books.open.tudelft.nl/home/catalog/book/27

2 The open access publications are part of the ‘City of Innovations’ series: https:// books.open.tudelft.nl/home/catalog/series/city-of-innovations

uses the design process as a method of collaboration with policy makers and designers involved in station projects. DIMI is part of the consortium together with Delta Metropool Association, the offices of PosadMaxwan, De Zwarte Hond, Mecanoo, the Ministry of I&W, ProRail, and the Provinces of South Holland and North Holland.3

Longue Durée

The research methodology developed throughout the Role of Stations project consists of a strong interchange between design research, design practice, and design education. It has allowed for exploring new ways of collaborating with non-academic partners and students while laying the foundation for new research questions. For example, the Walk-In has also developed a new network and an EU funding proposal for the Driving Urban Transitions from the Joint Programme Initiative Urban Europe, submitted in November 2022 by Manuela Triggianese (main applicant) and Hans de Boer (project coordinator with DIMI). This proposal focuses on the concept of the 15-minute city, which represents an opportunity for transit stations in neglected peri-urban areas to be reprogrammed. It concentrates on the complex interdisciplinary issue of (re)developing underused station locations as objects of research and (re)design within a transdisciplinary stakeholder context. A collaboration between four European countries (Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy) has been established, consisting of 14 partners in total: 4 universities, 4 urban public authorities, 2 NGOs, 1 rail-infrastructure manager, 1 social housing association, and EAAE. The project setup is embedded in collaborative learning, knowledge production and dissemination by academics and practitioners, from the local stakeholder context to the wider public. This project has laid the foundation for other potential research programmes that the follow-ups of Role of Stations can still be connected to, such as a new application for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (Innovative Training Network).

3. More information about the Walk-In project can be found here in the interview ‘Attractive public transport starts with a good design of the station’ with Manuela Triggianese for DIMi stories: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/infrastructures/ dimi-stories/attractive-public-transport-starts-with-a-good-design-of-the-station

Venice (Italy)

PortCityFutures Dualities

Analytical panel in the “The Port and the Fall of Icarus”

Pavillon Riva del Sette Martiri at the 16 th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2018

AUTHOR Carola Hein

TYPE OF PROJECT Conceptual

PARTNERS Lori Tavasszy, LDE PortCityFutures Center

LOCATION Venice (Italy)

KEYWORDS Port city territories, Dualities, Waterfront, Maritime flows

INTRODUCTION

Port-city dynamics: challenges and opportunities

A port, its neighbouring city, and the surrounding area form a unique type of territory at intersections of water and land, across which flow people, goods, and ideas. Port spaces exist cheek-by-jowl with lived-in urban spaces and alongside other built-up and natural areas. The analytical panel of port city dualities presented in the Pavilion Riva dei Sette Martiri at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2018, visualises the challenges that port city territories face at a time of climate change, sea level rise, coastal transformation, and flooding.1 Economically and spatially, ports have developed in tandem with the socio-cultural and urban space needs and interests of the city and its residents. To better understand the multiple challenges facing port city territories, we have developed visualisations and captured them as dualities occurring at the intersection of port, city, and regional spaces.

PortCityFutures argues that we need to develop spatial concepts to facilitate improved relationships between ports and their environments. We need to turn tensions into creative opportunities rather than conflicts. Using interdisciplinary methods and longterm perspectives, we connect the political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of spatial use. This project explores how the flows of goods and people generated by port activities intersect with the dynamics of the natural territory, hydraulic engineering, spatial planning, urban design, architecture, and heritage. It examines the spatial impact of competing interests, port-related and urban spatial development needs, and timelines, proposes possible scenarios, and examines possible futures of this limited space so that the port, city (and territory) can evolve successfully.

To address these global urgencies, PortCityFutures argues that stakeholders need to garner broad support for recognising individual and shared problems, generating solutions, and experimenting with new ways of working. In order to develop collective ambitions in a port city region, new tools are needed to unveil conflicting and supporting objectives and motivations. Understanding each other’s contexts, concerns and hopes and finding the interdependencies between parties is crucial for developing a future in which city and port remain fruitfully connected. A collaborative approach is needed to acknowledge this reality and to facilitate mutual benefits. Research is necessary to understand the effects of the port on space, culture, and society in the city.

VeniceVenice

Port City Futures pavilion Port City Futures panel presented in the waterfront pavilion ‘The Port and the Fall of Icaru’ (Riva dei Sette Martiri) at the Venice Biennale 2018 (Siebe Bakker)

Port City Futures dualities

Port-city dynamics

1 Hein, C. (2016). “Port cityscapes: conference and research contributions on port cities.” Planning Perspectives 31(2): 313-326; Hein, C. (2019). “The Port Cityscape: Spatial and institutional approaches to port city relationships.” PortusPlus 8.

PROJECT RESULTS

Interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches

On behalf of the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Metropolis and Mainport, Carola Hein and Lori Tavasszy have led the development of a programme titled PortCityFutures presented at the Venice Biennale in 2018. In 2020, PortCityFutures was established as a research programme within the Leiden-DelftErasmus universities’ programme ( portcityfutures.nl) with Carola Hein as its director. The programme relies on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration among the three participating universities. There is a growing recognition that the challenges port city territories face, such as decarbonisation, can only be solved through constructive dialogues between the government, the industry, and society.

Complex issues, such as whether to build new infrastructures that will significantly change the land and seascape, must be considered as collective action problems requiring resolutions based on shared values and shared responsibilities. Developing multi-scalar and multi-stakeholder solutions requires collaboration with local populations in port city territories. Ideally, the solutions should also be designed through governance structures that are not only top-down but open to bottom-up initiatives.

Shared goals and values

Historically, shared aims have allowed for the development of shared values and a port city culture that exists at the confluence of people, physical spaces, governance structures, and creative practices. Over time, this port city culture has facilitated understanding between public and corporate port and city actors as well as local residents. It has also helped cities develop the resilience that has allowed them to adapt to shifting situations and disasters. Carefully examining historical patterns, path dependencies, and traditional maritime identities can provide insights into select actor constellations and spatial developments and help inspire solutions to contemporary challenges.

Shared values can also serve as a means to facilitate spatial governance and to address infrastructural and mobility questions, work and leisure challenges, and educational issues generated by contemporary urgencies, such as the energy transition, climate change, new technologies, transformations of work conditions and new (circular) economies. This concept of port city culture is brought forward in the draft 2030 agenda of AIVP as a way to conceptually and spatially identify and shape the interface between the port and its urban surroundings

Experiences and expertise developed by spatial design researchers and planners in each port city domain can be shared worldwide through international and multidisciplinary exchanges among relevant stakeholders, such as academics, port authorities, city governments, and local residents. Technologies developed for specific port or city-related challenges – IoT, sensoring, truck platooning – may be applicable to the urban and regional context. The exchange of knowledge and technology may improve efficiency and connectedness. Collaborative design and planning processes include various stakeholders’ ambitions and needs, resulting in mutually beneficial proposals and results.

Dualities

Historically, ports and cities, their institutions and residents, were interconnected in many ways. Traders and political elites, port workers, and residents tended to embrace similar goals for urban development and to hold similar beliefs about major transformations. Ports, cities, and territories benefited from each other’s presence. Industrialisation, and more importantly, containerisation, led to segregated territories. The construction of fences and monofunctional spaceshas created a situation in which ports serve the throughput of goods but do not necessarily encourage shared values across neighbouring cities and territories. The following examples capture the dualities that characterise port-city-territory relationships.

Pollution | Urban Development

How can policymakers, urban planners, and architects mitigate the spatial impact of highly polluting industries? How can they encourage sustainable urban development?

Heritage | Migration

How can historical cultural diversity and the values embedded in the built heritage meet the needs of residents and migrants currently living in, working in, and travelling through port cities?

Governance | Global Trade

How can local governments engage with and regulate a port that is intimately linked to global trade flows?

Education | Automation

How will the automation of technology, services, and administration affect a port’s spatial economy (jobs and spaces), and how can we educate children to be ready for the port city regions of the future?

New Technologies | Happiness

How will new industrial technologies and services in the port affect living conditions for all citizens?

Culture | Production

How can all local stakeholders create a port city culture that critically supports (port-related) spatial development needs?

Logistics | Liveability

How can all local stakeholders create a port city culture that critically supports (port-related) spatial development needs?

Economy | Climate Change

How can economic benefits for a modern port city and the construction of (publicly funded) infrastructure be combined with a climate adaptation strategy that pays attention to flood risk reduction by ‘building with nature’ and ecological restoration?

Promoting soft values in port-city development

PortCityFutures ( portcityfutures.nl) argues that more attention must be paid to the so-called soft values, including those pertaining to governance, education, and culture. Buy-in from local stakeholders is xnecessary to facilitate the construction of the hard infrastructures required to improve port functioning and address the side effects of port operations (noise, security, emissions), as well as develop skillsets and technologies for the ports and port cities of the future. To raise awareness of the social, cultural, and spatial dimensions of port city territories, PortCityFutures opted to develop a pilot value deliberation on the future of port-city relations.

Politicians, academics, and residents in many cities around the world have started to pay close attention to technological and economic aspects of the ongoing energy and digital transitions. They generally pay less attention to soft values, such as governance structures, spatial forms, and culture. PortCityFutures argues that a better understanding of port city cultures, stakeholder values, and the role of physical space is needed to develop strategies for spaces shared by ports and cities. Independent analysis and input from academia and cultural institutions can help develop maritime mindsets, that is, a shared awareness of all stakeholders – public, private, and individuals – of the unique legacies and assets that accompany the presence of water and port activities in a port city territory.

We therefore opted for sketching several possible scenarios to start discussions on what each of these scenarios means for the port city territories. The drawings below tentatively visualise different possible developments and help people grasp the choices and their complexities. They also demonstrate how architecture and urban design can interpret complex interactions and, through visualisation, facilitate decision-making. From a large number of possible scenarios, we selected four that sketch potential future developments for port city regions with a horizon of 2050.

Based on these scenarios, the LDE PortCityFutures group developed an online pilot deliberation with Delft Design for Values (Klara Pigmans, Virginia Dignum, Jordi Bieger) and Tino Mager to study the opportunities and challenges of the four scenarios for 2050. Our aim was to facilitate the identification of the relevant values for each scenario and to increase mutual understanding of the various perspectives. Discussing values gave participants the opportunity to step away from concrete conflictual problems and recognise the shared values related to the scenarios selected. The online tool allowed 42 representatives from port authorities, municipalities, and institutions from Rotterdam, Naples, Gdansk, Hamburg, Riga, Bremen, Dublin, Savannah, and Philadelphia to participate in the process, regardless of their location.

Alternatives A-D: Four scenarios developed for the pilot value deliberation (PortCityFutures)

EVALUATION

Four alternative approaches

The alternatives proposed to participants focused on the future relationship between ports, cities, and their territories.

• Alternative A assumes a separate development of the port and the city, with the port as the main driver of change, embracing green energies for the functioning of the port but continuing its dependence on fossil energy generation and transport for its customers. Participants in the value deliberation associated Alternative A with values such as continuity, efficiency, safety, and convenience. They pointed out that this scenario is particularly interesting for port authorities that could continue to work independently of neighbouring areas. Others noted that such a scenario would not be sustainable in the long term, as port authorities would need to be better connected to their neighbouring cities.

• Alternative B envisages collaboration, integration, and shared leadership of ports and cities or the surrounding regions. Values associated with such a development include sustainability, innovation, cooperation, and health. Focusing on circularity and green energy could allow for integrating non-port functions into some parts of the port area. Such a scenario would, however, mean a loss of port activity and central functions and headquarters for the port city. Participants pointed out that this would facilitate synergy between port and city, but they feared losing economic power.

• Alternative C assumes leadership in the energy transition from the city side. The emergence of makers’ districts would lead to changing consumer patterns. Such a scenario would ultimately change the functioning of the port. In the meantime, the port would remain locked into the business of transporting and transforming fossil fuel. Participants

recognised both continuities and forward-looking sustainable patterns. They saw this as a realistic alternative for the future but criticised the lack of a proper integration between port and city.

• Alternative D is the most futuristic. It proposes new offshore developments to host all the functions for which there is no place in the densely built port city region. New energy generation, food production, and housing could all be located on new islands. Such a proposal is in line with green and sustainable development and innovation values. Participants were hesitant about whether this is an opportunity building on the current ‘flows of goods, energy, and waste’ or whether such a proposal would require excessive investments that would add little value as mega-ships become separated from the port.

Capturing the complex relationships between port, city, and region in a single image and a few descriptive lines was challenging. With more preparatory discussions, it would have been possible to refine the draft scenarios further; they are currently strongly oriented towards Rotterdam and only partially acknowledge the situation of other port cities. Many ports represented by participants have very different needs. During a conference in Rotterdam in December 2018, we assessed the results and began to explore the implications for other cities.

To Rotterdam and beyond

We need future-oriented and creative policies and developments to address the current challenges in port city territories. Soft values have long been an essential part of port city relations. Historically, economic and spatial aspects of port development have been interconnected with the socio-cultural interests of the city and region and their residents. While we can’t predict the future, we can be sure that the ongoing transitions will have a significant spatial impact.

diverse and multiple partners

CONCLUSION

Expanding research and educational horizons

PortCityFutures combines a multi- and transdisciplinary setting with laboratory activities. It is becoming an important research centre within the Dutch and broader European and international port city governance and policy nexus. Looking ahead, we intend to increase and deepen our regional and national connections, for instance through collaborative grant applications. By augmenting its broader international collaborations, PortCityFutures aims to solidify its status as a global hub of applied and fundamental research on port city territories.

PortCityFutures has booked significant successes across many fields in recent years – obtaining funds, connecting people, building networks, developing a research field and relevant methods, and organising conferences and workshops. These activities feed into each other, with workshops producing collaborations that lead to grant applications and publications. The group has benefited from the expertise of core members in developing applications, leading teams, and building communities, as well as from the existing work and grants they have brought to PortCityFutures.

In the next few years, PortCityFutures will expand on the interdisciplinary research and publication platforms it has created to promote its message through contributions to professional journals such as Portus and academic peer-reviewed journals such as the European Journal for Creative Practices and Landscapes (CPCL), PortusPlus, the journal of RETE, and Urban Planning. Shared publications (books, special issue journals, blogs), conferences and webinars will continue to provide a foundation for further research and collaboration with ports, cities, and territories. Through interdisciplinary academic (Bachelor, Master, and PhD courses) and vocational educational activities, using a variety of educational materials, including massive open online courses, PortCityFutures will expand its work with diverse and multiple partners. Summer schools and professional courses for port and city actors in collaboration with institutions such as AIVP, RETE, UFM, and UNESCO will continue to help us raise funds.

PROJECT

Public Installation the Port and the Fall of Icarus, Riva

dei Sette Martiri, Venice, Italy (Igreg Studio)

The Port and the Fall of Icarus

A project from the 16 th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2018 – Part of the extended programme of the Dutch ‘Work, Body, Leisure’ Pavilion

Venice (Italy)

AUTHOR Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin. This chapter is based on writings by Hamed Khosravi, Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin, Filippo Lafleur

TYPE OF PROJECT A year-long research and educational programme, alongside curatorial work and the design of two public installations, an international symposium, and a publication

YEAR 2018

PARTNERS Creative Industries Fund NL, Port of Venice, LDE Center for Metropolis and Mainport, TU Delft DIMI, and L’Ermitage

LOCATION Venice (Italy)

KEYWORDS Port futures, Port of Venice, Port of Rotterdam, La Biennale di Venezia 2018

INTRODUCTION

La Biennale di Venezia 2018

‘The Port and the Fall of Icarus’ was a project that was part of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2018 – ‘Free space’. The project curated the extended programme ‘The Port and the Fall of Icarus’ of the Dutch ‘Work, Body, Leisure’ Pavilion, exhibited from 26 May to 25 November 2018. It initiated a long-term research and design exploration into the architectural, territorial, social, and political implications of infrastructure spaces and logistics.

The project comprised four complementary components: a small installation inside the Rietveld Pavilion at Giardini della Biennale in Venice, a larger external installation at Riva dei Sette Martiri on the Venetian Waterfront, an international symposium, and a publication. A year-long research and educational programme on The Port of the Future supported and fed these four components. This programme explored the evolution of ports in line with changing logistics concepts, such as specialisation and globalisation, and the need to enhance operation time, reliability, safety, and quality. Critical readings on ongoing territorial, social, and political processes were conducted to provide both analysis and projections, thereby revealing current dynamics and future prospects for the Port of Venice and Port of Rotterdam as case studies. The research and educational programme envisioned future scenarios for port development as part of a territorial project in partnership with the Port of Venice, IUAV University of Venice, and TU Delft.

The Port and the Fall of Icarus was developed with the intellectual and financial support of Creative Industries Fund NL, Port of Venice, LDE Center for Metropolis and Mainport, TU Delft DIMI (Delft Deltas, Infrastructures & Mobility Initiative), and L’Ermitage. Commissioner: Het Nieuwe Instituut, which produced the project in collaboration with and supported by Creative Industries Fund NL. Concessioner: the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department of Urbanism, TU Delft. Project design and execution: Hamed Khosravi, Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin, and Filippo LaFleur, in collaboration with Miles Gertler, Baktash Sarang Javanbakht, and Alessandro Pedron. Modelling and design assistant: Mariapaola Michelotto. Graphic design: b-r-u-n-o.it. Documentation: Igreg Studio. Photographic essays: Giovanna Silva. Publisher (book): Humboldt Books. Programme curated by: Hamed Khosravi, Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin and Filippo Lafleur.

Venice

(Hamed Khosravi)

Venice

Fluid Territories Research-by-Design – 7 Scales. From the scale of global trade systems to the scale of biophysical processes (Filippo Lafleur)

Public Installation

‘The Port and the Fall of Icarus’, Riva dei Sette Martiri, Venice, Italy (Igreg Studio)

PROJECT RESULTS

Venice and Rotterdam as case studies

The research on the topic of The Port of the Future focused on the Port of Venice and the Port of Rotterdam as case studies. As part of this research, a three-month educational programme was set up in collaboration with TU Delft’s Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Technology, Policy & Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences, and IUAV University of Venice. The programme included the elective course ‘Infrastructure and Environmental Design’ and involved participants from the European Post-master of Urbanism (EMU) Spring Semester. From April to June 2018, master’s and post-master’s students studied the territories of the two ports, exploring potential scenarios for their development. The projects delved into the future of the ports concerning automation, the history and urban development of the territory, the fabric of the city, logistics infrastructure, and the architectural, social, and political implications.

This research and educational programme examined the evolution of ports in the context of changing logistics concepts such as specialisation and globalisation, and focused on enhancing operation time, reliability, safety, and quality. Critical analysis of ongoing territorial, social, and political processes aided in uncovering current dynamics and predicting future prospects in

the Port of Venice and Port of Rotterdam. Ports, as highly efficient structures, have evolved through the maximisation of space and the rationalisation of the movement of goods and workers, facilitated by automated systems and information technologies. Current trends in logistics highlight the need for greater efficiency to optimise transport and supply chains, integrating them into seamless production, distribution, and trading systems. The added value in port operations is increasingly sought through dynamic approaches, such as designing digital information flows and networked quays, positioning ports as hubs of innovation and testing grounds for industrial sector developments. The impact of these new working modalities on the territorial, environmental, and social fabric is significant, especially concerning the transformation of labour, the rising need for service and structure sharing, changes in production typologies methods, and the subsequent reconfiguration of infrastructural space and cultural values.

The programme aimed to project future scenarios for port development as a territorial initiative in partnership with the Port of Venice, IUAV University of Venice, and TU Delft. These scenarios were analysed in terms of change magnitude and pace, the modes of coexistence they require, safety and reliability concerns, and operational, environmental, and energy performance

Public Installation

‘The Port and the Fall of Icarus’, Riva dei Sette Martiri, Venice, Italy (Igreg Studio)

unique nature of each port and city

indicators. The new European Directives on EU port cities and port area regeneration (European Parliament 2017) highlight the expanding role of port authorities in regional contexts, balancing port development with economic, societal, and environmental changes and challenges. Due to the unique nature of each port and city, the scenarios were site-specific, referencing three economic policy models (EU 2017): Maritime Cluster, Port-Industrial Development, and Port-Related Waterfront Development. The focus areas encompassed economic efficiency, intelligent and green transportation, labour impacts on socioeconomic development, environmental resource efficiency, land-use management, and the structural coexistence of urban-port functions and logistics.

Showcasing the research insights

The outcomes of the research and educational programme were presented at the ‘Fluid Territories – Landscapes, Labour, and Logistics’ International

Symposium at Palazzo Badoer, School of Doctorates, IUAV University of Venice (Italy), on 14 June 2018. They were also introduced in an external installation at Riva dei Sette Martiri, located on the Port Authority of Venice’s grounds on the Venetian southeast waterfront. The project culminated in the publication of Aesthetics and Politics of Logistics – Venice | Rotterdam, edited by Hamed Khosravi, Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin, and Filippo LaFleur and published by Humboldt Books in 2019. This book provided a cross-disciplinary platform for exchanging ideas among artists, architects, historians, philosophers, engineers, and planners. The invited authors expanded the discussion, examining the changing paradigms in logistics. The design and construction of the public installation at Rive dei Sette Martiri was a focal point of the project, providing a space for reflection and interaction with the Venetian waterfront and displaying the sequence of seven scales of logistics analysis and the materiality of portscapes.

‘The Port and the Fall of

Exhibition

Icarus’, Dutch Pavilion, Rietveld building, in the Giardini of the Biennale (Igreg Studio)

EVALUATION

The scope of the project

‘The Port and the Fall of Icarus’ was a design and curatorial project and a research and educational programme that exemplified inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together architects, urban designers, architectural historians, artists, transport engineers and planners, freight and logistics experts, and representatives from the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Port of Venice, Italy, the LDE Center for Metropolis and Mainport, TUDelft DIMI, Creative Industries Fund NL, and Het Nieuwe Instituut. The project’s outcomes were showcased through various media and platforms, facilitating knowledge production and exchange.

Inside the Dutch Pavilion, the Rietveld building at the Giardini of the Biennale, the project displayed models and drawings developed in collaboration with artists Miles Gertler and Baktash Sarang Javanbakht. These visual representations responded to a critical and dystopian fictional narrative about future relationships between societies, ports, and territories.

At the Riva dei Sette Martiri, a public installation made of corten steel symbolised the rationality of the logistics apparatus and the materiality of portscapes. Its architecture prompted reflection on the complex

interrelationships between the port and the territory. The installation, consisting of seven rooms, explored themes ranging from geopolitics and resource extraction to logistics, society, labour, and ecology. A series of drawings and charts developed in close collaboration between the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment and the Faculty of Technology Policy and Management at TU Delft illustrated the existing conditions and speculated on future socioeconomic, political, and environmental trends. The graphics were crucial in conveying spatial and physical processes and implications driven by the fluid interactions between the port, logistics, and territory.

A separate room, curated by the LDE Center for Metropolis and Mainport (an initiative of the universities of Leiden, Delft, and Rotterdam), presented a vision concerning the evolution of spatial relationships and functions in port city regions.

The International Symposium in Venice on 14 June 2018 facilitated knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary conversation on the project’s topics. The symposium, attended by internationally renowned experts in architecture, urbanism, strategic planning, transport, logistics, environmental and infrastructure management, as well as the general public, allowed

Public Installation ‘The Port and the Fall of Icarus’, Riva dei Sette Martiri, Venice, Italy (Igreg Studio)

a shared imagination

for further elaboration and reflections on the research. These discussions were later compiled in the book Aesthetics and Politics of Logistics – Venice | Rotterdam.

CONCLUSION

Challenging logistic paradigms

The architecture of logistics is inherently political, shaping the terrain by projecting power relations onto the topography and creating spatial networks driven by the circulation of capital, calibrated for security and risk management. This direct translation of risk and economic values into spatial configurations often results in a territory disconnected from natural topography and forms of labour. ‘The Port and the Fall of Icarus’ was an inter- and transdisciplinary research, education, and design project that challenged the changing paradigms in logistics. It provided a cross-disciplinary platform for idea exchange among designers, artists, planners, historians, philosophers, and engineers. The project aimed to confront the dystopian present and future of logistics, infrastructure space, and biopolitical dispositions.

The project’s critical stance maintained that only through a shared imagination can we understand, oppose, and work within the logistical system that

shapes our lives, territories, and cities. The curation of various installations, along with research and education activities (including an elective course), offered deep exploration into representation forms, narrative construction, and transdisciplinary interactions. The project underscored the importance of design, critical thinking, and the arts in challenging established narratives and fostering dialogue between academia, public institutions, and the private sector.

The ephemeral space created by the public installation at the Riva dei Sette Martiri, combined with contributions from various authors in the book Aesthetics and Politics of Logistics – Venice | Rotterdam, presented diverse interpretations of portscapes, considering their history, culture, and material aspects. Logistics is influenced by our lives, movements, and desires and creates connections through data aggregation and infrastructure expansion. In the future, the territorial and environmental impact associated with expanding logistics is expected to increase significantly. The ongoing question is how design, planning, and engineering disciplines can critically engage with the expansion of logistics and its infrastructure, and the urgent need for action at the intersection of social and ecological life, civic structures, and the economy.

The Airport Technology Lab

A digitally-driven field lab – a TU Delft perspective

Rotterdam The Hague Airport (The Netherlands)

Rotterdam

AUTHOR Elise Bavelaar (TU Delft), Alexei Sharpanskykh (TU Delft), Alexander Yarovoy (TU Delft), Oleg Krasnov (TU Delft), Mike Zoutendijk (TU Delft), Mihaela Mitici (Utrecht University)

TYPE OF PROJECT National research project funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) via the ‘Kansen voor West II’ programme and supported by the Province of South Holland

YEAR 2019 – 2023

PARTNERS Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA), Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport Foundation (RHIA), TU Delft, the municipality of Rotterdam, ADECS AirSystems, SkyEcho, To70, Bagchain, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, MBO Rijnland, WorldStartup, iLabs Technologies, and others. Three TU Delft faculties were involved: 1) Aerospace Engineering, 2) Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, and 3) Industrial Design Engineering, as well as the Innovation & Impact Centre

LOCATION Rotterdam The Hague Airport (The Netherlands)

KEYWORDS Fieldlab, Digitally-driven airport innovation, AI, Seamless passenger and baggage flows, Radar technology, Sustainability, Education

INTRODUCTION

Knowledge exchange in aviation

Until recently, continuous growth in travel demand was expected in air travel. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the industry to a near standstill. Along the road to recovery, stakeholders in air travel and the broader aerospace industry are focusing on challenges that, in most cases, existed even before the pandemic. Minimising the environmental impact and transitioning to sustainable aviation are vital areas to address. Changes to the current travel modalities are required; new technologies, travel concepts, and innovations must be embraced. Airports can play a crucial role in enabling innovation in air transport and in the implementation of these innovations.

A few years ago, Rotterdam The Hague Airport and the municipality of Rotterdam initiated an organisation for innovation to enhance the sustainability of operations both at and around Rotterdam The Hague Airport. With the support of TU Delft and others and a grant from the European Fund for Regional Development through the ‘Kansen voor West II’ programme, the Airport Technology Lab (ATL) was launched in 2019.

The ATL is a digitally-driven field lab that facilitates collaboration and knowledge exchange among the parties involved in the airport domain. Moreover, it provides an online environment where partners jointly develop, test, and showcase data-related technologies, products, and services. The multi- and interdisciplinary character of the programme draws on a unique knowledge chain, spanning from fundamental and applied sciences to professional education and the wider airport and industrial sectors, including SMEs. This allows for the application of cutting-edge scientific knowledge and methodologies to crucial topics concerning digitisation and sustainability in airport operations.

digitallydriven field lab

PARTICIPANTS Multiple colleagues from TU Delft; Faculties of Aerospace Engineering; Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science; Industrial Design Engineering; Innovation & Impact Centre. Over 135 TU Delft students.

Rotterdam

(Source: Rotterdam The Hague Airport)

PROJECT RESULTS

Within the ATL, three types of activities have been undertaken:

1. Development of Field Lab Infrastructure at RTHA: Since the innovations developed at ATL are primarily data-driven, having access to up-to-date and relevant data about airport processes is crucial for making informed and effective decisions. This contributes to enhancing the safety, efficiency, resilience, and reduced environmental impact of airport operations. ADECS AirSystems has led the development of an Airport Open Database (AODB). This database can manage access, share data, and, in future, test developed algorithms, simulation tools, and decisionmaking processes within a digital replica of the airport.

2. Execution of Innovation Projects: Many of ATL’s innovation projects using the AODB have resulted in improvements in sustainability, safety, capacity, efficiency, resilience, and passenger comfort, among other areas. More specifically, these developments have centred on radar technology applications such as weather nowcasting and predicting turbulences

between aircraft (TU Delft, Robin Radar Systems, SkyEcho, To70, RTHA). Agent-based modelling was used to improve terminal and baggage processes (TU Delft, To70, Bagchain, RTHA) and the application of machine learning for better airside planning (TU Delft, ADECS AirSystems, RTHA). Furthermore, several pilot projects were carried out to assess new products, validate simulation models, or collect previously unavailable data. Thus, these innovation projects have also served to verify the efficacy of the established infrastructure.

3. Establishment of a Knowledge Development and Dissemination Programme: The results of the innovation projects were disseminated, and students from various educational tiers and institutions (TU Delft, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, MBO Rijnland) addressed airport-related challenges. In addition, start-ups received business assistance through the accelerator programme, which involved organisations such as the WorldStartup and RHIA.

The following sections describe some of TU Delft’s contributions to ATL, primarily relating to the second and third activities mentioned above.

A queue at RTHA The developed Agent-based Airport Terminal Operations Model improves efficiency, security, and resilience of airport terminal processes. The ATL is used to research how flows can be improved, queues reduced, and airport revenues increased.

(Source: Rotterdam The Hague Airport)

Innovation Project 1 Call-to-Gate Strategy

Discretionary activities, such as retail, food, and beverages, generate a significant proportion of nonaeronautical revenue within the aviation industry. However, these activities are often overlooked in computational airport terminal models. Given their influence on passenger flow and overall airport terminal performance, it is crucial to study these discretionary activities in detail. Moreover, these activities are affected by other airport terminal processes, such as check-in and security.

Within ATL, the AATOM (An Agent-based Airport Terminal Operations Model) tool was enhanced. This tool can simulate the efficiency, security, and resilience of airport terminal processes, and it was further developed to incorporate the main handling processes and passenger decision-making related to discretionary activities. With this tool, a ‘call-to-gate strategy’ application was developed. Simulation results indicate that operational strategies, which either reduce passenger queue time or increase passenger free time, can significantly boost overall airport terminal performance in terms of efficiency, revenue, and cost. Additionally, the tool assessed the implications of introducing remote baggage drop-off points, another initiative from an ATL partner, on passenger flow and efficiency within the terminal, ultimately elevating

Innovation Project 2 Flight-to-Gate Planning

A tool was developed that was capable of predicting delays for both departing and arriving flights at the airport, using machine learning techniques on historical flight data. Unlike existing techniques, this model offers a probabilistic prediction, giving both a delay value and the accompanying uncertainty. Such a combination of information supports airport planners in both tactical and operational decision-making and leads to more efficient procedures.

A schematic overview of the developed AATOM (An Agent-based Airport Terminal Operations Model) architecture

The Mixture Density Networks (MDN) algorithm is a Machine Learningbased technique that takes data of a certain flight as input and outputs a multimodal probability distribution of the delay that flight will attain

A direct application of these probabilistic predictions was the testing of an improved flight-to-gate planning model within the pilot project. This model converts the predictions into aircraft presence probabilities and uses them in a linear programming model for assigning flights to gates. It enables airport planners to manage the risk of flight overlaps – instances where two aircraft might be assigned the same gate simultaneously. In collaboration with Adecs AirSystems, an ‘interface control document’ was drafted, detailing how various tools can integrate with the AODB for testing.

Innovation Project 3 Airside 4D Weather Mapping

Nowadays, air traffic management relies on weather condition forecasts based on numerical weather models. These complex models, which are computationally heavy, are usually provided by national or international meteorological offices. The main drawback of such forecasts is the infrequency of their updates – usually daily or just a few times a day. This means that air traffic controllers and pilots often have to rely on their own understanding of the swiftly changing weather conditions surrounding the airport. Microwave Sensing, Signals and Systems (MS3) – the radar research group of the EEMCS faculty at TU Delft – has highlighted the potential of using the Robin Radar MAX® phased array radar to show a detailed and real-time depiction

The probability of two aircraft (green, black) being present at the same gate (red) is required to stay below the maximum, as chosen by airport planners

of the airport’s weather conditions. Such direct sensing information can aid in immediate situational awareness for air traffic controllers and pilots, and can be used for weather nowcasting, as opposed to forecasting. For effective nowcasting, radar sensors at airports must deliver periodically updated data on wind and severe weather conditions, which must be accurately inferred from the radar sensing data.

The data from the weather radars of national and international weather services often have limited spatial and temporal resolutions, lacking detailed information necessary for local weather nowcasting.

Within ATL innovative algorithms have been developed to predict flight delays and optimise the allocation of flights to gates, aiding airport planners and increasing passenger experience

At major airports, such nowcasts rely on dedicated weather radars, which are not only expensive to install but also costly to maintain. Few airports can afford such investments. At the same time, many airports are fitting and adeptly upkeeping radar safety systems for drone and bird detection. Researchers at TU Delft suggested augmenting such radars to also observe and measure precipitation characteristics, thereby deriving parameters for wind and turbulence. As part of this project, such an enhancement has been crafted, tested, and incorporated into the Robin Radar MAX® phased array radar, transforming it into a comprehensive radar sensing system for airports.

This project is the first 3D visualisation of rain observations and weather conditions using a Doppler weather phased array radar made in Europe.

Innovation Project 4

Turbulence Prediction at Take-off

Flying through medium-scale turbulence can result in strong aircraft vibrations. While these are uncomfortable for passengers, they also pose a potential risk to the aircraft, especially during take-off or landing. A similar but even more dangerous effect during these phases is a wake vortex created by a preceding aircraft. In the case of large aircraft, such a wake vortex can linger near the runway for an extended period (on the scale of minutes),

thereby increasing the intervals between take-offs and landings.

To enhance an airport’s air traffic management, safety, and overall flight volume, radar sensing can be used to detect, predict, and estimate both the wake vortex and turbulence conditions. The presence of radar sensors with Doppler processing capabilities, as explored within the aforementioned ‘Airside 4D weather mapping’ project, is essential. The use of the signal processing algorithms developed during the project has made it possible to directly detect wake vortices, especially when rain covers the runway. However, this remains a challenge due to the infrequency of such scenarios, the complex nature of the expected Doppler spectra of the wake vortex, and limitations in the radar system performance (such as resolution and sensitivity).

The project’s outcomes offer promising prospects for using radar sensing data to enhance the situational awareness of air traffic controllers and pilots regarding prevailing weather conditions, especially their impact on safety during landing and take-off. At this stage of the research, such sensing-based and nowcasting information can be used as recommendations. However, the prospect of formalising these into regulations is discernible with further research in the future.

For the first time in Europe a 3D visualisation of rain observations and weather conditions has been made with a Doppler weather phased array radar

Radial Total Power FR, Evaluation: 7.5 [deg]

real-world airport

Knowledge & Dissemination Programme:

Integration with TU Delft Education

Three TU Delft faculties participated in this programme: 1) Aerospace Engineering (AE), 2) Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS), and 3) Industrial Design Engineering (IDE). A wide variety of TU Delft MSc graduation projects, as well as bachelor’s and master’s course projects, were set up to support the researchers and companies associated with specific ATL projects, or to address generic airport challenges faced by ATL partners. This approach enabled students to engage with contemporary, cutting-edge airport technology projects and allowed students from varied academic backgrounds to apply their theoretical and design knowledge in practical settings. Student activities ranged from mathematical and computational modelling (typical of engineering faculties at TU Delft, such as AE and EEMCS) to experimentation and data analysis. This also encompassed the creation of innovative product designs, such as a revamp for mobile check-in solutions (at the IDE faculty). In total, TU Delft engaged over 135 students, yielding more than 75 project outcomes.

EVALUATION

Lesson 1

The Value of Cross-Disciplinary Engagement

Given that ATL engages the entire knowledge chain, and that each innovation project incorporates multiple partners, the programme supports the adoption of multi- and interdisciplinary methodologies. While co-creation can present challenges, especially when dependent on the progress, results, and availability of others, the inclusion of varied perspectives has proven very valuable. This is especially pertinent since airports

function as intricate, evolving sociotechnical systems with many interactions between stakeholders, including airlines, pilots, passengers, air traffic controllers, and ground services. A broad spectrum of technical, human, economic, and environmental factors need to be considered to analyse and improve airport operations. Moreover, the sustainability of airport operations encompasses numerous dimensions and aspects related to safety, efficiency, capacity, environmental impact, and resilience. So, to truly understand and enhance sustainability, multi- and interdisciplinary approaches and methodologies are indispensable.

In the ‘Call-to-Gate Strategy’ project, theories from behavioural and cognitive sciences informed the representation of passenger behaviour in multi-agent optimisation models from the realm of artificial intelligence. Feedback from operational experts at airports was essential for model calibration and validation. The simulation tool that was developed was indispensable in analysing various operational scenarios and designs, ultimately fostering improvements in operations. This tool has a graphical user interface showing the dynamics of passenger flows within the airport terminal, coupled with a dashboard with graphs for all relevant KPIs. Such an interface enables efficient interaction with operational experts during model validations and also paves the way for the tool’s future applications.

Lesson 2

The Importance of Data and Resource Availability

In order to successfully apply the models and carry out pilots, it is essential to have access to resources (such as experts and operational space) and airport data. The data provided by the airport was instrumental in

challenges

the development and validation of the models and tools created by TU Delft. It would have been beneficial if more sensors could have been installed within the airport terminal to measure various aspects of terminal operations, particularly focusing on passenger flow control. Moreover, data collection and pilot execution during operation can pose challenges, as they can occasionally disrupt or impede ongoing operations.

Lesson 3

The Benefits of Involving Students in the Innovation Process

Students from various TU Delft faculties were actively involved in ATL, either by supporting developments in the innovation projects (e.g., developing algorithms, tools, simulation, etc.) or by addressing broader airportrelated challenges presented by several ATL partners. The contributions and outcomes of their efforts were lauded and frequently yielded insights that informed subsequent student assignments or provided the foundation for new products and services. Students also benefited from their participation, as they gained exposure to industry professionals (potential future employers) and real-world airport challenges. However, seamlessly integrating company assignments into the academic curriculum can be a complex endeavour. It is essential that these assignments resonate with educational objectives and dovetail with the academic schedule. To this end, a dedicated point of contact or coordinator becomes invaluable. While it was an initial aim of ATL to link students from different educational tiers (intermediate and higher vocational education and university education, or mbo, hbo, and wo) to the same assignments, synchronising these educational programmes from diverse institutions proved challenging due to the lack of alignment between them.

CONCLUSION

Knowledge exchange in aviation

The ATL remains operational, and final conclusions will be drawn at the end of the project period. Since the grant period ends in December 2023, the ATL partners are exploring opportunities to extend and further develop this field lab. Regardless of the outcome, ATL has showcased the potential of multi- and interdisciplinary projects in aviation.

The established innovation infrastructure, AODB, holds value for innovation, research, and educational purposes and can serve as a foundation for future collaborations and projects. In addition to the existing innovation projects, TU Delft distinguishes many more topics worth addressing.

Thus, collaborations centring on digitisation and sustainability will persist beyond ATL. For TU Delft, the topic of green ground operations is considered crucial, especially when considering alternative fuels such as liquid hydrogen and electric-powered aircraft and ground vehicles. Transitioning to such technologies would require major changes in airport infrastructure and operations, which warrants thorough examination. To achieve successful changes, collaboration and alignment among various stakeholders are paramount.

REFLECTION

Reflecting on 15 Years of Integrated, Transdisciplinary Work

We are delighted that you have engaged with this book thus far. We are eager to hear your impressions from reading and browsing these pages. We hope that the manifesto, insights from the Fundamentals, and the practical applications in the projects under Challenges have inspired you for your daily practice, to achieve tangible results and recognition in a turbulent, changing world.

Much literature addresses the challenges of working inter- or transdisciplinarily within one’s organisation, which is often structured in silos. Academic institutions are no exception. In fact, universities seem to excel at organising disciplines. This promotes specialisation, so appreciation and promotions typically occur along these disciplinary lines, facilitated by peer-reviewed journals and disciplinespecific funding. Research indicates that forging an academic career in the inter- and transdisciplinary fields is challenging (Intrepid Cost Action 2019). Often, these fields are perceived as unscientific from the perspective of the technical sciences, as they deal with soft skills or highly complex, wicked processes such as spatial planning and design. Nevertheless, there is a growing recognition that if academia wants to have a societal impact, a transdisciplinary and integrated approach is essential. The formidable challenges of climate change and the ecological crisis necessitate collaboration between spatial and technical research. In short, integrated work is both vulnerable and essential.

Three Phases of DIMI’s Development

How have we approached this within DIMI? How have we organised inter- and transdisciplinary working and learning? What have been our experiences? Here, we identify three phases of development within DIMI: network formation (2009 – 2013), focus on gaining experience and impact (2014 – 2019), and mutual learning (2019 –2024), while the priorities of earlier phases remained highly relevant for subsequent ones.

Building on the Water Centre (a former collaboration format at TU Delft) the community of academics at TU Delft that became the DIMI network stood behind the mission to find sustainable solutions for complex societal issues. The academics from different faculties were organised into four theme groups: deltas, ports, mobility, and infrastructures, each led by a theme leader who was compensated for their time. Research projects – primarily involving a further exploration of existing initiatives – were supported. The first minor, Airport of the Future, was launched. An external advisory board and an internal DIMI board of scientists were established. The external network benefited greatly from TU Delft’s existing collaboration with organisations in the sector.

After much attention had been paid to network formation and sharpening DIMI’s focus, a need arose to boost experience acquisition. Could we truly generate societal impact? To this end, the Special Projects were set up in 2014, as discussed in section 1.2, and sixteen of these became the Signature Projects, featured in Chapter 3. The funding shifted from a fixed staff allowance to project-based funding within DIMI’s field. Additionally, a second minor, Integrated Infrastructure Design, was initiated, numerous Graduation Studios were established, and interdisciplinary student projects abroad received financial support. The number of projects increased significantly; before we knew it, we had initiatives on all continents. These initiatives involved extensive in-kind participation from our partners – sometimes as many as dozens of them. ‘City of the Future’, for instance, involved around 80 partners: governments, design and engineering firms, contractors, and social organisations. Through these experiences, substantive themes gradually emerged, which we now refer to as the Fundamentals of Chapter 2. One example is the research-by-design approach, currently in its seventh project iteration. We have observed a gradual shift from a purely exploratory approach to one including exploitation, which ushered in a new phase.

After about five years, an increasing need emerged to learn from all the experiences to guide future initiatives. For this purpose, a database of all 200 special projects was created, and efforts to systematically evaluate them began. Despite the time constraints – because DIMI was not established for research but for collaboration with societal partners and external profiling – we made a start. The fruits of these efforts can be found in Chapter 2.

Supporting Interdisciplinary Projects & People

However, this still does not answer the question: how could our colleagues achieve all this within an organisation that promotes disciplinary work? DIMI only supported projects that were inherently inter- and transdisciplinary. With funding coming directly from the Executive Board, there was no interference from faculty-specific interests. The projects enabled colleagues who were passionate about integrated issues to allocate time to work on them. These individuals, without exception, turned out to have a strong, intrinsic motivation for this approach, fuelled by the enthusiasm of our societal partners involved in the projects. Engagements with the external advisory board were particularly inspiring and instrumental in garnering support within the university. The support and sparring sessions with the Executive Board were also crucial. Remarkably, both internal and external contacts proved to be long-term. Once the ‘integral’ virus has struck, it seems never to go away. This continuity enabled the development of initiatives and the distillation of lessons despite the limited resources. Considerable attention was paid to communication work, organising events to provide colleagues with a platform, and energising the network.

Ingredients for Integrated Collaboration

Yet, how does this relate to the notion that integrated working is challenging and that many purported successes, upon closer inspection, fail to demonstrate true inter- or transdisciplinary collaboration, both in research and education, as discussed in section 2.2. Figure 4.1 illustrates two extremes. In the upper section, the academy offers its ideas (innovations) to society, which responds to them. Alternatively, societal partners and citizens articulate their problems and wishes, which the academy then incorporates, finds solutions for, and returns to society. This represents limited collaboration and knowledge integration. In the lower section, starting with a societal challenge, the university and societal partners collaborate intensively within one organisation through extensive interaction and continuous iterations, leading to substantial knowledge integration.

Without realising it at first, this intensive collaboration proved especially beneficial for integrated tasks in a transdisciplinary, spatial setting. How did this happen? The competencies and attitudes of colleagues on both the academic and societal sides proved crucial. Not everyone naturally exhibits these competencies, which include openness, equality, empathy, a willingness to learn from each other, appreciation for different insights, allowing others to shine, and the

Figure 4.1: DIMI approach

ability to share successes. Basic aspects such as keeping commitments are also vital. Here, the previously mentioned long-term contacts were incredibly helpful: it takes time to get to know each other, including understanding each other’s norms, values, language, and methods. This can be challenging for academics because collaboration means that your individual output is less isolated and thus less attributable.

This is indeed a challenge, and we strive to support colleagues in this respect. It is important that colleagues enjoy working together and, as indicated earlier, are intrinsically motivated and engaged for the long term. Also, strict adherence to the four criteria of DIMI projects helps: an important societal challenge as a starting point; stakeholder involvement; cross-faculty engagement to involve the relevant disciplines; and impact: societal and learning (see section 2.2, P 25). We have managed to work according to the model in the bottom left, which we consider one of DIMI’s major achievements.

Figure 4.2 shows perspectives that are simultaneously considered: there is always governance, as well as design and engineering. As indicated earlier, science presents a challenge for DIMI because it cannot be our primary focus. Yet, we manage, through our analyses and the multitude of publications that we fund, to generate both societal and scientific impacts.

Debates and Reflections within DIMI

Is there no debate? Absolutely! We have engaged in several, including:

• Should the substantive colleagues coordinate the projects themselves, or should we create a separate role for this purpose? Within DIMI, the latter option led to the creation of the ‘gluon researcher’ role, named after the elementary particle gluon, which provides binding.

• How do we balance having sufficient focus and getting excited about new developments? The latter offers opportunities but also causes confusion among others about the focus.

• Should we rely heavily on university funding, or can we stand on our own with external funding for projects, evaluations, and further development?

• How do we handle different scale levels? Our experience shows that visible impact can be more readily achieved at a smaller scale. However, our ambitions also extend to larger-scale projects, such as the delta.

• To what extent are skills teachable? How do we help students and professionals develop these skills? We initiate a lot of education, but how effective is it?

Figure 4.2: DIMI perspectives

• How far do we go in the pursuit of societal impact? We facilitate this with our knowledge and skills, but how does our responsibility in concrete tasks compare to that of the societal stakeholders? To what extent do we engage in the process of ‘design-based development’, of realising constructions?

Moving Forward

Where do the wonderful experiences described in this book leave us? DIMI remains a ‘Gaulish hamlet’ on the periphery of a large university. This position offers freedom and fosters our rebellious spirit, but it also conveys: ‘You belong everywhere, but you don’t really belong anywhere.’ The ambition for the future is a stronger anchoring in research. Moving from the periphery to the centre of the university while ensuring continuity is also important. Our distinct position, legitimised by the Executive Board, has helped us build knowledge, experience, and a network in a period when there was less focus on societal issues within the university. Nowadays, all universities are engaged in this process, and it will inevitably become more of a core task. This shift will not suppress disciplinary research and teaching, of course, but rather serve to rebalance the scientific and societal sides. The puzzle remains: where can we continue to grow and thrive within a discipline-organised university?

This book aims to provide inspiration for future tasks from a profound experience of integrated working within a spatial and societal context. At this point, we would like to invite our academic and societal colleagues to join us on our journey, openly sharing our knowledge and experiences and providing access to our networks. The societal urgency is too great to refuse. This will facilitate a better understanding of each other, our challenges, and how to handle them.

We look forward to continuing our existing collaborations and forging new, inspiring partnerships!

Marcel Hertogh Chairman of DIMI since 2013

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Research and Education – Education in the Context of Research and Practice

Leijon M, Gudmundsson P, Staaf P & Christersson C(2022)

Challenge-based learning in higher education– A systematic literature review, Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 59:5, 609-618, DOI: 10.1080/14703297.2021.1892503

Van den Beemt A, Van de Watering G & Bots M (2023) Conceptualising variety in challenge-based learning in higher education: the CBL-compass, European Journal of Engineering Education, 48:1, 24-41, DOI: 10.1080/03043797.2022.2078181

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Kamilla Kohn Rådberg, Ulrika Lundqvist, Johan Malmqvist & Oskar Hagvall Svensson (2020) From CDIO to challenge-based learning experiences – expanding student learning as well as societal impact?, European Journal of Engineering Education, 45:1, 22-37, DOI: 10.1080/03043797.2018.1441265

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Lee, L., South Australia Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Cabinet, S. A. D. P., & Adelaide Thinkers in Residence (Project). (2011). An Integrated Design Strategy for South Australia. Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Longue Durée – A matter of time

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C. Hein, J. Hanna, Design Pedagogies in Time of Crisis: Six Universities – Six Studios on Post-Blast Beirut Reconstruction, CPCL/TU Delft, 2024

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FLOOD RISK

Fostering Flood Resilience: Collaborative

Approaches and Future Directions

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De Leeuw, A., Tromp, E., de Boer, F. Flood Resilient Landscapes: areabased solutions combine added value for society with flood risk management, PIAHS, forthcoming.

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Jensen, L. (2020). The battle against water in language and picture: What stories do we tell? Narrative strategies related to water management and sea level rise (in Dutch).

Lenton, T. M., et al. (2019) Climate tipping points—too risky to bet against. Nature 575, 592–595.

Marchau, V. A.W. J., Walker, W.E., Bloemen, P.J.T.M., Popper, S.W. (eds.) (2019). Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty, from theory to practice, Springer International Publishing, January 2019, DOI, 10.1007/978-3-030-05252-2.

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Tessler, Z.D., Vörösmarty, C.J., Grossberg, M., Gladkova I., Aizenman, H., Syvitski, J.P., Foufoula-Georgiou, E. (2015). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. Profiling risk and sustainability in coastal deltas of the world. Science. 2015 Aug 7;349(6248):638-43. doi: 10.1126/science. aab3574. PMID: 26250684.

Tromp, E. (2019) Enhancing Knowledge Transfer and Uptake in the Design Processes of Flood Defences. Ph.D. Thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands, 11 November 2019.

The Rhine River Mouth as an Estuary

The Nieuwe Waterweg (The Netherlands)

Deltares, 2018, Mogelijke gevolgen van versnelde zeespiegelstijging voor het Deltaprogramma. Een verkenning, Delft.

Eo Wijers Foundation, 2023, https://eowijers.nl/nieuws/ Hensen, Martijn, 2021, Waterveiligheid in het Rijnmond-Drechtsteden gebied. Master thesis Hogeschool Rotterdam. Iglesias, Sebastian, 2022, A systematic tool for the assessment of naturebased solutions to mitigate salt intrusion, MSc Thesis TU Delft.

Kleinhans, Maarten G., 2010, Sorting out river channel patterns, Progress in Physical Geography 34/3: 287–326

Meyer, Han, 2017, The State of the Delta. Engineering, urban development and nation building in the Netherlands. Nijmegen: VanTilt.

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The Houston-Galveston Bay Region

A decade of cross-disciplinary learning on flood risk reduction in Texas

City of Houston, Galveston Bay, the barrier island of Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula, including Bolivar Roads, and San Luis Pass (United States of America)

Brand, N. (2017) An even trade. Why the Dutch can both teach and learn from Houston about designing flood resilience. Published December 8 2017, at: https://www.ricedesignalliance.org/an-even-trade-whythe-dutch-can-both-teach-and-learn-from-houston-about-designingfor-flood-resilience.

Berke, P. (august 31, 2017) Why is Houston so vulnerable to devastating floods? Accessible at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-uscanada-41107049

Erdman, J., & C. Dolce (2021) Recent years show why Houston is likely America’s Rainfall Flooding Capital, https://www.wunderground. com/article/storms/severe/news/2021-09-13-houston-rainfallflooding-reputation, accessed October 28 2022

Jonkman, S.N., & E.C. van Berchum. (2022) Flood risk reduction for Galveston Bay: preliminary design of a coastal barrier system, in: S. Brody, Y. Lee & B. Kothuis (eds.) Coastal flood risk reduction. The Netherlands and the Upper Texas Coast. Elsevier, Amsterdam/ Oxford/Cambridge: 257-269

Jonkman S.N., Lendering K.T., van Berchum E.C., Nillesen A., Mooyaart L, de Vries P, van Ledden M, Willems A, Nooij R (2015) Coastal spine system - interim design report.

Karimi, I. (2014) Conceptual design of the Bolivar Roads navigational surge barrier. MSc thesis Delft.

Kothuis B.L.M., Brand, A.D., Sebastian, A.G., Nillesen, A.L., Jonkman, S.N. (2015) Delft Delta Design: The Houston Galveston Bay Region, Texas, USA.

Kok, M. & N. Brand (2017) Everything is bigger in Texas. Reflection program case ‘Houston Galveston Bay, Texas’, in: Kothuis, B. & M. Kok (eds.) Integral Design of Multifunctional Flood Defenses. Delft University Publishers, Delft: 166-167.

Lee, Y. & B. Kothuis (2022) How to design a successful international integrative research and education program, in: S. Brody, Y. Lee & B. Kothuis (eds.) Coastal flood risk reduction. The Netherlands and the Upper Texas Coast. Elsevier, Amsterdam/Oxford/Cambridge: 351364. Lee, Y. & B. Kothuis (2022) Measuring the educational effects of problem- and place-based research education programs: The student survey, in: S. Brody, Y. Lee & B. Kothuis (eds.) Coastal flood risk reduction. The Netherlands and the Upper Texas Coast. Elsevier, Amsterdam/Oxford/Cambridge: 365-376.

Sebastian, A., et al., (2017) Hurricane Harvey Report: A fact-finding effort in the direct aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in the Greater Houston Region.

Malecha, M.L., S. C. Woodruff & P.R. Berke (2021) ‘Planning to mitigate or to exacerbate flooding hazards? Evaluating a Houston, Texas, network of plans in place during hurricane Harvey using a plan integration for resilience scorecard’, Natural Hazards Review 22 (4), Mankad, R. (2017) Why does Houston seem young? Urban Edge, https:// kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/2017/why-does-houston-seem-so-young. Rodriguez Galvez, L. (2019) Dune-based alternative to coastal spine land barrier in Galveston Bay: conceptual design. MSc thesis Delft. Ruijs, M. (2011) The effect of the Ike Dike barriers on Galveston Bay. MSc thesis Delft.

Van Berchum, E.C., PAL de Vries & RPJ de Kort (2016) Galveston Bay Area Land Barrier Preliminary Design. TU Delft Report.

Van Berchum, E.C. M. van Ledden, J.S. Timmermans, J.H. Kwakkel & S.D. Brody (2020) Rapid flood risk screening model for compound flood events in Beira, Mozambique, in Natural Hazards Earth System Science Discussion, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-2020-56, in review Van Hugten, M., Huijsman, N., Kok, N., & Rooze, D. (2018) Flood proof Galveston. A multi-disciplinary approach project on flood risk and exploration of effective mitigation measures for the City of Galveston. Master of Science in Civil Engineering Delft: Delft University of Technology.

Van Schaik, M. (2022) The shade curtain barrier. A conceptual design for a storm surge barrier at the San Luis Pass in Galveston Bay, Texas, United States of America. Master thesis Civil Engineering Delft: Delft University of Technology.

Van den Berg, N. (2021) Urban waterbodies. Stimulating an ecosystem resilient city by integrating climate sensitivity in human-oriented urban design in Houston. Master thesis Urbanism Delft: Delft University of Technology.

‘Texas might spend up to $20 billion to protect Houston from hurricanes. Rice University says it can do it for a fraction of that’: https://www.texastribune.org/series/texas-coast-hurricane-floodprotection/.

Japan Tsunami Reconstruction in Yuriage & Otsuchi

International and Interdisciplinary research and education

Yuriage and Otsuchi (Japan)

Areso Rossi A., Overstraten -Kruijsse F. van, Oosterom M., Moncrieff N., Suijkens S., Grigoris X. (2018). Transferring inter-disciplinary flood reconstruction responses from Japan to The Netherlands. Student report, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Broere S., Flores Herrera, E., Gori, A., Ozcan, A., Panayi, Z., Prida Guillén, Á. Nimmi Sreekumar, N., van Unnik, E. (2019). Interdisciplinary resilient spatial planning based on the reconstruction of Otsuchi, Japan. Student report, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

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Conti, R. (2018). Simplified formulas for the seismic bearing capacity of shallow strip foundations. Soil 1632 Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 104, 64-74.

Oskin, B. (2017). Japan Earthquake Tsunami of 2011: Fact and information [Online]. Available at: https://www.livescience. com/39110-japan- 2011-earthquake-tsunami-facts.html [Accessed 07-05-2018].

Murakami, Takimoto & Pomonis (2012). Tsunami Evacuation Process and Human Loss Distribution in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake: A Case Study of Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture. Available at: https://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/WCEE 20121587.pdf [Accessed 13-06-2018]. (Nakai, 2013)

Tanaka, Y., Shiozaki, Y., Hokugo, A. & Bettencourt, S. (2012). Reconstruction policy and planning. Washington DC: World Bank.

Publications from the projects

Dobbelsteen, J. (2018). The path towards Modern Urban Renewal: Adaptive reconstruction process after tsunami disaster in coastal cities of Japan. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Filipouskaya, N. (2019). Experimental Investigation of Submarine Landslide Induced Tsunami Waves. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Glasbergen, T. (2018). Characterization of incoming tsunamis for the design of coastal structures: A numerical study using the SWASH model. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Hooimeijer F.L. , J.D. Bricker, A.J. Pel, A.D. Brand, F.H.M. Van de Ven, and A. Askarinejad (2022) Multi- and interdisciplinary design of urban infrastructure development. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Urban Design and Planning 2022 175:4, 153-168

Möhring, R. (2018). Sustainable Design of Transport Systems: A Transport Design Strategy in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake considering the trends of Shrinking Cities and the Aging Society. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Mujumdar, G. (2019). KiNTSUGi: Improving resilience capacities in a hazardscape, Otsuchi, Japan. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Mustaqim, M. (2018). Stability Analysis of Geotextile-reinforced Slope Based on Japan Earthquake in 2011: Yuriage, Natori City Case. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Nederhof, I. (2019). Towards Resilient Urban Stormwater Management in a Tsunami Reconstruction: A Scenario Discovery Study on Ötsuchi Town, Japan. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Rao, A. (2019). Stitches: Blending landscape fabric through the golden threads of spatial identity in San Riku coastline, Otsuchi, Iwate, Japan. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Roubos, J. (2019). Prediction of the characteristics of a tsunami wave near the Tohoku coastline: Numerical SWASH modelling. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Salet, J. (2019). Tsunami induced failure of bridges: Determining failure modes with the use of SPH-modeling. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Vafa, N. (2018). Activate resilience of the Miyagi coast. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

van Dijk, M. (2018). Tsunami resiliency of transport systems: The development and application of a tsunami resiliency assessment method. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Yasaku, Y. (2019). Extensive application of a methodology to evaluate a tsunami-resilient transportation system. Master’s thesis, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Living Lab Building with Sediment

Rhine-Meuse Estuary (The Netherlands)

Arcadis (2015) MER verdieping Nieuwe Waterweg, Botlek en 2e Petroleumhaven, In opdracht van het Havenbedrijf Rotterdam, rapportnr. C03051.000094.0100

Brils J, Elmert de Boer, Pieter de Boer, Ralph Schielen, Ad van der Spek, Astrid Blom, Marja Hamilton, Marjolein Sterk, Roelof Smeedes, Ron Peerdeman, Roy Frings, Roy Laseroms, Tiedo Vellinga, Ymkje Huismans en Jos Wieggers (2017). Sediment uit Balans, 14 maart 2017

Jansma J. en N. Kalogeropoulou (2018) Designing with Sediment in the Rhine-Meuse Estuary, TU Delft / DIMI, 2018 (unpublished report)

RWS (2004) Huidige situatie en autonome ontwikkeling RijnMaasmonding, Beschrijving hydraulische, morfologische en scheepvaartkundige aspecten in het kader van ‘ruimte voor de rivier’, December 2004 Rijkswaterstaat, Directie Zuid-Holland Hoofdgroep Planvorming Water AP Notanummer AP/2004/15

Mulder, Jan, Marcel Taal, Marijn Tangelder, Henrice Jansen, René Henkes, Saskia Werners (2012) Sedimentstrategie voor de ZW Delta: een verkenning van kansen, Deltares 2012

Rijkswaterstaat (2004) Huidige situatie en autonome ontwikkeling Rijn-Maasmonding, Beschrijving hydraulische, morfologische en scheepvaartkundige aspecten in het kader van ‘ruimte voor de rivier’, December 2004 Rijkswaterstaat, Directie Zuid-Holland Hoofdgroep Planvorming Water AP Notanummer AP/2004/15

Rijkswaterstaat (2017). Zuidwestelijke Delta – Weergaloze delta, verkenning grote wateren, factsheet Zuidwestelijke Delta, Lelystad 28 november 2017

Sloff, Kees & Christiaan Erdbrink (2008), Onderzoek Morfologie Rijn, Maas en benedenrivieren - Bezinning op slib. Rijkswaterstaat/RIZA rapport, februari 2008

Wijsman, Jeroen, Vincent Escaravage, Ymkje Huismans, Arno Nolte, Remi van der Wijk, Zheng Bing Wang en Tom Ysebaert (2018) Potenties voor herstel getijdenatuur in het Haringvliet, Hollands Diep en de Biesbosch, Wageningen Marine Research rapport C008/18, Yerseke, Delft, 31 januari 2018 van Winden, A, M. Tangelder, W. Braakhekke, B. Geenen, A. Berkhuysen, E Blom (2010), Met Open Armen, voor het belang van veiligheid, natuur en economie, Wereld Natuur Fonds, Zeist 2010

INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION

Highway X City

Future visions for urban ring roads

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht (The Netherlands)

Berveling, J., Derriks, H., Gelauff, G., Harms, L., Tillema, T., Waard, J. van der. (2015). Chauffeur aan het stuur? Zelfrijdende voertuigen en het verkeer- en vervoersysteem van de toekomst, Kennisinstituut voor Mobiliteitsbeleid (KIM), Den Haag.

Boer, H. de, Boomen, T. van den, Hinterleitner, J. (2017). Snelweg X Stad / Highway X City. De toekomst van de stedelijke ringweg / The future of the Urban Ring Road. BNA onderzoek, Amsterdam. Hoen, A., Nijland, S., Snellen, D., Zondag, B. (2012). Elektrisch rijden in 2050: gevolgen voor de leefomgeving, Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving, Den Haag.

Zaan Corridor

Future visions for station areas

Heerhugowaard, Castricum, KrommenieAssendelft, Koog-Zaandijk, and Zaandam Kogerveld (The Netherlands)

Boer, H. de, Boomen, T. van den, Chorus, P., Hinterleitner, J. (2014) Onder Weg! Vijftien ontwerpen voor Transit Oriented Development (TOD) aan de Zaancorridor. BNA onderzoek, Amsterdam.

Chorus, P., Gerretsen, P., Jaffri, S., Ram, M., Rigter, D., Wiers-Faver Linhares, M., Witteman, B. (2013). Maak Plaats! Werken aan knooppuntontwikkeling in Noord-Holland. Provincie Noord-Holland, Haarlem

Engel, H, Gramsbergen, E, Hoeks, H., Rutte, R. (2015). OverHolland 16/17. Van Tilt, Nijmegen.

Sustainable e-bike charging station

Enabling AC, DC and wireless charging of e-bike from solar energy

Delft (The Netherlands)

Apostolou, Georgia, Angèle Reinders, and Karst Geurs. 2018. An Overview of Existing Experiences with Solar-Powered e-Bikes. Energies. Vol. 11. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11082129.

Chandra Mouli, G.R., Mahdi Kefayati, Ross Baldick, Pavol Bauer, Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli, Mahdi Kefayati, Ross Baldick, and Pavol Bauer. 2019. “Integrated PV Charging of EV Fleet Based on Energy Prices, V2G, and Offer of Reserves.” IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid 10 (2): 1313–25. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSG.2017.2763683.

Chandra Mouli, Gautham Ram, Pavol Bauer, and Miro Zeman. 2016. “System Design for a Solar Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Station for Workplaces.” Applied Energy 168 (April): 434–43. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.01.110.

Chandra Mouli, Gautham Ram, Peter Van Duijsen, Francesca Grazian, Ajay Jamodkar, Pavol Bauer, and Olindo Isabella. 2020. “Sustainable E-Bike Charging Station That Enables Ac, Dc Andwireless Charging from Solar Energy.” Energies 13 (14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ en13143549.

Chandra Mouli, Gautham Ram, Peter van Duijsen, Tim Velzeboer, Gireesh Nair, Yunpeng Zhao, Ajay Jamodkar, Olindo Isabella, Sacha Silvester, Pavol Bauer, and Miro Zeman. 2018. “Solar Powered E-Bike Charging Station with AC, DC and Contactless Charging.” In European Conference on Power Electronics and Applications (EPE’18 ECCE Europe). Riga, Latvia.

Chandra Mouli, Gautham Ram, Johan Kaptein, Pavol Bauer, and Miro Zeman. 2016. “Implementation of Dynamic Charging and V2G Using Chademo and CCS/Combo DC Charging Standard.” In 2016 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, ITEC 2016. https://doi.org/10.1109/ITEC.2016.7520271.

Chandra Mouli, Gautham Ram, Mark Leendertse, Venugopal Prasanth, Pavol Bauer, Sacha Silvester, Stefan Van De Geer, and Miro Zeman. 2016. “Economic and CO2 Emission Benefits of a Solar Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Station for Workplaces in the Netherlands.” In 2016 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, ITEC 2016. https://doi.org/10.1109/ ITEC.2016.7520273.

Chandra Mouli, Gautham Ram, Jos Schijffelen, Mike Van Den Heuvel, Menno Kardolus, and Pavol Bauer. 2019. “A 10 KW Solar-Powered Bidirectional EV Charger Compatible with Chademo and COMBO.” IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics 34 (2). https://doi. org/10.1109/TPEL.2018.2829211.

European Environment Agency. 2019. “Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity of Electricity Generation in Europe.” European Environment Agency. 2019.

Fairley, Peter. 2005. “China’s Cyclists Take Charge: Electric Bicycles Are Selling by the Millions despite Efforts to Ban Them.” IEEE Spectrum 42 (6): 54. https://doi.org/10.1109/MSPEC.2005.1437044.

Involar. n.d. “Involar Micro-Inverters, (Http://Www.Involar.Eu).”

Jamodkar, Ajay. n.d. “MSc Thesis - Energy Yield Prediction of Solar Powered E-Bike Charging Station.”

Lai, Chun Sing, and Malcolm D. McCulloch. 2017. “Levelized Cost of Electricity for Solar Photovoltaic and Electrical Energy Storage.” Applied Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.12.153.

Lufft. n.d. “WS503-UMB Smart Weather Sensor (Https://Www.Lufft. Com).”

Meer, Dennis van der, Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli, German MoralesEspana, Laura Ramirez Elizondo, and Pavol Bauer. 2018. “Energy Management System with PV Power Forecast to Optimally Charge EVs at the Workplace.” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics 14 (1): 311–20. https://doi.org/10.1109/TII.2016.2634624.

Nair, Gireesh Ganesan. n.d. “MSc Thesis - Photovoltaic Charging Station for Electric Bikes and Scooters - Design, Optimisation and Implementation.”

Schuylenburg, Fenja Desirée, Nikki Brand, and Marcel Hertogh. n.d. “The Role of Early Knowledge Integration in Multidisciplinary Design Processes - Reconstructing Innovation Projects to Assess the Impact on Project Performance.”

Velzeboer, Tim. n.d. “MSc Thesis - Sustainable & Contactless Charging of e-Bikes.”

Victron Energy. n.d. “MultiPlus 48/3000/35-16; BlueSolar Charger MPPT 150/85.” Accessed June 7, 2018. https://www.victronenergy. com/.

ZHAO, YUNPENG. n.d. “MSc Thesis - PHOTOVOLTAICS E-BIKE CHARGING STATION.”

Biobridge

Innovation by a multidisciplinary design process Delft (The Netherlands)

Brand, A. D., Kothuis, B., & Kok, M. (2017). Legislation and regulation in spatial planning for multifunctional flood defense design. Integral Design of Multifunctional Flood Defenses.

Kevin Forsberg & Harold Mooz (1992) The Relationship of Systems Engineering to the Project Cycle, Engineering Management Journal, 4:3, 36-43, DOI: 10.1080/10429247.1992.11414684

Uiterkamp, A. J. S., & Vlek, C. (2007). Practice and outcomes of multidisciplinary research for environmental sustainability. Journal of Social issues, 63(1), 175-197.

Smits, J.E.P. (2019). The Art of Bridge Design, identifying a design approach for well-integrated, integrally designed and sociallyvalued bridges. A+BE | Architecture and the Built Environment, p.193. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7480/abe.2019.3.3734

Voorendt, M. (2017). Design principles of multifunctional flood defences DOI: 10.4233/uuid:31ec6c27-2f53-4322-ac2f-2852d58dfa05. Wynn, D., & Clarkson, J. (2005). Models of designing. In Design process improvement (pp. 34-59). Springer, London.

Fluvial Metropolis Design, Planning, Engineering and Governance

São Paulo Metropolitan Waterway Ring, an infrastructure ecology paradigm

São Paulo (Brazil)

Delijaicov, A. et al (2011) Articulação Arquitetônica e Urbanistica dos estudos de Pre-Viabilidade Tecnica, Economica e Ambiental do Hidroanel Metropolitano de São Paulo. Grupo Metrópole Fluvial, Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Universidade de São Paulo. Accessed in http://metropolefluvial.fau.usp.br/

Piccinini, D., Rocco, R., Bacchin, T.K. (Eds) (2014). Smart Infrastructure and Mobility: Exploring Water, Mobility and Infrastructure in São Paulo. Bouwkunde TUDelft. ISBN: 978-94-6186-340-9

SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

City of the Future

Ten design strategies for one square kilometre in five cities

Amsterdam, Den Haag, Eindhoven, Utrecht, and Rotterdam (The Netherlands)

Berkers, M. et.al (2019). The city of the future. Ten design strategies for five locations. Visualizations for a square kilometre of city. Amsterdam: BNA Onderzoek.

Regio van de Toekomst. 2019. Blog Blauwe Kamer. https://www. blauwekamer.nl/regiovandetoekomst/ Nationale Omgevingsvisie. Duurzaam perspectief voor onze leefomgeving. 2020, Den Haag: Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties

Deel-KIA Toekomstbestendige Mobiliteitssystemen. 2019, Den Haag: Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat. Boomen, van den, T.et.al (2014). Onder weg!, Vijftien ontwerpen voor Transit Oriented Development (TOD) aan de Zaancorridor. Amsterdam: BNA Onderzoek.

Boomen, van den, T. et. al (2016). Highway x City, The future of the urban ring road. Amsterdam/Mechelen: BNA Onderzoek/Public Space.

Boer, de Hans, Jutta Hinterleitner, Manon Mastik en Willemijn de Jonge (2020). Stad x Klimaat. Het gebouw als watermachine. Onderzoek naar de rol van coorparatiewoningen in de klimaatopgave. Amsterdam: BNA Onderzoek.

Boer de, Hans (Editor), Shana Debrock (Editor), Thomas Dillon Peynado (Editor), Marleen Duflos (Editor), Mark Hendriks (Editor), F.L. Hooimeijer (Editor), J.A. Kuijper (Editor) & Gijsbert Schuur (Editor). (2022). Ontwerpen vanuit de doorsnede: De ondergrond als bouwsteen voor de toekomstbestendige stad. Translated title of the contribution: Designing from the cross section: The subsurface as a building block for the future-proof city. Mechelen: Public Space.

https://www.tudelft.nl/infrastructures/onderzoek/future-proofbuilt-environment-urban-infrastructures

Intelligent Subsurface Quality

Drawing the subsurface: integrated infrastructure and environment design

Rotterdam and Leiden (The Netherlands)

Hooimeijer FL, Kuchincow Bacchin T and Lafleur F (eds.) (2016) Intelligent SUBsurface Quality: Intelligent use of subsurface infrastructure for surface quality. Delft: University of Technology.

F.L. Hooimeijer, I.P.A.M. van Campenhout (2019) Distributed agency between 2D and 3D representation of the subsurface International Journal of 3-D Information Modeling (IJ3DIM)7(2);

F.L. Hooimeijer and L. Maring (2018) The significance of the subsurface in urban renewal. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 11:3, 303-328

F.L. Hooimeijer, F. Lafleur, T.T. Trinh (2017) Drawing the subsurface: an integrative design approach. Procedia Engineering Volume 209, 2017, Pages 61–74

Hooimeijer F.L. (2020) Stad – Bodem Equilibrium. Noodzaak van een gezonde relatie tussen de stad en haar bodem. Bodem juni 2020. P6-8

Hooimeijer, F.L., Rizzetto, F., van den Broek, J., Vermeulen, S., Goselink, C.C., Kreulen, M.M., de Roode, M.W., van der Voorn, A.C.M. (2021) Verrijking van het Ruimtelijk Uitvoeringsplan met de ondergrondse dimensie. TU Delft research

Hooimeijer, F.L., Rizzetto, F. , Acheilas, I. , ter Heijden, W.J. , de Vette, K., von der Tann, L., Durand Lopez, . (2020) Subsurface Equilibrium: Transformation towards synergy in construction of urban systems. Delft: University of Technology Delft.

Hooimeijer FL, Rizzetto F (eds.) (2017) Resilient Infrastructure and Environment. Spatial operation perspective. Delft: University of Technology.

Hooimeijer F.L. and Lafleur (2018) Intelligent SUBsurface Quality 4: Drawing the subsurface: Integrated Infrastructure and environment design. Delft: University of Technology Delft

Hooimeijer F.L. and Heijden W van der (2018) Intelligent SUBsurface Quality 5: Bioscience Park: Tabula scripta: Structureren, visualiseren en presenteren. Delft: University of Technology.

Hooimeijer F.L. and LaFleur (2018) Intelligent SUBsurface Quality 3: Bloemhof-Zuid: Tabula scripta: Structureren, visualiseren en presenteren. Delft: University of Technology.

Hooimeijer F.L. and LaFleur (2018) Intelligent SUBsurface Quality 2: Leiden Stationsgebied: Tabula scripta: Structureren, visualiseren en presenteren. Delft: University of Technology.

Hooimeijer FL, Kuchincow Bacchin T and Lafleur F (eds.) (2016) Intelligent SUBsurface Quality 1: Intelligent use of subsurface infrastructure for surface quality. Delft: University of Technology.

Spatial Design Starts with a Cross Section

The subsurface as a building block for the future-proof city Rotterdam (The Netherlands)

Boer de H, Debrock S, Dillon Peynado T, Duflos M, Hooimeijer F, Kuijper J, Schuur G (2022) Ontwerpen vanuit de doorsnede De ondergrond als bouwsteen voor de toekomstbestendige stad. Uitgeverij Public Space: Mechelen

Eco City Jingmen

Advising a municipal government in central China on its urban and industrial transformation strategy

Jingmen (China)

de Jong, M., Joss, S., Schraven, D., Zhan, C., & Weijnen, M. (2015). Sustainable–smart–resilient–low carbon–eco–knowledge cities; making sense of a multitude of concepts promoting sustainable urbanization. Journal of Cleaner Production, 109, 25-38

Dong, L., Fujita, T., Zhang, H., Dai, M., Fujii, M., Ohnishi, S., Geng, Y., & Liu, Z. (2013). Promoting low-carbon city through industrial symbiosis: A case in China by applying HPIMO model. Energy Policy, 61, 864-873

MacDonald, E.F., & She, J. (2015). Seven cognitive concepts for successful eco-design. Journal of Cleaner Production, 92, 23-36

MIIT & NRDC(2013). Ministry of Industry and Information Technology & National Reform and Development Commission. Notice on the List of National Low Carbon Industrial Park Pilots (first batch). http://www.miit.gov.cn/ n11293472/n11295091/n11299314/16069127.html.

MIIT (2014). Ministry of Industry and Information Technology & NDRC. Guidelines for drafting working plan for Low Carbon Industrial Park Pilots. http://www.miit.gov.cn/n11293472/ n11295091/n11299314/16069127.html

NRDC (2005). National Reform and Development Commission. Notice on the work for organizing the development of circular economy pilots (First batch). http://bgt.ndrc.gov.cn/ zcfb/200511/t20051101_499570.html

NRDC (2007). National Reform and Development Commission. Notice on the work for organizing the development of circular economy pilots (Second batch). http://fgj.zhuxi.gov. cn/E_ReadNews.asp?NewsID=191

NRDC (2012). National Reform and Development Commission. Guidelines for drafting Recycling Transformation Zone work plans. http://www.sdpc.gov.cn/zcfb/zcfbtz/201404/ t20140415_607075.html

NRDC & MOF (2014). National Reform and Development Commission & Ministry of Finance. Notice on recommending Circular Transformation Demonstration Pilots for the 2014 selection. http://www.sdpc.gov.cn/zcfb/zcfbtz/201404/ t20140415_607075.html

NRDC (2016). National Development and Reform Commission. National mid- and long-term high-speed railway plan. https:// www.gov.cn/xinwen/2016-07/20/content_5093165.htm

Rezvanpour, N., & Bayat, A. (2017). Determining effective urban design factors within the branding strategy due to brand city spaces and evaluating city spaces by comparing them to the presented factors. a case study of chaharbagh avn, isfahan, iran. Energy Procedia, 115, 6-17.

Salazar, C., Lelah, A., & Brissaud, D. (2015). Eco-designing Product Service Systems by degrading functions while maintaining user satisfaction. Journal of Cleaner Production, 87, 452-462

Van Berkel, R., Fujita, T., Hashimoto, S., & Geng, Y. (2009). Industrial and urban symbiosis in Japan: Analysis of the Eco-Town program 1997–2006. Journal of Environmental Management, 90, 1544-1556

Yu, C., Dijkema, G.P.J., de Jong, M., & Shi, H. (2015). From an ecoindustrial park towards an eco-city: a case study in Suzhou, China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 102, 264-274

Zhang, L., Yuan, Z., Bi, J., Zhang, B., & Liu, B. (2010). Eco-industrial parks: national pilot practices in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 18, 504-509

PORTS & HUBS PROJECTS

Role of Stations

Exploring the role of stations in future metropolitan areas Paris (France); Amsterdam, and Rotterdam (The Netherlands)

Bureau Spoorbouwmeester, De Nieuwe Sleutelprojecten: op weg naar 2030, Spoorbeeld, 2016. Available online: https://www. spoorbeeld.nl/sites/default/files/2021-07/inspiration/161010sb-nsp_digitaal.pdf

Societé du Grand Paris, Inventons la métropole du Grand Paris, Paris: Édition du Pavillon de l’Arsenal, 2017

Triggianese, M and Cavallo, R., Het station van de toekomst; Amsterdamse stations in transitie, OverHolland 19/20 academic journal, 38-59, Nijmegen: Vantilt, 2019

Triggianese, M. Cavallo, R., Baron, N., Kuijper, J. Stations as Nodes: exploring the role of stations in future metropolitan areas from a French and Dutch perspective, Delft: TU Open, 2019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.34641/mg.27

Triggianese, M., Söylev, Y., Zhang, Y., Veloso e Zarate, H. (ed) Transit Stations: Sub-centers in Rotterdam Zuid, Delft: TU Open, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34641/mg.51

Terrin J.J. Gares et dynamiques urbaines Les enjeux de la grande vitesse. Paris : Parenthèses, 2011

van Acker, M. and Triggianese, M. The spatial impact of train stations on small and medium-sized European cities and their contemporary urban design challenges, Journal of Urban Design, 26:1, 38-58, 2021

PortCityFutures Dualities

Analytical Panel in the Pavillon Riva dei Sette Martiri at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2018

Venice (Italy)

Hein, Carola, Yvonne van Mil, Lucija Azman Momirski (2023), Port City Atlas: Mapping European Port City Territories: From Understanding to Design, nai010. https://www.nai010.com/ en/publicaties/port-city-atlas/246049

Couling, Nancy and Carola Hein (eds) (2020) The Urbanisation of the Sea: From Concepts and Analysis to Design, nai010/BK Open,

Hein, Carola (ed.) (2020) Adaptive Strategies for Water Heritage, Springer. https://books.google.de/books/ about/Adaptive_Strategies_for_Water_Heritage. html?id=P423DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_ read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Carola Hein, Editor Special Issue Urban Planning: Vol 6, No 3 (2021): Planning for Porosity: Exploring Port City Development through the Lens of Boundaries and Flows, https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/issue/ view/222

Carola Hein, Editor Special Issue PortusPlus (2019): Special Issue: Governance in Port City Regions, RETE Publisher, PORTUSplus, n 8, 2019, https://portusplus.org/index.php/pp

Carola Hein, Sabine Luning, Paul van de Laar, Special Issue CPCL I+II (2021)

Carola Hein (2022), Port City territories as ecosystems, PortusPlus 13, https://portusplus.org/index.php/pp/article/ view/270/247.

Carola Hein, Port City Resilience: (Re-)Connecting Spaces, Institutions and Culture, 17 March 2020, https://www. portcityfutures.nl/news/port-city-resilience-re-connectingspaces-institutions-and-culture

Carola Hein (2019) “Port-City-Regions in a Time of Transitions: Value Deliberations on Port City Futures,” PORTUS: the online magazine of RETE, n.38, November 2019, Year XIX, Venice, RETE Publisher, ISSN 2282-5789, URL: https:// portusonline.org/en/port-city-regions-in-a-time-oftransitions-value-deliberation-on-port-city-futures/

Toolkit

https://www.delftdesignforvalues.nl/portfolio/ value-deliberations-energy-transition-port-citycultures/?portfolioCats=125 https://portcityfutures.nl/activities/pcf-projects/using-valuedeliberations-to-explore-solutions-for-the-energy-transitionof https://www.portcityfutures.nl/activities/pcf-projects/values-forparticipatory-port-city-making

Venice Biennale Pavilion

A project from the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2018 – Part of the extended programme of the Dutch ‘Work, Body, Leisure’ Pavilion

Venice (Italy)

European Parliament (2017). EU Port Cities and Port Area Regeneration. European Parliament Briefing, May 2017. Accessible at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ etudes/BRIE/2017/603889/EPRS_BRI(2017)603889_EN.pdf

Khosravi, H., Kuzniecow Bacchin, T., Lafleur, F. (2018). The Port and the Fall of Icarus. Project Proposal for the External Programme of the Dutch Pavilion of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2018

Khosravi, H., Kuzniecow Bacchin, T., Lafleur, F. (eds) (2019). Aesthetics and Politics of Logistics. Humboldt Books, Milan, 2019.

Khosravi, H. (2020). The Port and the Fall of Icarus. Faktur 2, Fall/ Winter 2019, 42–57

The Airport Technology Lab

A digitally-driven field lab – a TU Delft perspective Rotterdam The Hague Airport (The Netherlands)

Janssen, S., Sharpanskykh, A., & Curran, R. (2019). Agentbased modelling and analysis of security and efficiency in airport terminals. Transportation research part C: emerging technologies, 100, 142-160.

Janssen, S., Sharpanskykh, A., Curran, R., & Langendoen, K. (2019, July). AATOM: an agent-based airport terminal operations model simulator. In SummerSim (pp. 20-1)

Mekić, A., Mohammadi Ziabari, S. S., & Sharpanskykh, A. (2021). Systemic agent-based modeling and analysis of passenger discretionary activities in airport terminals. Aerospace, 8(6), 162.

Colophon

EDITORS

Marcel Hertogh

Fransje Hooimeijer

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Marcel Hertogh

Fransje Hooimeijer

Nikki Brand

Carola Hein

Baukje Kothuis

ENGLISH EDITING & TRANSLATION

Henriette Schoemaker

COORDINATION

Minke Themans

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Studio Minke Themans

PRINTING

G.B. ’t Hooft bv, Rotterdam

BINDING

Binderij Van Wijk Utrecht BV

© Technical University Delft and the authors, Delft 2025

This publication is funded by the TU Delft Delta Infrastructure and Mobility Initiative (DIMI)

WITH

THANKS TO THE AUTHORS

Stefan Aarninkhof

Maarten Van Acker

Amin Askarinejad

Nacima Baron

Pavol Bauer

Elise Bavelaar

Marieke Berkers

Esther Blom

Hans de Boer

Nikki Brand

Jeremy Bricker

Ellen van Bueren

Edwin Buitelaar

Roberto Cavallo

Gautham Ram Chandra Mouli

Tom Daamen

Peter van Duijsen

Paul Gerretsen

Meiling Han

Maurice Harteveld

Carola Hein

Marcel Hertogh

Jutta Hinterleitner

Fransje Hooimeijer

Jasper Hugtenburg

Olindo Isabella

Ajay Jamodkar

Martin de Jong

Bas Jonkman

Joris Koenders

Baukje Kothuis

Oleg Krasnov

Joran Kuijper

Tom Kuipers

Taneha Kuzniecow Bacchin

Filippo Lafleur

Hedwig van der Linden

Zhaowen Liu

Matthew Malecha

Marcel van der Meijs

Han Meyer

Mihaela Mitici

Gireesh Nair

Harrie Olsthoorn

Adam Pel

Charles Penland

Saskia Postma

Luis Rodriguez

Bart Roodenburg

Fenja Desirée Schuylenburg

Alexei Sharpanskykh

Sacha Silvester

Kees Sloff

Joris Smits

Yun Song

Manuela Triggianese

Ellen Tromp

Peter van Veelen

Tim Velzeboer

Frans van de Ven

Marc Verheijen

Mark Voorendt

Biyue Wang

Ad Winkels

Ries van der Wouden

Alexander Yarovoy

Miro Zeman

Yunpeng Zhao

Mike Zoutendijk

BUILDING FUTURES

Building Futures was written for all experts working on today’s and future challenges in infrastructures and urban environments. Based on a portfolio of more than 200 trans- and interdisciplinary initiatives, this book presents theoretical and practical insights for both practitioners and academics alike.

How can we design and keep our infrastructures and urban environments attractive, sustainable, and resilient in the face of today’s challenges? What approaches and methods are effective in dealing with the complexity of interconnected issues such as climate change, housing, mobility, and liveability, to name just a few?

At the heart of the book are 16 projects, grouped into four themes: flood risk, infrastructure innovation, sustainable urban development, and ports & hubs. In all of these projects, the TU Delft Deltas, Infrastructures & Mobility Initiative (DIMI) worked in integrated, multidisciplinary teams with societal partners.