Western cities are rapidly densifying, and new building typologies are being invented to mitigate high-rise and balance residential, commercial and recreational functions. This vertical urbanization requires rethinking the traditional design of public space to promote citizens’ well-being. While the …

Schools, youth care and youth work help young people to function in society. But sometimes obstacles to the development of young people have their origins in that same society. How can we create space and opportunities for young people to positively change their environments and society? Research at …

The relevance of citizen participation in regeneration projects, particularly in shrinking cities, is widely acknowledged, and this topic has received a great deal of policy and academic attention. Although the many advantages of citizen participation in regeneration projects have been identified, its …

Cities all over the world are rethinking their mobility policies in light of environmental and quality of life objectives. As space is one of cities’ scarcest resources, mobility’s spatial footprint is increasingly scrutinized as externality to mitigate. Similar to passenger transport, goods transport …

There has been a rapidly growing number of studies of the geographical aspects of happiness and well-being. Many of these studies have been highlighting the role of space and place and of individual and spatial contextual determinants of happiness. However, most of the studies to date do not explicitly …

The large measures of the CIAM-based Bijlmermeer district still exert their influence on the living environment and infrastructure, making it difficult for the population to create facilities which meet their way of life. In close contact with inhabitants of Kraaiennest a new program is set up to provide …

The project ‘A Paradise for Starters’ is concerned with a new typology for affordable housing and co-living. Economy of means is found in a double height dwelling unit with a width of 4 meters, which is open to one side. Because the units are placed obliquely, an open corner can be created with a semi-outdoor …

Hof van den Houte’ is the new name for a shopping and housing district in the present heart of Etten-Leur, once the site of a castle by the same name between the villages Etten and Leur. The site was still an open field when a modern freestanding shopping mall was built in the 1960s to serve the growing …

Neverland is a design for a cultural center in Izmir. To escape the restricted use of normal urban public space like streets and malls, a free space is created on a neglected parking site along the waterfront. An elevated route connects the inner city with the water, but where it crosses a highway crossing …

‘Block R’ investigates the theme of the city block. The objective is to find autonomous design elements for an urban entity: an open plinth with diagonal crossing, an atrium, open floors with concentrated volumes for living, working and refreshments, distinct voids or outlook spaces for meetings and …