Peri-Urban Transformations: Analysis, Development, Design

In this elective course the interaction between spatial design, area and project development tools and social, economic, political, and environmental issues is at stake. Students from the MBE, Landscape Architecture and Urbanism tracks and the MSc CME Design en Integration Domain (from the coupled course Transformative Design), collaborate on the transformation of a peripheral urban area in the Netherlands. The pressure on these urban fringes is both urban and rural and characterised by urban sprawl, fragmented agricultural or industrial activity, remnants of natural and landscape values.

Working together in groups you will develop a master plan and elaborate individually a more detailed, imaginable transformation proposal. Students confront spatial qualities, opportunities, limitations and challenges of the chosen area with societal needs, transition goals, ownership issues and stakeholder claims. You design and define proposals on different scales and complexities including area, portfolio and project level. You will apply development strategies, feasibility criteria and research by design activities.

This course is organised as a multidisciplinary experience combining approaches, knowledge and skills from the viewpoints of management, urban design and landscape development and is therefore representative for area development practice in the real world. This collaboration provides insight in the complementarity of viewpoints, data, tools, vocabulary, methods and fun.