Urbanism
Joint research project TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture and The Built Environment; South China University of Technology, School of Architecture; the University of Sheffield, Department of Landscape Architecture
Adaptive Urban Transformation. Urban Landscape Dynamics, Regional Design and Territorial Governance in the Pearl River Delta, China
This Joint Research Project – led by Dr Steffen Nijhuis (Lead, TU Delft), Prof Yimin Sun (SCUT) and Prof Eckart Lange (UoS) and sponsored by NWO, NSFC and EPSRC – focusses on sustainable coastal urban landscapes as design assignment (SDG11).
The overall aim of the research is to develop an integrative and multiscale design and planning approach for adaptive urban transformation in fast urbanizing deltas. It uses the Pearl River Delta in China as a case study. The research concerns planning and management for more resilient urban deltas, and in particular, adaptation of the dynamics of urban deltas to address increasing flood risk. The project evaluates innovative regional design as an approach to create spatial strategies that may unlock the adaptation options, especially by integrating urban planning, territorial governance and water management, and engaging with stakeholders. The project combines work in China, the Netherlands and the UK: (1) to develop a portfolio of integrated adaptive design principles based on an assessment of ecological capacity and life cycles of urban districts and regions; (2) identify the potential of integrative and multiscale design and planning approaches; and (3), develop and test innovative 3D visualisation techniques that facilitate participatory, multi-stakeholder planning approaches. For the first time, established and regular urban transformation processes will be used as opportunities to adapt systems in urbanized deltas at relatively low costs. Furthermore, the research will identify institutional, cultural and financial innovations that are needed in territorial governance to steer the development of urban and rural areas towards more resilient futures. This research provides a unique approach that integrates research in urban landscape systems, territorial governance and visualisation techniques that will help to achieve more integrated and resilient deltas.
Partnership TU Delft and SCUT
The research builds upon established partnerships between the TU Delft and SCUT, and is complemented with the UoS. In 2013 TU Delft and SCUT founded a joint research centre on Urban Systems and Environment (USE). USE provides a platform for research projects on the challenges of city planning and management in contexts of high urbanization as in north-west Europe and Pearl River Delta.
TU Delft is specialized in future strategies for sustainable development of urban deltas in response to new (climate) conditions, and renowned for combining science, technology and design. in future strategies for sustainable development of urban deltas in response to new (climate) conditions, and renowned for combining science, technology and design. SCUT has taken the lead in academic research and engineering practice of large public buildings and urban planning and design in various regions in China. SCUT has strong ties with (local) governmental stakeholders, important for practical applications in real time projects, and to safeguard the societal relevance of the research. SCUT also hosts the prestigious State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Architecture Science in China approved by the State Ministry of Science and Technology, providing infrastructure and capacity needed for successful research projects. The team is augmented with UoS. The UoS has a long track record and experience in collaborative research on an international level, and is world leading in developing innovative approaches and tools for stakeholder involvement and 3D landscape visualization. The team represents a mix of scientific partners that have ample experience in the theory and practice of transdisciplinary projects focused on integral planning and design of urban deltas, including the development and application of tools.
The aim for the longer term is to develop the joint research centre into a knowledge institute for sustainable planning and design of urbanizing deltas and to consolidate cooperation between the partners. The lab can serve as a knowledge database and repository of data and information on territorial governance, spatial strategy and urban landscape dynamics fin the PRD. It also can serve as a basis to educate government officials and young professionals.
