The design as a process instrument

Climate changes, sustainability demands and social and economic changes require different spatial interventions. To respond adequately to these changes, a better way of cooperation is necessary. Cooperation will lead to comprehensive and sustainable solutions for the future developments. To reach this goal, consensus must be secured between different stakeholders that have different disciplinary backgrounds, different values and maybe contradicting stakes. Good interdisciplinary cooperation processes requires a vision, commitment, and the goal to reach an optimal and sustainable spatial plan. This plan should minimize the impact on the environment, while guaranteeing social and economic viability, now and in the future. Sharing expertise and knowledge will lead to know-how on how to avoid or quickly solve regularly recurring conflicts in the future. It remains difficult to combine two or more academic disciplines into one activity. Every specialist acts from its own expertise, experience and insight. Communication instruments are used to get interdisciplinary cooperation started. This led to the following research question: What role can the design play in an interdisciplinary debate? With the sub-research question: How can urban, technical and natural developments and stakes be united in one integral spatial design? The dynamic and complex IJssel-Vechtdelta is dealing with high uncertainties about future developments. I developed a design for this region that touches on multiple disciplinary-related interests and used this design as a vehicle to start an interdisciplinary debate with the stakeholders involved. The interdisciplinary discussions led to a series of adjustments of the design. The goal is to explore on possibilities and opportunities in solving complex issues while establishing how a design functions as an effective communication tool in an interdisciplinary debate.
Delta Intervention
Urbanism
Architecture