This thesis will evaluate cycling policies implemented by the City of San Francisco. It will provide insight into the question: “How does the City of San Francisco encourage its citizens to cycle?”...Show moreThis thesis will evaluate cycling policies implemented by the City of San Francisco. It will provide insight into the question: “How does the City of San Francisco encourage its citizens to cycle?”. The research method employed is a critical analysis of policy documents and complementary documentation, involving information on the websites of local governments, online newspaper articles and blogs about cycling policies in San Francisco. Moreover, the topic will be placed in a broader context: a literature review on successful European models will be conducted to identify best practices that can be incorporated in San Francisco’s bicycling strategy to further encourage cycling. Possible obstacles that may hinder the application of European models will also be discussed briefly. Currently, San Francisco is mainly focusing on the provision of cycling infrastructure, but neglects the importance of a multi-faceted approach including measures that reduce the attractiveness of car usage, as implemented in successful European models.Show less
In recent years, the effects of climate change and global warming have become more apparent. The cause and solutions thereof lie within cities. A solution that has an important and prominent role...Show moreIn recent years, the effects of climate change and global warming have become more apparent. The cause and solutions thereof lie within cities. A solution that has an important and prominent role is the implementation of more urban greenery. Urban greenery cools down the city, thereby ameliorating the Urban Heat Island effect. Furthermore, urban greenery has the ability to sequester carbon, makes the city have a nicer and healthier appearance, and has a positive impact on the physical and mental health of city dwellers. Urban greenery consists of large-scale and small-scale greenery. Large-scale can be understood as urban parks and forests, whereas small-scale is in the sense of gardening, such as tree border gardens and façade gardens. The focus of this thesis lies on the latter of these types of greenery. Specifically, on façade gardens, the implementation thereof, and the factors that influence this implementation. With use of literature and database research, structured observations, and a questionnaire, the main factors that influence the implementation of façade gardens in the city of Leiden was researched. It was discovered that the four main reasons are the structure of the neighbourhood, personal interests of inhabitants and their academic attainment level, information provisioning, and proximity to public parks.Show less
The aim of this research is to investigate how health was fostered by urban planners after the Second World War in the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Firstly, this thesis will discuss the...Show moreThe aim of this research is to investigate how health was fostered by urban planners after the Second World War in the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Firstly, this thesis will discuss the literature review that tackles urban health, the concept of health in the twentieth century, and postwar urban planning. This will be followed by a framework from secondary literature mentioned in the literature review on urban health and urban planning initiatives that impact health positively. This framework is used to analyse primary sources of postwar urban planning. The results indicated that postwar urban planners developed urban areas mostly to prevent infectious diseases and aimed for the creation of lively neighbourhoods through leisure. However, the spatial environment that was created unintentionally prospered health in different manners through the lens of the current perception of urban health.Show less
Since 2005, despite restricting immigration policies, the Netherlands has had a persistent growth of migrants with a Russian background and of Russian-speaking migrants from other countries; more...Show moreSince 2005, despite restricting immigration policies, the Netherlands has had a persistent growth of migrants with a Russian background and of Russian-speaking migrants from other countries; more than half of these immigrants are women. This thesis gains an insight into how the urban environment in Dutch cities contributes to the sense of belonging of Russian-speaking first-generation migrant women and to the (potential) conflict among them and with the host society. Overall, Dutch cities allow these women to establish a meaningful connection with Dutch culture and history. Urban space, its history and aesthetics provide a framework to connect women’s personal narratives to a broader cultural and historical context. This, in turn, shapes local urban identity, which facilitates the immigrants’ sense of belonging and, consequently, the integration process. Additionally, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has heightened the awareness towards Russian-speaking women’s identities and the Russian language’s increased presence in Dutch cities, which in turn has influenced tensions and the possibility of conflicts at the local level and primarily in urban spaces.Show less
Since 2005, despite restricting immigration policies, the Netherlands has had a persistent growth of migrants with a Russian background and of Russian-speaking migrants from other countries; more...Show moreSince 2005, despite restricting immigration policies, the Netherlands has had a persistent growth of migrants with a Russian background and of Russian-speaking migrants from other countries; more than half of these immigrants are women. This thesis gains an insight into how the urban environment in Dutch cities contributes to the sense of belonging of Russian-speaking first-generation migrant women and to the (potential) conflict among them and with the host society. Overall, Dutch cities allow these women to establish a meaningful connection with Dutch culture and history. Urban space, its history and aesthetics provide a framework to connect women’s personal narratives to a broader cultural and historical context. This, in turn, shapes local urban identity, which facilitates the immigrants’ sense of belonging and, consequently, the integration process. Additionally, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has heightened the awareness towards Russian-speaking women’s identities and the Russian language’s increased presence in Dutch cities, which in turn has influenced tensions and the possibility of conflicts at the local level and primarily in urban spaces.Show less
This thesis used content analysis to focus on the challenges experienced during the greening of industrial estates, with a specific focus on the case study done on the Grote Polder in Zoeterwoude,...Show moreThis thesis used content analysis to focus on the challenges experienced during the greening of industrial estates, with a specific focus on the case study done on the Grote Polder in Zoeterwoude, Netherlands. An interview and policy documents were used on top of this. The study categorizes the challenges into economic constraints, regulatory challenges, and stakeholder engagement. It analyzes the implications that these factors have on sustainable transformations. Firstly, economic constraints such as expensive and time-consuming procedures, Economic constraints such as expensive and time-consuming procedures conflict with the majority of business models and hinder voluntary corporate social responsibility. Secondly, the regulatory challenges originate from fragmented policies, a lack of national frameworks, and legal hurdles, limiting the potential contributions of industrial estates to sustainability goals. And finally stakeholder engagement, that is complicating collective green investments, encountering obstacles in the form of collaboration, divergent interests, and inadequate representation. The study concludes that to promote lasting changes in industrial estates, tackling these complex issues requires a coordinated strategy at the levels of stakeholders, regulations, and the economy. Future directions for study include effect evaluations, policy analyses, stakeholder engagement tactics, and cross-national comparative studies.Show less
This bachelor’s thesis within the field of urban studies attempts to outline a framework for the evaluation of resilience after natural disasters. In it I will focus on critical resilience and will...Show moreThis bachelor’s thesis within the field of urban studies attempts to outline a framework for the evaluation of resilience after natural disasters. In it I will focus on critical resilience and will then apply the concept to the case study of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans. There has been much literature on the topic of resilience, yet this thesis adds to this debate by giving a clear overview of the term, in order to outline a framework that attempts to overcome many of the downsides that have been described in previous pieces of literature. This is done by conducting a literature review and an evaluation of a framework, which are going to be assessed by a case study covering New Orleans, with a purpose of starting a pathway into “resilience-thinking.” A key insight gathered from this research is that resilience needs to be thought through more thoroughly in order to cover all aspects of the subject.Show less
Currently three quarters of residential lots in San Francisco have exclusionary zoning laws (Cardenas-Duncan 2021). Research has shown that exclusionary zoning is partially the cause for the...Show moreCurrently three quarters of residential lots in San Francisco have exclusionary zoning laws (Cardenas-Duncan 2021). Research has shown that exclusionary zoning is partially the cause for the affordable housing crisis and racial segregation in the United States (Choppin 1994, 2021, Tarlock 1974, 637 and Span 2001, 15). I will research what the main strategies of tackling exclusionary zoning are and relating these to the San Francisco Exclusionary Housing Program. This program entails several requirements for the development of new residential units, resulting in more affordable housing units (SF.GOV 2022). My literature review consists of reading up on the articles that have been written about exclusionary zoning, and specifically the solutions for it. In the methodology, I will then summarize the main findings and describe the main strategies. As well as close reading the manuals of the Inclusionary Housing Program and relating those to the findings of the literature review.Show less
This research explores how Rotterdam communicates stakeholder roles and responsibility within the city’s sustainability strategy. Building on stakeholder theory and research about participation in...Show moreThis research explores how Rotterdam communicates stakeholder roles and responsibility within the city’s sustainability strategy. Building on stakeholder theory and research about participation in sustainability transitions, a qualitative research using a content analysis was conducted. Two municipal publications were examined with to analyze contexts in which different stakeholders were mentioned. The results indicate that the municipality sees sustainability as an issue concerning everyone and therefore, tries to create the feeling of a shared responsibility between inhabitants, companies and the municipality as the main stakeholders in the city’s sustainability transition.Show less
Manchester has been the cultural heart of the United Kingdom for decades. Facilitating a vibrant nightlife for so many different types of partygoers. Especially the LGBTQIA+ scene in Manchester’s...Show moreManchester has been the cultural heart of the United Kingdom for decades. Facilitating a vibrant nightlife for so many different types of partygoers. Especially the LGBTQIA+ scene in Manchester’s Gay Village was the driving force behind Manchester acquiring the title of the cultural heart. From the early fifties onwards, the neighborhood now known as the Gay Village has been the home of many establishments wherein community was built. The contribution to the liberation of rights for the LGBTQIA+ Britain’s by Manchester’s LGBTQIA+ community have been immense. After many years of great success, the number of gayborhood establishments in Manchester are now declining. This trend can be identified in gayborhoods in and around the Global North. Gentrification and the hybridization of physical space can be held responsible for this disappearance of gayborhoods and LGBTQIA+ safe spaces. The shift in demand for the type of safe space can be attributed to digitalization and technological advancements paired with the growing need for intersectional discourse.Show less
Criminality and the urban landscape have historically proven to go hand in hand, however cities are also the playground for innovative solutions to criminality. The urban is often researched to...Show moreCriminality and the urban landscape have historically proven to go hand in hand, however cities are also the playground for innovative solutions to criminality. The urban is often researched to discover these factors that determine criminal behavior, subsequently this knowledge is used to understand and act upon criminality. Fairly recently, intelligence-led crime mitigation strategies have gained popularity, however this was not without heavy critique. This thesis tries to add to the debate on proactive intelligence-led policing by first analyzing the come about of this strategy, thereafter the practice itself will be investigated accompanied by the concerns that are related to the subject. Subsequently, the framework proposed by Jacobs will be explained and utilized to assess the effectiveness of proactive intelligence-led policing in three different European cities (Amsterdam, London & Athens). The thesis will conclude with some final remarks on proactive policing and brief (tailored) policy advice to improve the effectiveness of proactive intelligence-led policing within these cities.Show less
Over time, technological developments have become increasingly relevant. This thesis endeavoured to research a number of pioneering technological implementations in three different cities - all...Show moreOver time, technological developments have become increasingly relevant. This thesis endeavoured to research a number of pioneering technological implementations in three different cities - all pioneers in certain technological implementations. Developments are evolving quickly and everyone is now familiar with smart technologies, for example: Smart lighting, advanced waste management or decongestion of traffic junctions. The focus of this thesis is to investigate the process of these pioneering technical implementations. The question this thesis answered was: how were certain decisions made? Why were they made and what were their consequences? In order for this to be done in a structural way, the Social Construction Of Technology (SCOT) theory was used.. This is a theory that advocates a broad interpretation of technology and focuses primarily on cultural and sociological aspects. The implementations of technologies on CCTV in London, predictive policing software in Milan and the application of smart lighting in Eindhoven were all separately examined in this thesis. This involved examining the key drivers for the implementation of these technologies and their impact on visitors and residents of these three different cities. The results of this thesis display the idea that technologies are mainly implemented due to availability and political factors. However, the addition of safety-promoting technologies are not always beneficial to the visitors and residents of the respective cities, as the technologies are not always able to meet ethical standards when it comes to privacy and equality.Show less
This thesis seeks to tackle the current and increasing problem of sexual assault. It aims to answer the question of what the sexual assault landscapes in three of the safest cities of the Western...Show moreThis thesis seeks to tackle the current and increasing problem of sexual assault. It aims to answer the question of what the sexual assault landscapes in three of the safest cities of the Western world look like, and what policies or approaches from these cities there are that can be used to improve the situations in other cities. The three cities used for the case studies of this thesis are Stockholm, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Through analyzing existing data and literature an image of the sexual assault landscapes will be sketched. These sexual assault landscapes will be analyzed to provide advice of potential policies or approaches that might help reduce the problem of sexual assault elsewhere in the world. The aspects of opportunity, accessibility and anonymity will be evaluated throughout all three chapters and the conclusion. The analysis of this thesis concluded that the combined sexual assault areas of Stockholm, Amsterdam and Copenhagen are, in brief, poorly lit or dark areas that are situated outside of the public eye and are very often affected by alcohol distribution points. Night life and public transport areas are therefore some of the main risk areas for sexual assault. This risk can be decreased by implementing better street lights and creating more visible and open spaces which promotes natural surveillance. Some more specific policies based on the three case studies have also been discovered.Show less
The prevalence of mental health disorders in urban areas is increasing due to the exposure to environmental stressors. Research has shown that sensory urban design interventions can have positive...Show moreThe prevalence of mental health disorders in urban areas is increasing due to the exposure to environmental stressors. Research has shown that sensory urban design interventions can have positive impacts on mental health and well-being. This research paper aims to investigate how TU Delft students experience sensory design interventions on campus and how these interventions can contribute to improving mental health and well-being among students in Dutch cities. The study was conducted using a qualitative and observational research design and data was collected through a questionnaire composed of multiple-choice and open questions. The research suggested that environments that include sensory design interventions, such as the TU Delft campus library, the botanical garden and Pulse, positively impacted the students’ mental health and well-being. Furthermore, several themes were discovered that played a big role in the sensory experience of the participants. These themes were availability, comfort, aesthetics, noise levels and light. The results provide insights for urban planners to implement sensory urbanism on other campuses and decrease mental health problems among students in Dutch cities. The study highlights the importance of considering sensory urban design interventions in urban planning to improve the mental health and well-being of city residents.Show less
