Aims
Railway station areas can play a crucial role in promoting sustainable development if integrated with cities and be fluctuation-responsive through effective urban design. However, during the design stage, assessing the station areas' performance, of which user satisfaction is indicative, is challenging due to methodological limitations. Agent-based simulation (ABS) is promising as it can link spatial features with agents' behavior features. This research questions to what extent ABS can help assess the urban design of station areas.

Methods
This paper adopts the user pyramid as the theoretical framework, which outlines five types of user needs: safety, speed, ease, comfort, and experience. The paper selects indicators linking satisfaction and spatial features at the district and building levels. These indicators are measured in the simulation of the station system using digital tools, including MassMotion and Python scripts. The theory, indicators, and tools, in combination, serve as an assessment framework. Rotterdam Central Station is used as a case to demonstrate how the framework works.

Results
The framework is capable of assessing design alternatives by identifying changes in user satisfaction. It can be applied on the district level (at a scale of 250 m) with substantial details to inform design decision-making, and it is useful during the design stage when only limited data is available. This paper strengthens the scientific knowledge of railway station areas through the multidisciplinary literature review that translates user needs for urban design use, and it advances the digital means to visualize user satisfaction affected by design.@en

Heatwaves in urbanized areas, even in temperate regions like the Netherlands, are getting serious attention. The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute predicts more frequent and intense heat events in the future. Studies have explored how Dutch cities contribute to heatwaves and suggested design and planning responses to mitigate their effects. However, a review of heatwave research in the Netherlands specifically focusing on the built environment has hardly been reported in the literature. This study aims to provide such a review utilizing the vulnerability framework. Following the PRISMA protocol, 57 articles are analysed based on the components of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity within the vulnerability framework. Subsequently, findings have been classified into five built environment scales - block, neighbourhood, district, city, and region - to critically reflect upon the extent to which the studies address various vulnerability components and the specific scales they primarily focus on. Results demonstrate that most of the studies concentrate on the hazard itself and its spatial distribution from a macro perspective on a city and regional scale. The review underlines the necessity of micro-level research on the phenomena, incorporating people's everyday experiences and resilience during heat events to find context-specific adaptation and mitigation strategies.@en

This issue of SPOOL introduces a new thread: ‘Method and Design’, titled “Design and Method in Architectural Research: From Objective Quantification to Material Speculation”. The issue explores the conventional understanding of method through both theoretical contributions and visual essays. The theoretical contributions discuss methodology, material practice, studio approaches, or design principles. The visual essays are more experimental, allowing for design proposals or artistic expressions that explore specific methods, depict scenarios, or articulate a material logic.@en

The International Conference Centre and the adjacent Nile Hotel in Kampala were built in 1971-73 to facilitate the 12th Heads of State Summit conference of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) by architects from one of the founding countries of the Non-Aligned Movement: Tito’s Yugoslavia. Being too young to be considered historic, both buildings appear out of place and out of time, undervalued and overlooked in a city without a registry and planning control. While the conference center is in a well-maintained and original condition, the hotel’s renovation has transformed it beyond recognition. Their historical significance, particularly of the conference center, would hold value in any other context. However, in Uganda, it seems to bear no weight beyond the faint memory of past geopolitical alliances and ideals. The fact that the facility is disregarded as the venue for the upcoming Non-Aligned Movement summit reinforces this perception. This article describes these intricacies because they are rarely documented elsewhere. Consequently, it is a part of the Shared Heritage Africa project, aimed at rediscovering masterpieces of the Modern Movement.

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The year 2023 will be the last of a four-year Open Science Programme. It raises the question of what we learned from the existing programme, whether we need a continuation to achieve the mission, and if we want to use the same setup or approach. The current OSP assumes that three cross-cutting themes provide the glue that binds the seven projects together. Additionally, the projects have, in some cases, more substantial dependencies with activities and projects outside than inside the OSP. That observation may call for a radically different setup and even question whether a follow-up OSP is the right approach. However, several national developments make such a follow-up perfect sense: • establishing a council of Chiefs-of-Open-Science; • transitioning from NPOS to NWO ‘regie-orgaan’; • an increased prospect of government funding for open science and open education. It is in the strategic interest of TU Delft to have a balanced, effective, and well-communicated set of activities that advance open science at its faculties. To emphasise that this is not a new effort, we suggest calling this programme Open Science NEXT. We’ll still create actively links between the various projects in the OSP. However, we can also find such links at each of our faculties. In their work, they need to apply the principles of open science in all dimensions of education and research. In the last year of the Open Science Programme, we will investigate more than before how to reach out to local research and teaching programmes. In the last year we learned that some of our most dedicated open science colleagues are slowed down in their best practices by the investments in infrastructure that TU Delft made in the past. Also open science efforts are not always recognised in TU Delft evaluation processes for hiring, tenure and promotion. The main goals for this year and beyond are: • To emphasise explicitly that ‘open’ becomes the new ‘normal’; • To acknowledge that there are internal obstacles that we need to resolve; • To embrace a policy that all future investments and purchases of software and systems facilitate seamless open teaching and research practices.@en

Introduction: In China, Station-City Integration is proposed by the design academy in China to solve problems and add value. This research focuses on urban design for the redevelopment of Old Major Railway Stations in Megacities in China.

Problems & Goals: From our focused cases, two problems are discovered: Stuckness and congestion on peak days, Space underuse on normal days. Two goals are proposed correspondingly: Mobility Resilience and Public Space Flexibility.

Knowledge Gaps: Theoretical and practical knowledge are lacking for the proposed goals. The component words of the goals all have rich meanings. Some of them have related assessment tools and design recommendations.

Research Questions: For urban design research and practice, how can Mobility Resilience and Public Space Flexibility be defined, assessed, and designed?

Deliverables: The deliverables will be Concept Definitions, Assessment Frameworks, and Design Principles. The Concept Definitions offer researchers a new way to see the Station City problems. The Assessment Frameworks offer researchers a new tool to assess the Station City problems through different dimensions. It can also be used for evaluations during the iterative design process. The Design Principles can be used for the scheme establishment.

Methods: For Concept Definitions, papers about mobility, resilience, public space, and flexibility were examined to propose definitions. For Assessment Framework, available technologies & data will be tested. For Design Principles, case studies of the best practices will be conducted.

Relevance: Scientifically, the Problem Identifications show a creative way of framing research problems between specification and generalization. These Concept Definitions show a solid way of transferring knowledge from other disciplines to urban design fields. Societally, the Problems Identifications and Concept Definitions set a starting point for practitioners to take action. The Assessment Frameworks and Design Principles are practical tools for designers.@en

In the Western Balkans, one can still find many city enlargements produced in the era of socialist Yugoslavia. There is a renewed interest by architectural historians and critics in Yugoslavia's architectural production between 1948 and 1980. However, and more remarkably, we find the images of the former socialist urban utopias back in recent music videos, especially rap videos, where it serves as the backdrop to an unusual mix of violence, drugs, sex, religion, and dance. Somehow the raw beauty of the Brutalism in Novi Beograd and the Modernism of Split 3 crosses over from its socialist ideological origins to contemporary youth culture in unexpected ways. The built environment from the time of Tito gets a different meaning altogether. We do not try to explain HOW or WHY this has happened. This article aims to raise the awareness THAT this happens, and we do so with pictorial means.

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Building upon the connections established in the first year, the second year of the TUD Open Science Programme saw the team and partners collaboratively reaching some major milestones: the TUD Research Software Policy, TUD Policy on Open Educational Resources and the Recognition & Rewards Perspective were approved by the CvB; the first rounds of Research Data Management 101 Training and the Digital Competence Center’s calls for project support were successfully delivered to great appreciation from participants; the new TUD Open Science website was launched in December. In addition, connections with faculties were further consolidated: faculty management teams expressed support and enthusiasm to further collaborate, and the Open Science Community Delft continues to grow as more researchers are inspired to participate in and, in some cases, lead conversations in open research and education. With the Programme and the achievements of the Programme team and community, TUD is internationally recognized as a leader in Open Science. The growth target open access for 2022 is 3% (to 84%). Our academics received open science awards and funding, and were invited to participate in national open science conversations (e.g. FAIR Data Tafel). Our team members are regularly invited to participate in national and international open science efforts, and asked to share our experience and learnings with colleagues in other institutions, at events and in various media. Within TU Delft, the Programme has also built and consolidated strategic partnerships with other offices, such as the Integrity Office, the Innovation and Impact Center to provide advice for Horizon Europe applicants, the Diversity Office to promote diversity and inclusion in technology development, and the Climate Action Hub and the Global Initiative to raise awareness on the importance of open science in climate research and in driving global impact. Portfolio Holder Rob Mudde advised the establishment of an advisory board dedicated to the open education project; representatives from all phases in TUD education (bachelor, master, PhD, extension school) were invited to become a member. Looking forward to 2022, we aim to further embed programme output into the regular programming around the university, to ultimately ensure that open science becomes the norm. @en

On November 7th and 8th 2019, the BauHow5 consortium organised a so-called Makeathon at TU Delft in collaboration with Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA). The subject of the Makeathon was the Eco-Wall concept. The Eco-Wall aimed at reducing noise from airport ground operations. The Makeathon was part of the activities of an Erasmus+ sponsored project called Strengthening Architecture and Built Environment Research, or SABRE in short.@en

This report provides an extensive overview and evaluation of the doctoral provision being offered already at the Faculties/Schools of architecture and the built environment that are involved in these strategic partnerships. One can read the report as input for adaptable and flexible doctoral training courses among the partner institutions in this project, as well as target groups beyond academia in European countries.@en

During the 1960s, radical ideas emerged in Dutch urban planning. For the first time, the two major cities in the Netherlands engaged in building high-rise residential districts. If we understand this period as an experiment, then the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam produced opposite but exciting results. The uncompromising Amsterdam Bijlmermeer district grows into a problem area of national proportions. The more moderate Rotterdam Ommoord district, however, will be doing just fine. This article places the initial urban design features of those districts side-by-side for comparison. It provides insights into which design solutions work and which doesn't.

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During the 1960s, radical ideas emerged in Dutch urban planning. For the first time, the two major cities in the Netherlands engaged in building high-rise residential districts. If we understand this period as an experiment, then the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam produced opposite but exciting results. The uncompromising Amsterdam Bijlmermeer district grows into a problem area of national proportions. The more moderate Rotterdam Ommoord district, however, will be doing just fine. This article places the initial urban design features of those districts side-by-side for comparison. It provides insights into which design solutions work and which doesn't.@en

Port cities have traditionally played an essential role in local and transnational networks. The spatial imprints of cross-border flows and socio-spatial interactions in port cities have left intertwined and entangled histories. However, the physical presence of these rich histories is not always visible. Port cities went through a socio-spatial metamorphosis since the early 20th-century. A series of local and global events have triggered significant transformations, among these: globalisation, natural and human-made disasters, de-industrialisation and changes in regulation (neo-liberal policies), changing social conditions (migration and population exchanges). Such events have resulted in rapid, sometimes haphazard, urbanisation while regeneration projects have erased in many places tangible traces of history. Many European and East Mediterranean port cities were also affected by armed conflicts. Contemporary waterfront regeneration projects produce generic results that further conceal the marks from the past. Despite the physical transformations of port cities, historical narratives remain. Global trade and transnational exchange left tangible imprints on urban patterns and manifested itself in cultural expressions such as paintings, engravings, travelogues, novels, travel books, and poems. Authors, artists, and travellers found inspiration in port facilities such as quays, customs houses, warehouses and site-specific urban typologies and street patterns, as well as social spaces in the cities. In such narratives, many protagonists are brought together, from elite traders, local governors, and white-collar workers (e.g. engineers, developers), to the domestic and foreign labour classes, transit passengers and sailors, and local inhabitants. This issue seeks to investigate port-city narratives and their relevance to the architecture of port cities in two eras: the development of the 19th- and early 20th-centuries, and current transformations. First, we approach the theme from the historical point of view, aiming to compile 19th-century and beginning 20th-century urban narratives that evoke memories of port cities and define their cultural narrative today. Secondly, we look at transnational traces in port cities and in former port areas that are subject to contemporary developments. In studying the past and present of European and East Mediterranean port cities and their intertwined histories, we aim to reveal several questions: How may narratives inform designers, and how can narratives be used in contemporary design approaches? What is the role of the architect/planner in the contemporary narrative formation of port cities, particularly in the changing context of port-city relations? Lastly, how can narratives be a tool for the preservation of the built environment that is subject to transnational exchanges? We encourage authors elaborating architecture projects that have been or are being developed in former port areas, in relation to the narratives. It is also possible to come up with new narratives for the futures of port cities by addressing following questions: What are the possible narratives and tools which may re-connect the citizens to the port city and its history? How can urban narratives contribute to the further development of the city and influence decision-makers? Papers with a historical focus that elaborate on diverse societies (i.e. elites, intellectuals, travellers, clientele, peoples), and touch upon promotional, touristic, ideological or political intentions; Papers that provide insights for urban agenda's (both for urban developments and conservation plans); Projects or experimental designs that propose a design approach and ideas based on the representational value of port cities. We are particularly interested in the contributions that would reflect on how historical narratives can be used for contemporary design within the changing socio-spatial context and shifting viewpoints in the depiction of the cities.@en

Small settlements as a category are doing fine in the Netherlands, contrary to overall sentiment. Small settlements do face specific issues, though, issues that one would expect to see in larger cities, possibly the result of the hybrid urban nature of the Netherlands: many small cities in a vast urban region. This article showcases four challenges that small Dutch settlements face, each in a particular way intersecting with built heritage or building vacancy: induced seismicity, the production of synthetic drugs, spilt over mass tourism and the vulnerability of 1970s and 1980s community buildings as young heritage. By addressing these cases, the article seeks to explore the breadth and region-specific nature of actual challenges faced at the crossroads of small settlements and up-and-coming built heritage.@en

Architecture and urban design competitions played an essential role in the formation of the Turkish architecture culture. It contributed in particular to modern architecture in Turkey (1923-1950s). Turkish modern architecture in the modern era emerged especially from a transnational exchange with the German speaking world. The city of Izmir in the early Republican Era 1923-1950s is an exceptional case to investigate impact of the architecture competitions in the further development of the East Mediterranean port city. Exchanges between local and foreign actors within the architecture competitions in a specific geographical context helped reflecting on changing global movements and ideologies in relation to nation-building project approved by the central government in the capital city Ankara that altered architectural and urban developments.@en