The river Rhine is Europe’s economic powerhouse. Without the Rhine, the Ruhr area and the port of Rotterdam wouldn’t have developed into the economically leading industrial regions they are today. The economic power of the Rhine comes forward from the ability of humans to control the river. By rectifying and canalizing the river and constructing dams and locks, the ships’ ability to navigate the river increased. This focus on economic development has caused critical environmental problems. Floods, droughts, and pollution are the most notable environmental threats to humans. This is intensified by climate change as extreme rainfall events and periods of drought will become more severe. Our current paradigm in flood risk management tells us to endlessly keep heightening our dykes, which is not a sustainable path to deal with flood risk. Heightening dykes also leads to shifting the problems elsewhere. If a river is not given space to flood its natural floodplains, it is forced to flow downstream more quickly, leading to a higher peak water level and potential floods downstream.

This master thesis introduces the concepts of socio-ecological symbiosis and clearance as means to improve water safety, the connection between humans and water, and the natural habitat. The central question of this research is: How could water safety downstream be supported by upstream design interventions in the Northern Upper Rhine Valley, based on methods in which socio-ecological symbiosis and clearance are central? As upstream water management strongly influences the downstream water safety, design exercises are executed in the Northern Rhine Valley with the goal to improve the water safety both downstream and locally. Three typological design exercises are set up which together form the proposed future water management strategy of the whole Rhine Valley.

Elsewhere, deserts emerge as we flood, yet we continue to consume at our leisure. Our food is shipped all over the world for our convenience. Our behavior causes serious problems in the world but also on our own ground. Right now the province of South Holland copes with a conflict of space, as there is a need for more housing, renewable energy infrastructure, food, and nature. There is not enough land to keep up with the current trends and this creates many conflicts. The behaviour of the actors within the food chain leads to a linear food sector which is cost efficient but needs a lot of land for export of products. Furthermore it produces a lot of unnecessary waste and pollution.These conflicts could be prevented by changing the way we consume and use our land. The agricultural sector needs to be more space efficient, by using new technological advances. We can make the sector more efficient by changing the behaviour of the actors in the food chain. In the future everyone should be able to live in a healthy and sustainable South Holland. By changing consuming behaviour and methods of farming we can create interesting new foodscapes while solving the conflicts.The following steps are recommended for the development of circular economy. First, we will consume more consciously by eating more local and less meat. As a result, exports are no longer important and a lot of space is freed up in the port. Later, the farmer will use new technology and can produce, through vertical farms and withcultured meat, more on smaller pieces of land. This frees up a lot of space, leaving enough space for people and nature.This not only means that in the future it will be possible to buy a house in South Holland. It also shows that we relate differently to nature and the world around us, reducing climate change and boosting biodiversity.