Rethinking the dispersed city paradigm by exploring the strategic nodes of its spatial networks. Design strategies at the intermediate scale for the next urban constellation.

In the binary opposition of city and land, dispersed territories are often considered the unwanted ‘spillover’ effect of urbanisation. However, the dispersed spatial condition of Flanders, and by larger extent the area stretching from Lille (France) to Rotterdam (The Netherlands) cannot be categorised as a peri-urban condition and was therefore coined All City/All Land (AC/AL). On the contrary, it is a condition of urbanity beyond the dichotomy of city and land enabled by an underlying support system of physical (whether or not visible) networks such as waterways, roads, public transportation and energy distribution. Although enabling interesting relational configurations, this type of land use and corresponding urbanisation principles are reaching a tipping point. The carrying capacity of the underlying networks is exceeded, resulting in numerous unwanted effects (e.g. flooding, traffic congestions, impending electricity shortage). 

In the light of contemporary socio-economic and ecological challenges, the demand for alternatives to the current approach of symptomatic problem solving in AC/AL is pressing. The formulation of alternative futures requires rethinking the reciprocal relations between man and land in order to address a number of distorted spatial synergies. Only recently, a number of authors in the fields of architecture and urban design have started to valorise the inherent potential of territories of dispersion. However, to date, little is known about the design potential of the underlying supportive structures i.e. the finely meshed physical networks and their nodes, which are of vital importance when addressing an urban transformation in AC/AL. The general objective of this research by design is to build further upon this recent tradition to generate insights on the design potential of networks and nodes in reshaping the reciprocal relations and the next urban constellation of AC/AL.

In this doctoral research, the Eurometropolis region (which covers Flemish, Walloon and French territory) is outlined as a research area, within which a number of relevant cases are selected. This is done through the analysis of networks of water, mobility and energy: networks with a direct spatial impact, relative inertia and  a protagonists’ role in addressing the future of AC/AL. The cases include the investigation of nodes on the intermediate scale, because serving as a link, these nodes address both the regional scale of the network and the local reality. Throughout the research a multi-method approach is applied, relying upon methodological triangulation, in order to tackle the complexity of the presented issues. The expected outcome is a series of design strategies on the intermediate scale for the next urban constellation of AC/AL.

keywords: dispersed territories, networks, urban transformation, intermediate scale, All City/All Land, Flanders