The approach to urban transformation tasks will be overhauled. After all, there is not enough space to accommodate today’s big challenges – in terms of climate, energy, circular economy, mobility and housing. It is about time we learn to look at our cities through three-dimensional glasses and view public space and buildings in connection with the subsurface. By tackling issues through the cross-section (instead of the floor plan) new and surprising solutions emerge, which not only lead to an improvement of the living environment, but also encourage multifunctional use of space.

Multidisciplinary design teams got to work in Amsterdam, Leuven, Maastricht, Mechelen, Ostend and Rotterdam. Renowned experts scrutinize the design research and reflect on the importance of the subsurface and designing from the cross-section.

This publication is the result of a collaboration between TU Delft, the Centre for Underground Construction, the Department of the Environment and the Deltametropolis Association.

This book is only available in Dutch.