Urban landscape design exercises in urban metabolism: reconnecting with Central Limburg's regenerative resource landscape

Abstract

The design research presented here uses urban landscape design to attempt to reframe sustainable resource management. Urban metabolism projects generally originate in industrial ecology, emphasizing performance-oriented technical and entrepreneurial approaches.11 Philippe Vandenbroeck, Whither Urban Metabolism, presentation in the Urban Design Strategies Course 2017, University of Leuven, Department of Architecture, Master of Human Settlements and Master of Urban Strategic Planning programme. However, industrial ecology approaches experience difficulties in making meaningful connections to social, economic and spatial contexts.Building on landscape architecture analysis and design methods such as mapping and systemic design, this article will highlight urban landscape design's capacity to reframe questions stemming from the urban metabolism model through the production of future imaginaries.Using the Belgian Central Limburg region's transition into a circular economy as a design exercise, this paper suggests that urban landscape design's constructivist approach22 Ibid. has the potential to embed social and economic dimensions in applying urban metabolism. Operating ‘from within’ its intervention field, urban landscape design potentially facilitates transdisciplinary dialogues in urban metabolism design research.