Students: A. Hamelink, E. Hengst
In this project, students investigated how water and soil can play a guiding role in the future development of Eindhoven. Starting from the city’s historical relationship with its streams, valleys, and landscapes, the research explores how Eindhoven grew in close connection with water, but also how urban expansion gradually pushed many of these natural systems into the background.
The project combines historical research with spatial analysis of Eindhoven’s current water and soil systems. Through maps and layered studies, the students examined relationships between groundwater, soil conditions, green structures, urbanization and water-related problems across the city. This analysis shows that many present-day issues are closely linked to the way the city has expanded over former stream beds, low-lying areas, and vulnerable underground conditions.
Special attention was given to neighborhoods where water problems are already strongly present, including Villapark, Vonderkwartier, Oude Gracht West, and Genderdal. By looking at these areas more closely, the project highlights how water continues to shape daily life in the city, even when it is no longer visible in the streetscape. The research argues that technical solutions alone are not enough, and that a better balance is needed between underground interventions and visible landscape-based strategies.
Based on this research, the project proposes a future vision for Eindhoven in which water and soil are no longer treated as constraints, but as structuring elements for urban design. By giving water more visible space in the city and by designing with the logic of the landscape, the project shows how Eindhoven can move towards a more resilient, climate-adaptive, and informed urban future.