Generation Regeneration: envisioning the South Holland Delta in 2100

The first week of July marked the final events of this year's LDE Thesis Labs, including the closing session of Generation Regeneration (De Regeneratieve Delta).

Over the past six months, fifteen final-year students, from Leiden University, TU Delft, Erasmus University, and the Academy of Architecture, explored what a truly regenerative South Holland Delta could look like by 2100: a delta that no longer places a burden on the soil, water, or atmosphere. The South Holland Delta is a region where major societal challenges converge, and the choices made there today carry consequences that extend well beyond the near future.

To ground their research in practice, students spent a day working alongside regenerative farmers, examining not only their methods but the varying motivations behind them, from a commitment to community and healthy food, to financial survival, to a sense of duty toward future generations. Others organized workshops with policymakers and experts to explore who benefits most from regenerative agriculture, concluding that healthy soil forms the foundation from which most other benefits, including improved water quality and greater biodiversity, follow. Elsewhere in the programme, students examined how the delta's water systems might be redesigned to purify rather than pollute, and how businesses might coordinate to share available electricity more intelligently rather than waiting for grid capacity to expand.

Their combined findings were brought together in the white paper Generation Regeneration. The South Holland Delta: 15 ideas for 2100, presented on 2 July in Spijkenisse to the region's partners.

As the academic coordinator of the lab Joran Lammers shared:

"𝑆𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘π‘™π‘’π‘ π‘–π‘œπ‘›π‘  π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘ π‘’ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘¦π‘  π‘œπ‘“π‘‘π‘’π‘› π‘π‘Žπ‘–π‘›π‘‘ π‘Ž π‘π‘™π‘’π‘Žπ‘˜ π‘π‘–π‘π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’. π‘‡β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ 𝑖𝑠 π‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘π‘–π‘ π‘’π‘™π‘¦ π‘€β„Žπ‘¦ 𝑀𝑒 π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘¦ π‘‘π‘œ π‘’π‘›π‘π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘”π‘’ 𝑠𝑑𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 π‘‘π‘œ π‘™π‘œπ‘œπ‘˜ π‘‘π‘œ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘“π‘’π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘€π‘–π‘‘β„Ž π‘Ž π‘π‘œπ‘ π‘–π‘‘π‘–π‘£π‘’ π‘Žπ‘‘π‘‘π‘–π‘‘π‘’π‘‘π‘’. π‘Œπ‘œπ‘’ π‘π‘Žπ‘› 𝑏𝑒 π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘Žπ‘™π‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘–π‘ π‘Žπ‘π‘œπ‘’π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ 𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘ β„Žπ‘œπ‘€π‘  π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘Ÿπ‘’π‘›π‘‘ π‘€π‘Žπ‘¦ π‘œπ‘“ 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑖𝑠 π‘’π‘›π‘ π‘’π‘ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘–π‘›π‘Žπ‘π‘™π‘’ 𝑖𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘™π‘œπ‘›π‘” π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘š, π‘€β„Žπ‘–π‘™π‘ π‘‘ π‘Žπ‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘ π‘Žπ‘šπ‘’ π‘‘π‘–π‘šπ‘’ π‘ π‘’π‘’π‘˜π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘ π‘œπ‘™π‘’π‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›π‘  π‘€π‘–π‘‘β„Ž π‘Žπ‘› π‘œπ‘π‘‘π‘–π‘šπ‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘–π‘ π‘œπ‘’π‘‘π‘™π‘œπ‘œπ‘˜."

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