The Design of Workscapes: A Scoping Study

Rosa de Wolf (), Rob Roggema, Steffen Nijhuis and Nico Tillie
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Rosa de Wolf: Department of Urbanism, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 134, 2628BL Delft, The Netherlands
Rob Roggema: Tecnológico de Monterrey, School of Architecture, Art and Design, Campus Monterrey, Monterrey 64700, Mexico
Steffen Nijhuis: Department of Urbanism, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 134, 2628BL Delft, The Netherlands
Nico Tillie: Department of Urbanism, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 134, 2628BL Delft, The Netherlands

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-33

Abstract: Population growth and urbanization are straining the limited space in the built environment. The business districts take up a great portion of this built space. These districts face climate change hazards and spatial emptiness due to their profit-driven foundation. Sustainable ambitions and strategic locations offer the potential to rethink business districts and integrate them into the living environment. Understanding business districts as potential workscapes, more socio-ecological inclusive business districts, is a new perspective. This research formulates a method to define the spatial quality of business districts through literature review and spatial analysis. A spatial analysis of forty cases in the Netherlands presents a higher spatial quality on more diverse landscapes. This indicates that diversification of the business districts’ landscape from monotone to multitone is needed to enable workscape development. Landscape-driven urbanism is needed to generate this desired level of quality. The research highlights the strategic location of edge-city business districts, situated between urban and rural areas, showing the potential to strengthen the urban-rural relationship. Further research on and by design is needed to enable workscape development.

Keywords: business districts; spatial quality; workscapes; landscape-driven urbanism; multitone; edge-city districts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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