By the year 2040, Amsterdam wants to be independent from natural gas, and by 2050 the entire city needs to be carbon neutral. For the 17th-century inner city of Amsterdam, the municipality aims for a 70% reduction in natural gas and to use biogas, hydrogen and hybrid solutions. The district is now mainly served by natural gas boilers and an extensive energy renovation is difficult due the lack of space and the great share of listed buildings. Disconnecting the existing building stock from natural gas requires a switch to alternative energy-efficient sources, making optimal use of heat pumps and sustainable heating solutions available locally. Following the New Stepped Strategy and using the case of Amsterdam city centre, the research proposes an integrated planning approach for the heat transition of historical districts based on Geographic Information System (GIS), bottom-up energy modelling and parametric tools. The objective to apply such an approach is to balance heritage conservation and the sustainable heat transition goals by joining expertise in architecture and energy planning. The first step of the approach is the reduction of the energy demand. Based on Grasshopper and Ladybug Tools, a multi-criteria model was to developed to iterate retrofitting scenarios and identify minimum requirements to make archetype buildings suitable for lower temperature heating. Best-balanced retrofitting scenarios were subsequently integrated within the broader urban context using GIS tools, considering spatial opportunities for reusing energy waste streams, and producing energy from local, low temperature sources such as thermal energy from canal water. In the end, optimal energy balance along with the strategic integration of thermal storage systems was assessed and used as input for the configuration of local heat (and cold) grids. The results of the research present how the applied approach can effectively guide the transition to sustainable heating in historical urban districts.

Vertical farming presents an efficient crop cultivation system with fully controlled environmental conditions, demonstrating high productivity, high efficiency in land, water and material requirements compared to traditional methods. This makes it a promising solution for localized food production in densely populated metropolitan areas with limited space. However, the energy consumption associated with vertical farming poses challenges, hindering widespread application due to significant initial and operational investments. This research systematically compares three distinct vertical farm types, varying in size, design, control levels, functionalities, and proximity to consumers. The study meticulously evaluates their energy consumption, environmental impact, and crop production efficiency, with the aim of providing a comprehensive overview of the sustainability performance across different vertical farm scenarios. The establishment of a robust dataset and calculation model lays the foundation for our future investigations into the viability of utilizing diverse energy sources for various vertical farm setups in metropolitan areas. Moreover, leveraging the results, we aim to explore the potential for waste and material reuse within and between the supply chains of vertical farms. Ultimately, this project seeks to propose strategies for enhancing the sustainability of vertical farm production under diverse scenarios, thereby contributing valuable insights to the field of metropolitan agriculture.