Levenslijnen herschikken. Onderzoek naar de rol van infrastructuren om collectieve uitdagingen in het verstedelijkt territorium aan te pakken. De case van de Eurometropool Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai.

Dispersed territories, regions characterised by fragmented urban development, are increasingly facing complex collective challenges such as flooding, drought, pollution, biodiversity decline, social inequalities and so on. These pressing issues necessitate a spatial rethinking of these territories and their underlying systems. While considerable attention has been given to addressing these challenges, it remains unclear how to effectively tackle them without dismantling the built-up fabric to implement a compact city model. This dissertation explores how the concept of lifelines—understood as multilayered infrastructures that play a vital role in urban development—can offer alternative solutions. In this research, lifelines are defined as specific infrastructures that meet two criteria: they have a spatial structuring capacity by catalysing spatial transformations, and they generate an urban condition by providing access to resources, services, or destinations. By approaching dispersed territories through the lens of their underlying systems, lifelines present an alternative to conventional form-based design and planning approaches. This research hypothesises that rethinking the lifelines can lead to a new form of the territory. With the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai (EM) as a critical case study, this research-by-design makes use of mappings to examine the role of infrastructure in its spatial development for the past, present and future. Therefore, the objectives of this study are threefold. First, it generates insight into the way infrastructures have historically influenced the spatial transformation and urbanisation of the dispersed territory as lifelines. Second, it assesses the current state of these historical lifelines, providing insights into their conditions (their state) and accompanying attitudes (how they are being dealt with). Third, it explores the design potential of lifelines in shaping the future evolution of the dispersed territory by drafting an urban design agenda for these lifelines. Applying the concept of lifelines to the EM enables one to 'read' its territorial transformations. This research introduces the living-labour-land triad as a theoretical lens to observe the entanglement between architecture, lifelines and changing socio-spatial conditions. Over time, changing lifelines have influenced the relation between these three elements. Given that infrastructures are subject to continuous transformation, they provide the opportunity to think about spatial change. The current urgency of ageing infrastructure and inevitable investments involved present a critical moment to rethink lifelines in function of the collective challenges. Through the case study of a former railway line, this dissertation makes a number of statements on future lifelines for the dispersed territory. It is argued that future lifelines should balance social, economic, and environmental design parameters and actively focus on creating positive externalities beyond their initial function as technical equipment. Furthermore, rather than adhering to a universal standardised design, future lifelines should respond to local conditions and challenges through strategic design interventions in nodes and edges. Although this research focuses mostly on mobility infrastructures, similar explorations can be done on other types of infrastructures. These findings suggest that lifelines are multilayered infrastructures that generate a transformation extending beyond the infrastructure itself. Their open form implicates that the infrastructure is not limited to a single specific programme, allowing for appropriation and shared use that fosters multiple dimensions or functionalities simultaneously (e.g., social, ecological, recreational). Moreover, the design interventions at edges and nodes suggest that lifelines have a selective impact on their surroundings. This study's findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and (urban) designers regarding the potential strategic socio-spatial impact of infrastructure interventions. Lifelines exist at the convergence of architecture, engineering, urbanism, and landscape. As catalysts of spatial transformation, they function as backbones of dispersed territories, offering a new perspective on their future without neglecting the complexity of their collective challenges. In conclusion, by building on the concept of lifelines this dissertation underscores the importance designing infrastructures in an explorative and adaptive manner.