Graduation thesis BUas student forms basis for residential district in Sint Maarten

After a six-month placement at the Ministry of VROMI (Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure), Daly completed his studies with a detailed housing development plan for Belvedere Noord, a plot of land purchased by the Sint Maarten government earlier this year.

The central research question of his thesis titled 'Resilience through Spatial Design,' developed in close collaboration with Minister Patrice Gumbs, focuses on how urban planning interventions can enable communities in Sint Maarten to build and maintain hurricane resilience through strategic public space, infrastructure and neighbourhood design.

Daly's approach is grounded in a core principle of the Built Environment programme: designing with nature, not against it. The scenarios in his thesis take into account factors such as community cohesion, natural light, airflow and drainage. The most resilient scenario comprises a mix of flats (including for vulnerable groups), terraced houses, single-family homes, a community centre and a cemetery. For his research, he spoke with stakeholders from the Policy, Infrastructure and New Works departments within VROMI, the Ministry of VSA and the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation.

"I am glad to have had the opportunity to apply the knowledge I have gained, and to have learned even more during my time at the ministry, particularly about the local context," - Daly.

The ministry will use the thesis as a starting point for the further development of the housing project in Belvedere. Minister Gumbs responded: 

"I am immensely proud of the quality of the work and analysis that Mr Daly has delivered in support of the government's mission. Together with the establishment of the mortgage guarantee fund and the improved collaboration with the housing foundation, we are well on our way to building safe, affordable and quality homes for our communities in Sint Maarten."

Source: EA News