Projects
The effect of urban green and blue on mitigating urban heat islands and improving thermal comfort: a case-study in Leuven, Belgium KU Leuven
High air temperatures form a significant problem for human health, leading to an excess mortality of 6% or more than 2 000 extra deaths during the summers of 2003, 2006 and 2010 in Belgium alone. Projections show that climate change will induce increasing average air temperatures and will lead to an increased frequency and severity of heat waves. The consequences of these projections are even greater in urban areas where the urban heat island ...
The eastern urban periphery of Sagalassos. A chronological, functional and socio-economic study of an under-studied ancient urban phenomenon. KU Leuven
Water sensitive urban design in our cities: urban green as a tool for water management. KU Leuven
The rapid growth of cities around the world poses a lot of challenges to the environment. An important issue that comes with this growing trend of urbanization is the alteration of the hydrological cycle. Because of the high level of impervious surfaces in urban areas, processes such as infiltration, runoff, evaporation and interception of rainwater undergo drastic changes. An increase in runoff is observed, while evaporation, infiltration ...
Climate change in cities: impact of the urban heat island on microclimate, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in urban forests Ghent University
Forests are biodiversity hotspots and provide a multitude of ecosystem services. An important characteristic of forests is their microclimate beneath the canopy layer, which buffers temperatures. The forest microclimate provides favourable conditions for understorey species, which are sensitive to climate warming. Some ecosystem functions are strongly driven by temperature, e.g. litter decomposition. Urban areas are characterised by increased ...
THE VIGILANTES OF GOMA: Urban Youth, Hybrid Security Provision & Urban Dynamics of Crime and Violence in Times of Conflict Ghent University
Located at the Congo-Rwandan border, the city of Goma finds itself at the very heart of the
protracted armed conflict that strikes the Eastern provinces of the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). This PhD proposal examines urban dynamics of security provision in Goma. More specifically, the focus lies on one of the non-state security providers in the city: the so-called selfdefence groups. In a general context of increased urban crime ...
PEDAGOGICAL TOOLS AND DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR URBAN REGENERATION International Laboratory for Architecture & Urban Design (1976- 2015) Hasselt University
Rural and small urban populations in the Low Countries and North-Western Europe (12th-18th century) - the profile of agrarian inhabitants and urban lower class communities, primarily based on existing and new osteological analyses Vrije Universiteit Brussel
A network of networks to progress urban climate science Ghent University
Urban landscapes interact via complex physical processes with the atmosphere resulting in a so-called urban climate1. A well-known illustration is the urban heat island effect which describes the increased temperatures in urban landscapes with respect to the rural surroundings. This phenomenon leads to additional heat stress in cities2 and impacts power consumption3, air pollution4, ecology5, etc. Cities are densely populated economic hubs ...
SBO Project with primary societal finality: Serendipity Engine: towards surprising and interesting urban experiences Vrije Universiteit Brussel
recommender systems. The trend is towards serving predictable,
popular and homogeneous content, which is often referred to as “filter
bubbles”. In an urban context, this means that people are no longer
exposed to the diversity of cities and their inhabitants, which has
negative consequences for the open and democratic character of the ...