Projects
The contract as a governmental policy instrument in urban planning and environmental matters KU Leuven
Environmental law is traditionally characterised by unilateral government actions. The policy on environmental law is shaped by the traditional instruments, such as structural plans, zoning plans, permits, etc. However, evolving social conditions mean that unilateral government actions are not always the most efficient way to implement policy. Government covenants could be (part of) the solution.
This study examines whether and how ...
Using virtual environments to gain a better understanding about how to create safe and attractive environments to walk or cycle for transport. Ghent University
Worldwide, strategies are being adopted to facilitate safe and sustainable transport solutions
encouraging active transport (i.e. walking/cycling to go from place to place). However, there is a
lack of evidence-based research about which specific street characteristics are important to
generate safe and attractive environments.
The primary aim of the project is to identify critical environmental ...
Using virtual environments to gain a better understanding about how to create safe and attractive environments to walk or cycle for transport. Ghent University
Worldwide, strategies are being adopted to facilitate safe and sustainable transport solutions
encouraging active transport (i.e. walking/cycling to go from place to place). However, there is a lack
of evidence-based experimental research about which specific street characteristics are important
to create safe and attractive walking and cycling environments. Therefore, the current research
project uses an innovative ...
A mechanistic study of an evolving plant-herbivore metapopulation in controlled and anthropogenic environments Ghent University
Species do not live alone but interact and rely strongly on each other. Species also show a strong spatially structured distribution. Population dynamics, dispersal, and environmental change impact fitness, and the subsequent hereditary changes of individual traits. Evolutionary changes conversely impact population dynamics. These eco-evolutionary processes are therefore central to the functioning of populations and the maintenance of ...
Trees in the urban jungle: modelling the impact of tree planting strategies on urban overheating Ghent University
Urban green infrastructure provides a multitude of ecosystem services. Among others, it contributes to climate regulation through shade provisioning and transpiration. City trees are a key component in this climate regulation. A good understanding of these benefits is required to contribute to green infrastructure management and to make cities more resilient against climate change. The current knowledge on the spatially explicit ...
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 ...
Pathogen-driven gastrointestinal microbiota in passerines: anthropogenic environments as a model. Ghent University
Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium could be the cause of fatal septicaemia in wild birds. The general hypothesis of this project is that birds living in urban, suburban and rural regions may locally adapt to increased pathogen pressure through GI microbial composition alteration which, in turn, reduces the pathogen’s virulence. This hypothesis will be investigated in field populations of house sparrows along urbanization gradients.