project 1 - BeBrit - Extreme Heat Risk Knowledge and Innovation: Learning, Comparisons and Exchange
project abstract
Extreme heat and drought are a major climate risk with potentially devastating impacts. The frequency and intensity of heatwaves is expected to increase and since 2000 this has been happening. The most recent, in the summer of 2022, when prolonged extreme heat was experienced in areas unaccustomed to it can serve as a warning, that unless we speed up the pace of adapting to heat then the consequences are dire. We understand some of the impacts of extreme heat – that cities are vulnerable because of Urban Heat Island Effect; that they cause direct and indirect impacts on human health, service provision, nature, economies and physical infrastructure and that age, gender, socio-economic factors and pre-existing medical conditions make some people more vulnerable to heatwaves. Many national and city governments have heat-health-alert systems and policies and guidance in place but there is little empirical work assessing their effectiveness. The periods during a heatwave and the weeks and months following it present an important opportunity to enhance long-term efforts to reduce heat risks. This project builds on and extends a UK study on decision-making responses to the 2022 heatwave that aimed to do just that. The BeBrit project involves three aims: learning (from case studies in Belgium and the UK and existing European and international case studies and examples); comparisons (between Belgium and the UK) and exchange (a co-created, collaborative event to share experiences and expertise).
main contact person
dr Andrea ARMSTRONG (COSM, VUB and Silent Spring Consultants Ltd, UK) [andrea.armstrong@vub.be and/or andrea@silentspringconsultants.com]
project partners
dr Candice HOWARTH (Grantham Research Institute and the Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN), London School of Economics and Political Science, UK) • Wim PULINX (Silent Spring Consultants Ltd)
project 2 - Brussels Urban Transit Lab
project abstract
Brussels Urban Transit Lab (BUTL) is a participatory media, communication and research project designed to raise awareness about the benefits of sustainable modes of mobility, focusing on walking and public transport as a vital dimension of a walkable city and core feature of sustainable urban development. The project also focuses on issues of accessibility and the lifestyle of individuals relying on these modes as their primary mode of mobility via the participation of city inhabitants themselves. The project is designed to provide ‘first time experiences’ and introduce participants to using one or more such modes for their daily commutes.
The project follows a participatory action research approach to explore how public transport is embedded in popular narratives in the Brussels context, how personal experience and peer-learning from other users’ experiences can support modal shift and if non-financial incentives such as social media exposure can facilitate modal shift.
The project fosters a multi-disciplinary approach to commuting in cities, recruiting 12 inhabitants of the Brussels Region to participate in a programme during which they ‘report’ on their commuter experience and lifestyle via their chosen media. Such media can include photography, social media, art, blogging and essays. Semi-structured interviews before, during and after the campaign (36 in total) will be carried out with the participants that will be analysed through content analysis.
The project will have tangible results in the form of online content (photography, social media, art, blogs), a series of events to interact with the participants and the broader stakeholder network and academic output in the form of a journal paper.
project lead
dr Imre KESERU (mobilise, VUB) [Imre.Keseru@vub.be] • Sara Marie TORI (mobilise, VUB) [Sara.Marie.Tori@vub.be] • Charlotte VAN VESSEM (mobilise, VUB) [Charlotte.van.Vessem@vub.be]
project partners
The project is a collaboration between the VUB Mobilise Research Group, the Schumacher Institute (Bristol, UK) and STIB/MIVB, the public transport operator in Brussels.
Annika Lundkvist (Pedestrianspace) • Alan Lacey Raposo (The Schumacher Institute) • Tamara De Bruecker (MIVB/STIB)
project website
https://www.linkedin.com/company/urban-transit-lab/posts/?feedView=all
project 3 - Urban Serendipity Stories
project abstract
Have you ever had an unplanned encounter in the city that led to an interesting outcome? Then we would like to hear from you. Maybe you had to take a detour and found out about a beautiful park in the city where you have been living for the last ten years; or you attended a free neighbourhood festival that introduced you to a new style of music? It is such experiences of urban serendipity that enrich our urban environments and make them of such value. In particular, the diversity and range of opportunities of vibrant urban contexts can cultivate such serendipitous encounters. But is this kind of urban serendipity under pressure? Do emerging technologies threaten urban serendipity by recommending more of the same? Or are these technologies able to cultivate serendipity by exposing us to information (places and people) we would never have encountered otherwise? In order to better understand the threats and opportunities of new technologies for urban serendipity, we need a good understanding of how urban dwellers experience urban serendipity in the first place. To build such an understanding, we want to invite people to share their Urban Serendipity Stories.
project lead and research
dr. Annelien SMETS (imec-SMIT, VUB) - Project coordinator SBO Serendipity Engine (FWO) [annelien.smets@vub.be] • Brett BINST (imec-SMIT, VUB) - Researcher SBO Serendipity Engine (FWO) [brett.binst@vub.be]
research advisor
dr Stephann MAKRI - Senior Lecturer at City, University of London [stephann@city.ac.uk]