BresDefender: An experimental study on an emergency response measure for levee breaches

The dissertation explores the use of emergency measures, particularly the BresDefender, to prevent or delay levee failure and mitigate the impacts of floods, focusing on the Netherlands' flood protection systems. Levees are vital for protecting low-lying areas, but there's always a risk of failure, leading to significant societal and material...

Co-designing a research agenda for climate adaptation in El Salvador's coffee sector: A transdisciplinary perspective

The inclusion of social actors is widely acknowledged as a precondition for just and sustainable adaptation strategies to climate change. The integration of diverse types of scientific and local knowledge contributes to a better understanding of problems and increases the relevance of science at the local scale. In this study, we - an...

Experts’ perspectives on the sustainability and risks of freely applicable MSWI bottom ash: a Q-methodology study in the Netherlands

Experts in the Netherlands have lately debated the novel policy idea to freely apply municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MSWIBA). In this paper, we map this ambivalent and unforeseeable, subjective, expert debate. This will help policymaking because more knowledge on subjective expert viewpoints and perceptions allows for clustering...

From national vision to implementation: governance challenges in sustainable agriculture transitions in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta region

This study identifies how the governance of the transition to sustainable agriculture in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta is constrained by a lack of leadership, coordination, and funding. The Vietnamese Mekong Delta region is an important agricultural region yet highly vulnerable to climate change. In 2017, the Government of Vietnam issued...

Vernacular Heritage as a Response to Climate: Lessons for future climate resilience from Rize, Turkey

Vernacular heritage is undergoing rapid changes caused by the effects of the changing climate, such as loss of lands, biodiversity, building materials, integrity, traditional knowledge, and maladaptation. However, little is known about the causes of deterioration in vernacular heritage sites under changing climate and landscape conditions from a...

Cultural Landscapes under the Threat of Climate Change: A Systematic Study of Barriers to Resilience

Cultural landscapes reflect a cultural group’s continuous and evolved interactions with natural resources and the environment. By now, climate change has become the most significant threat to cultural landscapes, e.g., food security, water scarcity, and displacement. The cultural and natural heritage of cultural landscapes can enhance their...

On the Thermal Resilience of Venetian Open Spaces

Venice is known for its urban heritage fragility. The city is experiencing an increase in yearly average temperatures affecting outdoor–indoor comfort and average energy expenditure. Owing to existing literature demonstrating how local microclimate depends on urban density, form, and materials, this investigation studies the influence of the...