Small railway stations serve as essential nodes in the daily mobility of travelers in the Dutch mobility system, yet they are overrepresented among the lowest-scoring stations in research on travelers’ experiences over the last five years. Building on the Capabilities Approach, this research considers perceived safety as a condition that influences whether the presence of small railway stations ensures equal accessibility for all travelers. Therefore, this research examines how travelers experience safety at small Dutch railway stations and explores how these insights can inform the design and development of these stations. By using an exploratory and descriptive qualitative research design, interviews were conducted with travelers at four small stations associated with the lowest scores in the Station Experience Monitor of NS in 2024. Additionally, in-depth interviews with experts in station design, safety, and public transport were held to gain insight into governance structures, design principles, and safety interventions.

The findings reveal how perceived safety is shaped by multidimensional and overlapping dynamics between temporal, spatial, social, and personal factors. Temporal conditions, particularly evening and nighttime travel, as well as gender identity, act as an amplifying lens through which the other factors are interpreted and experienced. Moreover, travelers identifying as women frequently adopted coping behaviors, such as arranging pick-ups or calling someone, thereby relying on their social networks. Travelers identifying as men often described their gender as a protective factor. Furthermore, the interviews with experts indicated that institutional dynamics, including fragmented responsibilities and difficulties regarding data sharing, further complicate the specific contexts of small railway stations that influence perceived safety.

At the same time, current monitoring tools do not include the complex nature of experienced safety and the related dynamics between the different factors influencing it. This study suggests that small railway stations deserve more attention in governance and monitoring frameworks. Creating station environments where travelers feel comfortable contributes to positive travel experiences and highlights perceived safety as a crucial condition for realizing equal mobility and accessibility. ... Read more

In December 2023 Amsterdam reduced the speed limit on most distributor roads from 50 to 30 km/h as part of a strategy to create a welcoming, safe, and efficient road network. This study evaluates whether the reform resulted in measurable changes in driver speeds and whether spillover effects occurred on streets where speed limits remained unchanged, including streets where drivers share the space with cyclists. The study applies quasi-experimental before–after, treatment–control comparison to segment-level speed data from January 2023 to June 2025. Weighted two-sample t-tests were applied to mean and 85th percentile speeds at the network level, and z-tests were applied per segment to evaluate the granular impact of the reform on driving speeds.

The results show that the 30 km/h reform is associated with reductions in both mean and 85th percentile speeds on treated distributor roads of approximately 5.5%, with larger reductions than on control segments (1-2%). However, average operating speeds remain above the new statutory limit, indicating non-compliance. Reductions were strongest during off-peak hours, suggesting that the reform influenced discretionary speed choice under free-flow conditions. Modest reductions were also observed on streets shared with cyclists despite unchanged limits, indicating a broader normative shift across the network, yet the speeds were found to be considerably over the average speed of cyclists suggesting room for improvement in these spaces. Compliance levels vary substantially by infrastructure type, with cycling-on-roadway segments exhibiting higher compliance than painted bike lanes.

Interpreted through the Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour and Risk Homeostasis Theory, the findings suggest that regulatory change can shift normative expectations and intention, but infrastructural context shapes the perceived acceptable risk and final operating speed. The study demonstrates that administrative speed limit reductions can produce measurable behavioural change at scale, yet sustained compliance likely requires complementary engineering interventions that reinforce lower speed environments. ... Read more

Sounds influence how we experience our home environment, and can have negative effects on our well-being, for example by causing annoyance. Whether a person is annoyed depends on the type of sound and other acoustic factors but also on many contextual factors such as how a person feels, the urban context and building characteristics. Previous studies did laboratory tests confirming that having a choice, or control over the sound or environment, is likely to reduce annoyance. However, few studies consider how people respond to sounds at home. Therefore, the present study considers responses of residents to different environmental sounds in dwellings, with residents of two student buildings working on home excercises with a sound map, survey and notes for a week. Afterwards an interview was conducted. Results show various responses ranging from the initial response of seeing what is going on, to changes in the environment, blocking and masking strategies, and anticipative changes and habits. Moreover, responses as well as sound perception seem to depend on many contextual factors including building factors such as insulation, personal preferences and the type of activities a participant does at home. The results were limited due to a small sample size. For future research sound recordings and a focus on different types of buildings is suggested. ... Read more

The Spangen neighborhood in Rotterdam West, the Netherlands, is highly vulnerable to pluvial flooding due to its low elevation, numerous impervious surfaces, and proximity to the Delfshavense Schie canal and a surrounding feeder canal. These factors contribute to high local surface runoff and strain on the local combined sewer system (CSS), leading to combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and local street fooding (“water op straat”). This study investigates the potential of integrating blue-green infrastructure (BGI) together with real-time control (RTC) to mitigate flood risk by reducing both the volume and frequency of CSOs and swale overflow events. A hydrological model, built utilizing 20 years of meteorological data with a 10-minute resolution from November 01, 2004 to October 01, 2024, simulated the hydrological effects of three progressively integrated bioswale configurations, a baseline scenario, and further modeled the effectiveness of RTC as valves outfitted at the base of the swale overflow tructure in preemptively releasing forecasted runoff over a 12-hour lead time. Results demonstrated that while the baseline scenario revealed 582.5 mm of CSO overflow over 188 events during the study period, when implemented, bioswales alone reduced net flow to the receiving water body by up to 95%, and RTC-enabled bioswales, in the most intensive configuration, could fully, pre-emptively remove stored swale volume to completely eliminate uncontrolled overflow. The 25% interception fraction performed best for Configuration 1, and 50% fraction performed best for Configurations 2 and 3, which all minimized the net flow out to the receiving water body, most efficiently integrating the existing CSS and proposed bioswales. Beyond mitigating flood risks, BGI offer co-benefits such as enhanced ecological connectivity, improved water quality, and urban livability, serving as a tool to provide Gemeente Rotterdam with a new possibility to achieve other sustainability goals, such as increasing green space access. This research demonstrates that the integration of RTC with BGI can serve as a scalable model for climate-resilient urban water management in Rotterdam, and worldwide. ... Read more

This study addresses the critical question: How can AI be effectively harnessed to serve humanity’s global well-being? Referencing Barber’s (1998) dilemma, we ask whether AI will lead us toward a Pandora scenario—marked by chaos and harm—or a Jeffersonian scenario, where AI fosters democratic opportunities. To explore this, we developed a citizen-friendly AI prototype focused on road safety, an urgent global challenge with 1.19 million fatalities annually, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization.

Our AI-co-created website, utilizing Generative AI as an assistant, aims to disseminate proven road safety strategies, such as “Sustainable Safety” and the “Urban Street Design Guide,” which have been successfully implemented in the Netherlands and various U.S. cities. The prototype seeks to bridge language and knowledge gaps, empowering citizens worldwide with accessible road safety insights.

Employing the Prototype Method, this study underwent three development iterations, integrating feedback from diverse citizen groups through workshops and surveys. The final product, prototype 3, presented in a semi-manual, semi-AI format, demonstrates that AI can significantly enhance civic participation and public affairs.

Based on the Human-Centered AI (HCAI) framework, we introduce an advanced "Citizen-AI" model, incorporating the ARIE evaluation model—Avoid, Reduce, Insist, Encourage—to ensure ethical AI deployment. Together with the 3E framework: Education, Empowerment, and Engagement, the ARIE model offers a comprehensive self-assessment tool for developers, guiding the creation of AI systems that prioritize human welfare. This study envisions a future where citizens are equipped to use AI as an active tool for participation, bridging the gap between technology and public engagement.
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