Insect populations across Europe are in measurable decline, yet monitoring methods remain predominantly manual, episodic, and limited in temporal resolution. Researchers describe the future of insect monitoring as a combination of manual and digital sampling and processing methods. This study addresses that gap through a staggered, multi-method monitoring campaign on an urban green rooftop in Amsterdam. Different combinations of manual (pitfall traps, light traps, sweep netting, transect walks) and technological (computer vision, eDNA) methods are compared based on their resulting richness, relative abundance, and activity to test how method choice affects biodiversity estimates.
The study was conducted in close collaboration with ecologists, urban planners, and rooftop maintenance workers to understand the complementarity of methods not only quantitatively but also in terms of the different objectives the practitioners seek to achieve through insect monitoring. The quantitative study reveals that activity data from novel methods, although imperfect and inherently different from relative abundance data captured by manual methods, still provide partially overlapping yet complementary information. Discussion with practitioners echoed the view that the trustworthiness of novel methods must be assessed at the species and measurement-type levels, rather than assumed for the technology as a whole. It also revealed that complementarity can operate at the data level or the pipeline level, where continuous, imperfect, and low-cost monitoring is used to direct scarce expert time and resources toward relevant moments and locations. ... Read more

Everybody engages in sports and physical activity, but the mechanisms underlying these activities are extremely complex. This study examines the systemic imbalance that exists in Amsterdam's sports landscape, where current, static, supply interacts with dynamic, changing user demand. It specifically looks into how programming (Software), governance structures (Orgware), and physical infrastructure (Hardware) interact to create bottlenecks.
By using a mixed-methods case-study approach that triangulates literature and policy review, expert interviews, and user surveys, the study evaluates the interrelationship between demand and supply within the metropolitan context. Key findings include that demand is shifting toward more flexible, informal, and individually organized sports. This shift leads to bottlenecks within the traditional, club-based organized sports landscape that is unique to the Netherlands. The analysis revealed several mismatches that lead to bottlenecks, most notably aging, monofunctional infrastructure, fragmented municipal governance, missing statutory foundations, and inadequate legal frameworks for sports.
To address these bottlenecks, eight design principles are suggested that prioritize multifunctionality, professionalize public space management, and strategically collaborate with commercial providers. This study contributes to the academic field by suggesting a strategic framework for policymakers, practitioners, and urban planners to align sports infrastructure with contemporary needs. The thesis concludes that there is no universal solution. Instead, it advocates for 'maatwerk' (context-specific customization) and the structural legal embedding of sport in spatial planning to guarantee its future place in the ever-densifying metropolitan city. ... Read more

Our current food practices cause numerous environmental, social, cultural, and economic externalities. Yet while the challenges arise in these seemingly different dimensions, the solutions to finding a sustainable diet, might be found in the interplay between them. Striking a balance between components of the food system to ensure a future sustainable diet requires a tangible framework as a starting point. This research developed scenarios using expert interviews to draft future food acquisition practices for the city of Amsterdam in 2050. By employing and expanding upon the DESTEP methodology, a glimpse of the future lifestyle practices, system of provision, and food acquisition arose. Seven trends were drafted, which are expected to affect future food acquisition practices significantly. 1) A dichotomy in society between those well-off and those badly-off, 2) a potential increase in plant-based food consumption, 3) a dichotomy in society regarding food orientation, with on the one hand those seeking convenience while a growing number of people look the context behind the food they eat, 4) robotization, 5) water and nutrient scarcity, 6) an increased awareness by governments as to what people eat, and lastly, 7) the ongoing battle for space within the city. The different scenarios point out that the government's role can significantly affect how the future pans out. ... Read more