The Dutch dairy farming sector is facing an acute nitrogen crisis, characterized by severe ecological degradation and a political impasse since the 2019 PAS ruling. The PAS rule was found illegal because it relied on uncertain future measures and with that outcome it halted thousands of nitrogen permits for built projects. While barn-based nitrogen cleaning technologies are available in the market, their large-scale adoption has not taken place due to institutional uncertainty and an unclear investment framework. This research addresses the lack of the adoption of the technological innovations.The existing literature on agricultural innovation lacks an integrated, empirical model that includes all relevant adoption factors. Moreover, there is a lack of quantification of the importance of these factors in the Dutch nitrogen context. The research is specifically designed to establish the hierarchy of the factors and to highlight the role of the different stakeholders. A literature analysis with the PRISMA method resulted in a framework of fourteen adoption factors, categorized into four domains: innovation characteristics, farm characteristics, farmer and external influences. The Best Worst Method was then applied to quantify the weights of these factors among different groups of stakeholders: general experts, financial specialists and dairy farmers. Qualitative interviews were used to contextualize the BWM results and explain structural differences in decision-making. Adoption is primarily determined by institutional and financial factors. The most decisive determinants are Government Incentives (0.18), Expected Profitability (0.15), Coercive Pressure (0.14) and Trust (0.12). Initial Costs (0.06) are ranked relatively low which could be explained because of net value investment decisions that are made. The analysis also shows structural differences as experts focus on bankability and system security. Meanwhile farmers prioritize operational feasibility and compatibility with existing routines and liquidity needs. Adoption requires connecting the operational and financial thresholds of the stakeholders. The industry has not yet adopted a dominant technological design, which shows that regulatory and the reliability of verification standards are decisive for technological diffusion. This is more important than the technical superiority or the initial cost of the innovation. This research contributes to the management of technology literature by identifying the factors for technology adoption for agricultural innovation for the Dutch nitrogen context. ... Read more

Peripheral regions in Europe face persistent demographic and economic challenges. Population decline, ageing, and limited job opportunities reduce the vitality of these regions, while shrinking public transport services further undermine accessibility and quality of life. In this context, public transport interventions, such as the development of new railways, are often presented as a strategic solution to enhance regional connectivity, improve economic prospects, and maintain the attractiveness of peripheral areas. Railways are seen not only as technical infrastructure but as catalysts for broader socio-economic renewal.

Yet, despite these high expectations, it remains difficult to determine whether such projects truly achieve their intended effects. A complication is the limited availability of ex-post evaluations. Large-scale infrastructure projects are typically judged by pre-opening forecasts, such as ridership projections or symbolic milestones, rather than by systematic ex-post, long-term analyses of social, economic, and spatial outcomes. Existing studies in Europe are relatively scarce. This lack of robust empirical evidence complicates the ability of policymakers to draw lessons for future projects such as the Lelylijn or the Nedersaksenlijn.

This research investigates whether public transport investments enhance the attractiveness of peripheral regions. Focusing on the Hanzelijn as a case study, it examines contextual conditions and mechanisms that shape regional development. The aim is to develop a conceptual model and identify the conditions under which such interventions succeed or fail, offering insights for policymakers and planners...... ... Read more

This study investigates the impact of spatial constraints and economic land-use considerations on the optimal placement of large-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) within the Dutch high-voltage (HV) grid. In the rapid transformation of the Dutch electricity system—characterized by an increasing penetration of variable renewable energy sources (vRES) and a rising need for grid flexibility—BESS have emerged as a pivotal technology for congestion management, renewable integration, and frequency regulation. However, the absence of a systematic strategy for BESS siting creates inefficiencies in grid planning, escalates system costs, and introduces uncertainty for both market participants and the Transmission System Operator (TSO), TenneT.

To address this gap, the research poses the primary question: “What is the impact of spatial constraints and economic land-use considerations on the optimal placement of large-scale BESS from the perspective of the TSO in the Dutch HV grid?” This is further subdivided into three sub-questions: (1) identifying the key considerations in the BESS development and placement process as derived from academic literature and expert interviews; (2) assessing how restrictions related to competing land uses and exclusion zones affect optimal BESS placement; and (3) evaluating the influence of incorporating land costs on BESS siting outcomes.

The study employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating a comprehensive literature review, expert interviews with TenneT representatives and market participants, and an optimization model implemented in PyPSA-Eur. The model simulates BESS deployment scenarios under two temporal snapshots—2023, reflecting current grid conditions, and 2040, a future state with high electrification and stringent decarbonization targets. Three scenarios are analyzed: a BASE scenario with minimal spatial restrictions, a COL scenario that factors in regional land costs, and an EXCL scenario that enforces strict spatial exclusion zones.

Results from the 2023 analysis indicate that enforcing exclusion zones leads to a 43% reduction in deployable BESS capacity, with land costs exerting a relatively minor impact. In contrast, the 2040 simulations reveal a heightened dependency on BESS for grid stability, where the EXCL scenario still reduces capacity by 19%. Notably, certain nodes that initially received minimal BESS allocation under strict spatial constraints later demonstrate a significant increase in capacity, underscoring an intrinsic system requirement for storage despite suboptimal placement conditions.

Further findings highlight the grid’s adaptive responses, including the expansion of cross-country high-voltage direct current (HVDC) connections, particularly between the Netherlands and Great Britain, and stable average line loading and peak frequency metrics. These outcomes suggest that while spatial constraints influence the localization of BESS, the overall grid performance can be maintained through alternative measures such as transmission expansion and flexible generation.

The study concludes with policy recommendations advocating for a national BESS deployment roadmap, streamlined permitting processes, and differentiated grid connection fees to prioritize locations that maximize system benefits. This research bridges the gap between energy infrastructure planning and land-use policy, offering actionable insights for TSOs, BESS developers, and policymakers to foster a resilient, cost-effective, and spatially integrated energy system. ... Read more

This master thesis addresses the challenge of project performance in the Civil Engineering (CE) sector, emphasizing the significance of collaboration, communication, and understanding among interdisciplinary project teams. Focusing on the role of empathy in contractor-client collaborations, the study investigates the potential impact of serious gaming on enhancing the level of empathy of CE professionals.
The research uses a mixed-method pre- and post-test design, utilizing a quasi-experimental approach without a control group. The study uses the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the short version of the Empathy Quotient (EQ short) questionnaire to measure the individual self-reported level of empathy before and after participants engage in the serious game 'Fouten maken Moed.' A subscale of the IRI showed a slight decrease in the level of empathy that possibly can be explained by a growth in awareness. While quantitative analysis did not reveal a significant change in overall empathy scores, qualitative findings suggest positive influences on interpersonal dynamics, openness, and talkativeness among participants, aspects that relate to the concept of empathy.
Despite the limitations that arise from researching a difficult to operationalise main concept (empathy), a small sample size and having no control group. It can still be concluded that the intervention, including the serious game, created an environment that was conducive for participants to share personal information and vulnerabilities, fostering a sense of approachability and relatability. It seems like the game can, if facilitated well, function as a context-setter for Project Follow Up (PFU) or Project Start Up (PSU) meetings, enhancing collaboration between contractors and clients.
Although the study acknowledges the fact that results cannot be generalised, it recommends refining empathy measurement methods and enhancing training interventions' briefing and debriefing aspects. Future research should include more extensive experiments with control groups to better isolate the impact of serious gaming on empathy levels in the CE sector, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the game's potential contributions to collaboration and project performance through empathy
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Climate change is intensifying severe weather and flood hazards, putting riverfront residents at growing risk. Although existing public flood defences like dikes and nature-based solutions offer protection, recent events like those in Limburg in 2021 highlight the need to address flood risk at the homeowner level. With the expectation that homeowners must accept some flood risk, engaging them is crucial to tackling climate change's escalating impacts. Therefore, homeowners should implement private flood measures, but many fail to recognize the urgency. In the Netherlands, where a shared responsibility approach to flood risk management is evolving, provincial governments must engage homeowners to prepare for increasing flood risk. To do this, governments need insights into homeowners' preferences and motivations regarding public and private flood protection measures. This research addresses this need through a serious game and examines homeowner profiles and factors influencing private flood protection adoption.
The study begins with a literature review, incorporating theories like the Tiebout model and the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). The serious game "Where We Move" is selected, and techniques such as latent class analysis, ANOVA, and T-tests are used to determine homeowner profiles and influences on private flood measure adoption.
Three homeowner attitude profiles emerge: "Cautious Optimists," "Informed Preparers," and "Cautious Realists." These profiles reflect different knowledge levels and future flood expectations. Optimists are less likely to adopt private measures, suggesting that increasing knowledge, particularly about climate change's impact on floods, could heighten perceived threats and drive greater adoption.
Preferences for private measures are influenced by environmental benefits, personal advantages like aesthetics, and societal benefits. Financial means affect the type of measure chosen, with wealthier individuals opting for more expensive options. However, income levels do not impact the inclination to protect against flooding, highlighting that financial capabilities influence the measure's cost but not the protective response.
The level of public flood protection affects homeowners' residency choices. Generally, "grey" solutions like dikes are preferred, but low-income homeowners prioritize well-protected areas, even at a higher cost. High-income homeowners choose cheaper dike area houses and allocate their savings elsewhere.
Information about the risk reduction effect significantly influences private measure adoption, affecting homeowners' coping abilities. This aligns with research showing that informed decision-making leads to increased adoption. Homeowners are motivated when they perceive high threat levels, possess coping abilities, and take ownership of the risk. Flood experience influences the type of measure but not the adoption rate.
To address homeowners' lack of urgency, the study suggests improving communication strategies to emphasize how private measures reduce risks. Subsidies and collaborative initiatives can narrow the gap between high and low-income homeowners. Future research should explore intangible factors like psychological stress and denial and consider cost-effectiveness, familiarity, knowledge levels, and perspectives on future flooding.
While this research provides valuable insights, it acknowledges limitations in sample variation and size adequacy and doesn't delve into nuanced factors like psychological stress. Future research can build on these insights, refining flood risk mitigation strategies for safer and more resilient communities in the face of flooding.
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Gamification and game-based learning have received wide attention in the past few decades. By blending game design and mechanics into traditional learning environment, they enhance students’ participation, motivation and engagement. Squla is such a gamified learning platform where we can find game components like coins, virtual shop, competitive activities and collectables. Besides the above gamified elements, Squla has also transformed standard questions into fun games such as shooting catapults and clicking the popping bubbles. These games are designed to further engage the students and improve their learning.
In this project, we analysed player game type preference based on their game log data, and measure the impact of customised game type delivery. We targeted education group 4 and 5 students users, and focus on catapult games and bubble popper games as they are the most played. A set of features that could reflect students’ preference and emotion states are selected and analysed, including correct ratio, playtime, quitting possibility, etc. Using data clustering, we group students who have similar behaviour and predict their preferred game types. We identified three group of students, one shows high completion rate on all forms of questions, another shows rather low overall completion rate, and the last group has rather high completion rate on bubble popper games and lower completion rate on the catapult shooting games. Based on such findings, we conducted experiment on them to look into different gaming contents’ impact on their learning and engagement. A final experiment consists of a short math quiz and a follow-up questionnaire. The two-week online experiment receives 91 valid responses. Post-play questionnaire, as well as the game log suggest different contents could affect students’ engagement. In particular, preferred contents can elevate a sense of happiness and enhance perceived learning. ... Read more

neering (SE). Nowadays, this approach is more and more instructed by clients in the Netherlands. The switch to Systems Engineering was necessary because of the development of integrated contracts (UAV-GC; Uniform Administrative Conditions for Integrated Contracts) such as Design-Build-Finance-Maintain (DBFM) and Design & Construct (D&C). Before the introduction of integrated contracts, mainly RAW contracts (Rationalization and automation Soil, Water and Road Construction) were used in the Netherlands for public procurement in infrastructure projects. In RAW contracts, the to be built system is described in detail and the segregation of responsibilities between client and contractor is distinctly defined. In integrated contracts, this distinctly defined segregation of responsibilities is missing. As a result of the integrated contracts, the projects became more complex and multidisciplinary, which asked for a more structured approach (Emes et al., 2012). Another difficulty of integrated contracts is the communication between client and contractor because more information has to be transferred. An important element of SE are the verification and validation processes. This validation process is considered complicated in the civil engineering industry. Four subproblems are determined by means of literature and practical knowledge. First, the interaction between client and contractor. Findings of a questionnaire performed by the CROW (2017) about the relationship between client and contractor are:56.9% of the contractors’ employees do not feel equally treated by the client, 43.6% of the clients’ employees and 69.7% of the contractors’ employees agree on the statement that the other party is mainly defensive instead of cooperative, another issue during the interaction between client and contractor is trust. 23.3% of the clients’ employees and 17.7% of the contractors’ employees say that the other party cannot be trusted, 73.6% of the clients’ employees and 73.5% of the contractors’ employees disagree on the fact that the other party puts the common interests of the project above their own interests. The second subproblem is the confusion between verification and validation. Verification is the process of determining if the system meets the specified requirements (Alsem et al., 2013). Nevertheless, the purpose of the validation process according to ISO (2015) is "to provide objective evidence that the system, when in use, fulfils its business or mission objectives and stakeholder requirements, achieving its intended use in its intended operational environment" (ISO, 2015, p. 74). The third subproblem is executing sufficient validation. The difficulty is to represent the client and stakeholders needs in requirements. Therefore, the validation is often conducted last-minute in the construction phase of the project. The fourth subproblem is that the effects of the use of 3D visualisation during design validation on project performances are unknown. These problems result in the following research objective and question. The aim of this research is to gain insight in the effects of 3D visualisation during the design validation on the project performances, namely time, costs and quality. What are possible effects of 3D visualisation on design validation within the civil engineering sector in the Netherlands? The methodology for this research consists of three phases: (1) context, which includes literature and project evaluations, (2) experiment, which contains baseline and follow-up measurements and (3) the results and conclusion. Phase two, experiment, is a gaming simulation called the ontwikkelstraat. In this research, the following definition is used for gaming simulation: "a special type of model that uses gaming techniques to model and simulate a system. A gaming simulation is an operating model of a real-life system in which actors in roles partially recreate the behaviour of the system (Meijer, 2009)". The Ontwikkelstraat is a two-day case imitating a project from tender till exploitation and includes design, construction and maintenance of a hydrogen factory. During this gaming simulation, three types of measurements are conducted: questionnaires, recordings of the interaction between client and contractor, and observations. According to the literature, sufficient design validation has to fulfil several conditions. The aim is to acquire proof that the system in its ability to achieve its intended use (ISO, 2015). Rijkswaterstaat (2017) prescribes three conditions the design validation should meet, namely design validation is an integral element of the design process, confirmation by client and stakeholders, and determine the validation process in cooperation with the client. There are multiple ways of conducting design validation. Several design activities are of importance for design validation. During the system design phase, these activities are analysing contract documents, as well as document functionalities, requirements and systems. In the preliminary design phase, these activities are based on the variants and validation of the design products. It is concluded from the three cases studied that alignment of the design products with client and stakeholders is a key validation step in all cases. Bryde et al. (2014), Sebastian and Van Berlo (2011), and Azhar (2012) described the capabilities of 3D visualisation. Three-dimensional visualisation can be static or dynamic. With a static image of the 3D model of the design, the communication and coordination between actors and disciplines are more detailed. By decomposition in subsystems and objects, the technical details of the design can be sufficiently discussed during the validation sessions with the client and stakeholders. Another capability of the 3D visualisation is expectation management between contractor, client and stakeholders. 3D visualisation can also be used for dynamic images for moving systems, such as locks and movable bridges, which can be used for showing the functionalities of the design. Dynamic images can confirm that the design meets the intended functionalities and use of the system that is going to be built. Currently, 3D visualisation is used within the civil engineering sector in the Netherlands is by means of BIM. Within the civil engineering sector in the Netherlands companies deviate in the BIM maturity level, as well as the multiple subsidiaries within the contractor firm VolkerWessels. According to the BIM wedge that is developed by Bew and Richards (2008), level 1 of the BIM maturity is implemented. Therefore, the use of 3D visualisation is implemented in all integral projects within the infrastructure branch of VolkerWessels. The 3D models are used for clash detection, reinforcement in concrete, immediate vicinity and quantities. Conclusion According the results of the gaming simulation, visualisation does not have an effect on the project performances time, costs and quality. A possible explanation that no effect of visualisation on the project performances has been found is that the physical model of the hydrogen factory in the ontwikkelstraat was only used during one of the follow-up measurements. During the other two follow-up measurement, the physical model was not used by the participants. The follow-up measurement where the physical model was used, it was used by one participant, who built the model. However, the participant did not communicate his findings from the physical model to the other project team members. Therefore, there are not enough results to conclude that there are no effects of visualised validation on the project performances. From observations during the gaming simulation, it can be concluded that not the availability of the 3D model, but the standard practice of project teams is the issue. This research aimed to fill the theoretical gap on the effects of 3D visualisation on design validation. Although this aim is achieved, every research has to make compromises to stay within scope. The main limitations are presented in the itemisation below. • Lack of proper literature regarding the conditions for sufficient design validation; • Small sample size of the gaming simulation, which makes it harder to generalise the findings; • Time constraints during the gaming simulation, the participants are under a lot of time pressure during particularly the design phases. Therefore it is possible they overlooked the physical scale model. Soms suggestions for further research are: • It is found that not the availability of the 3D visualisation is the problem, but the standard practice of project teams play a role. Therefore, research on the problems of implementation of 3D models during design validation and how to solve these problems would b relevant for the whole construction industry; • During the project evaluations, it has been found that the way of handling changes in the contract after procurement is challenging. It turns out that validation of the design is often obstructed because the results of the validation process can result in uncertainties for all actors in a construction project. Research on the politics behind the changes in construction projects is relevant, because of the uncertainties these politics bring in the development of projects and the relationship between all actors that are involved; • Lastly, further research on the interaction between client and contractor is needed. Research on the development of achievable strategies to manage the counterbalance between collaboration and competition between client and contractor would be significant. Recommendations for practice Based on the literature and project evaluations, a proposed approach, called visualised validation approach (VVA) is developed. The VVA is a combination of two different project management methodologies, which are the V-model and the scrum. During the System design phase, three activities are essential: determining V&V management plan, requirement validation, and interaction with the client about the intended use of the system. The preliminary design phase is an iterative process, with scrum design sprints and validation sessions with the client and stakeholders. The biggest challenge in the construction industry is the implementation of the visualised validation approach. According to an internal investigation, the accessibility of the process and in particular the 3D mod- els have impact on the implementation of the VVA. Several employees indicated that they are reserved to use new approaches because of the lack of skills or manpower. ... Read more

In this thesis we present a computational framework, which allows simulating residential location choice. The specific application of the model focuses on representing populations under disaster risk. The aim of the tool is to enable public planning agencies to explore the synthesized households’ location choice under risk and different spatial, financial policy scenarios. The simulated urban system is represented as an agent-based model, where the households are the agents choosing between discrete options to relocate from one house to another. Their choice behavior is built upon a notion, that people make decisions based on regret. This is done with the help of Random Regret Minimization (RRM) model, allowing to capture varying levels of regret (profundity) and enabling incorporating multiple attributes of different dimensionality. Given the agent heterogeneity and the changing availability of the building stock, the choice sets are dynamic. Therefore, the traditional RRM approach would not return stable results: with every new option housing available it would have to be re-calibrated. As a solution, we propose re-interpreting the classical \ac{RRM} model by scaling the beta values by the choice set attribute variance. This allows to represent $\beta$ as a unit-less preference weight, associated with a homogeneous population group.

We apply the framework to two different scale case-studies in an earthquake-prone area in Groningen province, The Netherlands. The data used for simulation includes several public and private spatial datasets, as well as aggregate level statistical data to synthesize the properties of the households. As a showcase, we applied the simulation assuming homogeneous and equal preference weights for 7 optimization criteria. These criteria relate to static properties of the building stock and household-related dependencies to the network (job, school locations). To further exhibit model usability within public sector agencies, we also apply the model on several financial policy scenarios. The output of which is captured on both aggregate and semi-disaggregate levels, allowing for interactive exploration of the effects of the proposed scenarios. The model outcomes correspond to the expectations set prior to simulation. It showcases convergence, anticipated optimization behavior and spatial patterns, corresponding to the building stock properties of the region. ... Read more

Although the motivational capacity of serious games is well supported in theory, few experimental studies have been conducted so far. This study contributes to this knowledge gap by using a serious game to try and increase the currently low student retention in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). For this, a serious game was specifically designed to influence factors that have shown to influence student retention in other MOOCs. A randomized post-test only control group experimental design was used, in which the impact of the serious game on student retention was evaluated with quantitative and qualitative data from questionnaires and the edX MOOC platform. While it was found that the serious game had a negative impact on the intrinsic motivation of students, it appeared that intrinsic motivation did not influence student retention in this MOOC, therewith explaining why no difference in student retention was observed between the control group and game group. This shows that in order to improve student retention in MOOCs with serious games, further research on factors affecting student retention in MOOCs is required first. ... Read more