K.V. Bandsma

Physical and social disorder affect the wellbeing of citizens, can lower the participation in local organisations, reduce the probability that citizens will go outside and meet each other and might link to broader neighborhood deterioration. This PhD project explores under which conditions nudging has added value in the toolbox of planners to decrease disorder in public spaces. Nudges are ways of influencing behaviour, without limiting the set of choices or making certain actions appreciably more costly in terms of money, social sanctions resources or effort. Well known examples of nudging are piano stairs, the ‘Don't mess with Texas’ campaign against littering or playing (classical) music in shopping areas or train stations to make citizens feel more relaxed. By using nudging, planners can influence citizens’ behaviour in an indirect manner, without the use of coercive and costly instruments. Although nudging is increasingly used by governments, nudging has received limited attention within the planning literature. This PhD project explores how professionals use nudging by conducting in-depth interviews and a survey. The aim of these both is to identify for which problems, in which public spaces and under which conditions nudging has added value in the toolbox of planners.

Daily supervisor:  W.S. Rauws

Promotor: G. de Roo