dr. W.S. (Ward) Rauws

International consortia projects

AccessCity4All: Adapting the 15-Minute City concept to support active mobility in neighbourhoods with different levels of accessibility (DUT/NWO), February 2024 - present

The concept of the 15-minute city has emerged as a prominent guiding vision for urban development, sparking both excitement and controversy. AccessCity4All aims to enhance the 15-minute-city concept by considering diversity of people’s mobility needs and the spatial heterogeneity of neighbourhoods. Through detailed investigations in up to 50 neighbourhoods spanning city centers to outskirts, the project seeks to identify mismatches between calculated, perceived, and actualized accessibility for various social groups. University of Groningen leads the work package on Public Participation GIS for the European consortium and implements the project particularly in the province of Groningen.

Factsheet / Team: Samira Ramezani, Felix Pot, Taede Tillema, Mahdi Rahimi, Mahdi, Thomas Zaw (Province of Groningen)

GLEAM NSR: Transdisciplinary project on sustainable urban logistics (Interreg), February 2024 - present

In essence, the transition towards sustainable urban logistics is about how to govern public space. Logistics are key for cities to function well, but they also come with externalities. These externalities go beyond air pollution and nuisance. It also includes which functions and users of public space get priority and where synergies can be created, especially for SMEs. In this project, sustainable logistics expert Paul Buijs and spatial planning expert Ward Rauws join forces on behalf of the University of Groningen.

Website / Team: Paul Buijs, Anna Dreischerf, Xiying Zhang

ULaaDs: Urban logistics as an on-demand service (H2020 RIA), September 2020 - February 2024

A partnership of local authorities, logistics parties and researchers aims to organise logistics in inner cities smarter. The central question is how to accelerate the implementation of new, shared and emission-free forms of freight transport. As principal investigator from my faculty, I supervise Postdoc Paul Plazier. Together, we are developing a policy delphi and a framework for adaptive policy in (re)steering the transition to sustainable inner-city logistics.

Website / Team: Paul Plazier, Maaike Buser

RECOMS: Building Resourceful and Resilient Communities through Adaptive and Transformative Environmental Practice (H2020 MSCA-ITN), January 2018 - 2022

RECOMS trains 15 PhD students in working with transdisciplinary approaches to support resourceful and resilient local communities. My role was the day-to-day supervision of PhD student Imogen Humphris

Website / Projectleider: Prof.dr. Ina Horlings

PLUREL: Peri Urban Land Use, 6th Framework Programme EU, 2008-2010

A European study on peri-urban development in collaboration with 29 partners international partners. Conducting 5 international case studies within the Governance and Strategic Planning Scenarios sub-module and project management of the RU Groningen component, 2006-2010 (participated in 2008-2010)

Team: Gert de Roo, Delik Hudalah, Marc Beeftink

PhD students

Ongoing projects

Peri-urban governance for sustainable land management, september 2021 - heden (Rama Putra)

Massive land transformations happen in the peri-urban, especially in the highly dynamic Java Island. This project investigates governance capacities and arrangements that improve the sustainability performance of land management practices.

Promotor: Prof.dr. Christian Zuidema

Enhancing sustainable behaviour in neighbourhoods by managing social norms, September 2020 - present (Tabea Hoffmann)

How can behavioural interventions increase sustainable behaviour in neighbourhoods by influencing the context in which residents make choices? A mix of research methods, consisting of lab and field experiments, is used to investigate how perceptions of local norms can be influenced.

Promotor: Prof. dr. Jan Willem Bolderdijk (FEB)

The role of programmes in improving the adaptive capacity of accessibility regions, January 2020 - present (Ingo Bousema)

How can programme management contribute to the adaptive capacity of regional mobility systems? This project investigates the role of programmes in a polycentric governance environment and how they can be used to prepare mobility systems to deal with uncertainties.

Promotor: Prof. Wim Leendertse, co-supervisor: Tim Busscher

Nudging in public space, September 2016 - present (Koen Bandsma)

What potential does nudging have in combating nuisance in public spaces? Nudging, also called 'governance by stealth', is an indirect form of influencing human behaviour. This research project explores whether nudging can be used to adjust undesired social norms.

Promotor: Prof. dr. Gert de Roo

Inclusive urban alternatives: an action-oriented approach for bridging city-making and critical urban research, involved since 2021 - present (Mohamed Saleh)

How can progressive city-makers combine their critiques of unequal, unjust or undemocratic urban systems with identifying possibilities for urban alternatives? This project investigates where and how city makers can find seeds for more inclusive practices of city making in everyday life in Egypt.  

Promotor: Prof. dr. Gert de Roo

Afgeronde promotieprojecten

The transformative capacity of community initiatives in post- industrial cities, 2018 - 2023 (Imogen Humphris)

How can community initiatives, such as urban beaches and DIY skateparks, unlock brownfields in post-industrial European cities and trigger new place identities? This project investigates how these initiatives are organized, their effects and how public planners can related to them. 

Promotor: Prof.dr. Ina Horlings

Other research projects

Adaptive planning in the spatial domain, October 2023 - February 2024

The Novex programme offered an experimental policy design process for implementing and improving the strategic national spatial vision for the Netherlands. What are the lessons learned for strengthening the capacity within Dutch planning to deal with dynamic change? In this exploratory study, commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior, we analyse the potential of four adaptive planning principles within Novex's polycentric governance structure.

Report / Team: Ingo Bousema, Mauk Sewandodo, Jos Arts, Wim Leendertse

Framework rules for self-organising cities, June 2018 - 2020

Theme issue for 'Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science' on institutional frameworks that can accommodate and guide processes of self-organisation in cities. Editorial team together with Prof. Stefano Moroni and Dr. Stefano Cozzolino.

Website / Editional introduction

Adaptive Planning and the National Environmental Vision for the Netherlands

How can Dutch planning strategies become better equipped for dealing with dynamic change? In this project, commissioned by Ministry of Internal Affairs, I analyse, together with my team, various types of adaptive planning and identify the related dilemmas for planners.

Report / Team: Gert De Roo, Christian Zuidema

'Neighbourhood Makers' - active citizenship in the neighbourhood, September 2016 - May 2017

For housing corporation Accolade, together with co-workers, tenant and consultancy firm Twynstra Gudde, we explore the characteristics of civic initiatives at neighbourhood level. We also explore how housing corporations can relate to these initiatives and their unique role vis-à-vis municipalities.

Interactive report / Video

Planning and Complexity: Engaging with temporal dynamics, uncertainty and complex adaptive systems, 2014-2016

Special Issue for Environment and Planning B. Guest Editor together with U. Sengupta (Manchester School of Architecture), prof. G. de Roo (RUG).

Website / Editorial introduction

 Self-organisation and spatial planning, 2013-2016

Special issue for Town Planning Review. Guest Editor together with prof. G. de Roo (RUG), dr. Z. Shuhai (Renmin University).

Website / Editorial introduction

Regional storylines - research on regional spatial concept development, 2010

A study on strategic spatial steering strategies following the decentralisation of spatial planning policy. Carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment / Infrastructure & the Environment.

Book / Team: Gert de Roo, Stefan Hartman, Marc Beeftink

Public projects

National Spatial Election Debate, May 2010, September 2012, March 2016

Candidate MPs in debate on defining themes for the future of spatial Holland. Final responsibility for the entire debate, including substantive themes, finances and recruitment of politicians. The debate took place in the Aula of the University of Groningen, with 300 spectators, and had the attention of regional and national (professional) media.

Website / Video (trailer 2012)

ExpertiseLab resident involvement recovery Groningen Knowledge platform Livable and Chanceful Groningen

Report

University of Noorderzon, August 2019

Initiator and co-organiser (with Jocelien Olivier) of 5 days of public lectures and experiments during the cultural festival Noorderzon of Performing Arts & Society. Over 1100 kids and adults participated.