Jasper van VlietView profile
Associate Professor
Overview Jasper van Vliet is an Associate Professor in Land Use and Urban Development at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam's Faculty of Science, specializing in Environmental Geography. His research focuses on understanding land use change, urban development processes, and their impacts at global to local scales, with particular attention to food systems and human settlements' role in land use dynamics. He leads initiatives such as the VIDI-funded 'Guiding human settlements towards sustainable development' project and the RUGBIS project on urban densification's ecological impacts. Education PhD in Geo-Information Science, Wageningen University (2013) MSc in Geo-Information Science, Wageningen University (2006) Research Interests Dr. van Vliet's work integrates methodologies like spatial analysis, land use modeling, and case studies to address challenges in sustainable development. His current projects explore trade-offs between urbanization and biodiversity conservation, food security in Southeast Asia, and the spatial structuring of cities across regions. He emphasizes multi-scale approaches to bridge rural-urban divides and advance SDG-aligned policies. Key Contributions Recent publications highlight his focus on rural-urban biodiversity threats, Lao PDR's agricultural sustainability, and global urban land-use equity. He has pioneered studies on solar energy infrastructure siting in the EU and comparative urban spatial structures across continents. His work consistently bridges empirical analysis with policy-oriented solutions. Awards & Grants NWO Vidi Grant (2019) for sustainable human settlement research Teaching & Mentorship As program director for the Bachelor in Earth, Economics, and Sustainability, he teaches GIS, land use change, and urban development courses. He actively supervises student theses and collaborates with international teams on projects like the SDG food initiative in Laos and Myanmar. Labs & Collaborations His research involves partnerships with institutions like PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, TU Delft, and the Athena Institute. Key projects include land-use modeling capacity building in the Mekong region and urban vulnerability assessments globally.









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