معرفی
Jiakun Liu is a full-time postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Spatial Economics, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, funded by the EU ENHANCE project under Dr. Eric Koomen's supervision. His work integrates land use modeling and travel behavior analysis to advance sustainable urban and transport planning, with focus on 15-minute city scenarios and health geography intersections.
Education
- PhD in Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University
Research Focus
Dr. Liu investigates dynamic relationships between travel behavior, urban environments, and well-being, emphasizing mental health outcomes of commuting. His research spans transport-health geography through methodologies including GPS tracking, spatial analysis, and survey design. Key projects examine green space exposure impacts on commuter stress, street environment influences on pedestrian behavior, and mental health effects on transportation mode choice.
Publication Trends
His 2021-2025 publications reveal consistent focus on urban sustainability through health lenses, with increasing integration of spatial big data and mental health metrics. Recent work combines Dutch case studies with advanced spatial modeling (XGBoost, GIS) to address 15-minute city implementation challenges, showing strong interdisciplinary collaboration across transport planning and public health domains.
Scientific Recognition
- Computational Urban Planning and Urban Management (CUPUM) 2025 Best Paper Award for green commute/stress research
Research Leadership
As active participant in the EU ENHANCE project (2024-2027), Dr. Liu develops frameworks for sustainable travel in small cities while contributing to VU Amsterdam's Spatial Economics research ecosystem. His grant portfolio demonstrates growing expertise in securing competitive EU funding for urban mobility innovation.
Collaborative Environment
Works within VU Amsterdam's Spatial Economics department alongside Prof. Dick Ettema and Prof. Marco Helbich, leveraging connections to Utrecht University's Human Geography group. Current projects integrate transportation planning with mental health research through partnerships with Dutch public health institutions and urban policy agencies.
