Tejo Spit

Prof. Tejo Spit is a Professor in the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning at Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences. His work focuses on spatial planning, land use policies, and climate adaptation, with significant contributions to understanding infrastructure development, urban sustainability, and governance challenges. He has advised multiple PhD and Master’s students, including Judith Westerink, Sanne Holtslag, and Ari Samsura. Spit is affiliated with institutions like Omniplan and Knowledge for Climate, and has served on editorial boards for journals such as Architecture and Urbanism and Ruimte & Maatschappij. He has organized conferences and workshops, including the 2013 International Summer School on Sustainable Governance of Land and Water.

His research spans spatial flexibility in urban planning, policy instruments for land value capture, and institutional barriers to sustainability. Notable projects include analyses of Dutch railway station redevelopment, flood resilience strategies, and climate adaptation in municipalities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Spit received the Most Influential Paper Award of the American Journal of Climate Change (2017) for his work on climate adaptation governance.

• Key Research Themes:
  • Infrastructure and urban development
  • Climate adaptation strategies
  • Land policy and governance
  • Public-private partnerships
  • Sustainable spatial planning
  • Environmental policy integration

Spit’s activities include serving as an examiner for PhD committees and visiting researcher roles at Wageningen University and Radboud University. He has collaborated on projects like Climate Proof Cities and contributed to policy analyses for Dutch national and regional initiatives, such as the Nota Ruimte spatial strategy and evaluations of municipal land development policies.

His work emphasizes balancing economic, environmental, and social dimensions of planning, particularly in addressing conflicts between land use and energy transitions, as well as institutional frameworks for sustainable development in developing countries like Indonesia and China.