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In the face of the ever-evolving and emerging urban, environmental and socioeconom-ic transformations of Africa cities, a growing body of literature advocates for new at-titudes towards urban planning theory and practices. Within this frame, place-based approaches are a recurring trope vested with the bivalent capacity to challenge the preconceptions of African urbanity inherited from colonial-era and Western modernist thought, and to bring out alternative knowledge grounded in the concrete reality of African cities. However, this notion has multiple and oft-diverging meanings, poten-tially nullifying its conceptual and operational validity. This introductory essay puts forward five place-based specifics based on an extensive literature review and against which the contributions collected in this book are tested: (1) the shifting meaning of place from a changeless physical entity to a dynamic social-cultural one, (2) the added value of including local to expert knowledge into multiple knowledge systems, (3) the collaborative or non-collaborative nature of place-based practices and the range of tools and methods for implementing them, (4) democratisation and empowerment ob-jectives in place-based approaches and (5) the role of institutions in establishing place-based initiatives in the long term. As a result, while reinstating the relevance of contextuality in urban planning and design for African cities, this essay calls into question some undesirable aspects of place-based approaches: the limitations of case study-based empiricism, romanticising informal and bottom-up initiatives, and justify-ing the historical retreat of institutionalised public action from responsibility for steer-ing urban change.In the face of the ever-evolving and emerging urban, environmental and socioeconom-ic transformations of Africa cities, a growing body of literature advocates for new at-titudes towards urban planning theory and practices. Within this frame, place-based approaches are a recurring trope vested with the bivalent capacity to challenge the preconceptions of African urbanity inherited from colonial-era and Western modernist thought, and to bring out alternative knowledge grounded in the concrete reality of African cities. However, this notion has multiple and oft-diverging meanings, poten-tially nullifying its conceptual and operational validity. This introductory essay puts forward five place-based specifics based on an extensive literature review and against which the contributions collected in this book are tested: (1) the shifting meaning of place from a changeless physical entity to a dynamic social-cultural one, (2) the added value of including local to expert knowledge into multiple knowledge systems, (3) the collaborative or non-collaborative nature of place-based practices and the range of tools and methods for implementing them, (4) democratisation and empowerment ob-jectives in place-based approaches and (5) the role of institutions in establishing place-based initiatives in the long term. As a result, while reinstating the relevance of contextuality in urban planning and design for African cities, this essay calls into question some undesirable aspects of place-based approaches: the limitations of case study-based empiricism, romanticising informal and bottom-up initiatives, and justify-ing the historical retreat of institutionalised public action from responsibility for steer-ing urban change., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

This paper revisits multiple-airport systems from a noise pollution perspective. It aims to investigate the contradictions between the (re)development of an older airport located close to the core city, despite the existence of newer airports on the one hand and noise pollution issues on the other hand. Case studies include Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, Milan, Houston and Rome. Quantitative analysis shows that traffic patterns are more diverse than previous classifications. The qualitative analysis highlights the factors inherent in these patterns, which include passengers’ preference for shorter access/egress journeys; inconsistent public policies (older airport not closed, a lack of effective rules for distributing air traffic among airports, permissive land planning and relaxing operational restrictions); low-cost airlines’ network strategies; and high-speed rail/air service integration., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Green spaces have a positive influence on human well-being. Therefore, an accurate evaluation of public green space provision is crucial for administrations to achieve decent urban environmental quality for all. Whereas inequalities in green space access have been studied in relation to income, the relation between neighbourhood affluence and remediation difficulty remains insufficiently investigated. A methodology is proposed for co-creating scenarios for green space development through green space proximity modelling. For Brussels, a detailed analysis of potential interventions allows for classification according to relative investment scales. This resulted in three scenarios of increasing ambition. Results of scenario modelling are combined with socio-economic data to analyse the relation between average income and green space proximity. The analysis confirms the generally accepted hypothesis that non-affluent neighbourhoods are on average underserved. The proposed scenarios reveal that the possibility of reaching a very high standard in green space proximity throughout the study area is only feasible if authorities would be willing to allocate budgets for green space development that go beyond the regular construction costs of urban green spaces, and that the types of interventions that are needed require a higher financial investment per area of realised green space in non-affluent neighbourhoods.

In the present article we investigate the geography and magnitude of the climate footprint of long-distance travel with Brussels, Belgium, as a destination. The internationally networked position of this city goes hand in hand with a strong dependence on international mobility, which largely materializes in impressive volumes of long-distance travel and associated consumption of important amounts of fossil fuel. Despite a surge in concerns about global warming, the climate footprint of most international travel, notably air travel, is not included in the official national and regional climate inventories, or in other words, it is not territorialized. The official climate footprint of the Brussels-Capital Region attained 3.7 Mton CO2eq per year (in 2017). Based on our exploratory calculations, however, the total estimated climate footprint of all Brussels-bound international travel equalled an additional 2.7 Mton CO2eq. In terms of geographical distribution, over 70% of international travellers to Brussels come from Europe, while these represent only 15% of the climate footprint of all international travel to Brussels. We conclude that the practice of not allocating emissions caused by international travel to territorial units has kept the magnitude and complexity of this problem largely under the radar and contributes to the lack of societal support for curbing growth of international aviation., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

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This paper brings the lessons of critical thinking of environmental indicators to transport studies. To demonstrate the extent to which these indicators are not neutral, the case study focuses on airport noise indicators imposed by both the European Union and Flanders, Bel-gium, as they are applied to Brussels Airport’s operations. Three directions have been con-sidered. First, we unveil the spatial mismatch between protests and official noise contours that are supposed to reflect overall annoyance and sleep disturbance. Then we highlight the high sensitivity of the mandatory noise indicators (Lden, Lnight and dose-effect function) to both their definition and the thresholds considered. Second, we review the legislative pro-cess at the time the EU and Flanders adopted their regulation on noise assessment. It appears both the nature of the indicators and thresholds have been the subject of debate by EU Min-isters and MPs, while Flanders has imposed a dose-effect function that is arguably outdated and unusable in specific cases. Finally, we discuss the results through the lens of the authori-tative power of official noise indicators and related maps, which many journalists and schol-ars take for granted. All this contributes to the construction of distorted knowledge of noise issues and calls for a re-evaluation of the EU’s and Flanders’ noise indicators., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

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The article contributes to the debate on the sustainable provision of water supply and sanitation (WSS) services in Global South cities by developing a comprehensive understanding of the concept of sustainability when applied to the analysis of WSS co-production in these contexts. The study moves from the hypothesis that an integrated conceptualization of WSS co-production requires a re-discussion of evaluation approaches to questioning the sustainability of these unorthodox forms of service delivery. To this end, the study explores key dimensions of service sustainability through a complementary reading of the processes and the outcomes of WSS co-production practices on the basis of three theoretical perspectives: a governance-institutional, a socio/political-ecological and an incremental-urban. The objective is to frame a series of principles and criteria relevant for assessing the sustainability of WSS service co-production in Global South cities. The analysis is based on a systematic review of cross-cutting literatures on service co-production in the Global South, sustainable urban water management and urban studies. The review is integrated with empirical insights from four city-case studies of WSS co-production in the Global South, namely Hanoi (Vietnam), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Cochabamba (Bolivia) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

In the last decades the population living in cities has substantially increased. According to the United Nations, by 2050 two thirds of the world population will be living in urban areas. Demographic pressure, through influx of residents or internal growth results in expansion and densification of urban areas and goes hand in hand with increased imperviousness, putting pressure on the provision of urban green. Urban green offers a range of direct and indirect benefits to the urban ecosystem. Green in the city reduces rainwater runoff and flooding risk while improving water quality; it improves air quality, provides natural cooling and contributes to reducing the urban heat island effect. Being the main source of contact with nature, urban green has also been shown to contribute to the physical and psychological wellbeing of urban citizens. The environmental concern for urban nature and re-naturing of cities are thus at the heart of developing more «ecological approaches to sustainable urban design and planning». In the framework of this research, it implies: understanding the (spatial) distribution of green space in relation to the built-up area of the city at different scale levels – the benefits they provide, their quality and proximity for urban residents – and; how to develop diagnostic, analytical and projective capabilities aimed at improving their (urban green) provision to address a host of sustainability challenges related to climate change, demographic growth and densification of the urban area. The research focuses on the development of evidence-based frameworks for planning that incorporate citizens’ needs and that are built on an interdisciplinary foundation. With this scope and focus, this study contributes to the development of a more ecological framework for sustainable urban design and planning aimed at integrating nature in the city more effectively and in an evidence-based way. The first part of the research focuses on the development of a spatially explicit tool for green space quality and proximity assessment reflecting user’s perception. Application of the model in the Brussels context reveals that user’s perception of qualities of urban green spaces such as naturalness and spaciousness can be linked to green space characteristics as described by available GIS-based data. As such GIS-based modelling allows for an extrapolation of questionnaire-based quality assessments for a selection of parks to other public green spaces. Analysis of the proximity of urban green spaces based on user’s perception shows spatial inequalities in green space provision, with less than 50% of Brussels’ citizens having good access to small (residential and play green) and to large green spaces (city and metropolitan green). By coupling multi-scale proximity assessment with quality assessment of green spaces, it is demonstrated that nearly two third of the Brussels population has no access to high quality public green spaces. Through collaborative research by design workshops involving different stakeholders, indicators produced by the quality-proximity model are used to indicate and tackle problem areas. Three alternative scenarios for public green space development are defined. The scenario analysis demonstrates that actions to provide low-income neighborhoods with a good accessibility to public green spaces will require creative solutions, dealing with complex property and management issues, and levels of investment that go well beyond the cost of regular green space development. The second part of the study presents a GIS- and design-based approach to assess potential land cover change for the Brussels-Capital Region anticipating expected population growth. The methodology proposed can be used to assess the impact of spatial policies and the implementation of building codes on future urban land cover. By studying the everyday processes for parcel infill and densification, and by defining a densification process based on the principles of sustainable urban design (e.g. walkable and high-density urban areas near mobility hubs, compact building typologies, preserving valuable natural areas, creative approaches to increasing the provision of urban green (green roofs, bioswales, etc.) space for water and floodscapes, etc.), two land use evolution scenarios are formulated; a business-as-usual and a sustainable scenario. One of the main conclusions of the case study on the Brussels-Capital Region is that densification can be deployed as a vehicle for positive land cover change and greening of the city., Doctorat en Art de bâtir et urbanisme (Architecture), info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

To classify Very-High-Resolution (VHR) imagery, Geographic Object Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) is the most popular method used to produce high quality Land-Use/Land-Cover maps. A crucial step in GEOBIA is the appropriate parametrization of the segmentation algorithm prior to the classification. However, little effort has been made to automatically optimize GEOBIA algorithms in an unsupervised and spatially meaningful manner. So far, most Unsupervised Segmentation Parameter Optimization (USPO) techniques, assume spatial stationarity for the whole study area extent. This can be questionable, particularly for applications in geographically large and heterogeneous urban areas. In this study, we employed a novel framework named Spatially Partitioned Unsupervised Segmentation Parameter Optimization (SPUSPO), which optimizes segmentation parameters locally rather than globally, for the Sub-Saharan African city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, using WorldView-3 imagery (607 km2). The results showed that there exists significant spatial variation in the optimal segmentation parameters suggested by USPO across the whole scene, which follows landscape patterns-mainly of the various built-up and vegetation types. The most appropriate automatic spatial partitioning method from the investigated techniques, was an edge-detection cutline algorithm, which achieved higher classification accuracy than a global optimization, better predicted built-up regions, and did not suffer from edge effects. The overall classification accuracy using SPUSPO was 90.5%, whilst the accuracy from undertaking a traditional USPO approach was 89.5%. The differences between them were statistically significant (p < 0.05) based on a McNemar's test of similarity. Our methods were validated further by employing a segmentation goodness metric, Area Fit Index (AFI)on building objects across Ouagadougou, which suggested that a global USPO was more over-segmented than our local approach. The mean AFI values for SPUSPO and USPO were 0.28 and 0.36, respectively. Finally, the processing was carried out using the open-source software GRASS GIS, due to its efficiency in raster-based applications., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Remote sensing images provide the capability to obtain information of various landcover classes. This information is useful to the process of urban planning, socio-economicmodelling and population studies. There is a need for accurate and efficient methods to obtainthis information, particularly in regions where there is a scarcity of reference data. In thiswork, we develop a methodology based on fully convolutional networks (FCN) that is trainedin an end-to-end fashion using aerial RGB images only as input. The experiments are conductedon the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We compare the results to a state-of-the art approach based on a semi-automatic Geographic object image-based analysis(GEOBIA) processing chain. State-of-the-art classification accuracies are obtained by bothmethods whereby FCN and the best baseline method have an overall accuracy of 91.24% and89.34% respectively. The maps have good visual quality and the use of a FCN skip architectureminimizes the rounded edges that is characteristic of FCN maps. Finally, additionalexperiments are done to refine FCN classified maps using segments obtained from GEOBIA.This resulted in improved edge delineation in the FCN maps, and future work will involveexplicitly incorporating boundary information from the GEOBIA segmentation into the FCNpipeline in an end-to-end fashion., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

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The concepts of metabolism, ecosystems, and circular economy are currently challenging the discipline of urbanism. As the shift from linear to circular production-consumption patterns seems to be ultimate for reducing the externalities of our urban environments and to meet stricter environmental targets, the search for sustainable territorial metabolism has become imperative for our metropolitan areas.This publication questions the European foundation of urbanism in relation to the challenge of territorial metabolism and combines theoretical contributions with cutting edge design proposals for European metropolitan regions. It synthetizes two years of intensive research by design on Barcelona, Brussels, and Veneto conducted jointly by the Laboratory on Urbanism, Infrastructure and Ecology of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), the Instituto IUAV di Venezia and the Laboratori d’Urbanisme de Barcelona (ETSAB)., info:eu-repo/semantics/published, 1

The new pedestrian area in the centre of Brussels is one of the most important urban projects of the last decades. In 2015, the central traffic artery, Boulevard Anspach, was pedestrianised. The public space and the biggest metro stations must still be renovated. The implementation of this project and the challenges it faces are inherently complex. Experiences in Belgium and abroad show that the impact on the city centre of Brussels will be significant at different levels: the quality of public space; housing and public services; local economy and employment; mobility, logistics and accessibility; and social and cultural activities. However, recent data and analyses are fragmented, non-existent or inaccessible for all stakeholders involved. Nevertheless, an urban project may only succeed when knowledge and expertise are gathered and shared, and used to support decision-making. Therefore, BSI - Brussels Centre Observatory (BSI-BCO) is monitoring this project closely. Previously published research is further developed in this synopsis [Portfolio, This synopsis is based in part on the work published in the first Portfolio produced by BSI - Brussels Centre Observatory (BSI-BCO), whose authors we wish to thank: Mathieu Berger, Kobe Boussauw, Céline Brandeleer, Jean-Michel Decroly, Bas de Geus, Jean-Philippe De Visscher, Thomas Ermans, Jean-Louis Genard, Virginie Jourdain, Imre Keseru, Bram Kin, Kevin Lebrun, Christophe Loir, Cathy Macharis, Mathieu Strale, Pierre Vanderstraeten, Linus Vanhellemont, Sara Verlinde, Benjamin Wayens and Nils Wuytens. The authors of the present synopsis assume sole responsibility for it. This work was carried out with support from the City of Brussels and Brussels-Capital Region., This synopsis note was translated from French and is also available in Dutch in the same journal., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The scientific evaluation of hazards and risks remains a primary concern in poorly known volcanic regions. The use of such information to develop an effective risk management structure and risk reduction actions however also poses important challenges. We here present the results of a series of focus group discussions (FGDs) organised with city councillors from three municipalities around Mt Cameroon volcano, Cameroon. The Mt Cameroon area is a volcanically and tectonically active region regularly affected in the historical past by lava flows, landslides and earthquake swarms, and has a potential for crater lake outgassing. The lower flanks of the volcano are densely populated and the site of intense economic development. The FGDs were aimed at the elicitation of (1) the knowledge and perception of geological hazards, (2) the state of preparedness and the implementation of mitigation and prevention actions by the municipalities, (3) the evaluation of the effectiveness of the structure of communication channels established to respond to emergency situations, and (4) the recovery from an emergency. In all three municipalities stakeholders had good knowledge of the risks, except for processes never experienced in the region. They generally grasped the causes of landslides or floods but were less familiar with volcano-tectonic processes. Stakeholders identified the lack of strategic planning to monitor hazards and mitigate their impacts as a major weakness, requesting additional education and scientific support. Response to natural hazards is mostly based on informal communication channels and is supported by a high level of trust between local scientists, decision makers and the population. Actions are taken to raise awareness and implement basic mitigation and prevention actions, based on the willingness of local political leaders. The strong centralisation of the risk management process at the national level and the lack of political and financial means at the local level are major limitations in the implementation of an effective risk management strategy adapted to local risk conditions. Our case study highlights the need for earth and social scientists to actively work together with national and local authorities to translate the findings of scientific hazard and risk assessment into improved risk management practices.

Sinds de introductie van CCTV (closed circuit television) in de vroege jaren negentig in de Brusselse publieke ruimte groeide dit cameratoezichtsysteem qua reikwijdte en doeleinden. Het cameranetwerk van de Belgische hoofdstad kent opeenvolgende uitbreidingsgolven en wint geleidelijk terrein, zowel fysiek als ideologisch. In dit artikel onderzoeken we de geografische uitbreiding en de verdeling van camera’s in de Brusselse publieke ruimte, evenals het beleid en de beweegredenen die daaraan ten grondslag liggen. We hebben een exhaustieve kaart gemaakt van de ruimtelijke verdeling van de beveiligingscamera’s op schaal van de stadsregio’s. Deze ruimtelijke analyse werd aangevuld met een reeks van semigestructureerde interviews met publieke autoriteiten en lokale politie. We beschrijven het Brusselse CCTV-netwerk enerzijds in een context van wereldwijd verweven stedelijke concurrentie en neoliberaal beleid ten opzichte van onveiligheid, maar anderzijds bekijken we de daadwerkelijke ontwikkeling van videosurveillance in het licht van zijn lokale politieke economie., Traduction de Arnoud van Adrichem, Aussi disponible en français et en anglais, http://journals.openedition.org/brussels/1428, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

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The identification of a universal law that can predict the spatiotemporal structure of any entity at any scale has long been pursued. Thermodynamics have targeted this goal, and the concept of entropy has been widely applied for various disciplines and purposes, including landscape ecology. Within this discipline, however, the uses of the entropy concept and its underlying assumptions are various and are seldom described explicitly. In addition, the link between this concept and thermodynamics is unclear. The aim of this paper is to review the various interpretations and applications of entropy in landscape ecology and to sort them into clearly defined categories. First, a retrospective study of the concept genesis from thermodynamics to landscape ecology was conducted. Then, 50 landscape ecology papers that use or discuss entropy were surveyed and classified by keywords, variables and metrics identified as related to entropy. In particular, the thermodynamic component of entropy in landscape ecology and its various interpretations related to landscape structure and dynamics were considered. From the survey results, three major definitions (i.e. spatial heterogeneity, the unpredictability of pattern dynamics and pattern scale dependence) associated with the entropy concept in landscape ecology were identified. The thermodynamic interpretations of these definitions are based on different theories. The thermodynamic interpretation of spatial heterogeneity is not considered relevant. The thermodynamic interpretation related to scale dependence is also questioned by complexity theory. Only unpredictability can be thermodynamically relevant if appropriate measurements are used to test it., SCOPUS: re.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

This publication presents the results of a two-week Erasmus Intensive Programme organized in Barcelona’s Zona Franca during spring 2014 in order to explore potential convergences between urbanism, urban metabolism and industrial ecology for planning sustainable European cities., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

This master thesis aims at answering the following questions: what is the spatial distribution of open in Brussels and Copenhagen? How does this distribution relate with the socio-economic structure of these cities? What conclusions can we draw out of this relation in terms of political urban priorities? We used mapping and semi-structured interviews to help us conduct our comparative analysis. We found that if the two capital cities were subject to common trends i.e. the neoliberal governance of insecurity in the context of global city competition, the actual uptake of CCTV takes different forms and intensities in our two case studies and must be analysed in light of their local political economy., info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

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L’évolution de l’occupation et de l’utilisation du sol dans la Réserve de Fina au Mali a été étudiée à partir de l’analyse diachronique d’images satellitaires de type Landsat (TM 1985 et ETM+ 2004) et de missions de vérification de terrain. Les résultats révèlent la progression des zones agricoles en périphérie de la Réserve et leur extension vers les zones intégralement protégées. Cette progression représente 23 % sur un intervalle de temps de 19 ans, soit 1,2 % par an et s’est principalement opérée au détriment de la savane arborée. L’analyse de la dynamique spatiale a montré que le processus de création de la savane arbustive est important et semble se généraliser dans toute la Réserve. En revanche, les formations boisées sont progressivement supprimées, notamment les taches de reliques de forêt claire. La modification de cette végétation est due à l’effet combiné de la péjoration climatique et des pressions anthropiques liées aux activités agricoles et pastorales., info:eu-repo/semantics/published