Prof Dr. Louise (Wieteke) Willemen (NRM), Dr. Nina Schwarz (PLUS), Robert Ohuru (GFM)
Q4: Intra Urban Spatial Patterns and Processes / Q5: Spatial analyses of ecosystem services: nature’s benefits to people
This MSc research will embedded in the project Towards a green and more liveable Paramaribo http://www.groenparamaribo.org/en/ and its follow-up that was recently granted.
The benefits of urban green spaces to human wellbeing -e.g. through cooling, recreation, social cohesion- are increasingly recognised. However, pertinent knowledge gaps on the role of urban green spaces in tropical cities exist, where lifestyle and ecology differ strongly compared to the well-studied European and North-American areas. This lack of knowledge is hampering informed urban decision making, for example in the expanding tropical city of Paramaribo, Suriname, and other urban centres in the region.
With more people than ever living in urban areas, awareness of wellbeing and healthy living in cities is growing. This calls for good knowledge and management of tropical green spaces, taking into account competing interests (eg parking space, construction), and improving ecosystem services while avoiding ‘disservices’ (eg damage through roots and branches, attracting for humans harmful animal species).
Since 2018 Tropenbos Suriname and ITC have been studying the role of green spaces in Paramaribo. The MSc students(s) can join our effort investigating the role of urban green spaces in providing healthy-living benefits over time by citizen-based monitoring pilot to inform and activate stakeholders in Suriname and the Caribbean.
Depending on the students interests and skills the follow research activities can be selected. Students are invited to propose an related own topic:
1) Citizen-based monitoring and learning:
a) Analyse data of our citizen-based monitoring network of weather sensors (tamagotchi-look-a-like devices that share data through mobile phones) and urban green space monitoring app in Paramaribo, to increase knowledge on the perception, access, and role of urban green spaces across vegetation types and neighbourhoods, and how this role changes during a day and season.
b) Design/improve the citizen-based monitoring network for other urban growth areas in Suriname/ Caribbean.
2) Streamlining data for action.
a) Design and test for usability a spatial web portal and test usability to support decisions regarding access, distribution and management of green spaces. Develop protocols for semi-automatically cleaning and analysing the incoming citizen-science data.
http://www.groenparamaribo.org/en/resources/