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Prof. Frank Canters
Cartography and GIS Research Group, Department of Geography, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel, Belgium

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0 Urban morphology
0 Urban Remote Sensing
0 urban green
0 urban ecosystem services
0 Urban dynamics

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urban green

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Journal article
Published: 22 July 2021 in Sustainability
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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 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 require a higher financial investment per area of realised green space in non-affluent neighbourhoods.

ACS Style

Philip Stessens; Frank Canters; Ahmed Khan. Exploring Options for Public Green Space Development: Research by Design and GIS-Based Scenario Modelling. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8213 .

AMA Style

Philip Stessens, Frank Canters, Ahmed Khan. Exploring Options for Public Green Space Development: Research by Design and GIS-Based Scenario Modelling. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (15):8213.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Philip Stessens; Frank Canters; Ahmed Khan. 2021. "Exploring Options for Public Green Space Development: Research by Design and GIS-Based Scenario Modelling." Sustainability 13, no. 15: 8213.

Journal article
Published: 20 March 2021 in Sustainability
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This paper explores use-related and socio-demographic variations in the valuation of urban green space (UGS) characteristics in the Brussels Capital Region (BCR), lending insights into the valuation of the cultural ecosystem services provided by UGS. Mismatches in the supply of and demand for UGS characteristics are also identified. Knowledge on the ways in which valuation of UGS characteristics vary and on an inadequate supply of UGS characteristics should guide and inspire planning and management of UGS to ensure that UGS provision meets the unique needs of communities. Online surveys were conducted in the BCR to determine how people use UGS, how they experience these spaces, and whether these spaces fulfil their needs for urban green Our findings indicate that socio-demographic characteristics (namely age and household composition) correspond with distinct patterns of use and valuation. Two subgroupings of users are identified: nature-oriented users and social users. Our accessibility analysis shows that, compared to social users, nature-oriented users tend to travel farther to reach their most frequently used UGS but are more often satisfied with the supply of UGS characteristics. Our findings point to an inadequate supply of nature and overcrowding of UGS in the city centre of Brussels. We recommend that planners not only consider size and distance in UGS standards but also consider the demand for UGS characteristics as well.

ACS Style

Amy Phillips; Ahmed Khan; Frank Canters. Use-Related and Socio-Demographic Variations in Urban Green Space Preferences. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3461 .

AMA Style

Amy Phillips, Ahmed Khan, Frank Canters. Use-Related and Socio-Demographic Variations in Urban Green Space Preferences. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (6):3461.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amy Phillips; Ahmed Khan; Frank Canters. 2021. "Use-Related and Socio-Demographic Variations in Urban Green Space Preferences." Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3461.

Journal article
Published: 17 September 2020 in Applied Geography
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Residential location choice behaviour is a key component of the complex and dynamic human-environment interactions driving changes in the urban landscape. The residential location choices that households make depend on their socio-economic characteristics, attitudes and life cycle stage as well as the location's properties. The objective of this research was to analyse residential location preferences for different types of households in Belgium by developing a residential location choice model based on the use of regression trees. For each preference group, a discrete choice model was estimated identifying the main factors influencing residential location choices, and how these differ depending on household characteristics. The data-driven approach proposed in this paper enables a transparent interpretation of the main household characteristics explaining differences in residential location choice behaviour, and of the varying effect of location characteristics on residential location choice. Results obtained with the model show that tenure status, education level, nationality and household type successfully discriminate heterogeneous residential location preference profiles in Belgium. Model variables for each preference group demonstrate that not only socio-economic characteristics of the resident population, but also housing price and job accessibility differentially affect a location's attractivity for different household profiles.

ACS Style

Kasper Cockx; Frank Canters. Determining heterogeneity of residential location preferences of households in Belgium. Applied Geography 2020, 124, 102271 .

AMA Style

Kasper Cockx, Frank Canters. Determining heterogeneity of residential location preferences of households in Belgium. Applied Geography. 2020; 124 ():102271.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kasper Cockx; Frank Canters. 2020. "Determining heterogeneity of residential location preferences of households in Belgium." Applied Geography 124, no. : 102271.

Journal article
Published: 18 March 2020 in Sustainability
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The historically rooted suburbanization of Flanders and the Brussels Capital Region (BCR) in Belgium has resulted in severe urban sprawl, traffic congestion, natural land degradation and many related problems. Recent policy proposals put forward by the two regions aim for more compact urban development in well-serviced areas. Yet, it is unclear how these proposed policies may impact residential dynamics over the coming decades. To address this issue, we developed a Residential Microsimulation (RM) framework that spatially refines coarse-scale demographic projections at the district level to the level of census tracts. The validation of simulated changes from 2001 to 2011 reveals that the proposed framework succeeds in modelling historic trends and clearly outperforms a random model. To support simulation from 2011 to 2040, two alternative urban development scenarios are defined. The Business As Usual (BAU) scenario essentially represents a continuation of urban sprawl development, whereas the Sustainable Development (SUS) scenario strives for higher-density development around strategic well-serviced nodes in line with proposed policies. This study demonstrates how residential microsimulation supported by scenario analysis can play a constructive role in urban policy design and evaluation.

ACS Style

Frederik Priem; Philip Stessens; Frank Canters. Microsimulation of Residential Activity for Alternative Urban Development Scenarios: A Case Study on Brussels and Flemish Brabant. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2370 .

AMA Style

Frederik Priem, Philip Stessens, Frank Canters. Microsimulation of Residential Activity for Alternative Urban Development Scenarios: A Case Study on Brussels and Flemish Brabant. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (6):2370.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Frederik Priem; Philip Stessens; Frank Canters. 2020. "Microsimulation of Residential Activity for Alternative Urban Development Scenarios: A Case Study on Brussels and Flemish Brabant." Sustainability 12, no. 6: 2370.

Journal article
Published: 13 December 2019 in Land Use Policy
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For city dwellers urban green space is the primary source of contact with nature. Qualitative green space is increasingly perceived as an important factor for quality of life in urban areas and a key component of sustainable urban design and planning. In this study, the relation between different features of urban green spaces and perception of green space qualities was analyzed by combining the outcome of a survey on green space perception with GIS-based spatial metrics. A survey has been conducted among residents of the Brussels Capital Region and surroundings to assess the relative importance residents assign to different qualities of urban green spaces and how they value these qualities within visited spaces. Quietness, spaciousness, cleanliness and maintenance, facilities and feeling of safety are identified as important qualities of public green spaces, while naturalness, historical and cultural value are perceived as less important qualities. A GIS-based model was developed to infer naturalness, quietness and spaciousness as perceived by users of public green spaces from green space properties. Using variables describing biological value, land-cover composition, green space area and shape, good correlations were obtained between GIS-based assessment of naturalness and spaciousness and how green space users perceive these qualities. The model proposed may be useful for simulating green space development and improvement scenarios and assess their impact on perceived quality. Thus it may serve as a spatial decision support tool for improving the quality of urban green spaces.

ACS Style

Philip Stessens; Frank Canters; Marijke Huysmans; Ahmed Z. Khan. Urban green space qualities: An integrated approach towards GIS-based assessment reflecting user perception. Land Use Policy 2019, 91, 104319 .

AMA Style

Philip Stessens, Frank Canters, Marijke Huysmans, Ahmed Z. Khan. Urban green space qualities: An integrated approach towards GIS-based assessment reflecting user perception. Land Use Policy. 2019; 91 ():104319.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Philip Stessens; Frank Canters; Marijke Huysmans; Ahmed Z. Khan. 2019. "Urban green space qualities: An integrated approach towards GIS-based assessment reflecting user perception." Land Use Policy 91, no. : 104319.

Research article
Published: 26 June 2019 in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
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Development of hazard maps is one of the measures promoted by the international community to reduce risk. Hazard maps provide information about the probability of given areas to be affected by one or several hazards. As such they are useful tools to evaluate risk and support the development of safe policies. So far studies combining hazard mapping with accessibility to services are few. In hazardous environments, accessibility of the population to strategic infrastructure is important because emergency services and goods will principally be offered at or provided from these locations. If a road segment is blocked by a hazard, accessibility to services may be affected, or worse, people may be completely disconnected from specific services. The importance of each road segment in the transport network as a connecting element enabling access to relevant services is therefore critical information for the authorities. In this study, we propose a new application of hazard mapping which aims to define the importance of each road segment in the accessibility to services, taking into account the probability of being affected by a hazard. By iteratively removing one segment after the other from the road network, changes in accessibility to critical infrastructure are evaluated. Two metrics of road segment importance considering the population affected and the hazard probability are calculated for each segment: a road accessibility risk metric and a users' path vulnerability metric. Visualization of these road metrics is a useful way of valuing hazard maps and may help to support discussions about the development of new infrastructure, road capacity increase and maintenance of existing infrastructures, and evacuation procedures.

ACS Style

Sophie Mossoux; Matthieu Kervyn; Frank Canters. Assessing the impact of road segment obstruction on accessibility of critical services in case of a hazard. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 2019, 19, 1251 -1263.

AMA Style

Sophie Mossoux, Matthieu Kervyn, Frank Canters. Assessing the impact of road segment obstruction on accessibility of critical services in case of a hazard. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. 2019; 19 (6):1251-1263.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sophie Mossoux; Matthieu Kervyn; Frank Canters. 2019. "Assessing the impact of road segment obstruction on accessibility of critical services in case of a hazard." Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 19, no. 6: 1251-1263.

Journal article
Published: 05 September 2018 in Remote Sensing
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Accurate mapping of population distribution is essential for policy-making, urban planning, administration, and risk management in hazardous areas. In some countries, however, population data is not collected on a regular basis and is rarely available at a high spatial resolution. In this study, we proposed an approach to estimate the absolute number of inhabitants at the neighborhood level, combining data obtained through field work with high resolution remote sensing. The approach was tested on Ngazidja Island (Union of the Comoros). A detailed survey of neighborhoods at the level of individual dwellings, showed that the average number of inhabitants per dwelling was significantly different between buildings characterized by a different roof type. Firstly, high spatial resolution remotely sensed imagery was used to define the location of individual buildings, and second to determine the roof type for each building, using an object-based classification approach. Knowing the location of individual houses and their roof type, the number of inhabitants was estimated at the neighborhood level using the data on house occupancy of the field survey. To correct for misclassification bias in roof type discrimination, an inverse calibration approach was applied. To assess the impact of variations in average dwelling occupancy between neighborhoods on model outcome, a measure of the degree of confidence of population estimates was calculated. Validation using the leave-one-out approach showed low model bias, and a relative error at the neighborhood level of 17%. With the increasing availability of high resolution remotely sensed data, population estimation methods combining data from field surveys with remote sensing, as proposed in this study, hold great promise for systematic mapping of population distribution in areas where reliable census data are not available on a regular basis.

ACS Style

Sophie Mossoux; Matthieu Kervyn; Hamid Soulé; Frank Canters. Mapping Population Distribution from High Resolution Remotely Sensed Imagery in a Data Poor Setting. Remote Sensing 2018, 10, 1409 .

AMA Style

Sophie Mossoux, Matthieu Kervyn, Hamid Soulé, Frank Canters. Mapping Population Distribution from High Resolution Remotely Sensed Imagery in a Data Poor Setting. Remote Sensing. 2018; 10 (9):1409.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sophie Mossoux; Matthieu Kervyn; Hamid Soulé; Frank Canters. 2018. "Mapping Population Distribution from High Resolution Remotely Sensed Imagery in a Data Poor Setting." Remote Sensing 10, no. 9: 1409.

Article
Published: 20 December 2017 in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
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The age of past lava flows is crucial information for evaluating the hazards and risks posed by effusive volcanoes, but traditional dating methods are expensive and time-consuming. This study proposes an alternative statistical dating method based on remote sensing observations of tropical volcanoes by exploiting the relationship between lava flow age and vegetation cover. First, the factors controlling vegetation density on lava flows, as represented by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), were investigated. These factors were then integrated in pixel-based multi-variable regression models of lava flow age to derive lava flow age maps. The method was tested at a pixel scale on three tropical African volcanoes with considerable recent effusive activity: Nyamuragira (Democratic Republic of Congo), Mt Cameroon (Cameroon) and Karthala (the Comoros). Due to different climatic and topographic conditions, the parameters of the spatial modeling are volcano-specific. Validation suggests that the obtained statistical models are robust and can thus be applied for estimating the age of unmodified undated lava flow surfaces for these volcanoes. When the models are applied to fully vegetated lava flows, the results should be interpreted with caution due to the saturation of NDVI. In order to improve the accuracy of the models, when available, spatial data on temperature and precipitation should be included to directly represent climatic variation.

ACS Style

Long Li; Lien Bakelants; Carmen Solana; Frank Canters; Matthieu Kervyn. Dating lava flows of tropical volcanoes by means of spatial modeling of vegetation recovery. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 2017, 43, 840 -856.

AMA Style

Long Li, Lien Bakelants, Carmen Solana, Frank Canters, Matthieu Kervyn. Dating lava flows of tropical volcanoes by means of spatial modeling of vegetation recovery. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 2017; 43 (4):840-856.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Long Li; Lien Bakelants; Carmen Solana; Frank Canters; Matthieu Kervyn. 2017. "Dating lava flows of tropical volcanoes by means of spatial modeling of vegetation recovery." Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 43, no. 4: 840-856.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2016 in Computers & Geosciences
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Q-LavHA is a freeware plugin which simulates lava flow inundation probability from one or regularly distributed eruptive vents on a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). It combines existing probabilistic and deterministic models and proposes some improvements to calculate the probability of lava flow spatial propagation and terminal length. Spatial propagation is constrained by the probabilistic steepest slope. Corrective factors are included to allow the flow simulation to overcome small topographical obstacles and to fill pits. The terminal length of the flow simulation can be determined based on a fixed length value, a statistical length probability function or based on the thermo-rheological properties of an open-channel lava flow. The impact of model parameters, background slope and DEM resolution on the accuracy of the simulations are discussed. The user-friendly interface and the flexibility of Q-LavHA makes it a tool applicable from long-term volcanic hazard assessment to short-term hazard forecasting. Free, user-friendly plugin to simulate lava flow inundation probability.Q-LavHA flexibility allows to adapt to a large range of situations.Q-LavHA applicability is tested on Nyamuragira (DRC) and Etna (Italy) volcanoes.Simulates the emplacement of lava in a realistic way from different source types.

ACS Style

Sophie Mossoux; Mathijs Saey; Stefania Bartolini; Sam Poppe; Frank Canters; Matthieu Kervyn. Q-LAVHA: A flexible GIS plugin to simulate lava flows. Computers & Geosciences 2016, 97, 98 -109.

AMA Style

Sophie Mossoux, Mathijs Saey, Stefania Bartolini, Sam Poppe, Frank Canters, Matthieu Kervyn. Q-LAVHA: A flexible GIS plugin to simulate lava flows. Computers & Geosciences. 2016; 97 ():98-109.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sophie Mossoux; Mathijs Saey; Stefania Bartolini; Sam Poppe; Frank Canters; Matthieu Kervyn. 2016. "Q-LAVHA: A flexible GIS plugin to simulate lava flows." Computers & Geosciences 97, no. : 98-109.

Journal article
Published: 01 August 2015 in International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
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ACS Style

Long Li; Frank Canters; Carmen Solana; Weiwei Ma; Longqian Chen; Matthieu Kervyn. Discriminating lava flows of different age within Nyamuragira’s volcanic field using spectral mixture analysis. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 2015, 40, 1 -10.

AMA Style

Long Li, Frank Canters, Carmen Solana, Weiwei Ma, Longqian Chen, Matthieu Kervyn. Discriminating lava flows of different age within Nyamuragira’s volcanic field using spectral mixture analysis. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation. 2015; 40 ():1-10.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Long Li; Frank Canters; Carmen Solana; Weiwei Ma; Longqian Chen; Matthieu Kervyn. 2015. "Discriminating lava flows of different age within Nyamuragira’s volcanic field using spectral mixture analysis." International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 40, no. : 1-10.