This study seeks to understand the interrelationship between daily mobility and the spatial structure of an emerging metropolitan urban system. It is concerned with the daily mobility of a specific group of inhabitants, higher education students, living in a contemporary metropolis and experiencing urban living. The study’s main aim is to better understand aspects of this complex urban spatial structure through the students’ lives and through their daily mobility to explore specific urban...

The thesis explores energy retrofitting options for enhancing the energy efficiency of residential buildings in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It identifies and validates cost-effective energy retrofit schemes that have the potential for energy savings. The thesis also assesses the feasibility of energy retrofitting scenarios for building envelopes and their impact on reducing energy consumption, improving thermal comfort, and mitigating the environmental impact of buildings. The results of this resea...

This thesis examines the potential of small, low-carbon, (near) zero-energy dwellings as a solution that would both address sustainability challenges and answer to the growing housing shortage in North-West Europe. It adopts a multidimensional outlook that encompasses institutional, social and technical aspects surrounding the dwellings. The institutional aspect is addressed through an investigation of financial, legislative, technical and cultural barriers to the implementation and uptake of...

This PhD thesis explores the evolving field of heritage planning, focusing on the cultural significance of heritage properties. It advocates for a value-based approach that recognizes the diverse perspectives of stakeholders, including experts, policymakers, and users. While participatory heritage aims to foster consensus-building, tensions may arise due to varying cultural significance conveyed by different stakeholder groups. Conventional research methods are time-consuming and costly, limi...