PhD Position: Participatory Land Value Capture and Digital Platforms for Resilient Urban Transformations

1. Introduction

Contribute to innovative governance for a sustainable and just urban transformation. In the AReNA project, you will investigate land value capture and co-develop future-proof policy frameworks together with stakeholders.

2. Job description

As urban transformation processes struggle with climate risks, housing pressure and financial feasibility, there is an urgent need to rethink how we can reinvent this process and turn urban transformation into a driver for positive change. The AReNA project explores how economic feasibility of neighbourhood transformation can be balanced with ecological and social goals of development. Here, public institutions can revert to land value capture (LVC) policies that allow for part of the development gain to be used for the provision of infrastructure and public goods. However, this project does not intend a hierarchical, top-down approach of policy implementation, but uses participatory and inclusive (AI-enabled) digital platforms to develop new governance frameworks, which support stakeholders in developing resilient future visions through collective action.

As a PhD candidate you will dive into global practices of land value capture instruments, explore the social and environmental benefits and trade-offs of policy choices, co-create governance frameworks together with stakeholders, and analyse how these frameworks influence decision-making and make more environmentally desirable and socially just futures possible. You will translate your findings into concrete policy proposals and test these with stakeholders in iterative cycles of reflection, feedback and refinement. In this position, you will combine cutting-edge research in spatial planning and land policy with the use of digital decision-support tools, while working on questions with clear social and environmental impact.

You will study institutional, governance and spatial planning practices for resilient neighbourhood transformation in China and the Netherlands. Your tasks will include analysing global case studies of land value capture and collaborative governance in urban transformation processes, and assessing their social, environmental and economic impacts. You will develop a basic land valuation model to estimate land and real estate value increments and conduct a study into how LVC can cover the expected costs of climate infrastructure and public goods. You will feed this data into a predictive AI model (developed by another researcher). Based on these insights, you will help formulate testable policy recommendations, which will be refined together with real stakeholders in field labs. Here, you will iteratively adjust governance models in response to observed behaviour, user feedback, and the degree of reaching the ecological and social targets.

You will be based at Radboud University’s Department of Geography, Planning and Environment in an interdisciplinary and supportive research environment, and collaborate with data scientists, economists, ecologists, legal scholars and practitioners from partner institutions. Depending on your interests and background, you may contribute to teaching in related courses and supervise student projects connected to the AReNA field labs (10% of your working time). The position will offer you the opportunity to build a strong academic profile while collaborating closely with real-world stakeholders.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate. 

3. Profile

• You hold a Master’s degree in spatial planning, land management or real estate development.
• You have a good understanding of land governance and its economic, social and environmental impact demonstrated by work experience, publications or a Master's thesis.
• You have a strong affinity for translating governance strategies and policy interventions into quantitative models. 
• You have a demonstrable interest in artificial intelligence or the use of digital tools in urban planning.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.  

4. We are

The research programme of the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment covers issues on the interaction between space, environment and society, studied from various yet complementary perspectives in Political, Economic and Cultural Geography, Urban Planning and Urban Development, and Environmental Governance and Politics. Empirical themes of the research comprise international migration, climate change, cross-border issues, regional and urban development, mobility and transport, water management, biodiversity, sustainable food, energy, grass roots initiatives on sustainability issues, and land-use planning and governance. The research aims at a good analytical understanding of societal and political issues as well as contributing to resolving these issues on the ground. Core theoretical perspectives focus on governance, institutional and social theoretical dimensions. We work with diverse qualitative and quantitative methods. The group works in international, national, regional and local projects, networks and contexts, and has an excellent track record in research that is not only of high scientific quality but also has a high impact on society and policy making.

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Klaas Kresse. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application. We look forward to receiving your application.

The first interviews will take place on Friday 27 March. Any second interview will take place on Thursday 2 April. You will preferably start your employment 1 June 2026.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.