15-Minute university campus and students’ wellbeing. Improving urban quality of life
Improved quality of life is one of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) underlined sectors to be incorporated "in every urban development or renewal policy and strategy" (UN-Habitat, 2017). The 15-minute city is an emerging planning approach that promotes improved urban quality of life conditions by increasing compactness, mixed-uses, walkability, and access to facilities within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. In the context of a university campus, it would mean that students would benefit from a walkable environment that also promotes social encounters, sense of belonging and well-being. This MSc topic will explore the 15-minute city principles and the urban quality of life on the UT campus across different dimensions, including the subjective well-being of students living on and outside the campus. The results should inform planning and design for a 15-minute, liveable campus at UT.
In this MSc topic you will explore the relationship between the 15-minute city concept and well-being. You could explore one or more of the following research questions:
- What are the 15-minute city principles that can promote students’ well-being and how can they be adopted to university campuses?
- What is the role of the 15-minute city approach in understanding and developing the UT campus, in the context of the city of Enschede? What is the effect of the UT campus on the well-being of residents of Enschede / Hengelo?
- What is the impact of 15-minute campus principles on students’ well-being?
- How can different groups of students, with particular attention to those representing disadvantaged groups, best be served by a 15-minute campus design that enhances well-being?
- How does a 15-minute campus and its green and blue infrastructure impact subjective well-being?
- To what extent does a 15-minute campus improve students' quality of life?
- How do students’ perspectives compare with those decision-makers on the UT campus, and the municipality of Enschede?
- What are planning and design strategies that effectively promote a 15-minute campus? Specific validated surveys will be included such as the personal well-being index (IWG, 2013).
Depending on the specific questions you will develop, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods (QUAN-QUAL) is envisioned, e.g., qualitative data analysis, Qualitative GIS and mobile data capture, walking interviews, photographic recording, Computer-assisted/Aided Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS), arts-based research, surveys and statistical analysis.
The results of this MSc topic will inform the Horizon Europe project “Well-being in a Sustainable Economy Revisited (WISER).” We support the publication of results in the context of our project.
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International Well-being Group (2013). Personal Well-being Index: 5th Edition. Melbourne: Australian Centre on Quality of Life, Deakin University. http://www.acqol.com.au/instruments#measures (http://www.acqol.com.au/instruments#measures)
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Improving the quality of life and promoting the well-being of students on university campuses is a wicked problem. It involves many factors, including the characteristics of the built and natural environment on the campus, the social and economic conditions of the students, and the provision of specific planning strategies and interventions, all of which can interact in complex ways. This topic has a societal impact by providing insights into how these different factors can affect the well-being of residents in urban areas. This knowledge can be used to inform the development of policies and strategies for improving urban quality of life, such as promoting the provision of green spaces, increasing access to nature, increasing climate resilience or designing more walkable and livable neighbourhoods. Due to its complex and multifaceted nature, this topic draws upon multiple disciplines, including urban planning, urban geography, urban economics and environmental psychology and requires the perspective of different stakeholders.