MESSD stands for Monitoring (by mapping, measuring and modelling) Eco-Social Sustainable Development.

We rely on ecosystem processes and functions to provide us with a liveable environment and essential resources. The way we organise and manage landscapes affects ecosystem functioning as well as the resulting benefits for us. To ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy a similar standard of well-being we need to understand the impacts our actions have on the world around us. I am researching ways in which we can better map, measure and model interactions with our environment in order to monitor our impact and promote sustainable development.

I am currently a PhD Candidate at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) in Amsterdam. I am currently researching how we can better measure subjective values such as the perception of and preferences for urban green spaces so that they can better be included in decision making. Most recently I am delving into how we can better map and quantify the demand and supply of the different social functions of urban green so that we can ensure that all residents have access to benefits they require of green spaces and so that certain functions don’t displace others.