Prof.dr.ir Eveline van Leeuwen, expert in urban economics, is Scientific Director at Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS Institute). In addition to her role at AMS Institute, Eveline is Chair of Urban Economics at Wageningen University & Research. Furthermore, she is Vice President of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA), a member of the OECD Expert Advisory Committee on Rural Innovation and a member of the International Advisory Board (IAB) of the Amsterdam Economic Board. In various other committees she advices both national and regional policymakers.
Eveline van Leeuwen graduated in Land Use Planning (MSc) at the Wageningen University in 2002 and obtained a PhD in Spatial Economics at VU Amsterdam on the topic of ‘Urban-Rural Interactions’ in 2008. From 2001 to 2017, in various positions at VU University Amsterdam, Eveline developed herself as an expert in the field of Spatial Economics. Within the fields of research and education, the topics that particularly spark her interest are the relations between city and countryside, interactions in space and time, differences between people and regions, and broad prosperity focused on themes such as circularity, energy transition and regional food systems.
Eveline has a broad interest in economic and social interactions between places at the regional and urban level and how these interactions impact wellbeing/happiness, as well as economic activities and sustainability. In her research, she focuses on the integration of micro- and macro approaches in the field of regional science. Linking agent-based modelling and microsimulation, with macro models, such as input-output models, is an important common thread.
With her MSc in Land Use Planning, a PhD in Spatial Economics and her current chair in Urban Economics – a role she will continue to fulfil – Eveline has a multidisciplinary background that fits in well with the urban focus of AMS Institute. According to van Leeuwen, cities in particular can make the difference in tackling the major transition topics that are currently setting the agendas, such as the energy transition and the transition towards a circular society.
“For me, AMS Institute is a great example of collaboration between government and science, education and innovation. In recent years, the institute has developed into a true accelerator, bringing together urban challenges and science. The results are manifold; a broad portfolio of innovative ideas, living labs, co-creation with the City of Amsterdam, private and public organizations and citizens to continue to develop cities in terms of livability and sustainability”