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=Use-case 3: ''“Proposals for a Greener Hoefkade”'' =
=Use-case 3: ''“Proposals for a Greener Hoefkade”'' =
For their sustainable development minor, a group of 4 students of different backgrounds were assigned to use Tygron last year (2020) in order to develop a consultancy plan for the municipality of the Hague. This assignment was for an area study course the University of Leiden. Their research question was "How can more greenery and other climate adaptation measures be incorporated into the Hoefkade to mitigate heat stress and flooding while taking into account the opinions of residents and local employees?". In 4 weeks only, and without any prior knowledge of Tygron, the team learned how to use Tygron and created a full advisory plan for a greener Hoefkade neighborhood in collaboration with the Municipality of the Hague. They focused on the effects of greening on heat and water.
For their sustainable development minor, a group of 4 students of different backgrounds were assigned to use Tygron last year (2020) in order to develop a [https://www.tygron.com/en/2020/04/03/student-use-case-leiden-university-students-for-a-greener-hoefkade/ consultancy plan for the municipality of the Hague]. This assignment was for an area study course the University of Leiden. Their research question was "How can more greenery and other climate adaptation measures be incorporated into the Hoefkade to mitigate heat stress and flooding while taking into account the opinions of residents and local employees?". In 4 weeks only, and without any prior knowledge of Tygron, the team learned how to use Tygron and created a full advisory plan for a greener Hoefkade neighborhood in collaboration with the Municipality of the Hague. They focused on the effects of greening on heat and water.


<gallery caption="Tygron Model showing the current situation in Hoefkade (scenario 0)" mode="packed-overlay" heights=200px>
<gallery caption="Tygron Model showing the current situation in Hoefkade (scenario 0)" mode="packed-overlay" heights=200px>
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</gallery>
</gallery>


[https://www.tygron.com/en/2020/04/03/student-use-case-leiden-university-students-for-a-greener-hoefkade/ Last year, students used Tygron for the first time in their course]
 
==Content of the course==
==Content of the course==
===General information===
===General information===
Line 39: Line 39:
The main objective is for students to act as sustainability experts to provide sustainability advise to the City Councils of either Leiden or The Hague, based on their sustainability goals.
The main objective is for students to act as sustainability experts to provide sustainability advise to the City Councils of either Leiden or The Hague, based on their sustainability goals.


The expected outcome of this course is:
The main component of the course is the interdisciplinary group work, which is crucial to resolving sustainability challenges.
 
The expected (group) outcome of this course is:
#a consultancy report that provides recommendations for a better implementation of the goals set by the city councils.
#a consultancy report that provides recommendations for a better implementation of the goals set by the city councils.
#a contribution to a blog
#a contribution to a blog
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==Design of the Course==
==Design of the Course==
===Syllabus and time distribution===
===Syllabus and time distribution===
4 weeks
* The course is full time and spread over 4 weeks
7 credits
* There are 7 credits assigned for this course
4-5 per group
* During the course, there are lectures to provide additional content regarding the themes under study
* During the course, excursions are organized to provide context on sustainability.
* Excursions are not related to the assignment. Last year (2020), an students were taken to Tata Steel and to a waste incineration plant.
* Besides the excursions and the lectures, the rest of the course is self-monitored.
* Students are split into groups of 4-5 students and each group is assigned a different study area.
* At the end of the course:
**working groups submit their advisory reports.
**they showcase their results through group presentations during a final lecture.


===Guidance and Resources===
====Using Tygron====
1 instructor - course coordinator
As an experiment, last year (2020) one of the working groups was chosen to work with Tygron for this assignment.  
Students are assigned a specific location
Students working with the hague were chosen to try Tygron
2=allowed to use tygron , downloaded Tygron on the laptop
4th day: students went to Tygron headquarters to receive a demo, lecture, example
Later students started working with Tygron.
watched the video tutorials
2 did interviews and 2 were focusing on the indicators and the scenarios.


Students used their own laptops. One group member used his computer.
Their research focused on the ''effects of green spaces on heat stress, flooding, and livability'' in the Hoefkade, the Hague.
Everything went very quickly in the third week after the configuration of the location and indicators.
Last few days = report making and presentations


made changes to the objects: added objects to the base map
They used a scenario approach, where they compared quantitatively the effect of each scenario on the neighborhood focusing on the heat and flooding indicators.
client = municipality


Adding the municipality plan (trees, other objects) into tygron was challenging.  
In 4 weeks, students had to learn Tygron, conduct interviews with locals, and produce a consultancy plan that takes into account the city council's current redevelopment plan.
Took the students around 1.5 weeks to get used to the platform
===Guidance and Resources===
This section is from the perspective of the working-group that was using Tygron.


Later, no direct support from Tygron.  
*In day 1, students are split into groups. Each group chooses a study area
Used the forum to ask many questions.  
*In day 2, the team who choose heat & flooding in the Hoefkade was asked to use Tygron for their assignment. They downloaded the platform.
overlays
*In day 4, the team visited the Tygron office in the Hague and were given a demo explaining how the software works.
measures
*After that, the team started working with Tygron after watching some video tutorials.
Greenery indicator
*To make it easier, the team split into 2: 2 of them conducted interviews with residents of Hoefkade, and 2 were focusing on the configuration of the model in Tygron.
Heat stress
*It took the students around 1.5 weeks to get used to the platform. A
Water stress
*In the third week, everything went very quickly after all the scenarios are implemented in Tygron
Parking spaces
*In the last few days, students focused on making the report and delivering the presentations.
Modifying indicators in one area


Besides the excursion and the lectures, it was self-monitored
*Team members used their own laptops. One group member used his computer because it was faster.
*A challenging aspect was translating the municipality plan into objects in Tygron.
*Students did not receive any direct support from Tygron during their assignment. However, they used the community forum to ask technical questions.


Another group also was working on the same street (hoefkade) focusing on the effect of greening on the social cohesion
*Functions that were used mostly in this assignment:
#[[Heat_Stress_Overlay|Heat stress overlay]]
#[[Water_Overlay|Water overlay]]
#[[Indicator|Indicators]]: green space, the reduction of heat stress, the reduction of water stress, and the number of parking spaces in the Hoefkade.
#[[Measure|Measures]]


This section is taken from the perspective of students who used Tygron for their report.
==Outcome of the course==
 
The main component of the course is the interdisciplinary group work, which is crucial to resolving sustainability challenges.
There will also be lectures to provide additional content regarding the themes under study, field trips to provide context and opportunities for discussion.
Excursion to Tata Steel and an excursion to a waste incineration plant (related to sustainability)
 
 
In their project, the students investigated how the incorporation of greenery and climate adaptation measures could decrease the heat and flooding of Hoefkade.
 
How can more greenery and other climate adaptation measures be incorporated
into the Hoefkade to mitigate heat stress and flooding while taking into account
the opinions of residents and local employees?
 
 
In order to do that, the students developed five different scenarios: the current situation, the all green scenario, the current redevelopment plan and two greener alternatives. For all of these scenarios, the group has used the Tygron Geodesign Platform in order to test the effects that the incorporation of greenery would have on flooding and heat. In the performed tests of the scenarios, the students used
the heat stress overlay and the water overlay integrated into the Platform. In order to measure how the situation has changed in the played scenarios a number of indicators such a modified version of the heat stress indicator, water indicator and the parking space indicator were used.
 
 
==Outcome and Assessment==
[[File:results_hoefkade.png|thumb|right|heights=250px|Overview of the results of the different scenarios.]]
[[File:results_hoefkade.png|thumb|right|heights=250px|Overview of the results of the different scenarios.]]


The tests performed in the Tygron software the students were able to conclude that the current plans for the Hoefkade will already prove to be effective and will reduce the heat up to 5,2oC.
*To answer the main research question, the students developed five different scenarios to compare in Tygron:
 
#Scenario 0: the current situation
By simulating the green scenarios, they found out that adding even more greenery will only reduce the heat with an extra 0,10C.
#Scenario 1: the all green scenario
 
#Scenario 2: the current redevelopment plan
The tests with the Tygron Platform have shown that out of all green measures, trees are the most effective in reducing the temperature. While greenery proved to be the perfect solution in decreasing heat, it did not sufficiently reduce the problem of flooding.
#Scenario 3: Scenario 2 + more green spaces
 
#Scenario 4: Scenario 3 + more water storage interventions
The tests in the Platform helped the students to find out that an effective solution for flooding could be water storage tanks and permeable bricks.


The performance of the working group was very good.  
*The scenarios were implemented to test the effects of different greening plans on flooding and heat.  


<gallery caption="Tygron model showing the absolute PET heat stress levels for different scenarios" mode="packed-overlay" heights=200px>
<gallery caption="Tygron model showing the absolute PET heat stress levels for different scenarios" mode="packed-overlay" heights=200px>
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</gallery>
</gallery>


The team was able to conclude that:
#the current plans for the Hoefkade (scenario 2) will already prove to be effective and will reduce the heat up to 5,2oC.
#adding even more greenery will only reduce the heat with an extra 0,10C.
#out of all green measures, trees are the most effective in reducing the temperature
#while greenery proved to be the perfect solution in decreasing heat, it did not sufficiently reduce the problem of flooding.
#an effective solution for flooding is water storage tanks and permeable bricks.
*The performance of the working group was very good.


[[File:A-Greener-Hoefkade.pdf]]
[[File:A-Greener-Hoefkade.pdf]]


==Feedback and recommendations==
==Feedback and recommendations==
Really tough learning curve, not recommended for a 4 week course.
Based on their experience with Tygron last year (2020), the students recommend the following:
For a research project it is fine.
* Learning and using Tygron during 4 weeks was possible but very challenging. It is recommended to make the course longer, unless it is used for something other than consultancy such as research.
 
* In this course, some groups were focusing on a neighborhood level and some were focusing on a larger area. It is recommended to have areas that are similar in of size for different teams.
 
* Include some lectures about Tygron, including useful tips and tricks, which would make the course go smoother.
One of the biggest limitations for us was the different grid sizes
* Picking a smaller area in Tygron, so that the software runs easier on weaker laptops.
in Tygron. Some objects possess great precision, such as buildings loaded in from the
* Working with Tygron offline in a classroom setting, especially if the assignment is a group project.
plan of the municipality, while the heat and water overlays were limited to 0.5 m x 0.5
* Including real stakeholders in the project; students get excited if their proposal could potentially be implemented.
m. This made it difficult to accurately draw other objects into the programme, such as
facade gardens or trees. The way Tygron calculates and uses different terrain types also
caused some problems, forcing us to treat grass and fallow land as the same. Moreover,
the biggest limitation with regards to calculating water stress was the automatically
generated sewer system, as Tygron did not load in any sewer data. More research into
the sewer of the Hoefkade is certainly recommended to find out if our water stress
calculations are accurate.
Moreover, the limited time we had to conduct this research led to us making certain
assumptions in Tygron without having researched them thoroughly. Examples of this
include tree size, locations of facade gardens, and the location of parking spots we
chose to delete. This is something for the municipality to look into more precisely.
 
Not all groups should do the same level. In this course, some groups were focused on neighborhoods and some were area level
Lecture about tips and tricks with Tygron, this would make it smoother.  
Picking a smaller area so that it's not heavy for the laptop.
Better to work with Tygron offline in a classroom setting.  
Recommend real stakeholders, because of the possibility of it really being implemented.


<pre>
<pre>

Revision as of 16:07, 4 March 2021

Use-case 3: “Proposals for a Greener Hoefkade”

For their sustainable development minor, a group of 4 students of different backgrounds were assigned to use Tygron last year (2020) in order to develop a consultancy plan for the municipality of the Hague. This assignment was for an area study course the University of Leiden. Their research question was "How can more greenery and other climate adaptation measures be incorporated into the Hoefkade to mitigate heat stress and flooding while taking into account the opinions of residents and local employees?". In 4 weeks only, and without any prior knowledge of Tygron, the team learned how to use Tygron and created a full advisory plan for a greener Hoefkade neighborhood in collaboration with the Municipality of the Hague. They focused on the effects of greening on heat and water.


Content of the course

General information

Target students

  • This course is designed for students who have already followed the Big Issues New Answers and Resilient Cities courses.
  • The students have limited prior experience with ArcGIS, but are not required to know the platform.
  • Students had no prior knowledge or accessibility to Tygron
  • This course is delivered every year for around 30 students
  • Students come from very different backgrounds
  • Students are expected to work alongside a representative from the municipality
  • Students can choose qualitative or quantitative approaches

The students who were chosen to work with Tygron have the following backgrounds:

  1. Annemiek de Looze: International Studies
  2. Jos van der Sterre: Molecular Science & Technology / chemistry
  3. Veerle Cannemeijer: International Relations & Organisations
  4. Max van Beek: Molecular Science & Technology / chemical engineering

Objectives and desired outcome

This course aims at:

  • exploring a real-world and current sustainability challenge in a local city.
  • putting into practice the acquired theories and methods
  • analyzing the area challenges, solutions and the factors that obstruct these solutions.

The main objective is for students to act as sustainability experts to provide sustainability advise to the City Councils of either Leiden or The Hague, based on their sustainability goals.

The main component of the course is the interdisciplinary group work, which is crucial to resolving sustainability challenges.

The expected (group) outcome of this course is:

  1. a consultancy report that provides recommendations for a better implementation of the goals set by the city councils.
  2. a contribution to a blog
  3. a final presentation of the findings

Design of the Course

Syllabus and time distribution

  • The course is full time and spread over 4 weeks
  • There are 7 credits assigned for this course
  • During the course, there are lectures to provide additional content regarding the themes under study
  • During the course, excursions are organized to provide context on sustainability.
  • Excursions are not related to the assignment. Last year (2020), an students were taken to Tata Steel and to a waste incineration plant.
  • Besides the excursions and the lectures, the rest of the course is self-monitored.
  • Students are split into groups of 4-5 students and each group is assigned a different study area.
  • At the end of the course:
    • working groups submit their advisory reports.
    • they showcase their results through group presentations during a final lecture.

Using Tygron

As an experiment, last year (2020) one of the working groups was chosen to work with Tygron for this assignment.

Their research focused on the effects of green spaces on heat stress, flooding, and livability in the Hoefkade, the Hague.

They used a scenario approach, where they compared quantitatively the effect of each scenario on the neighborhood focusing on the heat and flooding indicators.

In 4 weeks, students had to learn Tygron, conduct interviews with locals, and produce a consultancy plan that takes into account the city council's current redevelopment plan.

Guidance and Resources

This section is from the perspective of the working-group that was using Tygron.

  • In day 1, students are split into groups. Each group chooses a study area
  • In day 2, the team who choose heat & flooding in the Hoefkade was asked to use Tygron for their assignment. They downloaded the platform.
  • In day 4, the team visited the Tygron office in the Hague and were given a demo explaining how the software works.
  • After that, the team started working with Tygron after watching some video tutorials.
  • To make it easier, the team split into 2: 2 of them conducted interviews with residents of Hoefkade, and 2 were focusing on the configuration of the model in Tygron.
  • It took the students around 1.5 weeks to get used to the platform. A
  • In the third week, everything went very quickly after all the scenarios are implemented in Tygron
  • In the last few days, students focused on making the report and delivering the presentations.
  • Team members used their own laptops. One group member used his computer because it was faster.
  • A challenging aspect was translating the municipality plan into objects in Tygron.
  • Students did not receive any direct support from Tygron during their assignment. However, they used the community forum to ask technical questions.
  • Functions that were used mostly in this assignment:
  1. Heat stress overlay
  2. Water overlay
  3. Indicators: green space, the reduction of heat stress, the reduction of water stress, and the number of parking spaces in the Hoefkade.
  4. Measures

Outcome of the course

Overview of the results of the different scenarios.
  • To answer the main research question, the students developed five different scenarios to compare in Tygron:
  1. Scenario 0: the current situation
  2. Scenario 1: the all green scenario
  3. Scenario 2: the current redevelopment plan
  4. Scenario 3: Scenario 2 + more green spaces
  5. Scenario 4: Scenario 3 + more water storage interventions
  • The scenarios were implemented to test the effects of different greening plans on flooding and heat.

The team was able to conclude that:

  1. the current plans for the Hoefkade (scenario 2) will already prove to be effective and will reduce the heat up to 5,2oC.
  2. adding even more greenery will only reduce the heat with an extra 0,10C.
  3. out of all green measures, trees are the most effective in reducing the temperature
  4. while greenery proved to be the perfect solution in decreasing heat, it did not sufficiently reduce the problem of flooding.
  5. an effective solution for flooding is water storage tanks and permeable bricks.
  • The performance of the working group was very good.

File:A-Greener-Hoefkade.pdf

Feedback and recommendations

Based on their experience with Tygron last year (2020), the students recommend the following:

  • Learning and using Tygron during 4 weeks was possible but very challenging. It is recommended to make the course longer, unless it is used for something other than consultancy such as research.
  • In this course, some groups were focusing on a neighborhood level and some were focusing on a larger area. It is recommended to have areas that are similar in of size for different teams.
  • Include some lectures about Tygron, including useful tips and tricks, which would make the course go smoother.
  • Picking a smaller area in Tygron, so that the software runs easier on weaker laptops.
  • Working with Tygron offline in a classroom setting, especially if the assignment is a group project.
  • Including real stakeholders in the project; students get excited if their proposal could potentially be implemented.
"It’s is really nice to see how Tygron makes a conceptual thing like a scenario a lot more concrete, making it come alive in front of the students."

Dr. Benjamin Sprecher – Leiden University
"Tygron really brought our project to life. It was very interesting to be able to directly see the consequences of our ideas in the program. With Tygron we were able to make very concrete scenarios and that gave our project a lot of added value. We therefore hope that the municipality can do something with our findings to make the Hoefkade a bit more beautiful and sustainable."

Annemiek de Looze & Veerle Cannemeijer – the authors of the project

Contact

For more information about this course, you can contact us at: info@Tygron.com

You can also reach Max van Beek, a member of the working-group that used Tygron for this course: mcvanbeek@live.nl

Course Lecturer: Benjamin Sprecher

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