Can University Campuses Be Urban Living Labs? Case Study of Soil and Tree Functions at Wageningen University Green Area

Abstract

Analysis of the spatial relationships between carbon (C) and energy fluxes in urban green areas with management and maintenance of urban green infrastructures (UGIs) is necessary to support decisions in UGI planning aiming to facilitate microclimate regulation and C sequestration. Urban Living Lab (ULL) is a relatively novel but increasingly developing concept aiming to support multi-stakeholder engagement and co-production in exploring ecosystem processes and developing nature-based solutions in a real urban setting. Variability of UGI types and managements as well as access to equipment, technologies, and qualified personnel present university campuses as prospective areas for establishing ULL focused on the ecosystem services of UGI. This paper aims to review and assess a university campus as a ULL to study C and energy fluxes in UGI and support decisions for C sequestration and microclimate regulation. Based on the experience from Wageningen University (WU) campus, we reveal existing monitoring infrastructures and techniques including remote sensing, Internet of Things (IoT) and on-ground observations, and reflect on the first monitoring outcomes. For example, we demonstrate that soils under trees and shrubs have a greater potential to be C sinks compared to lawns and herbs where hotspots on the soil temperature maps coincide with the largest soil CO₂ emissions. Finally, we discuss perspectives and limitations of the university campuses to act as ULL in the context of infrastructural development, sustainability, and engagement of stakeholders and end-users to support knowledge transfer and transition towards sustainable UGI management.