Department of Spatial Economics

Research that matters!
Addressing real-world challenges such as air pollution, traffic congestion, urban inequality, and housing affordability.

Come and study with us and become part of the world's largest research group in this field.

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Master Spatial, Transport and Environmental Economics

The Master in Spatial-, Transport, and Environmental Economics is a one-year master programme worth 60 EC credits. The programme offers you the possibility to specialise in spatial, transport or environmental economics. There is also the possibility to follow separate courses.

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Research

New research: Why is it easier to find a matching job in a city than elsewhere?

Why is it easier to find a job that matches your skills in a city than elsewhere? Because there are more jobs available of course, but maybe also because there are disproportionally more vacancies available per worker, which makes it easier to move...
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How to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and why it needs to happen

“Our research should ultimately become obsolete,” says VU Amsterdam scientist Gerard van der Meijden. Alongside Cees Withagen and two fellow researchers, he studied carbon capture, utilisation and storage — technologies crucial for the energy transition. Which scenario leads to the...
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Drug consumption rooms reduce crime and make neighbourhoods more attractive

Drug consumption rooms lead to a significant reduction in drug use and drug-related crime, as evidenced by research from VU Amsterdam professor of Urban Economics and Real Estate, Hans Koster, and Sofia Franco (University of California – Irvine). What’s also...
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Henri de Groot presents results Economic Outlook of the Metropolitan Region Amsterdam 2024

In economic terms, the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (MRA) is doing well. The rapid recovery after the COVID-19 crisis illustrated the resilience of the region. In 2021 and 2022, the economy grew by 7.5 and 6.9 percent, respectively. In 2023,...
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Erik Verhoef ambassador NWA Route Logistics and transport

Erik Verhoef is the new ambassador of the NWA Route Logistics and transport in an energetic, innovative and sustainable society (RLT from here on). RLT is one of the 25 routes within the Dutch Research Agenda (abbreviated as NWA).  Finding...
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About the department

The Department of Spatial Economics is engaged in economic problems in which space plays a prominent role, and offers insights and applications from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

The 60 staff members are involved in both fundamental research as well as in national and international commissioned research. With this research, the department has gained national and international recognition, as shown by the large number of international publications and awards, the appearance of different staff members as experts in the media and the presence of various section members on the typically Dutch phenomenon of ‘Economists Parade’.

The Department of Spatial Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is a world player in the domains regional and urban, transport, and environmental economics. RePEc ranks the department in the top 5% or even higher of the world in the following domains: Transport Economics, Tourism Economics, Economic Geography, Environmental Economics, Energy Economics, and Urban and Real Estate economics.

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