Merten Nefs

Email address: nefs@ese.eur.nl
Phone: +31 (6) 25133560
Room: Mandeville room T19-37
Address: Burgemeester Oudlaan 50
3062 PA
Rotterdam

Biography

Merten Nefs studied architecture and urban planning at TU Delft and has been working on strategic spatial-economic projects at Erasmus UPT since 2023. He recently completed his PhD research, Landscapes of Trade. Previously, he worked at design agencies in the Netherlands and São Paulo, as well as at the think tank Vereniging Deltametropool. He also teaches (guest) courses at various institutions, including MCD, TIAS, TU Delft, Hogeschool Rotterdam, and the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam.

Expertise

Merten is a spatial researcher and planner with a background in design and a particular interest in the intersection of space and economics, working in collaboration with national, regional, and local governments, as well as the private sector. He enjoys applying (geographic) data analysis, data visualization, and cartography in his research, combined with interviews and other methods. Additionally, he has experience writing scientific, professional, and news articles, as well as organizing debates and other events.

Main Research Areas

Urban and regional development
Logistics space usage and urban logistics
Business parks and the circular economy
Essential industries
Business climate in relation to landscape

The city as a walk-in closet - how urban trends influence personal use of space
This project focuses on an underexposed aspect of human activities in the city: stuff. Through literature research, interviews with experts and scenario analysis, the study explores possible developments and their consequences for the government and the market.
Status: Active project
Duration: 2023-2024
Project partners: Erasmus Trust Fund and ALLSAFE
Landscapes of Trade
PhD research on the growth of the logistics complex of the Netherlands since 1980. The study analyses the spatial pattern of distribution centres and the underlying policy, actor network, social debate around ‘doom’ and the possibilities of planning for a sustainable (circular) logistics complex.
Status: Completed
Duration: 2019-2024
Universities: TU Delft and Erasmus University
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DISCO - Sustainable urban logistics
European project on implementation of zero-emission urban logistics, based on the Physical Internet concept. Erasmus UPT specifically focuses on using underused terminals at the city's periphery for sustainable last-mile logistics (DISCO-BAY).
Duration: 2023-2025
Project Partners: Horizon Europe, CERTH, FIT, Gent, Kopenhagen, Thessaloniki, BUAS and others
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The Right Company in the Right Place
What if not only current space demand but also future societal needs determine the filling of business space? This study defines five aspects of Rotterdam's essential economy and maps them spatially: Fundamental Economy, Practical Work, Sustainability, Digitalisation and Circular Economy.
Duration: 2023
Project partners: Municipality of Rotterdam, Neo Observatory, Roots advies and SKBN
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Getting a grip on large-scale business establishments
This spatial study informs policymakers at national and provincial level on what types of logistics clusters will be relevant in the emerging circular economy, where they can be planned, and how they can fit into the environment.
Duration: 2022-2023
Project partners: BZK, EZK, IenW, IPO, Stec, BCI, Vereniging Deltametropool and BURA urbanism
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The logistics of tomorrow
With the logistics sector, governments and civil society organisations, this project explored the contours of a new logistics narrative, as a sustainable successor to ‘Netherlands Distribution Country’.
Duration: 2022-2023
Project partners: Board of Government Advisors, Dilas, Deltametropolis Association, BZK, EZK and others.
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