BLUE BALANCE: Sustainable Economic Development of Flemish Coastal Areas For All
Researchers
Catho Vermeulen (CJS) and Marylise Schmid (CJS)
Co-supervisor
Thijs Bouman (Environmental Psychology, RUG) and Sara Vandamme (Marine@UGent)
The overall objective of BLUE BALANCE is to increase public engagement and participation in the sustainable transition of the Flemish coastal region, and thereby developing a social license to operate for sustainable (economic) activities (e.g. environmental engineering, blue food, sustainable ports and tourism). In particular, the project focuses on residents and tourists of the Flemish coastal region, and aims to stimulate dialogue between them and local industrial and policy stakeholders.
The project has a strong multidisciplinary approach and includes social psychology, marine and maritime sciences, archaeology, media and communication sciences. With our group, we want to achieve in-depth insights in the underlying psychological motivators, barriers and psychological processes that influence individuals’ support for and engagement in sustainable coastal innovations and processes. These insights, together with the knowledge of the other departments, will form a solid basis for the development of successful communication strategies for interventions (e.g., VR/AR) and awareness raising for the required sustainable developments along our coast.