Lukas Beuster

PhD candidate

I am an early stage researcher specializing in geographic data science and GIS. I am currently splitting my time between the 3D Geoinformation research group at TU Delft, the Senseable City Lab at MIT and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS). My PhD research focuses on scalable solutions for urban climate change adaptation and is anchored in the broader themes of climate resilience, remote sensing, and assessments of urban morphology.

My current work explores the role of shade in mitigating urban heat stress. Urban heat is a growing challenge as cities warm faster than rural areas, often surpassing the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Climate Accords. Traditional strategies may not fully address this, so urban planners must explore alternatives like shading, which can effectively reduce Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT), a key factor in outdoor thermal comfort. While planners and designers can’t control all climate variables, they can influence shading through urban design, which is under-researched for large cities. My PhD project aims to measure shade at scale, assess the impact of buildings and trees, and evaluate how well cities provide shade where it’s most needed.

In addition to my interest in shade, I am also investigating the role of additional data sources, such as remote sensing and mobile sensing platforms, in improving the availability and coverage of urban climate data.