Research at The Danish Centre for Environmental Assessment

DCEA’s research portfolio includes both applied and basic research and our activities are dynamic and enterpricing.

For both the applied and basic research it is central for DCEA that the research:

• Is approached and undertaken with critical angles
• Keeps its reflexive autonomy

The applied research addresses urgent and specific problems or needs with the overall objective to support and develop critical environmental assessment to secure a more sustainable planning of our cities, the countryside and the sectors nature, water, energy and waste. Examples of applied research foci are:

• How to integrate climate change in impact assessment and planning.
• How to assess waste systems.
• How to improve the effectiveness of impact assessment.
• How to plan cities, energy and waste systems more sustainably.
• How to secure a broad concept of the environment? 

The basic research is driven by DCEA members’ interests in scientific inquiry that may expand our knowledge and understanding of issues in relation to impact assessment and governance. 

The basic research raises questions like:

• How can we conceptualise effectiveness of impact assessment?
• Why is uncertainty avoidance taking place in impact assessment and decision-making?
• What is power dynamics in planning and decision making, and how does it impact effectiveness?