Research
BRiCAT (Co-governance of Brussels Rivers for Climate Adaptation and Socio-ecological Transitions) explores how urban society can reconnect with the rivers and canals of Brussels, a city where most waterways were historically buried, artificialised, or severed from everyday urban life. In doing so, the project responds to three major societal challenges: 1) climate and energy; 2) health and wellness; and 3) the building of an inclusive and participatory society.
Using Brussels as a living laboratory, BRiCAT will develop transdisciplinary approaches to explore the co-governance of these neglected waterways, in step with the growing movement towards stream daylighting (the practice of bringing buried watercourses back to the surface). Central to this effort is knowledge co-creation: the project will bring together scientists, civil-society organisations, practitioners, socio-economic actors, and local communities to co-develop digital tools for citizen-science data collection and decision support. By promoting environmental stewardship and grassroots practices, these tools will also strengthen communities’ capacity to adapt to climate-change impacts and learn to “live in harmony with urban waters”.
Under the supervision of Prof. Ann van Griensven (VUB) and Mr. Piotr Sadowski, a Brussels-based civil-society leader at Volonteurope, BRiCAT seeks to democratise water management and advance socio-ecological transitions in Brussels. International and intersectoral secondments at BeWiSe, the Joint Research Centre, and the University of Hong Kong will extend its reach further still, generating transferable insights for other European and Asian cities confronting similar challenges of reclaiming blue-green spaces, building climate resilience, and fostering human–nature coexistence.
Biography
Originally from China, I have research experience in Europe (Italy, Belgium, France, the Netherlands) and Asia (Japan, Hong Kong, China). My research has been focusing on water as complex social–ecological systems and employ inter-/trans-disciplinary approaches to bridge science, policy, and society. My topics include water management, participatory governance, river restoration, river bathing, multispecies justice, rights of nature, serious games, and human-nature relationships. I had a PhD in Environmental Science (summa cum laude) from the University of Tours (2023) and was a Visiting Research Associate at the University of Hong Kong (2022). I subsequently held postdoctoral positions at the University of Lyon (2024–2025) and the University of Strasbourg (2025–2026). I will join the IRIS programme at Vrije Universiteit Brussel as a MSCA-COFUND postdoctoral fellow from Sep 2026.
Publications
Cao, Y., Navratil, O., Honegger, A., & Rivière, N. (2026). Urban river bathing in selected European cities: Evolution, typology, management issues, and sustainability challenges. Landscape and Urban Planning, 269, 105596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2026.105596
Cao, Y., Barbier, R., Baron, C., Barreteau, O., Besenval, A., Camproux Duffrene, M. P., Dufour, S., Fernandez, S., Germaine, M. A., Guerrin, J., Hervé-Fournereau, N., Imfeld, G., Laborie, N., Marchand, A., Richard, S., Wantzen, K. M., & Zingraff-Hamed, A. (2026). Commoning water and integrating non-human entities into water governance in Europe. Ambio, 55(6), 1218-1230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-025-02286-7
Cao, Y., Barbiero, P., Briat, F., Camenen, B., Chambat, F., Chiu, V., Cournoyer, B., Delavenne, M., Dewals, B., Epain, M., Honegger, A., Le Coz, J., Lipeme Kouyi, G., Maghakian, C., Navratil, O., Pillonel, O., Porcherie, M., Puijalon, S., Riviere, N., Thomas, M. F., Trillat, R., Volatier, L., & Zanot, J. M. (2025). Reimagining Urban River Bathing in Europe: A Multisectoral and Interdisciplinary Dive into Lyon’s Rivers (France). River Research and Applications, 42(1), 224-241. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.70050
Cao, Y., Chen, W. Y., & Wantzen, K. M. (2025). How do you like your rivers? Portraying public perception and preference for urban rivers in China via a combined visual and textual analysis. The Geographical Journal, 191(3), e70029. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.70029
Cao, Y., Chen, W. Y., & Wantzen, K. M. (2024). One river, two systems: Hong Kong’s river management. Environmental Management, 73, 81–101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-023-01923-9
Cao, Y. (2024). A Global Questionnaire Survey to Understand Human-River Relationships. Blue Papers, 3(1), 68-79. https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2024.1.05
Cao, Y., Chen, W. Y., & Wantzen, K. M. (2024). Human-river relationships in Chinese cities: evidence from highly educated water museum visitors. Urban Ecosystems, 27, 203–217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-023-01441-w
Cao, Y., & Wantzen, K. M. (2023). Understanding public perceptions of the urban riverfront as social-ecological systems: The case of Tours (France). Norois, 266, 47-70. https://doi.org/10.4000/norois.13111
Cao, Y., & Wantzen, K. M. (2023). The River/Lake Chief System in China: A new policy to improve environmental quality in hydrosystems. In K. M. Wantzen (Ed.), River culture – Life as a dance to the rhythm of the waters (pp. 853-874). UNESCO Publishing. Paris. https://doi.org/10.54677/SAQI7606
Cao, Y., & Vazhayil, A. M. (2023). River culture in China and India, a comparative perspective on its origins, challenges, and applications. In K. M. Wantzen (Ed.), River culture – Life as a dance to the rhythm of the waters (pp. 281-311). UNESCO Publishing. Paris. https://doi.org/10.54677/CVXL8810
Outreach activities
Freiburg Rising Star, Freiburg Rising Stars Academy, University of Freiburg, Germany, 2025–2026
Scientific advisor at Brussels-based CSO Volonteurope (since 2026): supporting training activities within the Erasmus+ project Wateracy in Wrocław, Poland, that bring together young people from Romania, France, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, and Poland to engage with water justice and sustainability.
Regional PI, River Cities Network (International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden) (since 2024): Team leader at the research group “Urban river bathing in Europe, with Lyon as an example”
Consultant and global survey lead, UNESCO-IHP flagship initiative, Global Network of Water Museums (WAMU-NET, 2022-2024): international comparison on human–water relationships.
Co-developer, “Open River Festival” proposal in Seine-Saint-Denis, France, 2023, awarded by PSL University & SoScience; and participant in the AquaArts project, funded by MSH Paris Nord and Plaine Commune, 2024: exploring the roles of culture and arts in the evolution of urban watery spaces.