dr.ir. M (Marlies) Meijer

Marlies Meijer is Assistant Professor in the Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning Group at Wageningen University & Research, specializing in rural development, governance, and spatial planning. Her research explores how communities, citizens, and other non-governmental actors contribute to resilient and inclusive rural futures through community-led initiatives and collaborative planning processes. Her work focuses particularly on rural and peripheral regions across Europe, addressing topics such as rural decline, governance innovation, community-government relations, migration, and regional development. Using qualitative and transdisciplinary approaches, she examines how rural communities respond to social, economic, and demographic challenges, and how planning and policy can support sustainable development and territorial resilience. 

Marlies publishes internationally in academic journals and actively connects research with policy and practice. She regularly contributes to professional publications, including the Dutch geography magazine Geografie, where she coordinates the series Veerkrachtig Platteland (Resilient Countryside), highlighting innovative developments and challenges in rural regions. She is also a member of the steering team of the Rural Pact Netherlands and participates in several national and international working groups on rural development, fostering knowledge exchange between academia, policymakers, and rural stakeholders.