We are delighted to announce that Lutz Sager (ESSEC) has been awarded two new research grants to develop ambitious projects at the intersection of economics and environmental policy.

The ERC Starting Grant LEGEND (€1.4 million, 2027–2031) will investigate whether economic growth and environmental sustainability can coexist, using European regions as “local laboratories” to provide the first local-level assessment of green growth across Europe. By combining economic and environmental data, environmental accounting, and policy evaluation, the project will generate new evidence on how economic development affects environmental outcomes beyond national averages.

Lutz has also been awarded an Île-de-France Chaire SHS (€150,000, 2026–2029) to study the impacts of the pedestrianisation of Paris using high-resolution geospatial data. The project will quantify how these urban transformations affect residential values, public health through reductions in pollution and urban heat, and human capital through the “rues aux écoles” programme.

Congrats Lutz!