Willem James van Vliet (born 12 April 1949) was educated at a Queen's University in the Netherlands, graduating in 1970 with an award from the French embassy for achievements in the field of language and literature.
In 1976, he received a doctorandus degree ad summos honores in sociology and planning at the Free University of Amsterdam.
From 1976 to 1979, he was a Fellow of the Department of External Affairs and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada,[1] representing the Netherlands in a bilateral exchange.
He is active in a number of other national and international professional associations and has been a consultant to the Mayor's the Institute for Urban Design, UN Habitat and other organizations.
In recent years, his work has refocused on the experiences of growing up in cities and intergenerational aspects of urban livability.