Date: 11 February 2026 
Time: 14:00 – 16:00 GMT

Dear Colleagues in the VREF Walking Community, 
Welcome to a VREF Research Forum focusing on the latest advancements and challenges in Walking Modelling. This session will feature insights from a recent report by Andres Sevtsuk (MIT/University of Cambridge), followed by reflections from an international panel of experts.

Walking is a cornerstone of sustainable, inclusive, and healthy transport systems, yet pedestrian modelling remains underdeveloped compared to other transport modes.

This Research Forum presents the VREF report Advancing Pedestrian Models: A Comparative Review and Vision for the Future, which provides a comprehensive overview of current approaches to pedestrian modelling and outlines a forward-looking research agenda. The report, which you find below at the bottom of this page, will be presented by Niaz Zafri and Andres Sevtsuk (MIT), focuses on key ideas, concepts, and implications – in a format accessible to participants without a background in transport modelling.

The presentation will be followed by prepared commentaries from three invited experts, who will reflect on the report’s relevance for policy, planning, and future research from global, urban, and academic perspectives. These commentaries will frame a discussion on how pedestrian models can better support more sustainable and equitable planning and decision-making in cities worldwide.

PROGRAM

Moderator: Maja Karolina Rynning, senior researcher, Institute of Transport Economics, Norway.

Welcome and Short introduction by VREF

Presentation of the report

• Niaz Zafri, PhD candidate in Urban Studies and Planning, MIT
• Andres Sevtsuk, Associate Professor in Urban Science and Planning, MIT

Prepared commentaries

• Carly Koinange, (New) Secretary General SLOCAT (prevoius UN Environment Programme)
• Mark Seaman, New York City Department of Transportation
• Kelly Clifton, University of British Columbia

Cross-conversation and Q&A

We hope to see you there!