A NEW PLATFORM FOR RESEARCH
The Walking Cities Lab: Making Walking for Transport a Global Priority is VREF’s new International Research Program (IRP) within the Walking as a Mode of Transport program. The program spans four years (2026–2029) with a total funding of SEK 24 million.
Background and Purpose
While walking is the most universal and sustainable form of transport, it remains largely ”invisible” in urban policy and data. Many cities continue to grapple with car-centric planning that overlooks the needs of pedestrians—particularly in the Global South, where walking is often a necessity but remains fraught with safety risks and social exclusion.
The Walking Cities Lab (WCL) aims to bridge the gap between high-level policy ambitions and the daily reality on the ground. By reframing “Walking-for-Transport” (W4T) as a complex and essential urban system, the program seeks to ensure that walking becomes a safe, viable, and valued mode of transport for everyone.
Research Focus and Themes
The program is organized around regional Urban Living Labs in Ghana, Brazil, India and Malta. The research is driven by five strategic ”synergy areas”:
- (In)equitable Cities: Moving beyond physical metrics to understand the social determinants that shape how different groups move.
- Climate Resilient Cities: Redefining walking infrastructure as a tool for climate adaptation and protection against extreme weather.
- Caring Cities: Integrating care-based perspectives into planning to support caregivers and marginalized groups.
- Governance: Identifying institutional levers to move walking from the margins to the core of budgetary and regulatory decisions.
- Implementation: Testing which interventions are politically feasible, socially acceptable, and technically scalable.
Three Pillars of Action
The program operates through VREF’s three core pillars:
- Knowledge Building:Co-creating evidence-based knowledge and actionable policy toolkits.
- Capacity Building & Supporting NextGen Scholars: Mentoring and training a new cohort of researchers and practitioners (PhDs and MSc Fellows).
- Communities of Learning: Building a global network to translate research into real-world policy impact and self-sustaining excellence.
Consortium and Partners
The program is hosted by University College London (UCL) and led by Dr. Daniel Oviedo at the Bartlett Development Planning Unit. The consortium brings together a global team of experts from institutions such as the University of Oxford, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana), and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (India), alongside strategic partners like Walk21, WRI, and ICLEI.
Contact: Daniel Oviedo, UCL (Principal Investigator) Website: www.walkingcitieslab.com