Dear Colleague in the VREF Community – Welcome to join the first online Research Forum within the Walking program – where we will focus on:
Investigating under-researched user groups and trips within transport and walking research – methodological challenges
Many transport research projects deploy a sometime implicit understanding of who the road user is or which trips that are of interest – resulting in misunderstandings and misconceptions of the needs of certain groups or every-day lives. This Research Forum concerns those studies of user groups and related themes less likely to be studied in transport research. The Research Forum wishes to address issues that arise when studying under-researched groups and themes.
| DATE: Tuesday 30 May 2023 TIME: 11.00 – 13.00 PM GMT REGISTER HERE! |
QUESTIONS WILL INCLUDE:
- How should our research questions, methods and results be seen and handled in light of this?
- More specifically, which challenges come with the collection of material and the phrasing of questions? Do certain ethical challenges arise?
- How can research help shed light on walking conditions for underprivileged groups?
PROGRAM
Introduction and Welcome, Henrik Nolmark, director VREF
Moderator: Maja Karoline Rynning, The Institute of Transport Economics, Norway
PRESENTATIONS
“Walking as a mode of transport in ‘unwalkable’ contexts: Cross-city experiences from Ghana and Nigeria”
Presenter: Enoch F. Sam, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.
“Investigating young men’s experiences of walking to the ‘bus’ in low-income neighbourhoods of Cape Town and London: a comparative study built round a community peer research methodology”
Presenter: Gina Porter, Durham University, Durham, UK.
“Biosocial Walking: Investigating the emotions of urban walking for migrants from the global south”
Presenter: Tess Osborne, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
General plenary discussion
BACKGROUND
VREF has organized a series of research-based webinars (called Research Forum) to enable scholars to present their work to colleagues from various parts of the VREF community. Most recently, in the first half of 2022, the series focused on presentations by young scholars, who were invited to discuss their research interests and projects in a supportive environment. We are pleased that the Research Forum series has been well-received as an opportunity for scholars in transport and mobility studies to share their work, get to know each other, and build networks.
The purpose of the Research Forums within the program Walking as a Mode of Transport is:
- to stimulate scientific discussion of specific issues/themes related to sustainable urban mobility and equitable access, with a focus on Walking as a Mode of Transport
- to provide an opportunity for project teams to present and discuss their on-going work with research colleagues within the Walking community
- to provide a meeting place for dialogue and exchange among researchers and other stakeholders within the Walking community
Each Research Forum will consist of presentations of on-going work in specific projects (project leader), followed by short questions, inputs and clarifications about the project (discussant) and a general discussion that includes all participants.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact communications officer karin.henriksson@vref.se