NextGen Research Forum 10 June – The Missing Mile: Informality, Access, and Urban Mobility Finance

NextGen Research Forum 10 June – The Missing Mile: Informality, Access, and Urban Mobility Finance

We are happy to announce the second VREF “NextGen Research Forum” of 2026, on 10 June  2026 at 12:00-14.00 UTC. This time around we will be focusing on Informal and Shared Mobility, specifically: “The Missing Mile: Informality, Access, and Urban Mobility Finance”. The Forum will be held over Zoom (register below).

 This workshop foregrounds how mobility inequalities are shaped by the intersection of infrastructure, lived experience, and socio-spatial context: 

Questions will include: 

❖ What structural factors drive time poverty and unequal access in urban transport systems? 

❖ How do gendered experiences and informal practices shape everyday mobility? 

❖ Can frameworks like the 15-minute city translate meaningfully into contexts where most mobility is informal? 

REGISTER NOW!

Program

Welcome and Introduction
Jane Summerton, VREF

VREF Next Generation Initiative, Short orientation and updates
Maria José Combariza Nieto, Obed Bore (VREF NextGen Team)

Moderators:  Maria José Combariza Nieto, Obed Bore
Logistical Host: Karin Henriksson, VREF

Presentations

“Do public transport service quality attributes contribute to people being transport-related time poor? A preliminary finding from Zamboanga City” 
Presenter: Junievin Ramillano, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Philippines 
Discussant: Samuel Akintomide Ajayi, Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Nigeria 

“Exploring the Every Day Practices Involved in Negotiating ‘Informal’ Transport in The Global South Through A Gender Lens”
Presenter: Nour Gazarin, London, UK 
Discussant: Dominic Edem Hotor, Department of Geography & Resource Development, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana 


”Mobility and Access in Nairobi in the Lens of the 15-Minute City”
Presenter: John Omwamba, IUSS Pavia and University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy 
Discussant: Tom Courtright, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa 

Plenary Discussion || Reflections

We warmly invite you to join us

Sincerely, 
Jane Summerton, VREF Scientific Advisor
Karin Henriksson, VREF Communications Manager

On behalf of The VREF NextGen facilitating team: 

Shahan Ahmed (ISM)
Paschalin Basil (MAC)
Obed Bore (ISM)
Nisha Nair (Walking)
Kwame Odame (MAC)
Maria José Nieto Combariza (Walking)