RGS-IBG CONFERENCE 2023: TGRG POSTGRADUATE SESSIONS – CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: CURRENT AND EMERGING RESEARCH IN TRANSPORT

RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, 29 August to 1 September 2023, London, UK.
Sessions sponsored by Transport Geography Research Group.

Convenors:

Zhengyue Wan, UCL London, zhengyue.wan.17@ucl.ac.uk
Karyn Scerri, University of Malta, karyn.scerri@um.edu.mt
María Alejandra Wilches Mogollon, Universidad de los Andes, ma.wilches529@uniandes.edu.co

We are inviting abstract submissions from postgraduate students to two TGRG-sponsored sessions at the 2023 RGS-IBG Annual International Conference titled “Current and Emerging Research in Transport”. There will be one in-person session and one online session to accommodate different preferences and travel possibilities.

The sessions are aimed at postgraduate students conducting research in any aspect of transport geography. They are open-themed sessions, but we particularly welcome papers which address the wider conference theme ‘Climate Changed Geographies’ from a transport perspective. Our event hosts a wide range of presentations and is always well attended. Current and emerging research in transport provides a relaxed, supportive atmosphere for postgraduates at any stage of their research to present their work in progress, share ideas and discuss synergies.

The TGRG traditionally rewards a postgraduate prize for the best postgraduate presentation in any TGRG session at the RGS-IBG Conference. All postgraduate presentations in the “Current and Emerging Research in Transport” session will automatically be eligible for the prize; if you do not want to be considered for the prize, however, please state so in your submission. If you want more information on the postgraduate prize, please get in touch with the TGRG postgraduate representatives (see session convenors above). If you would like to present your research in this session, please submit the following information to the session convenors by Thursday 23rd March at midnight:

  • Title
  • Authors, affiliations and email addresses
  • Presenter
  • Abstract (up to 300 words)
  • Preference for the online or in-person session

RGS-IBG CONFERENCE 2023: TGRG SESSION – CALL FOR PAPERS: GEOGRAPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON TRANSPORT SECTOR DECARBONISATION

RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, 29 August to 1 September 2023, London, UK.
Session sponsored by Transport Geography Research Group.

Convenors:

Craig Morton (Loughborough University)
Kate Pangbourne (University of Leeds)

If the target to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees is to be met, considerable transformations in the transport sector will be required before the end of the decade. To date, countries of the global north have achieved limited progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport. The lack of progress is particularly acute in the case of water and airborne travel, with some limited success visible in terms of surface transport.

The theories and techniques available in the field of geography can help shape the debate on how a step-change in progress on decarbonising the transport sector can occur out to 2030. This session provides an opportunity for researchers to discuss solutions to this problem that have the potential to deliver substantial cuts in the sector’s emissions inventory. Research conducted on any of the main sub-divisions of transport (i.e., surface, maritime, and aviation) is suitable. The following list provides examples of appropriate topics, though any work with a substantive geographic component on transport decarbonisation is applicable:

  • Land use analysis (e.g. sustainable travel practices, transport planning, accessibility)
  • Transport networks and vehicles (e.g. network simulation and operation, infrastructures, fleet modelling)
  • Emissions modelling (e.g. sector simulations, carbon accounting, life cycle analysis)
  • Behaviour analysis (e.g. mode choice, habits, corporate decisions)
  • Policy development (e.g. vehicle access restrictions, carbon trading, vehicle mandates, feebates)

If you are interested in presenting a paper in this session, please send a short abstract (up to 250 words) along with all authors’ names, email addresses and affiliations to c.morton@lboro.ac.uk by 13 March.

TGRG sponsored sessions at RGS-IBG Conference 2023 announced

The following sessions will be sponsored by TGRG at the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference to be held in London from 29 August – 1 September 2023:

Citizen participation and transport planning: exploring the potential of urban living labs (Tauri Tuvikene, Freke Caset, and Fitwy Wolday)

Social inclusion in micro-mobility innovations (Wilbert den Hoed, Daniel Oviedo and Esther Anaya-Boig)

Street experiments to transform urban mobilities and public space (Enrica Papa, Samuel Nello-Deakin, Emilia Smeds, and Kim Carlotta von Schönfeld)

Geographical perspectives on transport sector decarbonisation (Craig Morton and Kate Pangbourne)

Future flight in place: involving the public with a transport future that is yet to exist (Janet Dickinson, Taalia Nadeem, Angela Smith and Ben Snow)

Queer Geographies of Active Travel (Rachel Aldred, Ersilia Verlinghieri and Amy Lubitow)

Spatial Impacts of Transport Innovations (Simon Blainey and Richard Knowles)

The many faces of labouring transport: attending to workers across mobility modes, technologies and spaces (Wojciech Kębłowski, Chiara Vitrano, Monika Maciejewska and Merlin Gillard)

RGS-IBG CONFERENCE 2023: TGRG SESSION – CALL FOR PAPERS: SPATIAL IMPACTS OF TRANSPORT INNOVATIONS

RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, 29 August to 1 September 2023, London, UK.
Session sponsored by Transport Geography Research Group.

Convenors:

Simon Blainey (University of Southampton)
Richard Knowles (University of Salford)

Throughout the history of transport, innovations in transport infrastructure, vehicles and operations have frequently been developed.  Some of these innovations have rapidly become part of the established landscape of transport provision, while others have proved unsuccessful and have disappeared from the scene, often leaving little trace.  The impacts of transport innovations can though go far beyond their immediate contribution to facilitating the movement of people and goods, and can include potentially wide-ranging and spatially variable impacts on population, economic, social and cultural geographies, and the relative location of places.  An understanding of the broader impacts of transport innovations is particularly important in the context of human-induced climate change.  The urgent need to reduce transport-related carbon emissions has led to a wide range of transport innovations being proposed in recent years, but the focus on carbon reduction can mean that the broader spatial impacts of such innovations are overlooked when determining whether or not they are likely to provide a viable solution to the challenges facing transport systems.

This proposed session will explore the impacts of innovations in transport systems on transport and other geographies, with a particular focus on how these impacts vary spatially.  The session will cover both the observed impacts of historical innovations and the potential impacts of ongoing and future innovations in transport systems.  Contributions relating to unsuccessful or spatially restricted transport innovations would be particularly welcome, but papers relating to any form of innovation in transportation will be considered.  Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are welcome, as are papers from any disciplinary background.  Topics could include, but are not limited to:

  • EScooters
  • Electric bikes
  • Bike hire schemes
  • TramTrains
  • High Speed Trains
  • Low cost airlines
  • Airships
  • Transit Oriented Development
  • Fixed Links
  • Roll-on/Roll off Train, Car and Passenger Ferries
  • Overnight Trains
  • Electric vehicles
  • Mobility as a Service (MaaS)

If you are interested in presenting a paper in this session, please send a short (up to 250 words) abstract along with the names, email addresses and affiliations of all authors to S.P.Blainey@soton.ac.uk and R.D.Knowles@salford.ac.uk by 10 March.

RGS-IBG CONFERENCE 2023: TGRG SESSION – CALL FOR PAPERS: QUEER GEOGRAPHIES OF ACTIVE TRAVEL

RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, 29 August to 1 September 2023, London, UK
Session sponsored by Transport Geography Research Group

Conveners:

Professor Rachel Aldred (Active Travel Academy, University of Westminster),
Dr Ersilia Verlinghieri (Active Travel Academy, University of Westminster)
Professor Amy Lubitow (Portland State University)
Matt C. Smith (Brighton University).

This session will explore queer perspectives on active travel, bringing in dialogue queer geographies and queer ecologies with transport and mobilities research. Only recently have transport and mobility scholarship engaged with the differential experiences and perspectives of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals (Lubitow et al., 2020; Weintrob et al., 2021; Shakibaei and Vorobjovas-Pinta, 2022). As ideas such as transmobilities (Lubitow et al., 2017) have started nuancing our understanding of mobility injustices on public transport, there is much scope for queer perspectives on active travel and exploring how queer geographies and ecologies might enrich our understanding of mobility justice.

We therefore invite authors to contribute with empirical and theoretical papers bringing a new insight on active travel and queer mobilities. Here, we view active travel inclusively (including but not limited to walking, wheeling, cycling, e-biking, skating, jogging, and running), and incorporating travel for a specific purpose and for leisure or play. Papers may explore queer/LGBTQIA+ experiences of active travel, for instance through skate clubs, or through walking and spending time outdoors in towns, cities, or rural areas. They may apply mobile methods (like go-along interviews) to queer experiences of place. They may also queer our understanding of active travel. For instance, exploring how active travel produces multiple intersecting and conflicting norms (including but not limited to hetero- and homonormativity), and/or deploying unorthodox combinations of methods and perspectives. We would also encourage contributors to reflect on how their paper relates to the conference theme of ‘climate changed geographies’, which might include, for instance, exploring the potential of queering climate change movements as they engage with transport policy. We welcome contributions addressing a range of geographical scales and using any kind of research methodology.

Topics may include but are not limited to:

  • LGBTQIA+ experiences of active travel and of place as accessed through active modes
  • Intersectionality, difference, and diversity within queer mobilities, e.g., around gender or ethnicity
  • Policy and planning as they relate to queer mobilities and geographies of active travel
  • Regulation and normativity as they affect queer active travel mobilities
  • Rural or, conversely, urban queer geographies of active travel
  • The role and work of organised groups, for instance, that bring LGBTQIA+ people together to participate in skating, bike maintenance, walking tours, cycling, etc.
  • The use of artistic practice to represent and co-create queer active travel mobilities
  • Queer activism, climate change and the remaking of urban mobilities

If you are interested in participating, please provide a max. 300-word statement and max. 100-word bio (including affiliation and e-mail address) to r.aldred@westminster.ac.uk and e.verlinghieri@westminster.ac.uk by 9 March 2023.

References

Lubitow, A., Abelson, M.J. and Carpenter, E. 2020. Transforming mobility justice: Gendered harassment and violence on transit. Journal of Transport Geography. 82, p.102601.
Lubitow, A., Carathers, J., Kelly, M. and Abelson, M. 2017. Transmobilities: mobility, harassment, and violence experienced by transgender and gender nonconforming public transit riders in Portland, Oregon. Gender, Place & Culture. 24(10), pp.1398–1418.
Shakibaei, S. and Vorobjovas-Pinta, O. 2022. Access to Urban Leisure: Investigating Mobility Justice for Transgender and Gender Diverse People on Public Transport. Leisure Sciences. 0(0), pp.1–19.
Weintrob, A., Hansell, L., Zebracki, M., Barnard, Y. and Lucas, K. 2021. Queer mobilities: critical LGBTQ perspectives of public transport spaces. Mobilities. 16(5), pp.775–791.

RGS-IBG CONFERENCE 2023: TGRG SESSION – CALL FOR PAPERS: STREET EXPERIMENTS TO TRANSFORM URBAN MOBILITIES AND PUBLIC SPACE

RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, 29 August to 1 September 2023, London, UK.
Session sponsored by Transport Geography Research Group.

Convenors:

Enrica Papa (University of Westminster)
Samuel Nello-Deakin (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Emilia Smed (University of Westminster)
Kim Carlotta von Schönfeld (University of Porto)

This session focuses on city street experiments, defined as ‘intentional, temporary changes in street use, regulation and/or form, aimed at exploring systemic change towards a post-car city’ (Bertolini 2020). The notion of experiments points to interventions that are limited in their temporal or spatial scale or adopt a discourse of experimental, tactical or DIY urbanism (Landgrave-Serrano et al. 2021, Webb 2018, Talen 2015) while sometimes aiming to inspire long-term change in mindsets or physical environments. The fast pace of change in street use during the coronavirus pandemic holds promise for making cities less dependent on automobiles and delivering more diverse and inclusive public spaces (Honey-Rosés et al. 2021). However, key questions remain: What about these renewed streets is here to stay? To what extent are street experiments potential triggers of systemic change in urban mobility away from motorised traffic dominance and towards more diverse and inclusive mobility and public space?

We invite empirical and theoretical papers on temporary street use changes. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are welcome, as are papers from any disciplinary background. Topics could include, but are not limited to:

  • Defining and operationalising the concept of street experiment
  • How streets can serve as an arena for experimentation and transitioning towards a new mobility and public space paradigm
  • Monitoring and assessing street experiments
  • Equity and inclusiveness in experimenting with city streets
  • Public attitudes and opinions on street experiments and the reallocation of street space
  • The relationship between citizen activism and bureaucratic structures and procedures in street experimentation
  • Street experiments as a means of public participation and citizen engagement

If you are interested in presenting a paper in this session, please send a short abstract (up to 250 words) along with all authors’ names, email addresses and affiliations to e.papa@westminster.ac.uk , Samuel.Nello@uab.cat, e.smeds@westminster.ac.uk  and kcvschoenfeld@posteo.net by 8 March.

References:

Bertolini, L. (2020). From “streets for traffic” to “streets for people”: can street experiments transform urban mobility? Transport Reviews, 40(6), pp.734–753.
Honey-Rosés, J. et al. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on public space: an early review of the emerging questions – design, perceptions and inequities. Cities & Health, 5(1), pp.263–279.
Landgrave-Serrano, M., Stoker, P. and Crisman, J.J. (2021). Punctual Urbanisms: Rapid Planning Responses to Urban Problems. Journal of Planning Literature, 36(4), pp.467–491.
Talen, E. (2015). Do-it-yourself urbanism: A history. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 14(2), pp.135–148.
Webb, D. (2018). Tactical Urbanism: Delineating a Critical Praxis. Planning Theory & Practice, 19(1), pp.1–16.

CALL FOR SESSIONS: 2023 RGS-IBG ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

The call for sessions and papers for the 2023 RGS-IBG Annual International Conference is now open and we would like to invite you to submit session proposals for TGRG sponsorship for this conference. 

The conference will take place at the Royal Geographical Society in London, from 29 August to 1 September 2023 and will be chaired by Professor Harriet Bulkeley (Durham University, UK). The conference theme is ‘climate changed geographies’. We would particularly encourage sessions around this theme, but sessions relating to any aspect of Transport Geography will be considered.

If you would like to have your session sponsored by TGRG, please submit your session proposal to Paul Stanton (paul.stanton@cantab.net) AND Helena Titheridge (h.titheridge@ucl.ac.uk) by 13 February 2023.

Please include the following in your session proposal:

  • Session Title
  • Names, affiliations and email addresses of the session convenors (we advise TWO)
  • Session Delivery (either in-person or virtual)
  • Session Format (e.g. papers, panel, discussion, workshop, or something else)
  • Number of required timeslots (1 or 2)
  • A session abstract (about 200-300 words). 
  • Brief description of the size and type of audience you expect your session to attract
  • Up to 5 keywords

We will confirm session sponsorship by 20 February 2023.  You must inform us by 27 February 2023 of any changes to your session, including withdrawal or a reduction in the number of timeslots you will use.  Requests for additional timeslots (up to a maximum of 2) must also be submitted by 6 March 2023.  We aim to respond to any such requests within 5 days.  You have until 17 March 2023 to issue your Call for Papers, choose your presenters and submit your full session proposal to RGS according to the procedure given at https://www.rgs.org/research/annual-international-conference/call/guidance-for-session-organisers/.

Further information regarding the structure of the conference can be found at the following website, which details such issues as session formats (i.e. in-person, online, or hybrid) and limitations of paper presentations. The website also has links to pages giving travel and venue information.

https://www.rgs.org/research/annual-international-conference/call/

In addition to promotion of sessions and support in submitting session proposals, one of the benefits of a TGRG sponsored session is that we are given an allocation of guest passes for non-geographers and/or non-UK conference participants. Connected to this, session organisers may suggest names of established speakers for whom TGRG can potentially offer a free conference pass, assuming the criteria for guest passes are met and subject to our allocation of guest passes. We also have a prize for the best paper by a postgraduate researcher presented in any TGRG sponsored session (based on Master’s or PhD work, within a reasonable time after completion).  We also hope to run our usual Knowledge Exchange event with policy makers and practitioners. This will be held shortly before the Conference and details will follow soon. Presenters for this event are selected by our hosts and are drawn from TGRG-sponsored sessions only.

TGRG Committee positions open for nominations

We have the following Committee positions open for nominations this year and have extended the deadline for nominations (in each case from a proposer and a seconder) to 17:00 (BST) on Tuesday 13 September.

Nominations should be made by e-mail to the TGRG Secretary (john@mobihub.com). If you need more information about any of the posts please contact the current Secretary, John Austin, at john@mobihub.com. Please note that you do not have to attend the AGM to be nominated or to express an interest in a Committee position.

Chair — This key position is up for election, according to TGRG’s Constitution, though the current Chair, Helena Titheridge, is happy to stand again, for a further 3 years – the period of the Post.

The Postholder must be a member of RGS-IBG (i.e. a Member, Associate Fellow, or Fellow)

Secretary – This position is vacant as from the AGM and is an important and very interesting role, formally required by TGRG’s Constitution and by the articles of RGS-IBG. Responsibilities include arranging all Committee Meetings and recording all meeting Minutes, supporting TGRG’s Chair in driving forward our work, and representing TGRG at meetings with other parts of RGS-IBG and with external organisations and academic networks. The period of the post is 3 years.

The Postholder must be a member of RGS-IBG (i.e. a Member, Associate Fellow, or Fellow)

Postgraduate Representative (3 posts) – These positions are specifically held by current (at the time of the AGM) postgraduate student members of TGRG. Three Postgraduate Representative Positions are available. The positions are responsible for promoting postgraduate interests and needs to the wider TGRG and maintaining connection with the wider postgraduate community through the Postgraduate Forum and other social media, supporting postgraduate student members, and planning and executing events and workshops. The term is for 1 year only. However, it is hoped that where a Postgraduate Representative has not already been a member of the Committee, that they would expect to be willing to stand for subsequent re-election in the following year.

Any TGRG member that is a postgraduate student is welcome to apply.

Early Career Rep –This person specifically represents the interests of early career researchers within our Transport Geography ‘community’ and leads on activities that might be particularly relevant to them. The period of the post is 3 years.

Any TGRG member who is an Early Career researcher is welcome to apply.

(Up to 2) Ordinary (without Portfolio) Members – The Committee additionally has vacancies for up to 2 ordinary (without portfolio) members and welcomes nominations for these. Ordinary committee members without a designated role may be asked to take responsibility for specific tasks on an ad hoc basis as need arises. These could include things such as (for example) delivering some aspects of production of a small series of podcasts. The period of the posts is 3 years.

Any TGRG member is welcome to apply.

We look forward to receiving nominations.

2022 Expert Panel names announced

We’re excited to tell you about the Expert Panel who’ll be sharing their thoughts on ‘The Implications of the Cost-of-living Crisis for Transport’ from 14:00 (BST) on Wednesday 14 September 2022, prior to the AGM at 15:00. The speakers are:

  • Dr Debbie Hopkins, University of Oxford
  • Dr Jenny McArthur, University College London
  • Dr Daniel Oviedo, University College London
  • Dr Ian Shergold, University of West of England.

The discussion will be chaired by TGRG’s Chair, Professor Helena Titheridge, University College London.

All members of TGRG are welcome to attend, but you do need to register here first. Please register by 17:00 (BST) on Tuesday 13 September.  

If you have any difficulties with using this link please email John Austin at john@mobihub.com. Once you have registered we will send you the link for the meeting itself. We will also email out an agenda and reports to all those who have registered one week before the AGM.

RGS-IBG 2022 ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

The Programme for the Conference is now finalised and TGRG has an extensive programme of sessions (13 in all). Direct links to full information on all our sessions are given below. While most sessions will be hybrid (online and in-person), one or two are either online only or in-person only. Please check in the details below. Register for virtual attendance at the Conference on the RGS-IBG website here.

DateTimePlaceTypeTitle
Tuesday 30 August09:00-10:40Percy Building – G.05P227: An exploration of challenges and standards for qualitative enquiry within transport geography research
Tuesday 30 August11:10-12:50Henry Daysh Building – G.11H28: Local capacities for fostering mobility transitions: interrogating multi-scalar transport governance (1)
Tuesday 30 August14:40-16:20Henry Daysh Building – G.11H177: Local capacities for fostering mobility transitions: interrogating multi-scalar transport governance (2)
Wednesday 31 August09:00-10:40Henry Daysh Building – 4.76H148: Road-reallocations and social infrastructures: Debating the social in car-centric cities
Wednesday 31 August11:10-12:50Henry Daysh Building – G.11H315: Contested Electric Micromobility Futures
Wednesday 31 August14:40-16:20Henry Daysh Building – 1.09H49: Transport Geography in Practice (1)
Wednesday 31 August16:50-18:30Henry Daysh Building – 1.09H51: Transport Geography in Practice (2)
Thursday 1 September09:00-10:40Zoom Room 4O205: Current and Emerging Research in Transport (1)
Thursday 1 September11:10-12:50Henry Daysh Building – 3.76H218: Current and Emerging Research in Transport (2)
Thursday 1 September14:40-16:20Henry Daysh Building – 1.02H195: Applications of geo-computation and spatial analysis in transport geography
Thursday 1 September16:50-18:30Henry Daysh Building – 1.02H186: The Brian Hoyle Lecture in Transport Geography
Thursday 1 September18:30-19:30Henry Daysh Building – 1.04PThe Brian Hoyle Lecture Reception (only for attendees at the Brian Hoyle Lecture)
Friday 2 September14:40-16:20Henry Daysh Building – 1.10H156: Recovering geographies of labour and mobility in platformised delivery work (1)
Friday 2 September16:50-18:30Henry Daysh Building – 1.10H157: Recovering geographies of labour and mobility in platformised delivery work (2)
H = hybrid; O = online only; P = in-person only