Friday, September 17, 2010

Ruimte en Mobiliteit Meeting 17 September



Presentation of Antonio at Meeting 17 September 2010


Present
 Luca, Andrew, Marco, Thomas,  Guowen, Els, Jan, Paul, Leonie, Antonio  and Wendy (minutes)
Roel, Thomas, Mendel (absent with apologies)

Agenda
Introductions across (new: Antonio, Leonie)
Update all with congress visits, books, etc.
Marco to present findings from the congresses he attended.
Presentation by Antonio about his CV and research project (replaces Thomas's presentation, postponed to 8 Nov)

Announcements
Antonio has joined us for 2 years as a post-doc - funding.
Paul is joining us more intensively with us to finish his dissertation.
Former colleague of Guowen is planning to join us. (Yin Min) Same research direction on high speed train. 
2nd Semester we will get a visitor from the US from a Fullbright scholarship (Mike Myers, Georgia Tech, Atlanta). Quantitative, measuring effects of climate changes and policy.
Wendy has completed a book, Megacities for the Megacities Foundation. Ideas to present it at a wider level, PIT, Urban Studies even AISSR.
World HIgh Speed Congress (UIC) in Beijing, Ministry of Railway in China, Guowen wonders if someone is attending.
Paul had 2 workshop in the last weeks. Nice discussion. Paul had an interview with Municipality of Utrecht involved with the Station area. Lodewijk Lacroix is asked to perhaps join us for a meeting/presentation. Somewhere in Nov perhaps on reflection of Stedenbaan / process. 
Idea for different sort of presentations (with feedback of PhD and practice, special meetings with practice partners and interesting speakers). 
Jan was part of one of the workshop of Paul. Workshop was on new ideas for the Zaan corridor, getting more and more focus as possible alternative for Almere. Article can be sent around by Luca. Zaanstad planning department was very interested in keeping contact with academic.
Leonie is writing a new piece of the planning association, discussion societal impact of urbanism from scratch, financial crisis and real estate (To be published soon). Introduced Caroline Altenbourgh to Marco, doing research on climate change and external integration into spatial plans. 
Els announce that confusion between NWO and NICIS PhD to attend 8 Nov conference, there is perhaps not enough room for us except poster presentation. RBAAM in Almere still focusing on the IJ-meer connection. 
Andrew has been organizing  workshop with RuG and UvA for 1st and 2nd year PhD, started in AESOP. Will know by next week definite date. Andrew wrote a paper for CWS dealing with theoretical components about his research and co-ordination of transport and land use.
Antonio has just arrived and is happy to be here.
Marco represented PITs at the book market. Presented some of our research but it seemed to be just for commercial purpose. Discussion ended with publishing dilemmas of researchers.
Luca and  Marco will go the next week to present  COST action. WIll deliver interesting network, try to be at centre of content based on Thomas and Marco's work and initiated by Cecila Silva on accessibility indicators. 
Behavioral aspect of climate change. Networking is the way to complete knowledge, to specialize to have something to offer - Klaartje Mulder. 
Education has just started, 160 first years (unknown mix of planner/geographers). Future model of education could be that Bachelors is focused on Social Sciences with planning as a part of it. Merging of research school could probably lead to more multi-disciplinary rounds.
Luca is on sabbatical, but he just teaches less but spends the hours on research instead. He might want to put his academic experiences in a book.
Marco cannot attend the congresses  


Congress visit:
AESOP (Guowen, Wendy, Els, Leonie, Andrew and Luca attended) will be in Perth next year. A choice has to be made as to who to go due to monetary constraints. Too broad for specific feedback, more for networking. Leonie is president of the planning law and property rights, originated from the tracks but is more focused and gives feedback.
PhD workshop gave good feedback for Els with contacts on her research. The intense focus on her research design was very helpful for her work. Possibility for action participation research seminar from PhD network contacts. Interdisciplinary researches will be interesting to follow more than 1 tracks to widen your network and knowledge.
Luca found that compared to other years, the quality was higher. Good move to make paper compulsory, increases quality. There is a development in the group with the existing and new attendees. The track might do a specific transport workshop before the world congress. 


WCTR, (Andrew and Marco attended) Andrew considered it way too large and difficult to find sessions to attend. Quite quantitative researches. Networking on international level was useful. 


The role of quantitative support systems for decision making processes - workshop attended by ELs in Aalborg, Denmark.
Els will share an interesting article.


Marco suggests that people collect interesting information for dissemination within group. Good to bring in interesting, thought provoking articles, graphs or even books and contact andrew to include it into graph.




Antonio's preliminary ideas for a research project:
- widen association of mobility across fields (culture, academia, land use, economy and finance)
- mobility is so strong that he feels intuitively the (perceived) benefits of mobility should be challenged
- how to develop an integrated solution to build in aspects of wider association, question if mobility is indeed desirable
- transport planner are in the centre of the whole fracas of it all
- why are we not accessibility planners instead?
- to present some PhD work of his


Challenges will be to make such ideas researchable. Approach mobility in representative objects or things at the border of 2 or more discipline. 


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