Call for Abstracts for a special session at the RGS 2023 (30th August-1st September, online):
Walking in the city: walking experiences and walking behaviour in urban settings
Given its benefits towards a sustainable society as well as to the health and well-being of individuals engaging in the activity – walking is emerging as a mode of increased importance in research and planning, in particular in urban or suburban areas. Having said that – our understanding of the walking experiences and walking behaviour of different people and/or various urban settings is still limited. Partly since walking has conventionally been left out in the planning and research discourse in favour for other travel modes – such as driving, cycling or public transport.
Addressing this gap, we invite scholars from diverse disciplines to contribute to our online session on “Walking in the city”. We especially aim for papers contributing to knowledge and discussions on people´s walking experiences and walking behaviour in diverse urban settings, including (but not limited to) the following themes:
Walking behaviour and experiences in different urban settings
- Different population groups and their behaviour
- Different purposes and destinations for walking
- Different districts / neighbourhoods (urban and semi-urban areas)
Walking in a changing climate
- How do cities deal with increasing heat stress in the city – what is the effect on walking?
- How do societal changes and increasing mobility/energy costs influence walking?
Is walking for everyone?
- Just and inclusive approaches to support and foster walking in the city – for what purposes, in what times of the day/night, for whom (vulnerable groups, gender, social aspects)?
- Get people heard? Lifting the citizens voices and views on walking
- How far is “walkable” (15 min city, critical views)
Instructions for prospective authors/presenters:
If you are interested in participating in our online session – please send an abstract (maximum 250 words) and full contact details of all presenters (name, institution, email) to both session organisers by the 10th of March 2023.
Depending on the response we receive, we have the possibility to request one or two timeslots at the RGS 2023. Please note that all contributors need to register for the conference prior to the Early bird deadline (9th of June 2023). We will send out specific information to all presenters in due course. For further details for presenters e.g., on contribution limits per person see: https://www.rgs.org/research/annual-international-conference/call/guidance-for-presenters/
We welcome contributions from diverse disciplines including geographers, social sciences, transport research, urban planning, and related fields. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Deadline for abstracts: March 10th 2023
Contact email address:
Janina Welsch: janina.welsch@ils-forschung.de
Katrin Lättman: katrin.lattman@hig.se
On behalf of the WalkUrban project team (www.walkurban.eu)
