BEGIN seminar – Dr Alessia Calafiore
Date: Tuesday, 25th of November 2025, at 14:00 (UK Time)
Location: Online (MS Teams).
Leveraging Geographic Data for Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility
Abstract:
At a time of climate emergency, shifting towards more sustainable modes of mobility is essential to mitigate the impacts of transport-related emissions. However, achieving just sustainability transitions requires acknowledging existing socio-spatial inequalities and recognising the diversity of people’s mobility needs.
In this talk, I will present two ongoing projects that build on these considerations, using geographic data to inform more equitable and inclusive sustainability transitions in urban mobility.
The first project focuses on spatial accessibility metrics in the context of the 15-minute city. It develops a novel metric that goes beyond the assumption that a single default walking speed suits everyone, instead accounting for variations in walking speeds across factors such as age, gender, and walking ability.
The second project seeks to capitalise on new forms of data to better capture gender differences in mobility. As this project has only recently begun, I will share some preliminary insights emerging from an initial set of interviews with policy-makers and advocacy organisations, exploring existing gender data gaps in Scotland.
Recording:
Bio:
I am Lecturer in Sustainability and Urban Data Science at the Edinburgh Futures Institute and the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture of the University of Edinburgh and investigator at the Geographic Data Service. I am co-lead of the CAHSS Research Theme – Future Cities and co-organiser of EdinbR.
My research sits at the intersection of Urban Planning, Geography and Computer Science and I am interested in developing new spatially informed computational methods to better understand the mutual relationship between human behaviours and their urban contexts. This work blends traditional and new forms of data to provide quantifiable evidence of urban dynamics and inform policy making. My current substantive focus concerns how we can equitability manage sustainability transitions within cities.
Previously, I was a Post Doctoral Research Associate at the Geographic Data Science Lab of the University of Liverpool and I hold a PhD in Computer Science awarded jointly by the University of Torino and University of Luxembourg.
