UBC has announced the inaugural recipients of the 2024 Wall Fellowships and Wall Research Awards.
The researchers represent a wide array of scholarly programs that will generate meaningful solutions to major sustainability challenges in BC and around the world.
A Team Faculty Research Award of $200,000 was awarded to Dr. Todd Handy (Professor, Psychology), Dr. Alexander Bigazzi (Lead PI; Associate Professor, Civil Engineering), Dr. Kelly Clifton (Professor, School of Community and Regional Planning), and Dr. Eli Putterman (Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology) for their project:
Human-centered design for sustainable transportation in British Columbia: An inclusive approach to infrastructure design based on diverse experiences of walking and cycling.
For BC to meet its aggressive targets of a 25% reduction in driving and a 30% share for sustainable travel modes (walking, cycling, transit) by 2030, structural change in how we design transportation systems is necessary. The current tools used to design infrastructure for active travel (primarily walking and cycling) lack grounding in empirical evidence and consideration of diverse individual experiences. This project will develop recommendations for transportation infrastructure design that equitably attracts people to use sustainable modes of travel and fosters positive experiences. The goal is to address the critical need for sustainable transportation systems by developing new methods for researchers worldwide and transforming active transportation design guidance in BC and globally.
“As an interdisciplinary team, we're excited to bring planning, engineering, and psychology together to better understand how to build safer, more inclusive, and more sustainable community infrastructure.”
Wall Research Awards are available annually to UBC faculty members through the Peter Wall Legacy Fund, an endowment established by Peter Wall, to support research excellence at UBC and invest in those who will help move BC and the world forward.
