Walking Cities Lab: Making Walking for Transport a global priority
Â鶹´«Ã½ is set to play an important role in the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF)’s new International Research Program (IRP) on walking as a form of transport.
The Walking Cities Lab (WCL): Making Walking for Transport a Global Priority spans four years (2026–2029). It has a total funding of SEK 24 million (1.9 million GBP). Hosted by University College London (UCL), the WCL brings together a global consortium of academic institutions including:
- Â鶹´«Ã½
- the Norwegian Institute of Transport Economics
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil)
- University of Cape Coast (Ghana)
- University of Malta
- leading international strategic partners such as Walk21, WRI, and ICLEI
The WCL aims to bridge the gap between high-level policy ambitions and the daily reality for pedestrians. By reframing "Walking-for-Transport" (W4T) as a complex and essential urban system, the lab will focus on making walking a safe, viable, and valued mode of transport for everyone while recognising the situational realities in diverse contexts.
Representing Â鶹´«Ã½ in this global consortium is Dr. Natalia Villamizar Duarte. Natalia’s research sits at the intersection of urban mobility, social infrastructure, and community-led spatial practices, with a sustained focus on equity, spatial justice and care. Within the Walking Cities Lab, she will leverage her expertise to help develop and test crucial knowledge and implementation pathways. She will co-lead Work Package 2 (WP2): Next Generation Capacity building Walking for Transport capacity among a new cohort of researchers and practitioners both within and beyond academia. Through Â鶹´«Ã½'s leadership, the university will actively shape the global network of learning, ensuring that cutting-edge research on walking translates into policy and helps transform people’s daily mobile experiences.