Joining the Mobilities Design Group at AAU!

This fall, I have the immense privilege of being involved in a research project with the Mobilities Design Group, housed within the Centre for Mobilities and Urban Studies at Aalborg University. During my time in Aalborg I will work with a masters student from Germany on a research publication for this newly formed research group. I am able to participate in this forthcoming research project thanks to the funding I received from the Valle Scholarship and the generous accommodation of faculty at C-MUS and Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology at AAU. My aim is to learn from and with researchers looking a new breed of research into "Mobilities Design" in Denmark and apply any knowledge I soak up to my professional project research.

The "Mobilities Design" portion of my blog is my space to document what I learn from working with others involved in C-MUS and this research group. As the research project is planned and gets underway, I will highlight interesting research findings, policy applications, or relevant design techniques.

What is this group about?

As is well described in the Mission Statement, the purpose of Mobilities Design Group is to engage in research, workshops, and seminar efforts focused on designing urban space to for mobility. How sidewalks, bicycle lanes, transportation nodes, corridors, or any type of transportation facility is designed can have a meaningful impact on how the facility functions. Can users easily understand where the safest and planned space for them is? Are pavement markings legible? Are there the right types of travel lanes in the right places? Do pedestrians have long wait times? Is the facility in a place where that facility ought to be? Are policies encouraging the types of facilities that are healthy for people? Do design guidelines provide adequate standards for "staging mobilities"?

Mobilities Design Research

The topic of the collaborative project I will engage in with the German masters student is undetermined at the moment, but it will approach some are of this field of research. She is looking at prioritization methodology for bicycle corridor planning and I am considering how to prioritize different modes of transportation along a downtown street that is both a bicycle priority and transit enhanced corridor. We are each interested in applying our work to our respective degree projects. There is certainly overlap in our topic areas, and I imagine we can find something to focus on, such as, how to prioritize different design techniques at nodes and along corridors, which would additionally beg the question of which corridors are deserving of which design techniques. We could likewise explore how policy implementation impacts the design and designation of bicycle infrastructure. As we correspond and after we meet in Aalborg, we will pin down exactly what we can best use our combined energy to research for the Mobilities Design Group.