April 2017 started with a presentation by Varvara of a publication of her Master thesis at the World Symposium on Sustainability Science and Research in Manchester, UK.[1] Researchers, politicians and civil servants from all over the world met at Manchester Metropolitan University to discuss approaches of addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)[2]. The diversity of delegates and topics for discussion shows that the change on the global level is urgent and as mentioned by many presenters, only joint effort will bring us closer to achieving SDGs. Based on that the international networking platform IUSDRP[3] was suggested as a step towards the common projects, courses and publications.

Among others, Varvara presented her article “Sustainable Transport Futures: Analysis of the Selected Methodologies Supporting Planning Process towards Achieving Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities” that was written under supervision of Henrikke Baumann, David Simon and Frances Sprei (the article is currently in press).

Varvara is presenting her paper at the conference

As part of the program, a reception at Manchester Town Hall took place on the 6^th of April. Personal interaction with the Lord Mayor made it cherry on top of the Symposium.

Moreover, meeting with Professor Richard Knowles[4], Founding Editor of the Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier and the President and elected Chair of the International Geographical Union’s Research Commission on Transport and Geography since 2009, went as planned as part of the Mistra Urban Futures[5] Local Interaction Platforms’ exchange. Personal feedback on the PhD project, reading recommendations and potential partnerships have been discussed. Looking forward to future collaborations!

Text and photos by Varvara Nikulina

[1] http://www.mmu.ac.uk/news/events/5449/

[2] http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

[3] https://www.haw-hamburg.de/en/ftz-nk/programmes/iusdrp.html

[4] http://www.salford.ac.uk/environment-life-sciences/els-academics/richard-knowles

[5] http://www.mistraurbanfutures.org/en