Postdoc 15minestates "co-creating sustainable mobility solutions in large housing estates"

Are you interested in sustainable mobility transitions in challenging urban environments? Be part of a European research project applying the 15-minute city concept to large-scale housing estate.

Job description
We are seeking a highly motivated and self-driven candidate for a position as a post-doc researcher on the European project 15minESTATES (Co-creating Spatial Strategies for Just and Sustainable Mobility in Large-Scale Housing Estates) which started on January 1st, 2024. In this 36-month long project, funded by the European Driving Urban Transitions Partnership, TU Delft works in close collaboration with international academic partners, local governments and NGOs. You will continue the work of another post-doc researcher but there will be many opportunities to bring your own ideas to the project.

The 15minESTATES project looks at the nexus of (1) urban space, (2) transport options, and (3) people's needs and capacities as key dimensions for sustainable mobility transitions. With a specific focus on large-scale housing estates (LHEs), the project aims to operationalise the 15-minute city concept and co-create locally adapted and accepted spatial strategies and interventions for just and sustainable mobility. This can, for example, be in the form of interventions in public space that promote active mobility or public transport. The specific objectives of the 15minESTATES project are:

1. To adapt and reframe the 15-minute City concept for the specific context of LHEs.
2. To analyse the existing urban structures, public spaces, their quality, amenities, and transport options in LHEs.
3. To explore the mobility needs, perceptions, and behaviour of different user groups in LHEs.
4. To identify specific challenges and co-create spatial strategies and interventions in public spaces to facilitate the transition toward sustainable mobility in LHEs.
5. To synthesize case-specific results and propose design principles and approaches for transforming public spaces in LHEs to enable results' transferability to other countries.

Your key responsibilities will be:

• Leading the work package on "User groups, their needs and perceptions" and guiding the project partners in applying the developed methodology. You will also be leading the comparative analysis of results. In this work package quantitative (survey) and qualitative methods (walking interviews, focus groups) are used to analyse mobility needs and mobility behaviour of different user groups in LHEs.
• Organising and carrying out the field work (walking interviews, focus groups) and data analysis in the local case study of the LHE of Delft-West, in collaboration with the Municipality of Delft.
• Engaging with a network of local stakeholders, in collaboration with the Municipality of Delft.
• Organising local co-creative workshops and other events, supported by other project partners.
• Actively participating in online and in-person meetings and other knowledge exchange activities with consortium partners.
• Contributing to the theoretical and methodological development and deliverables of other work packages.
• Publishing research findings in reputable peer-reviewed journals and presenting results at international conferences and (national) workshops.
• Supervising one or more (student) research assistants.

You will be part of the Urban Studies Section in the Department of Urbanism at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. This section has a focus on the interactions between people, the (built) environment, and urban design in the context of growing spatial inequalities at various spatial scales.

Job requirements

• Verbal and written working proficiency in Dutch and English (the job interview will assess your proficiency in both languages).
• A PhD degree in one or more of the following disciplines: urbanism, architecture, urban studies, urban planning, human geography, transport studies, or a related discipline.
• A strong interest in the key concepts of the 15minESTATES project: sustainable mobility transitions, the 15-minute city, large-scale housing estates, public spaces, social and environmental justice.
• Experience with or interest in survey analysis, (walking) interviews, focus groups and participatory action research.
• Experience with local stakeholder engagement and co-creation.
• Good communication and networking skills and ability to have fluent conversations with policymakers, civil society, citizens, urban designers and academics from both social and spatial sciences.
• Ability to work independently, results-oriented and creatively.
• Very good writing skills, as demonstrated by peer-reviewed academic publications or by other relevant writing experience.

Nice-to-haves:

• Experience in conducting research with vulnerable or hard-to-reach communities.
• Knowledge of the Dutch policy context.
• Experience in project implementation.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Architecture and the Built Environment
The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment has a leading role in education and research worldwide. The driving force behind the faculty's success is its robust research profile combined with the energy and creativity of its student body and academic community. It is buzzing with energy from early in the morning until late at night, with four thousand people studying, working, designing, conducting research and acquiring and disseminating knowledge. Our faculty has a strong focus on 'design-oriented research', which has given it a top position in world rankings.

Staff and students are working to improve the built environment with the help of a broad set of disciplines, including architectural design, urban planning, building technology, social sciences, process management, and geo-information science. The faculty works closely with other faculties, universities, private parties, and the public sector, and has an extensive network in the Netherlands as well as internationally.

to go to the website of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment.

Additional information
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Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply before 5th February 2025 via the application button and upload:

• A detailed CV in Dutch or English (including a list of publications).
• A short motivation letter in Dutch or English addressing your interests and describing your fit with the advertised position (max. 2 pages).
• The name and contact details of two references.
• The abstract of your PhD thesis (in English) and URL to academic repository (do not submit complete dissertations).

The first round of interviews will take place on Friday 14th February.
The interviews will be bilingual (in Dutch and English) to assess your language skills.

Please note:

• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the . We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
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