PhD of the month: Alhassan Yakubu Alhassan
How to succeed with sustainable transportation planning in big cities? Alhassan Yakubu Alhassan looks closer at the case E18/E39 Gartnerløkka-Meieriet in his research on planning processes.
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About my research project
My research investigates the impact of digitalisation on the citizen participation and the networks of actors in urban transport planning process. The case study for this project is the E18/E39 Gartnerløkka-Meieriet Expansion Project in Kristiansand. The motivation for the project stems from the idea that promoting effective planning requires strengthening linkages among different actors to increase the flow of information for better coordination (Sager, 2019). Given the growing population in cities, there is the need for collaboration to ensure sustainable future for our cities. This is especially important in the area of transportation which is said to be the largest carbon emitter. As a result of the increasing problems in the urban areas, several actors are affected and are expected to come together to find solutions to the problems facing urban areas.
The study makes use of Social Network Analysis (SNA) to map out the networks of actors and how those networks the planning process in the municipality. This will involve the collection and analysis of network data through interviews (concentric circles and network maps with respondents). From a network perspective, urban planning activities and outcomes can be conceptualised as a system of reciprocal interactions with several actors: network analysis offers a powerful methodological approach to investigate the complex patterns of such relationships.
This study contributes to the study planning and implementation challenges at the local level and to our understanding of the challenges of ecological, social, and economic sustainability. It also seeks to highlight governance problems and issues of inequality, inclusion, and transparency. It also opens up discussions on the possibilities and challenges for using digital technologies to foster citizen participation in urban governance.
About Me
I am a PhD Research Fellow at the Department of Sociology and Social Work and a member of the Centre for Digital Transformation (CeDiT). I hold a Masters in Sociology from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and a masters in Global Development and Planning from the University of Agder. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Social Work from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. I am experienced in both quantitative and qualitative research. My research interests span the areas of digitalisation, urbanization, social network analysis and environmental sustainability.
Something I look forward to in my project right now
I look forward to my data collection among the actors in the Gartnerløkka project. I look forward to also publishing and sharing my research with the planning community for them to understand the significance of networks in the planning processes.