Leads Prof Chris Rogers, Prof Afroditi Stathi, Dr Joanne Leach
‘Bringing together the Hub’s findings into a theory and practice of change that support the rapid and effective implementation of low-carbon travel schemes and policies that deliver health co-benefits and avoid adverse consequences.’
Transport is a large socio-technical system that continues to be dominated by siloed thinking about different modes and their complex interdependences and scales. A comprehensive and system-wide approach is essential if health co-benefits are to be realised.
Theories of change are an established way of doing this, planning for and embedding long-term change beyond any one context or intervention’s sphere of control by connecting multiple interventions in the short-term with systemic change in the long-term. The Theory of Change for Healthy Low-carbon Transport will support the systemic evaluation of causal chains, something that is notoriously difficult in transport, and incorporate context-specific planning and evaluation such as a logic model and adaptive, structured decision making.
A complementary practice of change is needed to support the delivery of the Theory of Change for Healthy Low-carbon Transport by practitioners, government, policymakers and other stakeholders. The Practice of Change for Healthy Low-carbon Transport will combine and communicate the Hub’s research findings in a way that enables appropriate low-carbon travel schemes and policies to be introduced rapidly and effectively with the full potential health co-benefits realised and adverse consequences avoided. It will include an understanding of key vulnerabilities and uncertainties and will describe engineering design options that have been trialled for efficacy, sustainability, liveability and future resilience. It will establish the positive and negative consequences of implementing specific transport interventions, suggest alternative business models and, in combination with the theory of change, create compelling cases for change.
This theme draws together outcomes from across the Hub including learnings from the case studies and pilot interventions, joint consultative workshops, surveys and system maps.
If you would like to find out more, please contact Dr Joanne Leach at j.leach@bham.ac.uk.