Development of a digital tool for integrated impact assessment of social, economical, ecological and cultural historical values in transport infrastructure planning in urban environments

Research Project, 2021 – 2023

Chalmers and partners at Calluna AB, Norconsult (former KMV Forum), Swedish Transport Administration and Gothenburg Region have received funding for the research project Development of a digital tool for integrated impact assessment of social, economical, ecological and cultural historical values in transport infrastructure planning in urban environments (Formas, 3.9 mKr). The project aims to develop a digital tool to predict potentials and sensitivities linked to infrastructural changes in urban environments. The new analysis tool will integrate socio-economic modelling with methods handling green and blue infrastructure, including ecological corridors and ecosystem services, and cultural historical values and functions.

During 2022-2023 the development will take place in collaboration between researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and two consulting firms that work with natural and cultural environmental issues in urban planning, as well as the Swedish Transport Administration and Gothenburg Region. Together, the project group constitutes a very strong team with solid knowledge of how today's working methods for transport infrastructure planning can be improved to contribute to sustainable solutions. Through the development of a digital tool, the project is expected to contribute to integrating socioeconomic, ecological, and cultural-historical issues early in the planning process as well as to facilitate collaboration between different actors in transport infrastructure planning and their communication with the public. The project is designed to effectively disseminate new scientific knowledge about urban planning, digitalization, and impact assessment in a digital tool aimed at actors - the Swedish Transport Administration, regions and municipalities, consultants - involved in transport planning.

Meta Berghauser Pont and Ioanna Stavroulaki, both associate professors at Chalmers (Spatial Morphology Group SMoG) will be working with this project together with Ph. D. Oskar Kindvall (Calluna AB), Emy Lanemo (Norconsult), Monika Levan (Swedish Transport Administration) and Sebastian Andersson (The Gothenburg Region, GR).