Transport for the North (TfN) has launched the Northern Evidence Academic Forum to take a collaborative approach to infrastructure planning.
The regional transport body will now work more closely with leading academics and researchers to ensure investment decisions are based on the most up-to-date understanding.
The forum will meet every quarter, with the first session to be held virtually on Wednesday 24th February. Anyone wishing to attend can register for a free place online.
Speakers at the launch event include:
- Tim Foster, Interim Strategy and Programmes Director at Transport for the North
- Emanuela Orsolic, Senior Evidence and Analysis Officer at Transport for the North
- Professor Philip McCann, Chair in Urban and Regional Economics at the University of Sheffield
- Jack Snape, Analysis Manager at Transport for the North
- Dr Will Cook, Senior Lecturer in Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University
- Professor Greg Marsden, Professor of Transport Governance at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds
TfN’s Tim Foster said:
There is a wealth of evidence being gathered by academics across our region that could guide our transport and infrastructure investment decisions; the trick is to bring everyone involved together in one place. Our Northern Evidence Academic Forum will do just that.
“By facilitating these regular sessions and supporting ongoing collaboration, we can ensure Transport for the North’s policy positions and actions are rooted in the strongest possible evidence, and also give other planners and policymakers that same confidence.
“The forum will help bring research to life to inform infrastructure planning, enabling investment decisions to be made with confidence, based on the latest data. It will give us greater assurance that the projects we and our partners are developing and advocating for are rooted in up-to-date evidence and will therefore best suit the connectivity needs of our region’s people and businesses.”
Discussion from the forum meetings will address the role of transport across issues such as decarbonisation, poverty and inequality, and health in the North of England.