VREF NextGen Research Forum – The Missing Mile: Informality, Access, and Urban Mobility Finance

Missed the live event or want to revisit the discussions? Watch the full recording of the second VREF “NextGen Research Forum” of 2026, which took place on June 10, 2026. This forum focused on Informal and Shared Mobility under the theme: “The Missing Mile: Informality, Access, and Urban Mobility Finance”. The workshop foregrounded how mobility inequalities are shaped by the intersection of infrastructure, lived experience, and socio-spatial context. Program: – Welcome and Introduction (Jane Summerton, VREF) – VREF Next Generation Initiative: Short orientation and updates (Maria José Combariza Nieto & Obed Bore) – Presentation 1: Do public transport service quality attributes contribute to people being transport-related time poor? A preliminary finding from Zamboanga City * Presenter: Junievin Ramillano (University of the Philippines) Discussant: Samuel Akintomide Ajayi (Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute) Presentation 2: Exploring the Every Day Practices Involved in Negotiating ‘Informal’ Transport in The Global South Through A Gender Lens Presenter: Nour Gazarin (London, UK) Discussant: Dominic Edem Hotor (University of Ghana) – Presentation 3: Mobility and Access in Nairobi in the Lens of the 15-Minute City Presenter: John Omwamba (IUSS Pavia and University of Trieste) Discussant: Tom Courtright (University of Cape Town) – Plenary Discussion || Reflections 🔍 Key Questions Explored What structural factors drive time poverty and unequal access in urban transport systems? How do gendered experiences and informal practices shape everyday mobility? Can frameworks like the 15-minute city translate meaningfully into contexts where most mobility is informal? Moderators: Maria José Combariza Nieto, Obed Bore VREF NextGen Facilitating Team: Shahan Ahmed, Paschalin Basil, Obed Bore, Nisha Nair, Kwame Odame, Maria José Nieto Combariza. Learn more about the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) and our future events by visiting our website. www.vref.se. Subscribe for more research insights on sustainable urban transport and equity!