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In my research, I primarily focus on two issues - urban sustainability and transport. My expertise lies in transport planning for peak demands during mega events and comprehensive master planning for cities experiencing transformative mega events . I am naturally open to new ideas, interesting challenges, and exploratory work in any aspect of urban and regional planning. Areas of Expertise and Interest
Planning for Mega Events My current work focuses on transport planning for passenger peak demands occurring during festivals, pilgrimages, and evacuations. At the same time, mega events stimulate new investments in local infrastructure that remain as tangible legacies in hosting cities. In providing policy recommendations, my goal is to leverage the opportunities these mega events bring to regions for a locally attuned outcome.
Sustainable Cities Cities around the world endeavor to adapt to global forces and transform in the process. My current work involves how climate change requires cities to prepare for adaptation and mitigation, and how cities respond to the increasing demand for energy.
I also guide a research group that focuses on Extreme Events (https://sites.google.com/site/ekassens/home/extreme-event-research-group).
Ongoing Research Projects
World Cup Project Title: World Cup Transport Legacies - the case of South Africa Funding Source: CASID International Development Grant Program Center for Advanced Study of International Development (http://casid.isp.msu.edu/)
Project Locations: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban
The goal of this research is to evaluate the transport legacies the South African FIFA World Cup has brought to the country. South Africa, as the first country on the African continent, has successfully staged the FIFA World Cup 2010. Despite the common belief that mega-events bring valuable and sustained economic growth, developed countries have experienced quite modest success in such endeavor. In fact, some countries have experienced that the net-benefit of staging such events eventually approaches zero in the long term. Given that the FIFA requirements place “a much heavier burden on developing country hosts such as South Africa than they do on hosts in developed countries” (Tomlinson, Bass, & Pillay, 2009, p. 36), remaining legacies must benefit citizens. Especially in the context of developing countries, investments and careful planning are vital to the success. Given that South Africa has been actively pursuing the so called mega-event strategy ((Burbank, Andranovich, & Heying, 2001) = promotion of tourism and fostering economic growth through mega events)), evidenced by the FIFA world cup and repeated bids for the Olympic Games, it is essential for the country to draw valuable lessons for future South African mega-events, so as to leverage their opportunities in a sustainable and climate resilient manner.
Michigan's High Speed Rail Project Title: The High Speed Rail between Chicago and Detroit—The road to Michigan’s recovery? Funding Source: IPPSR recipient of the MAPPR grant Institute for Public Policy & Social Research (http://www.ippsr.msu.edu/)
Project Locations: Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo
The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MMRI) is a plan to implement a high-speed rail network in the Midwestern United States, using Chicago as the hub. Planned routes stretch across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. A Milestone for Michigan's recovery could be an upgrade to a high-speed railway line of the existing Amtrak route called Wolverine, connecting major Michigan centers, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo to the Midwestern train network. Therefore, Governor J. Granholm announced on August 24th 2009, that Michigan had applied for $832 million in federal stimulus money for a high-speed rail link between Detroit and Chicago. This proposal seeks to explore the expected impacts of the rail route improvements on the community level around rail stations in the top five cities in Michigan expected to draw the most passenger numbers: Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. It will test the expected ridership and identify local incentives on how to increase the ridership and sustain its growth in the long-run. Furthermore, the researchers will explore on how to best leverage the local investments for sustainable communities. City Transformations: the Olympic Games Project Title: Planning for Mega Events - a Model of Urban Change
Funding Sources: Presidential Fellow MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), IOC fellow (International Olympic Committee), Australian Centre for Olympic Studies at UTS (University of Technolgy, Sydney)
Project Locations: Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens
My study is about opportunities for revolutionary developments in urban transport. Often, we think of transport and urban development as an evolutionary process, yet there exist a few opportunities for cities to revolutionize their transport system within a short timeframe of only 10 years. Prime examples for such opportunities are mega events. Based on my hypothesis that mega event owners exercise a decisive influence on urban and transport planning through the requirements they impose on cities, the challenge inherent to leveraging the mega event opportunity is the alignment of transport provisions for staging a world-class event with the metropolitan vision by using the mega event as a tool for desirable change. In my study I examine the dynamics of the urban-change process in the run-up to mega events by analyzing the potential clash between the event owner’s requirements and the development of transport strategies pursued by four cities, which have hosted the largest mega event of all – the Summer Olympic Games. The Olympic cities in my research are Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), and Athens (2004). I comparatively analyze the extent to which each city did or did not align the planning of preparations for the mega event with the metropolitan strategies for long-term urban and transport development. Through field observations, document analysis, and interviews, I identify the influences the International Olympic Committee (IOC) brings to the transport planning process of metropolises, analyze the Olympic impacts, and finally propose a causal model linking IOC influences and urban transport outcomes. I find that the influence of IOC produces a similar pattern of urban and transport change. I explain further why and under what conditions the event requirements can function as catalysts for transport investments, integration of transport systems, upgrades of institutional coordination, and management capacities. If planned effectively, event transport strategies can bring significant long-term enhancement in regional mobility. Existing theories of urban development do not fully capture the interdependencies among factors operating before, during and after mega events. My research suggests that the IOC is a powerful agent in local urban and transport planning that guides cities towards similar urban change in the run-up to the Olympics. To leverage mega event opportunities for transport, I provide policy recommendations on the alignment of event transport requirements and metropolitan strategy. Given the high investment costs and associated risks, city governments should catalyze their endeavors for improved metropolitan transport through the city’s bid that can ultimately enhance metropolitan transport for users on a daily basis.
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