Collegium Helveticum
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An electric tourist bus in London. Photo by Andras Stefuca via Pexels.
Fellow Project 2025–2026

Urban Densification and Transport Decarbonization
Behavioral Insights for New Policy Narratives

Urban densification and transport decarbonization, despite their interdependence, are typically pursued in deep institutional and disciplinary silos. What is more, existing policies are predominantly top-down and generic in design, lacking a clear and credible theory of change connecting policy interventions to durable shifts in everyday behaviour. Li Wan’s fellowship project aims to address these two main research gaps.

The project is structured into three work packages:

  1. Comparative empirical analysis: using the Swiss Mobility Panel and the English National Travel Survey to examine how different forms of urban densification shape travel behavior across contrasting institutional and cultural contexts.
  2. Critical assessment of existing policies: evaluating the evidence base, behavioral assumptions, and theory of change embedded in current densification and sustainable transport policies in Switzerland and the UK.
  3. Co-creation of new policy narratives: integrating interdisciplinary behavioral insights and experimental approaches to develop more compelling urban sustainability narratives and innovative forms of public engagement.

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