The Mobile Tartu Conference focuses on human mobility studies for resilient, just, and sustainable societies, using primarily digital traces from mobile big data. At the Jubilee Conference, we reflect on the evolution of mobility studies over the past two decades and how this has influenced the need to consider mobility data justice in research and governance. Our confirmed keynote speakers include Prof. Kay W. Axhausen (ETH Zurich, Switzerland) and Prof. Mimi Sheller (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA).

The special themes of the jubilee Mobile Tartu 2026 include:

• Activity space studies informing just and sustainable societies
• Multilocal living and cross-border interactions in digital transition
• Mobility data justice in research and governance

The conference also features panel discussions, paper sessions (including NECTAR and Cycle4Climate sessions), and a rich social programme with vibrant discussions on the conceptual, methodological, and empirical dimensions of measuring human mobility using mobile big data.

In collaboration with the EIT Urban Mobility Doctoral Training Network and the Estonian Doctoral School, the conference also includes a PhD School, comprising lectures and hands-on workshops on mobile big data applications for understanding human mobility. The workshops are led by Andres Sevtsuk (MIT), Robin Lovelace (University of Leeds), Francisco Rowe (University of Liverpool), and Anto Aasa (University of Tartu).

Abstract submission deadline: 16 January 2026

Datasets from the Propensity to Cycle Tool for Northern Ireland (PCTNI) will be provided, but projects are not limited to cycling themes.

Refreshments will be provided. Just bring yourself and your laptop!

The event is organized by the Leeds City Council Travel Planning team and brings together people working on travel plans across the city. It’s a great opportunity to connect with others in the field and learn about local sustainable transport initiatives including:

• Betterpoints
• Beryl Bikes
• Northern Rail
• Residential MCard
• Enterprise Car Club
• Public transport ticketing

The event runs from 10am to 12pm at Merrion House (110 Merrion Way, Leeds LS1 1UR).

Registration is free via Eventbrite.

The event aims to: - Give members of the Committee an opportunity to hear about the latest academic research. - Grow the Committee’s understanding of and connections to the research community. - Strengthen researcher understanding of the work of the Committee and how to get involved.

I have been invited based on my research expertise in: - Research methods and data science - Local and regional transport planning - Travel behaviour and behaviour change - Decarbonisation

I plan to discuss my ongoing work with Active Travel England, particularly the update to evidence on “critical issues” for walking, wheeling, and cycling. This involves a move towards identifying and remediating dangerous infrastructure rather than just promoting best practice. I am also developing methods to estimate baseline traffic levels for all modes at the road segment level, a project that is currently focused on the West Midlands but has national scalability.

Modelling active travel with efficient, future-proof tools

Event: ETH Zürich Colloquium

Location: ETH Zürich, Campus Hoenggerberg

Date: 2025-11-18 10:05:00+01:00

A talk at the colloquium following Eva Heinen’s inaugural lecture at ETH Zürich.

Keynote Talk

This is the keynote talk for the Sustainable Transport and Planning for Cleaner and Healthier Cities Workshop.

Robin Lovelace is Professor of Transport Data Science at the Leeds Institute for Transport Studies and Head of Data Science at Active Travel England.

The extended abstract can be found here.

I will be attending the awards ceremony on 19th June 2025 at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel. It’s an honour for the NPT to be recognised among other significant achievements in Scottish transport.

More details about the awards can be found on the official event website.

I’m chairing the final session of the conference, 15:45-17:00 on Wednesday 18th titled “New ways of working for a new generation of transport modellers”. In it we will hear from the following panelists about new tools and ways of working across generations:

• Robin North, CEO and Lead Technologist, Immense Simulations
• Raquel Sánchez, R&D Data Scientist, Nommon Solutions and Technologies
• James Hulse, Analyst, Transport for the North
• Francesca Bryden, Head of Data Engineering, Department for Transport
• Martin Campbell, Associate Director - Digital, SYSTRA
• Ian Williams, Independent Transport and Land Use Consultant

We will explore the evolving practices, tools, skills, and mindsets shaping the future of transport modelling. More information about the conference can be found on the official event website.

Introduction

This is part of the St Andrews Bell Edwards Geographic Data Institute (BEGIN) Seminar Series, held in the Irvine Building, University of St Andrews, North Street, St Andrews, KY16 9AL, Scotland, and hosted by Fernando Benitez.

For more information see the event website.

In a hybrid UBDC webinar at 3pm on Thursday 10 October, (robinlovelace?) from the Leeds Institute for Transport Studies will make the case that #ReproducibleResearch and #OpenTools are essential for effective 21st century #TransportPlanning. Full details: https://t.co/6E6kOfziXl

In a hybrid UBDC webinar at 3pm on Thursday 10 October, (robinlovelace?) from the Leeds Institute for Transport Studies will make the case that #ReproducibleResearch and #OpenTools are essential for effective 21st century #TransportPlanning. Full details: https://t.co/6E6kOfziXl