Postdoc Conflicted Streets in the 15 Minute City

The University of Amsterdam’s Urban Planning research group is looking for a postdoctoral researcher (27 months) to contribute to the new project “CONFLICTED STREETS”.

While of critical importance to facilitate a transition to climate-neutral cities, the 15-minute city (15mC) concept is vague and complex. To realize the potential of the 15mC concept to bring about change, there are many potential conflicts between stakeholders representing different interests and perspectives. Essentially, the 15mC concept highlights conflicts between spaces of mobility (enabling local and regional mobility, but also including space currently used for parked vehicles), and spaces of place (emphasising urban qualities that make people want to live in such places). Therefore, conflict over the use of space is a key issue that has to be addressed in planning for the 15mC. In many cases, such conflicts cannot be solved in consensus-oriented approaches to planning and decision-making. A key goal for this project is to learn and build knowledge on planning practices and processes acknowledging the political and contested nature of such processes of change. This proposal is an important step in building knowledge about what generates conflicts in plans for the 15mC, and developing guidance on how to deal with such conflicts.

The candidate will develop a theoretical framework for the research in the consortium and aid in the mapping and analysis of conflicts in the participating cities. Next to this the candidate will participate in tactical urbanism projects that focus on new implementations of the 15mC concept in the case studies. A key role for the UvA and the candidate is also in the final synthesis and dissemination work.

The postdoctoral researcher will work directly with Dr. Mendel Giezen. The candidate will also become part of CONFLICTED STREETS consortium, which includes leading universities in Europe. The candidate will be embedded in the Urban Planning research group, in the Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies (GPIO) at the University of Amsterdam. The postdoc will become part of the Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR) and the Centre for Urban Studies (CUS).

What are you going to do
The candidate will become part of the CONFLICTED STREETS consortium and undertake research activities for 27 months that assesses conflicts in the development and implementation of the 15mC concept in practice.

You will/tasks

• develop a conceptual framework to guide the research in the consortium;
• map and analyse conflicts and planning approaches in 15mC transitions;
• conduct fieldwork in several European cities to assess the performance of 15mC interventions and aid in implementing new ones as a Participatory Action Research method;
• evaluation of the results of the redesign pilots;
• aid with the synthesis, lessons for policy and planning, and dissemination;
• (co-)organize consortium meetings and workshops to share and discuss insights;
• contribute to international debates relating to conflicts and cities,or the 15mC, for example by presenting your work at international conferences and achieve publications in high-ranked journals;
• take a lead role in preparing publications and research outputs, including co-authored academic articles, policy briefs and community events.

What do you have to offer
We are looking for an enthusiastic and critical scholar who would like to work on issues at the intersection of conflicts, public participation and 15-minute cities. You are interested in bridging theory with participatory action research across disciplines but within the planning field. You can work independently and you can establish contacts within new networks of scholars, policymakers and communities to conduct research in at least three different European cities.

Your experience and profile

Candidates should hold a PhD degree in urban and regional planning, urban studies, human geography, environmental politics or policymaking, or a closely related field. Candidates who do not hold a PhD upon application will not qualify.

Successful candidates are those who

• have demonstrated experience doing field research on conflicts, public participation and urban planning;
• have an in-depth knowledge of the literature on conflicts and public participation;
• have demonstrated experience doing empirical fieldwork in different geographical contexts;
• have demonstrated experience with advanced qualitative research methods;
• have demonstrated experience with conceptual thinking;
• have demonstrated experience with participating in interdisciplinary research projects;
• have demonstrated experience with participating in transdisciplinary research projects;
• have proficient English skills (written and verbal);
• have preferably published at least one or two academic articles, or a promising set of papers in the pipeline;
• preferably speak a second language (in addition to English) that is relevant to the research project (Dutch, German, Polish or Turkish);
• are a team player and able to work independently.

What can we offer you
The position concerns a temporary employment of 0.9 fte for a maximum term of 27 months if starting in October. The initial employment is for one year. Following a positive assessment and barring altered circumstances, this term can be extended by a maximum of 1 year and 3 months. The candidate will have the opportunity to attend training courses and both national and international events. For this position the University Job Classification profile ‘Onderzoeker’ applies.

Depending on your experience, the minimum salary is €4.492 and the maximum salary is €6.148 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, in keeping with salary scale 11, as per the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities.

We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.

The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.

What else do we offer

• a position in which initiative and input are highly valued;
• a research team with a high international research profile, comprising enthusiastic and friendly academics with whom you will collaborate in research and publications;
• a leading research group that is open to new colleagues;
• resources for fieldwork abroad;
• an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

About us
The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.

The Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies is one of the six Departments in the FMG. Research and education are carried out by special institutes. The Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) is responsible for research in the social sciences. The College of Social Sciences (CSS) and the Graduate School of Social Sciences (GSSS) are responsible for undergraduate and graduate teaching programmes in the social sciences.

Research and teaching in the Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies is organized in five thematic programme groups: Governance and Inclusive Development (GID), Urban Geographies (UG) en Urban Planning (UP), Political and Economic Geographies (PEG) and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (ISW).

A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organization. The social and behavioral sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

Questions
Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:

• Dr. Mendel Giezen, m.giezen@uva.nl

Job Application
Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application/motivation letter and resume in one bundled pdf by September 22, 2024. You may apply online by using the link below.

Applications in .pdf should include:

• a curriculum vitae;
• a letter of motivation (max 750 words);
• a research statement consisting of two parts: (1) a mini-essay in which you position yourself within theoretical debates on conflicts, public participation, and the 15mC (max 500 words) and (2) a research approach to conduct comparative participatory research in Bielefeld, Bodrum, and Brasov to understand the conflicts and conflict resolution strategies when implementing a pilot project on reducing traffic in favor of more livable streets (max 500 words);
• writing sample (a single authored (if possible) published (or submitted) academic article, chapter, thesis, …)

Job interviews will take place in Amsterdam or online, depending on the candidate’s availability.

The position is expected to start by 1 October 2024.

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritise diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

No agencies please.

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34.2 hours per week

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