Jaimal Brown’s Post

Spot-on piece from the editors at Scientific American: "The U.S. has the highest number of traffic deaths among wealthy countries, with more than 38,000 deaths per year between 2015 and 2019. The death rate is more than double the average rate in other wealthy countries. Vehicle crashes are among the leading causes of death in the U.S. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can design or redesign streets to make people drive more slowly or to discourage driving altogether. We can invest in better public transit, including subways and buses with dependable, on-time service. And we can change zoning laws to allow denser housing and mixed-use developments, so people can live closer to where they work, attend school or socialize. These are changes that even the largest, most sprawling cities can and should implement." https://lnkd.in/daHraw-G

"Yet widening or expanding the number of streets only incentivizes more people to drive, which creates more traffic. At the same time, cars have gotten bigger and deadlier—SUVs and trucks now represent more than 80 percent of car sales in the U.S. If we want to give more space to pedestrians, cyclists and people using wheelchairs, we need to separate them from high-speed vehicles by building more well-maintained sidewalks, curbs with inclined cuts and protected bike lanes and by implementing traffic-calming measures such as narrower streets, speed bumps and traffic medians. We should invest in improving public transit to make it an inviting alternative to cars."

I beat this drum on the regular. If you come to me with a gas-powered car vs. EV argument, I will reframe that as a cars vs. mass transit argument. The kind of cars we have on the road and the impact of each kind of car on the environment is not the only discussion we should have—the goal should be to create a less car-dependent society in general.

Prof Peter Maassen of the University of Oslo warns of a growing threat to Academic Freedom in Europe, as highlighted by recent European Parliament studies. Threats include government interference, social media attacks, and private sector influence in various EU states. Existing legal safeguards may not be adequate, promoting the need for strengthened European and national policies. Maassen underscores the importance of academic community participation and advocates for democratizing science to safeguard academic freedom and public trust, particularly in light of lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the commentary in Frontiers Policy Labs ➡️ https://lnkd.in/enN-nKHF #AcademicFreedom #SciencePolicy #SciPol

In the new column I reflect on the current political situation in NL and what role could the unrealistic expectations we hold from ourselves play in that. Check it out 👇 https://lnkd.in/e8Gf7KwW

Many of the issues and recommendations discussed in this UK paper are highly relevant to the Australian context. I was particularly keen on the idea of using an accessibility tool, embedded in a planning policy framework, that would require a minimum connectivity score to gain planning approval. Flipping the emphasis from mobility to accessibility. Also echo the need for more case studies and post development mode share metrics to enrich evidence based development planning.

🌟 In this #SundayScholar feature, we spotlight Amy E. Smith and Deneen M. Hatmaker for their article, "Knowing, Doing, and Becoming: Professional Identity Construction among Public Affairs Doctoral Students." It stands as one of the most-read articles of all time. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gwepURM7

New Australian Report on "Ending profiteering from publicly-funded research. Tackling the academic publishing oligopoly". "It is estimated that Australia is funnelling as much as $1 billion into the pockets of academic publishers each year. [...] Disruption of the academic publishing industry is needed so the public can immediately access the results of the research they fund, and to stop publishers from unfairly claiming an undue share of public funding through unreasonable publishing fees." https://lnkd.in/eje9nxvi

Thank you Dr. Franziska Maier 💫 for your thoughtful review of our book "Research Methods in Deliberative Democracy" published by Oxford University Press, open access. You can download the individual chapters or the whole book here 👇🏽 https://lnkd.in/dvtXFQiR

Read more of the research insights supported by Overton's Policy Impact grant. Here Shenmeng Xu of Vanderbilt University explores how language impacts the spread of scholarly knowledge into global policymaking👇 https://lnkd.in/eFtTEiQh #EvidenceBasedPolicy #ResearchTranslation #ResearchImpact