Mariajosé Nieto
Nationality: Colombian
Thesis: Informal transport services impact on mobility in spatially excluded urban spaces
Key Topics: mobility, spatial exclusion, informality
Profile:
I am an economist by training with MSc in Development from the National University of Colombia and MSc Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics. As a professional I have focused on bringing forward knowledge-based strategies to foster urban development via working with local and national government institutions and the UN. I started my career working as a civil servant in Bogotá’s local government in the Economic and Social Development office. Ever since, I have specialized on information management and data analysis for urban development. As a researcher and lecturer in environmental economics and urban sustainable development in cities in Latin America and the Caribbean and in China, I have developed resources to support local governments and public institutions in decision-making processes while collaborating with a diverse set of stakeholders. During my PhD at the Bartlett Development Planning Unit I aim to do research about the impact of informal transport services in the mobility of dwellers of urban areas marked by limited coverage of public transport.
My experience with UN-Habitat in five countries and my work in a project for higher levels of inclusion of recycling workers in Colombian cities inspired me to do research about other informal services that emerge in the absences of state’s provision in urban areas in the Global South. My PhD project aims to analyze the impact of informal transport services in the mobility of dwellers of urban areas marked by limited coverage of public transport. In the context of reduced opportunities to be mobile and access desired and/or fundamental activities for livelihoods, the focus of my research is to understand how grass-root transport alternatives are reconfiguring mobility in these areas. The objective is to guide decision-making and advancing conceptual and methodological frameworks to analyze the impact of transport services on peoples’ capacity to be mobile and consequently on their spatial social marginalization.
Primary supervisor: Julio Davila
Secondary Supervisor: Alexandre Frediani
Other: Spanish, Italian, English, basic French and Portuguese