Spatial Group Model Building for Investigating Mobility Trends

Suggested by: Martin Loidl

Short description: Understanding mobility-related impacts requires modelling complex interactions between behaviour, infrastructure, and spatial context. Spatial Group Model Building (SGMB) offers a participatory method to conceptualize such systems by integrating stakeholder knowledge with spatial reasoning.
This master thesis investigates the suitability of SGMB for developing spatially explicit conceptual models, using the uptake of e-bikes among kids and young adolescents as a concrete use case. The work includes designing and applying an SGMB workflow, developing spatial causal diagrams, assessing methodological strengths and limitations, and exploring how SGMB outputs can inform subsequent quantitative analyses of mobility, safety, accessibility, or environmental impacts.

 Research for this master thesis should address one or more of the following questions (but is not limited to):

• How can SGMB support the development of spatially explicit conceptual models related to increasing e-bike use among kids and young adolescents?
• Which spatial, social, and infrastructural factors most strongly influence the likelihood that young adolescents adopt e-bikes, and how can these relationships be captured through Spatial Group Model Building?
• How do perceived risks (e.g., safety concerns), access to suitable infrastructure, and everyday mobility needs interact to shape e-bike uptake among kids and young adolescents in different spatial contexts?
• Which feedback mechanisms, such as changes in independent mobility, social norms, or exposure to traffic environments, drive or hinder the spread of e-bike use among adolescents, and how can SGMB help identify them across regions or settlement types? 

Suggested reading:

• SCOTT, R. J., CAVANA, R. Y. & CAMERON, D. 2016. Recent evidence on the effectiveness of group model building. European Journal of Operational Research, 249, 908-918. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2015.06.078
• WEIR, H., BRENDAN, M., IRAKLIS, A., CLAIRE, C., CONOR, M., JOHN, B., ALBERTO, L., GARY, M., FRANK, K., RUTH, H. & AND GARCIA, L. 2024. Group model building for developing systems-oriented solutions to reduce car dependency in Belfast, United Kingdom. Cities & Health, 8, 374-389. doi:10.1080/23748834.2024.2328952
• Principles of group model building and spatial group model building: Slideshare 

Related project: This thesis can be linked to the i-MOBYL project. More information is available on the research group’s website.

Start/finish: anytime

Prerequisites/qualifications: Interest in mobility and transport research, participatory modelling, and spatial systems analysis. Experience with GIS is required; qualitative or conceptual modelling skills are an advantage.