My research explores the geographical aspects of smart cities and urban sustainability, primarily contributing to the disciplines of Geography and Urban Studies. I have a long-standing interest in the relationship between environmental science and urban thought, particularly in terms of how organizing concepts like for example resilience and systems thinking structure contemporary approaches to cities.

This interest led to a current focus on the role of living laboratories and experiments as new modes of governance being adopted by cities to achieve smarter and more sustainable forms of development (Evans 2011; Evans and Karvonen, 2013; 2014; Trencher et al., 2014).  

I am also interested in interdisciplinary research in Geography more broadly (Evans and Randalls, 2009; Jones and Evans, 2011), and have contributed to the development of mobile methods across the social sciences (Evans and Jones, 2011; Jones and Evans, 2012).

Taken as a whole my goal is to influence disciplinary approaches to conceptualizing and studying the spatial and political dimensions of innovation and learning.

Current Research Projects

Triangulum: the three point project (demonstrate, disseminate, replicate), EU Horizon 2020 Lighthouse, € 25 420 598, Co-PI. (UoM income = £800k). This five year project will deploy and evaluate sustainable and smart city solutions. It is highly interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral, involving 26 core partners across six countries.

Advancing Urban Innovation: Living Labs for Sustainable Building and Planning, Formas, £126 566, Co-PI. This three year project studies the role of living labs in sustainable urban development in Europe.

Accelerating the University Living Lab innovation system, EPSRC KT Challenge with Arup and Robert Turley Associates, £19 573. Principal Investigator. This project will develop and test a multidisciplinary rapid response process that builds upon and develops the University Living Lab and Manchester Cycling Lab innovation system.

Shaping the Future City? Enabling world-class sustainable development (Manchester Cycling Lab), ESRC Impact Acceleration Account and Manchester City Council, £32 999. Principal Investigator. This project established a living lab to support the Future Cities initiative being coordinated by Manchester City Council, building on the University Living Lab platform.

University Living Lab for Sustainability. University of Manchester Research Institute, £53 490. Principal Investigator. This project aimed to transform the University of Manchester campus into a site for applied teaching and research activities around sustainability and low carbon energy.

Learning loops in energy efficient urban design: applying Social Return on Investment (SROI) to the commercial building, ESRC CASE, £54 000. Principal Investigator. This three year CASE PhD explores how to capture the social benefits of higher design quality with an empirical focus on health buildings.

Current

Joanna Tantanasi (Year 4): Governing the politics and science of carbon: the case of the South Peaks.

Craig Thomas (Year 2): Smart Cities - empowering environmental citizens.

Katerina Sevastyanova (Year 4): Solar thermal heating and domestic practices. Sustainable Consumption Institute.

Kelly Watson (Year 3): Learning loops in sustainable urban design: Social Return on Investment (SROI) and the commercial building. ESRC- CASE with Arup

Gabrielle Schliwa (Year 1): Harnessing the Digital Economy to deliver Sustainable Mobility Transitions. EPSRC. 

Michal Mikulewicz (Year 1): Social Capital, Adaptive Capacity, and the Poor: Exploring the Impacts of NAPAs and NAPA Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. President's Award.

Completed

Richard Bull (Completed 2008): The role of the waste industry in promoting social learning for sustainability. ESRC-CASE studentship

Helen Griffiths (Completed 2009): New School Geographies: engaging young people as citizens and consumers. ESRC studentship

Jenny Cousins (Completed 2010): Re-making Conservation: international conservation tourism and private conservation in South Africa. ESRC-NERC studentship

Nadia von Benzon (Completed 2013): Childhood disability and access to the natural environment. ESRC studentship

Brian Rosa (Completed 2014): Beneath the arches: re-appropriating the residual space of infrastructure. School studentship

Jana Wendler (Completed 2014): Exploring the role of play and playfulness in environmental efforts and sustainability engagement. School studentship

Janice Astbury (Completed 2014): Comminity participation in sustainable urban design

I am interested in supervising students in the following fields:

• Experimental governance
• Smart Cities
• Informal Mobility
• Urban laboratories