The involvement of stakeholders is key in the planning and regulation of transport systems, services and infrastructure, the design and deployment of innovations and in the evaluation of transport activities. However, the diversity of stakeholders, their roles and responsibilities and their degree of willingness to participate in research and planning vary greatly across the different transport domains and at different stages of transport planning. Therefore, new methods, approaches, tools, and insights are needed to better understand why stakeholder involvement is important, who are the key actors that should participate, how they can be involved, and what impacts transport has on them. Stakeholder involvement is not only relevant for transport infrastructure projects, but also for supporting the long-term transition of transport towards a low-carbon and sustainable future.
The focus of the conference is on how transport and communications research can support the different roles stakeholders take in transport planning. Stakeholder involvement is understood in the broader sense. We invite papers discussing the following specific topics of interest:
- advancements in the fields of transport and communication in the context of stakeholder involvement,
- development of regulatory approaches and policies,
- stakeholder-based decision support,
- citizen engagement,
- quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the impact of transport on different stakeholder groups.
In addition to these topics, we welcome papers on topics in the fields of transport, communications, and mobility at large. General topics of interest include transport and infrastructure evaluation, transport policy and environment, logistics and freight, tourism, recreation and leisure, housing and labour markets, accessibility analysis, social an health issues, and ICT.
The different NECTAR clusters will also organize specific thematic sessions at the conference. The calls for papers for these sessions can be found below. Please note that the deadline for the submission of abstracts for the cluster calls has been extended until 15 February 2024.
- Cluster 1 (Transport Infrastructure Impacts and Evaluation): Understanding subjectivity and contestation in transport (115.81 KB) "pdf"
- Cluster 2 (Policy and Environment): Transport Policy and decarbonisation: the role of participation and stakeholder involvement (136.15 KB) "pdf"
- Cluster 3 (Logistics & Freight): Towards resilient, disturbance-free and equitable freight transport (117.92 KB) "pdf"
- Cluster 4 (Urban Mobility Transitions): The role of urban mobility transitions in sustainable futures (109.61 KB) "pdf"
- Cluster 5 (Leisure, Recreation and Tourism): Stakeholder involvement in tourism transport: roles, needs and participation of residents and visitors (117.31 KB) "pdf"
- Cluster 6 (Accessibility): Perceived accessibility and ease of travel (171.74 KB) "pdf"
- Cluster 7 (Social and Health Issues in Transportation): Community engagement in transport decision-making (140.68 KB) "pdf"
- Cluster 8 (ICT): Mobilizing Stakeholders through Transport Digitization (112.65 KB) "pdf"
NECTAR PhD Award
To recognize the high quality of the research conducted by the best of the PhD students supervised by NECTAR members, NECTAR awards a PhD award at its international Conference. The 5th NECTAR PhD award will consider PhD theses written in English which have been or will be defended between July 2022 and June 2024. We will also consider submissions consisting of sets of journal papers which are to be included in a future thesis, and which are representative for its quality. PhD thesis work can be submitted only by a supervisor who should be a NECTAR member. More information on the award and eligibility criteria can be found here (91.84 KB) "pdf".
Abstract submission
Abstract submissions are closed. Abstracts should be submitted electronically, using the form available below. Abstracts should be maximum 500 words including references and written in English. Abstracts should be pasted in the submission form as plain text.
Criteria for acceptance
Criteria for acceptance are scope, scientific quality, NECTAR membership and the possibility to fit the presentation in a coherent conference session. We allow one paper presentation per participant.
Venue
The NECTAR conference will be organized by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and hosted on its campus.
Participation and NECTAR membership
Registration, meals, and accomodation for one night will be offered to NECTAR members, for only one author per paper. One night of hotel accomodation will be offered to participants who have confirmed their participation before April 30, 2024. One night of hotel accomodation might be charged in case of late cancellations. All practical details will be communicated through the conference website. In order to participate in the conference, a consecutive and current two-year NECTAR membership is necessary (2023-2024). Non-members can find details of how to join the association on the "Membership" page of NECTAR's website.
Important dates:
- Abstract submission: Feb 15, 2024
- Notification of acceptance: March 15, 2024
- Confirmation of attendance: April 30, 2024
Contact:
For any questions regarding the calls for papers or the conference, please contact nectar2024@vub.be
We look forward to seeing you in Brussels! Cathy Macharis (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Imre Keserü (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Karst Geurs (NECTAR chair)
NECTAR is a European-based scientific association. The primary objective is to foster research collaboration and exchange of information between experts in the field of transport, communication and mobility from all European countries and the rest of the world. It is a multidisciplinary social science network bringing together a wide variety of perspectives on transport and communication problems and their impacts on society from an international perspective. For further information on NECTAR, use the link: http://www.nectar-eu.eu.