The NZPI / Wallace Ross Graduate Research Award recognises and celebrate members who are undertaking research that advances planning practice, process and theory.
This year’s winner is:
for her research project titled ...
Through her research, Anamaria wants to explore the factors that influence immigrant women to undergo Reverse Mode Shift (RMS) after moving to Aotearoa New Zealand, focusing on Latin American women in Auckland.
As a Latin American woman, planning student and urban economist, Anamaria has a particular interest in contributing to improving Aotearoa’s transport from a more inclusive lens. Her passion for transport and environmental planning started in her home town of Bogota-Colombia, when she was studying towards an undergrad degree in economics, conducting her thesis on the impact of land-use change on agricultural land prices. This led to a position as an urban and spatial economist with a leading consultancy based in Auckland, alongside studying towards a master’s degree in resources and environmental planning. Having resided in Auckland for seven years and witnessing the manifold challenges faced by immigrant women regarding mobility, Anamaria came to realize the critical importance of planning from a gendered and ethnic perspective and prompted her to contemplate how planners can deliver sustainable cities that are truly inclusive.
Her research thesis will focus on the factors that influence Latin American women in Auckland to adopt [or not] the use of private vehicles after moving to Aotearoa, which could result in new and better informed (proactive) strategies for creating a more inclusive transportation system.
Anamaria’s research outcomes are intended to serve as a valuable resource, offering practical recommendations for planners and policy developers. She believes her personal experience confirms what research has already claimed and proposes to use personal stories as a method to empower immigrant women who are frequently marginalized in planning processes, mainly due to their limited representation in qualitative assessments
She believes that this research project can not only establish a foundation for further exploration in the RMS area, considering the limited research on this topic in Aotearoa, but it can also enable practitioners to apply a qualitative lens to enhance quantitative methodologies. Her hope is that this research will facilitate connections with fellow planners, enabling practitioners to collaboratively plan for more inclusive, safe, and sustainable public infrastructure and spaces.
