University of Gothenburg
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Marie Thynell

Senior Advisor

Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development,
GMV
Telephone
+46 31-786 49 37
+46 766-18 49 37
Mail
marie.thynell@gu.se
Visiting address
Aschebergsgatan 44
41133 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 170
40530 Göteborg

About Marie Thynell

Associate Professor Marie Thynell has conducted research in global cities, urban infrastructure and transport development. She has extensive research experience in the area of equal access, transport policy and public transport in developing, as well as developed cities. She has carried out case studies in Tehran, Dhaka, Xì an, Ha Noi, New Delhi, Petrozavodsk, Skopje, Rome, Copenhagen, Brasília and Santiago de Chile. Thynell has published a number of articles and is a co-author of the Aichi statement (2005) regarding sustainable transport in Asia. This statement was adopted by 48 Asian Mayors. Thynell is also a co-author of the Bangkok Declaration for 2020 and an expert member to the Environmental Sustainable Transport (EST) in the Asian region promoted by United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) and, to the UN’s Commission for Sustainable Development UNCSD18/19 in New York. Forthcoming case studies include Hong Kong and Beijing.

Areas of interest My research interests are Sustainable Development, Global Development Research, Mass motorization, Global and Rapidly Changing Cities, Socio-Economic Relations and User Perspectives, Gender, Transport Policy and Equal Access, Energy Efficiency in Multifamily Housings, Air quality in Asian and African Cities, Collaborative Learning. Many of the issues are analysed in a STS-approach.

Dissertation: The Unmanageable Modernity. An Explorative Study of Motorized Mobility in Development. Abstract.

Current research

2014-2019: Photochemical Smog in China: Formation, transformation, impact and abatement strategies. Thynell collaborates in a huge project focusing on air quality in Hong Kong and Beijing financed by the Swedish Reseach Council by 25 million SEK. The cities are located in separate climate zones, suffers from different kinds bad air and due to history have different strategies to handle the challenges.

2013-2015: Coping with recurrent emergency: the self-organisation of civil society in Jakarta during flooding. Financed by the Swedish Research Council. Marie Thynell, Project Leader.

This is an interdisciplinary project conducted together with Ass. Prof Jörgen Hellman in Social Anthropology. The project analyses a number of topics related to policy, planning, floodings and environment and how civil society organises it's survival in times of hazards. Jakarta with it's 29 million inhabitants suffers from recurrent floodings. This makes it a prime case study of global as well as local forces at play in times of crises and in urban risk management. The project studies how city government and citizens in flooded areas deal with the problems in a short as well as long-term perspective. What strategies and actions do they formulate to confront these challenges?

2012-2013: Looking into the Future A comprehensive analysis of the FUT programme. Volvo Research and Educational Foundations, VREF. Marie Thynell, Project Leader.

2010-2012: Policy responses and civil mobilization in relation to threats of climate change in Jakarta. Swedish Research Council. Planning Grant.

2010-2013: Sustainable Transport Initiative. Area of Advanced Studies, Chalmers University of Technology / School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg.

2009-2012: Learning for Collaborative Energy Efficiency in Urban Residential Areas. Financed by Formas. Main applicant Ylva Norén Bretzer, Public Affairs, together with Marie Thynell, Anders Sandoff, Business economics and David Langlet, Law.

2009-2011, Eco-Region Baltic 21 Lighthouse Project. Flagship project of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) Financed by the EU Commission. Lead Partner Sustainable Transport. University of Gothenburg. 2007-2009, Sustainable transport and social justice. Cases in two rapidly growing cities: Hanoi and Xian. Project leader. Financed by SIDA/SAREK in collaboration with the Centre for Global Gender Studies, University of Gothenburg. Together with A/Prof. Ann Schlyter and Dr. Hoi Anh Tran.

2006-2008, Socio-Cultural constructions of sustainable mobility and their role in political and practical initiatives in Sweden. Financed by the Swedish MISTRA.

Current reviews I am reviewing for: Research Services at The Swedish Parliament; UN IPCC 5th report (forthcoming); The Institute of Urban Transport (IUT) Ministry of Urban Renewal, India, 2012; The Research Council of Norway; The World Conference on Transport Research; The Journal of Transport Policy; The World Renewable Energy Congress 2011; Sw. Sida Genderhelpdesk 2003-2010.

Teaching and tutoring

  • International Relations – Governance, Policy, Alternative and Green Perspectives
  • Development Research
  • Global Cities
  • Sustainable Development and Sustainable Transport
  • Sustainable Cities and the Future of Gothenburg
  • Gender Studies
  • Social Equity and Global Inequality

Board Membership

2014-2017, The Gothenburg Atmospheric Science Center, GAC, University of Gothenburg.