Proposed Area of Research:

Based upon the aims of the 4M project, I would focus my research on the socio-economic backgrounds of households within Leicester, and how this socio-economic status reflects energy useage, specifically regarding transport. The aims of the research would reflect upon the impact socio-economic factors such as income and educational attainment have on the awareness of climate change issues and the willingness to be proactive in reducing household carbon footprints. Whilst the overriding focus of my proposed research will be on transport, a consideration of utilities (water, gas, electricity) may also be relevant as a complimentary study to fit the aims of the overall study.

The research would be carried out primarily through qualitative interviews, although surveys would be appropriate to obtain a wider ranging sample. This qualitative research would aim to discover information on transport usage, such as average commuting distance, the use of private cars for short journeys, use of public transport as well as the energy efficiency of such vehicles (i.e. engine size, age of model, and fuel efficiency). The qualitative data can also be supplemented with quantitative data such as household income, cars per household, public transport passenger statistics to add another dimension to the research project. From these results, a clearer indication of the attitudes towards climate change within Leicester can be determined.

Transport flows into and within the City of Leicester would be expected to share a relationship with the number of buildings within the City, so whilst transport issues are of less importance to the carbon footprint than building emissions as set out in the project brief, an analysis of transport emissions is still of importance. This would also give the opportunity to determine whether or not increased socio-economic affluence will lead to a reduced carbon footprint, as people with higher incomes may be more willing to invest in greener technologies, or whether affluence will lead to increased business investment, increasing traffic flows and therefore carbon emissions.

Other Skills I would contribute to the Project:

Having completed an undergraduate degree in Geography with Economics as well as currently studying for an MSc in International Financial and Political Relations, I feel that I can bring a strong social science background to complement the existing Civil and Building Engineering expertise working on the project. Having studied both Physical and Human Geography, I understand the importance climate change and carbon footprints has on both the natural and human environment, and have a keen interest in this area of work.

I have completed modules in Sustainable Cities, Principles and Practices of Conservation and Economics of Energy and The Environment which I consider to be of relevance to this project. In addition I have experience in carrying out qualitative research, specific to urban issues, having interviewed a member of Charnwood council when analysing the impacts of ‘Studentification’ on Loughborough Town as part of the Exploring Everyday Geographies module and have analysed interview transcripts that dealt with London-Frankfurt city relations as part of the Researching Global Flows module at postgraduate level.

Additionally I have knowledge of GIS systems, having obtained a grade of 77% in Computer Cartography, Remote Sensing and GIS module, which I have subsequently revisited for mapping my results for my MSc dissertation. I also have knowledge in dealing with quantitative data, having obtained 74% in the Quantitative Methods in Geography module and 76% in the Quantitative coursework for Researching Global Flows. As a former member of the Geography department I have connections to the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) research group and feel that the projects carried out by this group would be of relevance to this project. I would also be willing to attend Geography conferences to expand upon my knowledge of Carbon footprint issues within global areas and to gain an alternative perspective which would be of benefit to this project.