Field of work
Prof. dr. ir. Wendy Tan (1981, Singapore) is Professor of Spatial Planning at the Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL). She is also a Senior Lecturer at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands. She specialises in sustainable mobility, and inclusive and just planning. Her background in architecture and urban design across Europe and Asia brings an interdisciplinary perspective to the examination of how transport policies and spatial planning can create more equitable and sustainable urban environments. Her research combines digital quantitative tools (GIS/SSx) with qualitative methods from ethnography and social psychology, focusing on mobility justice and inclusive design.
As leader of the Sustainable Mobility and Transport Planning Group (SUSMOB), she currently leads several EU projects (JUST STREETS, MobileWorlds and ARTEMIS). Prof. Tan collaborates with municipalities, regional authorities, and community organisations on innovative projects, including JUST STREETS, where she is developing a mobility equity index. She partners with her students and the city of Bergen on car-free city planning and people-oriented mobility. Her work transforms complex theoretical insights into practical tools for community, industry, and policy stakeholders.
Her teaching features research-oriented, problem-based learning through real-world projects. Students work directly with local government and communities to develop solutions. She employs adaptive learning techniques and blended and flipped classroom approaches, with her courses known for innovative digital tools that enhance student engagement.
Through her research, teaching, and community engagement, she strives to create urban environments that serve all members of society, focusing on sustainable mobility solutions for marginalised communities.
Research groups
- Sustainable Mobility and Transport Planning (SUSMOB)
- Data-driven Energy System Analysis
Publications
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Is It Just Planning? Unpacking Markers of Justice in Spatial Planning Literature
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Spatial drone path planning: A systematic review of parameters and algorithms
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Assessing justice in sustainable mobility transitions: narratives from transport policies in Jakarta
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Climate adaptation in informal areas in hot arid climates
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Demystifying urban digital twins: Evaluating the case of Herrenberg through the lens of the Gemini and FAIR data principles
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Spatial data and workflow automation for understanding densification patterns and transport energy networks in urban areas: The cases of Bergen, Norway, and Zürich, Switzerland
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Endurance and implementation in small-scale bottom-up initiatives: How social learning contributes to turning points and critical junctures
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Conceptualizing Mobility Inequality: Mobility and Accessibility for the Marginalized
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Challenges of Governance: Development and Regional Integration in Southeast Asia and ASEAN
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You have to drive: Impacts of planning policies on urban form and mobility behavior in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Maladaptive Planning and the Pro-Innovation Bias: Considering the Case of Automated Vehicles
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Every-day mobility anecdotes: Addressing the blind spot of goal- and expert-oriented mobility research
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Realised pedestrian accessibility of an informal settlement in Jakarta, Indonesia
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How gender differences and perceptions of safety shape urban mobility in Southeast Asia
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The Missing Link: Sustainable Mobility for Sustainable Cities and Communities
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Unpacking social learning in planning: who learns what from whom?
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The Emergence of Mobility Inequality in Greater Jakarta, Indonesia: A Socio-Spatial Analysis of Path Dependencies in Transport–Land Use Policies
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Social learning as an analytical lens for co-creative planning
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A Dutch perspective on urban growth boundaries: from containing to stimulating growth
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Institutional Innovations for Sustainable Mobility: Comparing Groningen (NL) and Phoenix (US)
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The Role of Incentives in Implementing Successful Transit-Oriented Development Strategies
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Identifying and conceptualising context-specific barriers to transit-oriented development strategies: the case of the Netherlands
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Pursuing transit-oriented development: Implementation through institutional change, learning and innovation
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Exploring 24/7 environments