Dr Abid Mehmood
Research Fellow, Sustainable Places Research Institute
- mehmooda1@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 29208 76232
- 2.03, 33 Park Place, Cathays, Cardiff, CF10 3BA
- Media commentator
- Available for postgraduate supervision
My broader expertise is in social innovation and sustainable development. I have research experience in climate change, global socioeconomic development, and social cohesion for local and regional policy and practice. I have also conducted research on climate change resilience strategies in London and Northeast England.
I am leading the Cities and sustainable places programme (#SDGAction28077) at Sustainable Places Research Institute. The programme integrates work related to sustainable urban transformations, governance of sustainable places, and spatial analysis and design of the built environment. Other relevant areas include community-led transition and adaptation, sustainable mobility, and integrative methods for sustainability science research and engagement.
I completed my Doctorate in Socioeconomic Development from Newcastle University UK, and Research Masters (DEA) in Regional Development from University of Lille, France. I have an MBA in Management Information Systems from Hamdard University. With this background, my research has been primarily of a collaborative and cross-disciplinary nature, involving research partnerships in Africa, Asia, Australasia, North and South Americas, and Europe. I have held visiting positions at Curtin University, Harokopio University of Athens, University of Milan-Bicocca, University of Naples Federico II, KTH Stockholm, KU Leuven, Newcastle University, Middle East Technical University Ankara, Beijing Normal University, and Renmin University of China.
Professional memberships
- Fellow, Royal Geographical Society
- Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy, UK
- UN-HABITAT University Network Initiative
- European Spatial Development & Planning Network
- International Network on Social Innovation, Sustainable Development and Territory (INSIST)
Speaking engagements
- 2020: 'Planning for Climate Change', KU Leuven, Belgium (March)
- 2019: 'Responsible and Inclusive Planning through Digital Social Innovation', State of the Australian Cities Conference, Perth, Australia (3-5 December)
- 2019: ‘Planning for the Hothouse Earth’, KU Leuven, Belgium (March)
- 2018: 'Experiences of large field surveys in rural areas: Lessons from Pakistan’, RGS-IBG Annual Conference, Cardiff, UK (28-31 August)
- 2018: ‘Planning for Climate Change’, KU Leuven, Belgium (April)
- 2017: ‘Social Innovation for Social and Political Transformation’, Planning Seminar at School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand (18 December)
- 2017: ‘Social innovation and governance for sustainable place-making’ short course, Renmin University of China (October)
- 2017: ‘Social Innovation and Restorative Justice’, RGS-IBG Annual Conference, London, UK (29 August – 1 September)
- 2017: 'Making justice accessible through social innovation', International Conference Making Space for Socio-spatial and Socio-ecological Justice, University of the Aegean, Mytilini, Greece (3-5 July)
- 2017: ‘Resilient places and communities’, KU Leuven, Belgium (April)
- 2016: Series of lectures on social innovation and sustainable development, Beijing Normal University, China (Nov-Dec)
- 2016: (Co-chair) ‘Community development, land tenure and social innovation’, United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development - Habitat III, Quito, Ecuador (20 October)
- 2016: (Keynote) 'Social innovation: from minority sport to game changer’, Habitat III, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito (18 October)
- 2016: (Chair) ‘Regeneration, Learning, Experiencing – Three perspectives on the transformative capacity of sustainable place-shaping’ Roundtable session at the UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference, Cardiff, UK (6 September)
- 2016: ‘Justice and Social Innovation: Mobile courts in Pakistan’, Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD) Annual Conference, Swansea University, UK (13-14 July)
- 2016: ‘Climate Change Resilience in Planning’, KU Leuven, Belgium (April)
- 2016: ‘Place based planning for urban resilience’, Planning Seminar at School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand (15 February)
- 2016: ‘Social Innovation and Ethnic Entrepreneurship’, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Centre (SIERC) Conference, Collaborating for Impact, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand (10-12 February)
- 2015: Invited Talk ‘Urban and Regional Development Trajectories in Contemporary Capitalism’ at IJUS Special Session Towards a Neo-Structural Methodology for Urban and Regional Development Analysis, 55th Annual Conference of Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Justice and The City: (re)Examining the Past to Create the Future, Houston TX, USA (22 October)
- 2015: ‘Resilience and Climate Change in Planning’, KU Leuven, Belgium (March)
- 2014: (Keynote) ‘Planning for Resilience: Climate change adaptation strategy for London’, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan (August)
- 2014: ‘Resilient entrepreneurship: The case of ethnic minority entrepreneurs in the UK’, South Asian International Conference, Islamabad, Pakistan (11-13 August)
- 2014: ‘Sustainability, Resilience and Climate Change in Planning’, KU Leuven, Belgium (March)
- 2013: ‘Social innovation in an unsustainable world’, Research Network for Social Enterprise (EMES) Conference If not for profit? For what? And how? Liège, Belgium (1-4 July)
- 2013: ‘Social innovation and sustainable development’, Regional Studies Association Annual Conference Shape and be Shaped: The Future Dynamics of Regional Development, Tampere, Finland (5-8 May)
- 2013: ‘Planning for Climate Change’, Middle East Technical University Ankara, Turkey (12 April)
- 2013: ‘Climate change and planning’, KU Leuven, Belgium (March)
- 2012: ‘Urban sustainability: Between mimetics and metaphors’, International conference Sustainability Through Biomimicry: Discovering a World of Solutions Inspired by nature, Dammam, Saudi Arabia (26-27 November)
- 2012: ‘innovation/social/resilience’, Urban Symposium on Justice and the City, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK (16 November)
- 2012: ‘Social innovation and resilience: A view towards risk governance’, Cardiff International Conference on Sustainable Place-Making, Cardiff, UK (29-30 October)
- 2012: (Davoudi, S., Brookes, E. and Mehmood, A.) ‘Evolutionary resilience as a strategy for climate change governance’, Cardiff International Conference on Sustainable Place-Making, Cardiff, UK (29-30 October)
- 2012: ‘Governance and social innovation for social and ecological transition’, Tipping Points Annual Conference, University of Durham, UK (2-3 July)
- 2012: ‘Social innovation and resilience’, Regional Studies Association Annual Conference, Networked regions and cities in times of fragmentation: Developing smart, sustainable and inclusive places, Delft, Netherlands (13-16 May)
- 2012: ‘Planning in an Unsustainable World’, KU Leuven, Belgium
- 2012: ‘(Re)-Placing Utopia: On the perils of abstract ideologies’, International Symposium, Beyond Utopia: Crisis, values and the socialities of nature, University of California Santa Barbara, USA (1-3 March)
- 2011: ‘Spatial planning and the governance of ecological settlements in the UK’, Regional Studies Association Annual Conference, Regional Development and Policy Development – Challenges, Choices & Recipients, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK (17-20 April)
- 2011: ‘Spatial Planning in Pakistan: Opportunities and Challenges’, KU Leuven, Belgium
- 2011: ‘Sustainability in Planning’ KU Leuven, Belgium
- 2010: ‘Adaptation and Resilience: Securing Regional Futures Through Alliances’, 24th Congress of the Association of European Schools of Planning, Space is Luxury, Helsinki, Finland (7-10 July)
- 2010: ‘The Weaker Links: Marine Spatial Planning and the Developing Countries’, Marine Spatial Planning Symposium Stepping into the Water: A New Domain for Spatial Planning, Sheffield Hallam University, UK (21 May)
- 2009: ‘Use of Metaphors in Social Science Analysis’, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
- 2009: ‘Spatial planning responses to climate change: Climate change vulnerability and planning challenges for small islands’, 23rd Congress of the Association of European Schools of Planning, Why can’t the future be more like the past?, Liverpool, UK (15-18 July)
- 2009: ‘University as a network institution’, ESDP Network conference, Contemporary Society and Cultural Shifts in Public Policy, Aveiro, Portugal (22-23 June)
- 2009: ‘Analysing socioeconomic development on small islands: Need for a multidisciplinary approach’, Regional Studies Association Annual Conference, Understanding and Shaping Regions: Spatial, Social and Economic Futures, Leuven, Belgium (6-8 April)
- 2009: ‘European spatial planning and the role of cities on small islands’, Annual UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference, Unequal Places: Planning and Territorial Cohesion, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK (1-3 April)
- 2007: ‘Planning for diversity: planning for islands’, International Congress on New concepts and approaches for Urban and Regional Policy and Planning? Leuven, Belgium (2-3 April)
- 2007: ‘Analysing regional development: From territorial innovation to path dependent development’, International Congress on New concepts and approaches for Urban and Regional Policy and Planning?, Leuven, Belgium (2-3 April)
Committees and reviewing
- Editorial Board Member, Journal of Research in Architecture and Planning
- Grant Reviewer, European Commission; Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK; FWF Austria, Flemish Council of Universities and University Colleges (VLUHR), National Science Centre Poland, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), The Research Council of Norway, Swiss National Science Foundation, Czech Ministry of Education Youth and Sports
- External Expert Adviser, National Assembly for Wales
2020
- O'Sullivan, K., Golubchikov, O. and Mehmood, A. 2020. Uneven energy transitions: Understanding continued energy peripheralization in rural communities. Energy Policy 138, article number: 111288. (10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111288)
- Rebelo, C., Mehmood, A. and Marsden, T. 2020. Co-created visual narratives and inclusive place branding: A socially responsible approach to residents’ participation and engagement. Sustainability Science 15(2), pp. 423-435. (10.1007/s11625-019-00760-2)
- Mehmood, A.et al. 2020. Transformative roles of people and places: Learning, experiencing and regenerative action through social innovation. Sustainability Science 15, pp. 455-466. (10.1007/s11625-019-00740-6)
- Moulaert, F. and Mehmood, A. 2020. Towards a social innovation (SI) based epistemology in local development analysis: lessons from twenty years of EU research. European Planning Studies 28(3), pp. 434-453. (10.1080/09654313.2019.1639401)
2019
- Cheema, A. and Mehmood, A. 2019. ‘Business-in-a-Box’ as transformative social innovation. In: Van den Broeck, P. et al. eds. Social Innovation as Political Transformation: Thoughts for a Better World. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 165.
- Parra, C.et al. 2019. Bringing the social back in sustainable socio-ecological development. In: Van den Broeck, P. et al. eds. Social Innovation as Political Transformation: Thoughts for a Better World. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 148-154.
- Van den Broeck, P. et al. eds. 2019. Social innovation as political transformation: Thoughts for a better world. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. (10.4337/9781788974288)
- Van den Broeck, P.et al. 2019. Social innovation as an alternative narrative. In: Van den Broeck, P. et al. eds. Social Innovation as Political Transformation: Thoughts for a Better World. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 2-7., (10.4337/9781788974288.00005)
- Axinte, L. F.et al. 2019. Regenerative city-regions: a new conceptual framework.. Regional Studies, Regional Science (10.1080/21681376.2019.1584542)
- Moulaert, F. and Mehmood, A. 2019. La coconstruction d’une épistémologie socialement innovante pour l’analyse du développement territorial: réflexions sur vingt ans de recherche-action. In: Klein, J. et al. eds. Trajectoires d’innovation. Des émergences à la reconnaissance. Presses de l’Université du Québec, pp. 51-66.
- Backman, M.et al. 2019. Experiential approaches to sustainability education: towards learning landscapes. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 20(1), pp. 139-156. (10.1108/IJSHE-06-2018-0109)
- Cheema, A. R. and Mehmood, A. 2019. Reproductive health services: 'Business in a Box' as a model social innovation. Development in Practice 29(2), pp. 196-207. (10.1080/09614524.2018.1541166)
2018
- Moulaert, F.et al. 2018. Innovazione sociale. Una scintilla per innescare processi trasformativi. Sociologia e politiche sociali 21(2), pp. 11-49. (10.3280/SP2018-002001)
- Mehmood, A. 2018. Hothouse Earth: seven things you can do to stop it. The Conversation 2018(Aug 10)
- Cheema, R., Mehmood, A. and Khan, A. 2018. Challenges of research in rural poverty: Lessons from large field surveys. Development in Practice 28, pp. 714-719. (10.1080/09614524.2018.1467881)
- Mehmood, A. 2018. Nature governance: a multimodal view. In: Marsden, T. ed. The SAGE Handbook of Nature., Vol. 1. London: SAGE, pp. 126-142.
2017
- 2017. Social innovation as a trigger for transformations - the role of research. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/pdf/policy_reviews/social_innovation_trigger_for_transformations.pdf
- Moulaert, F., Mehmood, A. and Manganelli, A. 2017. Spazi d'Innovazione Sociale. In: Monteduro, G. ed. Sussidiarietà e Innovazione Sociale. Costruire un welfare societario. FrancoAngeli, pp. 71-93.
2016
- Cheema, A., Mehmood, A. and Imran, M. 2016. Learning from the past: Analysis of disaster management structures, policies and institutions in Pakistan. Disaster Prevention and Management 25(4), pp. 449-463. (10.1108/DPM-10-2015-0243)
- Mehmood, A. 2016. Institutional forms of social innovation. International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development 10(3), pp. 300-311. (10.1504/IJISD.2016.077512)
- Moulaert, F., Jessop, B. and Mehmood, A. 2016. Agency, structure, institutions, discourse (ASID) in urban and regional development. International Journal of Urban Sciences 20(2), pp. 167-187. (10.1080/12265934.2016.1182054)
- Mehmood, A. and Jamal, A. 2016. Social innovation and ethnic entrepreneurship: the UK experience. In: de Bruin, A. and Lewis, K. V. eds. Proceedings of the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference: Collaborating for Impact. Auckland: Massey University, pp. 341-344.
- Mehmood, A. 2016. Of resilient places: planning for urban resilience. European Planning Studies 24(2), pp. 407-419. (10.1080/09654313.2015.1082980)
2015
- Mehmood, A., Jamal, A. and Sriram, V. 2015. Ethnic marketing, ethnic entrepreneurship and social innovation. In: Jamal, A., Peñaloza, L. and Laroche, M. eds. The Routledge Companion to Ethnic Marketing. Routledge, pp. 84-96.
- Moulaert, F. and Mehmood, A. 2015. Analysing regional development: From territorial innovation to path dependent geography. In: Davis, J. B. and Dolfsma, W. eds. The Elgar Companion to Social Economics, Second Edition., Vol. 2. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 676-700.
- Baker, S. C. and Mehmood, A. 2015. Social innovation and the governance of sustainable places. Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability 20(3), pp. 321-334. (10.1080/13549839.2013.842964)
2014
- Moulaert, F. and Mehmood, A. 2014. Towards social holism: social innovation, holistic research methodology and pragmatic collective action. In: Silva, E. A. et al. eds. The Routledge Handbook of Planning Research Methods: A Case-Based Guide to Research Design. New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 97-106.
2013
- Moulaert, F. et al. eds. 2013. The international handbook on social innovation: Collective action, social learning and transdisciplinary research. Elgar Original Reference. Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Mehmood, A. and Parra, C. 2013. Social innovation in an unsustainable world. In: Moulaert, F. et al. eds. The International Handbook on Social Innovation: Collective Action, Social Learning and Transdisciplinary Research. Elgar Original Reference Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 53-66.
- Moulaert, F.et al. 2013. General introduction: the return of social innovation as a scientific concept and a social practice. In: Moulaert, F. et al. eds. The International Handbook on Social Innovation: Collective Action, Social Learning and Transdisciplinary Research. Elgar Original Reference Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 1-6.
- Davoudi, S., Brooks, E. and Mehmood, A. 2013. Evolutionary resilience and strategies for climate adaptation. Planning Practice & Research 28(3), pp. 307-322. (10.1080/02697459.2013.787695)
- Mehmood, A. and Franklin, A. 2013. Sustainable urban land use and the question of eco-places. Presented at: 8th Seminar on Urban and Regional Planning – “Dynamics of Land in Planning”, Karachi, Pakistan, 30 March 2013Proceedings of the Eighth Seminar on Urban and Regional Planning. Karachi: NED University Press pp. 172-202.
- Mehmood, A. and Moulaert, F. 2013. Holistic research methodology and pragmatic collective action. In: Moulaert, F. et al. eds. The International Handbook on Social Innovation: Collective Action, Social Learning and Transdisciplinary Research. Elgar Original Reference Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 442-452.
- Mehmood, A. 2013. Urbanisation and climate change in developing countries: Options for Pakistan. In: Bajwa, K. W. ed. Urban Pakistan: Frames for Imagining and Reading Urbanism. Oxford University Press, pp. 38-50.
- Mehmood, A. 2013. Developing ecological settlements: two cases from the UK. In: Pengfei, Z. and Byrne, J. eds. Urban ecological environment protection. Beijing: China Forestry Publishing House, pp. 207-215.
2012
- Novy, A., Mehmood, A. and Moulaert, F. 2012. The DEMOLOGOS methodology for analyzing urban and regional trajectories. In: Martinelli, F., Moulaert, F. and Novy, A. eds. Urban and Regional Development Trajectories in Contemporary Capitalism. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 45-62.
- Mehmood, A. 2012. Urban sustainability: between mimetics and metaphors. Presented at: Sustainability Through Biomimicry, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, 27-28 November 2012Proceedings of the Sustainability Through Biomimicry Conference. University of Dammam pp. 31-48.
2011
- Moulaert, F. and Mehmood, A. 2011. Spaces of social innovation. In: Pike, A., Rodríguez Pose, A. and Tomaney, J. eds. Handbook of Local and Regional Development. London: Routledge, pp. 212-225.
- Davoudi, S., Mehmood, A. and Brooks, L. 2011. The London Climate Change Adaptation Strategy: gap analysis. Project Report. [Online]. Global Urban Research Unit. Available at: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/media/wwwnclacuk/globalurbanresearchunit/files/electronicworkingpapers/ewp44.pdf
2010
- Mehmood, A. 2010. On the history and potentials of evolutionary metaphors in urban planning. Planning Theory 9(1), pp. 63-87. (10.1177/1473095209346495)
- Moulaert, F. and Mehmood, A. 2010. Analysing regional development and policy: A structural-realist approach. Regional Studies 44(1), pp. 103-118. (10.1080/00343400802251478)
2009
- Davoudi, S., Crawford, J. and Mehmood, A. 2009. Climate change and spatial planning responses. In: Davoudi, S., Crawford, J. and Mehmood, A. eds. Planning for Climate Change: Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation for Spatial Planners. Earthscan, pp. 7-18.
- Davoudi, S., Crawford, J. and Mehmood, A. eds. 2009. Planning for climate change: Strategies for mitigation and adaptation for spatial planners. London: Earthscan.
- Moulaert, F. and Mehmood, A. 2009. Spatial planning and institutional design: What can we expect from transaction cost economics?. In: Geyer, H. S. ed. International Handbook of Urban Policy: Issues in the Developed World., Vol. 2. Elgar Original Reference Edward Elgar, pp. 199-211.
- Kizos, T., Spilanis, I. and Mehmood, A. 2009. Climate change vulnerability: Planning challenges for small islands. In: Davoudi, S., Crawford, J. and Mehmood, A. eds. Planning for Climate Change:Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation for Spatial Planners. Earthscan, pp. 94-106.
- Moulaert, F. and Mehmood, A. 2009. Analysing regional development: From territorial innovation to path-dependent geography. In: Davis, J. B. and Dolfsman, W. eds. The Elgar Companion to Social Economics. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 607-631.
2008
- Moulaert, F. and Mehmood, A. 2008. Analyser le developpement regional. De l'innovation territoriale a la geographie de dependence du sentier. Geographie Economie Societe 10(2), pp. 199-222. (10.3166/ges.10.199-222)
My lectures, seminars and tutorials cover topics around social innovation, sustainable development, climate change, behavioural change, urban resilience, and qualitative research methods.
- Community, Sustainable Health and Well-being (SIR019, School of Social Sciences)
- Environmental Policy and Climate Change (CPT855, School of Geography and Planning)
- Critical Perspectives in Social Science (SIT720, School of Social Sciences)
- Power, Politics, and Policy (SI0206, School of Social Sciences)
- Web and Social Computing (CMT111, School of Computer Science and Informatics)
I have participated in research and consultancy projects for a range of organisations including DEFRA, ESRC, EPSRC, Leverulme Trust and the European Commission.
Projects and grants
- 'Co-producing plans and strategies for community-based climate action’. ESRC/GCRF Impact Acceleration Award (2020)
- ‘Developing the impact of Community Interest Litigation for sustainable development', ESRC/GCRF Impact Acceleration Award (2020)
- ‘Community Interest Litigation as a tool for sustainable development in Lesotho’. GCRF Facilitation Grant (2020)
- 'Sustainable adaptation - resilience in urban regeneration'. Research Council of Norway (2019-21)
- ‘Economic Recovery in Post-Conflict Cities: The Role of the Urban Informal Economy’. ESRC-DFID. ES/M008789/1 (2016-19)
- 'Institutional change for sustainable placemaking'. International Collaboration Seedcorn Fund (2017-18)
- 'Towards an agenda for sustainable food governance'. Cardiff University – KU Leuven Joint Collaboration Fund (2017)
- ‘Information Models for the "Sharing Economy"’. Cardiff University CUROP grant (2016)
- ‘Sustainable Place-Shaping’ SUSPLACE. European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska Curie ITN (2015-19)
- 'Low Carbon Planning, Innovation and Management'. Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) DTC Award, co-funded with Brecon Beacons National Park Authority (2015-18)
- 'Making sense of financial consumption for ethnic minorities in Wales'. Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) DTC Award (2014-18) in collaboration with Islamic Banking and Finance Centre (IBFC) UK
- 'Sustainable Urban Regeneration', European Commission Erasmus Intensive Programme (2013-14)
- 'Biodiversity and Food Security: Developing Collaborative Policy for Seagrass Conservation in Turks and Caicos Islands'. Darwin Initiative DEFRA for UK Overseas Territories Challenge Fund, Round 18 (2012-13)
- International seminar series on Environmental Governance. Cardiff University Graduate College (2011-12)
- 'Planning Responses to Climate Change in the North East England'. Newcastle University Humanities Arts and Social Sciences Research Fund (2009-10)
- 'Adaptation and Resilience in Cities: Analysis and Decision making using Integrated Assessment' ARCADIA. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (2009-10)
- 'Social Platform on Cities and Social Cohesion' SOCIALPOLIS. European Commission FP7 (2008-10)
- 'Growing Inequality and Social Innovation: Alternative Knowledge and Practice in Overcoming Social Exclusion in Europe' KATARSIS. European Commission FP6 (2006-09)
- 'Development Models and Logics of Socioeconomic Organization in Space' – DEMOLOGOS. European Commission FP6 (2004-07)
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the following areas:
- Social innovation
- Global development related challenges
- Social and ethnic entrepreneurship
- Sustainable development and climate emergency
- Environmental planning
- Social and public policy and governance
- Resilience thinking
Current supervision
Areas of expertise
External profiles
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