Dr Stephen Parkes
Senior Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Fellow, Centre for Regional Economic & Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ (CRESR)
Summary
I am a mixed-methods researcher based within the Sustainable Futures Cluster in the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. My area of expertise is transport, but I have also been involved in projects across energy, just transitions, and inclusive growth.
About
My primary research activity explores active travel and the intersection of active travel policy with issues of social and spatial equity. This shapes much of my work and is embedded in the three main programmes of work I am currently involved in, which includes:
- Active travel: Increasing levels of walking, cycling and other active modes are vital components of the transition to a low-carbon transport system. I have been involved over the past few years on work to develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Active Travel programme, and a large programme of evaluation for Active Travel England. In addition to this, I have conducted research studying the impacts of Covid-19 on travel behaviour in Sheffield and Lancashire (funded by the EPSRC DecarboN8 Network). This research was in 2024.
- High consumers of energy and transport: This programme of work, alongside colleagues in the Sustainable Futures Cluster, is focused on a poorly understood and under researched group of households - those households that consume energy, food and transport in large quantities relative to average households. This work aims to consider the existing evidence in relation to high consumers and to explore, through qualitative and quantitative methods, the extent and nature of this group. As part of this work, was conducted and recently published in the People, Place and Policy journal.
- Autonomous Vehicles: The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles (AVs) (or driverless cars) is increasingly being discussed, with proponents heralding their multiple benefits to the transport system. Through two recent projects, I have explored the potential positive and negative impacts of AVs on towns and cities, and on other road users, including cyclists and people who walk or wheel. Outputs from this work include and a .
Prior to joining CRESR, I worked as a Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Fellow in the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham working within a Leverhulme Trust funded interdisciplinary project on urban sustainability. My PhD (University of Leeds, 2011-2015) focused on the impact of disruptive events on individual travel behaviour, adopting a case-study of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ
2022-2027 Active Travel Portfolio Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Evaluation Programme. Department for Transport. Role: Project Manager.
2022-2023 Everyday travel past and present: A local case study of Sheffield, UK. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Role: Project Manager.
2020-2022 Local and regional responses to connected and autonomous vehicles. Regional Studies Association. Role: Project team member.
2020-2021 Understanding and engaging with high consuming households: energy, transport, food. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Role: Project team member.
2020-2021 Room to Move – Impacts of road-space reallocation (REMODEL). Engineering and Physical Sciences Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Council (DecarboN8 Network). Role: Project Manager.
2020-2021 Active Travel Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (South Yorkshire). South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Role: Project team member.
2020-2021 What does a city regional just transition look like? Sheffield City Region. Role: Project team member.
2020-2021 Thematic Review of Local Government Responses to Covid-19 in the UK. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ / IGU Commission on the Geography of Governance. Role: Project team member.
2019-2021 Walking with Energy: overcoming energy invisibility through research participation, Swedish Energy Agency. Role: project manager.
2019-2020 South Yorkshire Bus Review Evidence Support. Role: project team member.
2018-2019 Economic Assessment of Assets in Community Ownership, Power to Change. Role: project team member.
2018-2019 Inclusive Growth Strategy Support, Sheffield City Region. Role: project team member.
2018-2019 The Sheffield and Rotherham Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA), Sheffield City Council and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. Role: project team member.
2018-2019 Sheffield City Region Active Travel Review, Sheffield City Region. Role: project team member.
2018 Metrolink Community Impact Study (led by Ipsos Mori), Transport for Greater Manchester. Role: policy input.
Publications
Journal articles
Eadson, W., Castaño Garcia, A., Parkes, S., & Butterworth, E. (2025). . European Urban and Regional Studies.
Grace, A., Leather, D., & Parkes, S. (2024). . People, Place and Policy Online, 1-3.
Parkes, S., Weston, R., & Gore, T. (2024). . Active Travel Studies, 4 (1).
Ambrose, A., Palm, J., Parkes, S., & Speake, B. (2024). . International Journal of Housing Policy, 1-20.
Gore, T., Bimpson, E., Dobson, J., & Parkes, S. (2023). Path Clearing, Policy Acceleration or Trend Reinforcement: Potential Implications of Selected Local Government Responses to Covid-19 in the UK. International Review of Public Policy, 5 (3), 313-344.
Castano Garcia, A., Ambrose, A., Hawkins, A., & Parkes, S. (2021). . Energy Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Social Science, 80.
Parkes, S., Jopson, A., & Marsden, G. (2016). . Transportation Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Part A: Policy and Practice, 92, 104-119.
Parkes, S., Marsden, G., Shaheen, S.A., & Cohen, A.P. (2013). . Journal of Transport Geography, 31, 94-103.
Conference papers
Hawkins, A., Ambrose, A., Parkes, S., Arbell, Y., Garcia, A.C., & Rafalowicz-Campbell, M. (2022). . In ECEEE Summer Study 2022, Hyeres, France, 6 June 2022 - 11 June 2022. ECEEE:
Book chapters
Ambrose, A., Palm, J., Parkes, S., & Speake, B. (2024). . In Horne, R., Ambrose, A., Walker, G., & Nelson, A. (Eds.) Post Carbon Inclusion: transitions built on justice. (pp. 36-52). Bristol: Bristol University Press:
Ambrose, A., Hawkins, A., Parkes, S., Castano Garcia, A., Arbell, Y., & Speake, B. (2024). Uneven Consumption and the Work of Being a High Consumer. In Post Carbon Inclusion: Transitions Built on Justice. Bristol University Press
Books
Parkes, S., & Ferrari, E. (2022). . Taylor & Francis.
Reports
Marson, J., Dickinson, J., & Parkes, S. (2023). London: Property Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Trust.
Ambrose, A., Rafalowicz-Campbell, M., Castano Garcia, A., Hawkins, A., & Parkes, S. (2023). . Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. /centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/high-consumption-in-the-uk
Gregory, M., Ferrari, E., Parkes, S., Barrett, D., Goldsmith, S., & Storey, R. (2023). DfT Active Travel portfolio evaluation - monitoring and evaluation (M&E Plan).
Batty, E., Crisp, R., Gilbertson, J., Martin, P., Pardoe, J., Parkes, S., ... Wilson, I. (2022). . Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ.
Ambrose, A., Castano Garcia, A., Hawkins, A., Parkes, S., Rafalowicz-Campbell, M., & Smith, M. (2022). . Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. /centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/its-high-time-to-talk-about-the-climate-impacts-of-high-consumers
Eadson, W., Northall, P., Johnston, A., Parkes, S., Wells, P., & While, A. (2022). . Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. /centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/low-carbon-energy-supply-chains-employment-and-skills-in-south-yorkshire-headline-findings
Parkes, S., Gore, T., Weston, R., & Lawler, M. (2021). . Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ.
Batty, E., Crisp, R., Gilbertson, J., Martin, P., Pardoe, J., Parkes, S., ... Wilson, I. (2021). . Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ.
Ambrose, A., Parkes, S., Eadson, W., Bull, R., Thidell, Ã…., Kojonsaari, A.-.R., ... Smith, M. (2021). . Energimyndigheten. /centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/walking-with-energy-overcoming-energy-invisibility-through-research-participation
Eadson, W., Harris, C., Parkes, S., Dobson, J., & Dempsey, N. (2021). . Heritage Lottery Fund. /centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/why-should-we-invest-in-parks-evidence-from-the-parks-for-people-programme
Gregory, M., Parkes, S., Ferrari, E., & taylor, C. (2021). SCR’s Active Travel Implementation Plan monitoring and evaluation plan.
Gore, A., Bimpson, E., Dobson, J., & Parkes, S. (2021). . Centre for Regional Economic and Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. /centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/local-government-responses-to-the-covid19-pandemic-in-the-uk-a-thematic-review
Archer, T., Parkes, S., & Speake, B. (2020). . Sheffield: Centre for Regional Economic and Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. /centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/the-english-village-and-community-hall-survey-2020
Batty, E., Ceolta-Smith, J., Crisp, R., Gilbertson, J., Martin, P., Parkes, S., ... Scullion, L. (2020). . Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Ï㽶ÊÓƵ.
Gregory, M., Parkes, S., Hamilton, N., & Haake, S. (2019). SCR Active Travel Strategy Review.
Archer, T., Wilson, I., Parkes, S., Batty, E., & Harris, C. (2019). . Power to Change. /centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/our-assets-our-future-the-economics-outcomes-and-sustainability-of-assets-in-community-ownership