Prof Imran Muhammad CRP, MSc, MSc, PhD

Contact details

• Location: 2.08, Social Science Tower
  Campus: Turitea

Qualifications

• BSc City & Regional Planning - University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (1997)
• MSc City & Regional Planning - University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore (2001)
• MSc Urban Planning - University of Hong Kong (2002)
• Doctor of Philosophy - University of Melbourne (2006)

Certifications and Registrations

• Licence, Mentor Supervisor, Massey University

Research Interests

Imran's research interests broadly focus on understanding the sustainable transport linkages with governance, climate change, poverty, gender, economic growth and urban design in contemporary cities.

Imran's current research explores how institutions can promote sustainable transport in cities in developing and developed countries. His research argues for a greater recognition of the role of politics and the influence of discourse on transport decision-making and reveals the limitations of technical methodologies. Imran's research is instrumental in the application of sustainability to transportation by challenging the conventional wisdom of building more roads and in the design of public transport.

Imran has received research grants from the Royal Society of NZ Marsden Fund (2013-2016) and, the NZ Transport Agency (2008) and has acted as a consultant for the World Bank (2010).

Imran is the sole author of a book, Institutional barriers to sustainable urban transport in Pakistan published by Oxford University Press. His book has received attention because of the sharp growth in motorisation in developing countries and the concerns this raises about global sustainability. Imran's research outputs have been used in the Supreme Court of Pakistan to challenge the widening of the Lahore Canal Road.

Imran is the 2013 recipient of the College Research Award – Early Career. Imran is also a recipient of 2014 IPENZ Transportation Group Conference People's Choice Award on his presentation about the political-institutional challenges of public transport in Auckland. 

Thematics

21st Century Citizenship, Resource Development and Management

Area of Expertise

Field of research codes
Built Environment And Design (120000): Land Use and Environmental Planning (120504): Transport Planning (120506): Urban and Regional Planning (120500): Urban Design (120508)

Keywords

• Urban planning and development

• Transport planning and policies

• Sustainable transport (walking, cycling and public/shared transport)

• Public transport network planning

• Transport and land use integration / Transit Oriented Development (TOD)

• Transport and climate change adaptation and mitigation

• Transport and socio-economic exclusions & development

• Mega transport projects

• Urban design

Completed Projects

Consultancy

• May 2010 - Oct 2010 - World Bank
  Quick urban transport assessment in Punjab, Pakistan
• Aug 2008 - March 2010 - New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)
  Public transport network planning: a guide to best practice in NZ cities (NZTA research report 396)
• Jul 2008 - Nov 2010 - New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)
  Attitudes and behaviour in relation to public transport in New Zealand's non-metropolitan regions (NZTA research report 419)

Languages

• Urdu
  Last used: 2014
  Spoken ability: Excellent
  Written ability: Excellent
• Punjabi
  Last used: 2014
  Spoken ability: Excellent
  Written ability: Needs work
• Hindi
  Last used: 2014
  Spoken ability: Excellent
  Written ability: Needs work

Teaching Statement

My teaching philosophy rests on finding innovative solutions to wicked problems in our cities through critical thinking, creativity and active learning with inspired students. I believe in research-led experiential teaching which engages with real-world projects/scenarios in collaboration with industry. My teaching philosophy, passion and dedication have developed from my experience as a student in world-class universities and 15 years of teaching amazing, bright and motivated students at Massey University. I received the College Special Commendation of Teaching Excellence in 2012. 

Graduate Supervision Statement

I am a passionate, student-centred supervisor who inspires and influences the intellectual journey of the next generation of researchers. I have received the 2020 College of Humanities and Social Sciences Supervisory Award.

I have adopted an interdisciplinary approach to doctoral research supervision in the areas of social sustainability (Women and transport planning, social justice in making cities safe, disaster risk governance), economic sustainability (road investment and economic growth), environmental sustainability (impact of climate change on transport, resilient transport), institutional sustainability (innovative funding for public transport, decision-making for mega infrastructure projects) and technological sustainability (autonomous vehicles and their uptake). These projects engage with literature in the areas of social sciences (e.g., urban planning, transport planning, development studies, anthropology, women studies, public policy, political science, environmental studies, defence and security studies), humanities (history, religious and media studies), business studies (economics and management sciences) and engineering (civil engineering and telecommunication engineering). My PhD students come from various disciplinary backgrounds (e.g., planning, anthropology, civil engineering, development studies, development economics) and have adopted different methodological approaches. Similarly, the supervisory panels for my doctoral students projects were formed from the social science, science and business schools at Massey University and beyond. This approach allowed me to work with interdisciplinary teams of academics and learn from others with different supervisory styles.

I consider student supervision as an opportunity to develop the next generation of researchers and professionals. In my 15 years at Massey, I have developed my supervisory skills in a complex environment that focuses on both changing the knowledge of the research area and on student-centred development. Therefore, I have developed a dual strategy contributing in the short-medium term (inspiring and influencing students’ research projects) and the medium-long term (student development, publications, networking and career opportunities). This supervisory vision and practice has helped me to develop relationships with my students beyond their Massey tenure. This vision encourages me to take a student-centred approach by providing opportunities for their growth, which is ultimately good for students, my own research and for the university. 

Current Doctoral Supervision

Main Supervisor of:

• Moayad Shammut - Doctor of Philosophy
  The Future of Autonomous Vehicles in New Zealand

Co-supervisor of:

• Alexander Sasu - Doctor of Philosophy
  Three Essays on Land Banking Praxis In Ghana
• Shashini Ranabahu Ranabahu Mudiyanselage - Doctor of Philosophy
  Community mobility and disasters; A system based-approach to assess vulnerability and resilience
• Mati Ullah Tareen Tareen - Doctor of Philosophy
  Rethinking the Problem of Human Security and Militarization in Pakistan: A Case study of Baluchistan

Completed Doctoral Supervision

Main Supervisor of:

• 2022 - Xinning Wang - Doctor of Philosophy
  Public Value Creation: Exploring Partnerships in Value Capture Projects in China
• 2018 - Waheed Ahmed - Doctor of Philosophy
  Transport and Women's Social Exclusion in Urban Areas in Pakistan
• 2017 - Suryani Wijaya - Doctor of Philosophy
  Multi-level tensions in transport policy and planning: bus-rapid transit (BRT) in Indonesia
• 2017 - Muhammad Chohan - Doctor of Philosophy
  Roads Investment and Economic Growth: Similarity or Divergence between Developed and Developing Countries

Co-supervisor of:

• 2024 - Syed Ali - Doctor of Philosophy
  Power dynamics in environmental decision-making for large-scale infrastructure projects The Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme, New Zealand
• 2012 - Abdur Cheema - Doctor of Philosophy
  Exploring the role of the mosque in dealing with disasters: a case study of the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan

Other Links

• LinkedIn
• Better public transport, the only viable future - The NZ Herald
• Politics keeping hand-brake on public transport progress - The NZ Herald
• A Bus Pass for Lahore - Tanqeed
• A rapid transit system for Lahore? - The Express Tribune
• view more...
• Climate change and our cities - The Daily Times
• Climate change and the 2010 flood - The Express Tribune
• view less...