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IFP-research

IFP-research (IFP-r) is the dedicated research and project implementation branch of the International Federation of Pedestrians (IFP). Established as a Brussels-based non-profit association (vzw/asbl, reg. no. 0789832002), it serves as the knowledge centre through which IFP engages in international collaborative research, innovation programmes and technical partnerships.

IFP-r represents and advances the mission of IFP within research consortia and institutional frameworks, ensuring that pedestrian perspectives are embedded in transport, urban planning, public health and climate agendas.

IFP-r produces and mobilises independent, policy-relevant knowledge to advance pedestrian safety, accessibility and mobility justice worldwide. Its work is guided by three core commitments:

  • Strengthening evidence that supports pedestrian rights and safe public space
  • Integrating intersectional, gender-responsive and care-oriented perspectives
  • Translating research into practical policy and planning solutions

Walking is the most universal form of mobility, yet it remains structurally underrepresented in transport research and investment. IFP-r works to correct this imbalance by positioning pedestrians at the centre of urban transformation.

Research areas

IFP-research contributes to international research agendas across interconnected thematic fields:

  • Pedestrian safety and Road Danger Reduction: systemic approaches to reducing pedestrian fatalities and injuries, including vehicle speed management, street design reform and regulatory change.
  • Street space reallocation and multimodal integration: analysis of how public space is distributed between transport modes and how streets can be redesigned to prioritise people over vehicles.
  • Inclusive and feminist urbanism: research on mobility of care, gender-responsive planning, accessibility and the spatial implications of inequality. Walking is a core infrastructure of the caring city.
  • Proximity planning and liveable neighbourhoods: exploration of 15-minute city principles, children’s urban perception, car-free environments and neighbourhood-level transformation.
  • Accessibility and universal design: assessment of barriers affecting persons with disabilities, older people and diverse bodies in the built environment.
  • Data, digital tools and spatial analysis: development and application of tools such as multimodal street scanning, walk audits, near-miss documentation and participatory mapping.
  • Public health and climate resilience: understanding walking as a determinant of physical and mental health, social cohesion and low-carbon urban systems.

Methodological approach

IFP-r integrates quantitative, qualitative and participatory methods to produce grounded and actionable evidence.

Our methodological toolbox includes:

  • Multimodal street scanning and infrastructure assessment
  • Walk audits and structured field observation
  • Near-miss and conflict mapping
  • Walk-along interviews and perception studies
  • Comparative policy analysis
  • Participatory co-design processes
  • GIS-based spatial analysis
  • Indicator development and benchmarking

By combining technical data with lived experience, IFP-research ensures that knowledge reflects both measurable conditions and everyday realities.

International collaboration

IFP-research coordinates and participates in European and international research and innovation projects, including Horizon Europe and other collaborative programmes.

Through the broader IFP network, it draws upon expertise from member organisations across Europe, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. This global network enables:

  • Access to local knowledge in diverse socio-spatial contexts
  • Comparative research across governance systems
  • Peer learning between cities and civil society actors
  • Integration of grassroots experience into academic frameworks

IFP-research builds upon IFP’s longstanding history as a project partner in earlier European research initiatives, consolidating institutional memory and expanding international engagement.

Policy and institutional relevance

The work of IFP-r contributes to broader international frameworks, including:

  • Road safety and Vision Zero strategies
  • Sustainable Development Goals (notably SDGs 3, 10 and 11)
  • UN Decade Sustainable Transport
  • Climate mitigation and adaptation agendas
  • Public health promotion
  • Gender equality in urban development
  • Local, regional, national and international pedestrian plans and strategies

Research outputs are designed to inform concrete policy processes at different levels of government.

Partnerships

IFP-r collaborates with:

  • Universities and research institutes
  • Municipalities and metropolitan authorities
  • Civil society organisations
  • Development banks and international institutions
  • Multidisciplinary consortia

We contribute as:

  • Research partner in funded programmes
  • Technical advisor on pedestrian and multimodal assessment
  • Methodology developer
  • Consultant on pedestrian interventions and redevelopment of public space
  • Pilot implementation partner
  • Capacity-building provider

Organisations interested in collaboration are invited to contact us to explore partnership opportunities.

Governance and structure

IFP-r operates as an independent non-profit entity under Belgian law while advancing the strategic objectives of the International Federation of Pedestrians. It ensures transparency, accountability and compliance with funding frameworks, while maintaining intellectual integrity and policy independence.

Towards a global knowledge platform on walking

Through sustained collaboration, methodological innovation and policy engagement, IFP-r aims to strengthen the global evidence base on walking and contribute to a future in which pedestrian mobility is recognised as foundational to safe, equitable and sustainable cities.