Ceremony 1
Academic Oration
Monday 18 November 2013 at 1630hrs
JESUITS’ CHURCH – VALLETTA
Dr Maria Attard
A.L.C.M., B.A. (Hons)(Melit.), M.A. (Melit.), Ph.D. (Lond.), F.R.G.S.
Faculty of Arts
Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development
I first take the opportunity to welcome you to this year’s Graduation Ceremonies, of
which this is the first, and also to thank Senate for the invitation and opportunity to
address you today.
At this point in time the research community is heavily engaged in discussions about the
new framework programme which is set to channel all the EU’s research and innovation
money for the coming seven years. Horizon 2020, as it is being called…. (and here I
quote) is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020
flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness. Running from 2014
to 2020 with a budget of just over €70 billion, the EU’s new programme for research and
innovation is part of the drive to create new growth and jobs in Europe (1).
I wanted to start my address highlighting this as the University of Malta has the potential
and opportunity within Horizon 2020 to continue developing this important role the
University has in society, particularly in the areas related to the country’s social and
environmental challenges. We need more research in what Aurelio Peccei (1981) referred
to the future that can still become what we reasonably and realistically want (2).
Now, I am a Human Geographer by training, one that specialized in urban and transport
geography and started my academic career setting up the Geographic Information
Systems Laboratory at the University. The Laboratory fell under the Faculty of Science
however it provided training on GIS to almost all faculties. Later I formally joined the
Geography Department (an Arts subject area) and subsequently took on the role of
Director of the new interdisciplinary Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable
Development. This academic background is what has enriched my understanding of
society and the world but also in the way we, as academics, have the potential to
contribute.
My research revolves around land transport, a nagging problem for almost everyone in
society, but one which is so complex in terms of the technologies, the infrastructures, the
impacts on the environment, society and the economy, and last but not least the political
dimension of transport which has an impact on every aspect of Society (with a capital S).
Research in this area is multi and inter-disciplinary and has been identified by the
European Union as one of the Grand Challenges facing our society and that will have
significant funding for research in Horizon 2020.
Having said that, the importance of Social Sciences and Humanities research has been a
topic of discussion in a number of venues particularly in the run up to the Horizon 2020
launch, set for 2014. At one of these events held in Vilnius in September this year, social
scientists from all around Europe came together under the Presidency of the Lithuanian
Government to discuss the role and benefits of Social Sciences and Humanities research
for Europe. Kirsten Drotner, Chair of the Scientific Committee for the Humanities in
Science Europe said that…. the complex societal challenges that we are facing today
cannot be explained by physical, environmental and biological causes alone; humans
play a central role. Understanding the human factor is fundamental and can only be
achieved by investigating the historical, cultural and communication processes in which
human life is embedded (3).
My intentional focus on Social Sciences and Humanities stems from discussions which I
have been involved in over the last few years, with the majority questioning the relevance
of Social Sciences and Humanities in society. On one hand the question of why we
should be conducting research into the human condition and on the other, more utilitarian
view, what kind of contribution can social scientists give to today’s society, especially
when this is continually driven by a need for an application (technological fix to some
problem) and potential commercialization of research for direct economic gain?
I can give you a number of examples where Social Science research is fundamental. At
the conference in Vilnius I was asked to make a statement about the role of Social
Sciences in Horizon 2020, particularly in relation to the challenge identified in Europe
2020 as Smart, Green and Integrated Transport. I mentioned the need to re-focus some
of the effort and investment into Social science research as they (the social scientists)
reflect mostly on the problems that our cities face. For example, a lot of money is spent in
Europe on developing cleaner cars. Has research looked beyond the driver satisfaction
and experience of an electric car versus a conventional car, in an attempt to understand
more holistically the socio-economic impact of electric mobility? Stuck in traffic in a
conventional car or in an electric car will certainly not improve one’s quality of life! Yes,
of course, many argue that air quality will improve, but certainly not all the other impacts
associated with car dependence, such as increasing travel time due to congestion, limited
space for parking infrastructures at origin and destination, fatalities and injuries from
road accidents, increasing cost of infrastructure maintenance, increasing obesity and poor
health associated with increased car use and lack of exercise, and so on.
We see our cities and urban areas growing, and not necessarily horizontally in terms of
sprawl. They are certainly growing older (demographically) and changing the dynamics
of land use, activities, movements, behaviour and needs. There is a growing realization
that no one specific profession can resolve such complexities. Social Sciences in
themselves are interdisciplinary. However that is not enough. Interdisciplinary research
crossing the physical and social sciences is necessary in many cases to model and
forecast spatial patterns that influence land use decisions, and subsequently help in
resolving difficult decision making. My view on this is that if such interdisciplinary
research had to occur, engineering and technological developments would not be so
short-lived.
The talk about sustainability is clearly very close to my heart. I have seen, through
specific fields such as transport and urban development, the development of sustainability
discourse moving from environmental awareness, to economic needs and more recently
to societal aspects which, if applied intelligently, can lead to innovation.
Communities have the potential to become sustainable and drive change which will
support the Grand Challenges for Europe in 2020 but also beyond. The EU’s Grand
Challenges focus on Health, Demographic Change and Well-Being; Food Security,
Sustainable Agriculture, and Forestry, Marine and Maritime and Inland Water Research
and the Bioeconomy; Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy; Smart, Green and Integrated
Transport; Climate Action, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials; Inclusive,
Innovative, Secure and Reflective Societies. All are cross-cutting themes that have the
potential of creating opportunities for Europe, but more importantly for European
communities to come together and adopt a bottom up approach to sustainability.
Andrea Colantonio (2009) defined social sustainability as the means by which
individuals, communities and societies live with each other and set out to achieve the
objectives of development models, which they have chosen for themselves taking also into
account the physical boundaries of their places and planet earth as a whole (4) (5).
I would like to expand briefly on two aspects within this definition.
First is the choice that communities have, through the democratic process, to develop or
adopt ways in which they lead their lives individually or as a community. The freedom
that communities in democratic countries enjoy is also a responsibility. Being aware and
understanding the impact of our everyday choices is fundamental to ensure safe, inclusive
and sustainable environments.
Second, is the reference to the physical boundaries of place. Economic development and
higher standards of living have somehow diminished our perception of what in the past
were boundaries set by limitations in technology. We talk of the death of distance: there
is no place in the world which we cannot reach. We talk about unlimited supply of energy
and resources: especially when we think of infrastructures and activities that are
continuously dependent on energy (i.e. they cannot be switched off). I refer to what
Stewart Udall (1980) said: All evidence suggests that we have consistently exaggerated
the contributions of technological genius and underestimated the contributions of natural
resources… We need… something we lost in our haste to remake the world: a sense of
limits, an awareness of the importance of earth’s resources (2).
A number of events have significantly impacted my understanding of these two aspects.
On the larger geographic scale, the repercussions of Iceland’s volcanic eruptions on the
air transport sector in 2010 were beyond anyone’s expectations. It took the sector by
surprise and the preparedness by the activities which are directly and indirectly affected
by air travel was non-existent. So in our choices, how do we deal with uncertainty? The
uncertainty brought about by physical boundaries or limitations from the environment,
whether due to climate change or as in this case a volcanic eruption, is hardly ever
considered in policy as well as in every day life. The possibility of individual or
community action impacting on our environment is hardly factored in.
On a smaller geographic scale we look at our own community. How do our actions
contribute to a better quality of life? I give here a few simple examples from my research
interests in travel behaviour.
In deciding about travel one would traditionally weight the cost of the journey against its
purpose and distance. Many studies have now shown that in car dependent societies, this
rational thinking is not done. We have the highest share of household income going to
transport (in some households instead of food) and our modal choice is the most
expensive one, irrespective of purpose or distance. This has a considerable impact on
communities that have to share limited space resources, for example the space for
pedestrians and community building, as the fear of the road keeps children, parents, old
people indoors. The impact of transport emissions on health and the environment are
unprecedented. Margaret Thatcher would adopt what became known as the TINA (There
Is No Alternative) approach to the destruction of environmental resources to
accommodate private mobility, simply because she believed people could not be
persuaded to moderate their car use (6).
In the past we looked differently at consumption and very differently at what community
is all about. Some good practice still exists, but research shows that with progress comes
undesirable impacts such as anonymous neighbourhoods, social exclusion and
communities that are not really communities. Social sustainability might be just looking
at the past to better understand our (sustainable) future.
But it is not only about that. Social Innovation is the latest buzzword to be voiced by
European politicians and on the ground, brought about by the financial crisis, the
increasing unemployment and pressing social needs. It is also an opportunity for
communities but also for researchers in Social Sciences and Humanities, Media, ICT and
so on, to innovate and be enterprising. Many examples already exist throughout Europe,
and I am pretty sure that good examples exist locally as well.
As I stand here in front of you all, I wonder how many of you graduates today have spent
time throughout your studies to think! Think of ways how you can contribute, how you
can change what you have learnt into something creative, innovative. And this is where
the potential lies, especially for students and researchers in Social Sciences and
Humanities. The technological barriers which existed a decade or two decades ago for
social scientists to meddle with media for example, do not exist anymore. Ask any young
person today and given a few hours he or she would be able to create a website,
contribute information through the use of smart phone apps, lead revolutions through
social media!
I refer here to the work of Richard Florida, who in 2000 wrote about the rise of a new
class, the Creative Class as he called it. He defined the core of the Creative Class to
include people in science and engineering, architecture and design, education, arts,
music and entertainment whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology
and new creative content (7). Basically the members of this new class share a common
ethos that values creativity, individuality, difference and merit. Another discovery he
made was that in the age of globalization and ICT, geography is anything but dead. Place
matters and companies in the services sector are attracted to locations that harbour
talented, highly skilled and creative people.
I strongly believe that social sustainability and social innovation will be the next big
thing. For this to happen there must be a realization by society overall that the role of
Social Sciences and Humanities research and more importantly interdisciplinary research
has value, a value which can be exchanged into creativity, innovation and growth.
May you all today, graduates of this University find the opportunity to fulfill your
ambitions, be daring and creative, and through your critical thinking and actions,
contribute to the sustainable development of this nation of ours.
Thank you.
References
(1) European Commission (2013) Research and Innovation: Horizon 2020. Available at
http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=h2020
(2) Meadows, D. et al. (2004) Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update. Earthscan.
(3) Science Europe (2013) Humanities in the Societal Challenges. 12 Compelling Cases
for Policymakers. Available at
http://www.scienceeurope.org/uploads/Public%20documents%20and%20speeches/SCs%
20public%20docs/SE_broch_HUM_fin_web_LR.pdf
(4) Colantonio, A. (2009) Social sustainability: Linking Research to Policy and Practice.
Sustainable Development – A Challenge for European Research, 26-28 May, Brussels.
Available at
http://ec.europa.eu/research/sd/conference/2009/presentations/7/andrea_colantonio__social_sustainability.ppt
(5) Colantonio, A. (2011) Social sustainability: exploring the linkages between research,
policy and practice. In: Jaeger, C.C., Tabara, J.D. and Jaeger, J. (eds.) Transformative
science approaches for sustainability. European research on sustainable development.
Springer
(6) Mees, P. (2000) A Very Public Solution. Transport in the Dispersed City. Melbourne
University Press.
(7) Florida, R. (2012) The rise of the Creative Class Revisited (10th Anniversary Edition).
Basic Books.