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. 2018 Aug 7;3(4):1700103.
doi: 10.1002/gch2.201700103. eCollection 2019 Apr.

Moving Health Upstream in Urban Development: Reflections on the Operationalization of a Transdisciplinary Case Study

Daniel Black  1 , Gabriel Scally  1 , Judy Orme  1 , Alistair Hunt  2 , Paul Pilkington  1 , Roderick Lawrence  3 , Kristie Ebi  4
Affiliations

Moving Health Upstream in Urban Development: Reflections on the Operationalization of a Transdisciplinary Case Study

Daniel Black et al. Glob Chall. .

Abstract

This paper describes the development, conceptualization, and implementation of a transdisciplinary research pilot, the aim of which is to understand how human and planetary health could become a priority for those who control the urban development process. Key challenges include a significant dislocation between academia and the real world, alongside systemic failures in valuation and assessment mechanisms. The National Institutes of Health four-phase model of transdisciplinary team-based research is drawn on and adapted to reflect on what has worked well and what has not operationally. Results underscore the need for experienced academics open to new collaborations and ways of working; clarity of leadership without compromising exploration; clarification of the poorly understood "impacts interface" and navigation toward effective real world impact; acknowledgement of the additional time and resource required for transdisciplinary research and "nonacademic" researchers. Having practitioner-researchers as part of the research leadership team requires rigourous reflective practice and effective management, but it can also ensure breadth in transdisciplinary outlook as well as constant course correction toward real-world impact. It is important for the research community to understand better the opportunities and limitations provided by knowledge intermediaries in terms of function, specialism, and experience.

Keywords: impact; planetary health; transdisciplinary; upstream; urbanization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Core and wider research teams, institutions, competencies, steering group and the “impact interface.”
Figure 2
Figure 2
RCUK segregation of funding, stakeholder roles, and conceptual pathways to impact.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparative illustration of RCUK Pathways to Impact showing disconnection between academia and real world in achieving real world impact in urban development.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Hall et al. four‐phase model of transdisciplinary team‐based research.
Figure 5
Figure 5
A revised three‐phase impact‐focused model, which does not have “translation” as a fourth phase, but rather impact has a constant and central focus within the evolving method development.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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