RESEARCH PROFILE

Hanbit Chang is a Postdoctoral Researcher investigating how digital technologies reshape the mobilities of people, goods, and data, particularly within sustainable mobility transitions. Based on socio-technical and critical geographical analysis, she examines data-driven urban futures to understand how technological innovation intersects with the socio-spatial organization of cities. 

Through her involvement in European HORIZON projects, she contributes to the development of inclusive, reflexive, and socially grounded frameworks for cross-sectoral transitions in urban and peri-urban contexts. She translates critical research into actionable insights by asking: Who benefits? Who bears the costs? How are environmental, economic, and social burdens redistributed? Methodologically, she specializes in qualitative and participatory approaches that actively engage diverse stakeholders in the governance of technological innovation. 

In addition to her academic work, Hanbit has served as a foreign correspondent for Korean public authorities, reporting on policy developments in the Netherlands, particularly in the fields of climate adaptation and justice.

She is especially interested in collaborations that bridge research, policy, and practice to ensure that sustainability transitions are not only technologically advanced, but also socially just and democratically governed. 

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Hanbit Chang received her PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology, where she examined how electrified freight vehicles and AI-driven navigation systems in last-mile logistics reshape urban streetscapes. highlights the often-invisible human labor required to bridge the gap between digital representations of the city and its material realities.

She holds an MSc in Urban and Economic Geography from Utrecht University and a BSc in Urban Sociology from University of Seoul, South Korea. Throughout her academic training, she developed a strong interdisciplinary foundation, integrating insights from sociology, urban planning, and economic geography.

Key Publications

Ancillary Activities

  • Researching and translating the recent policy developments in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and other Dutch cities, The Seoul Institute