Overview
Background
Dr. Buning is a Senior Lecturer within the tourism discipline in the UQ Business School and the research lead for the UQ Micromobility Research Cluster. His research interests reside at the intersection of physical activity, travel, and events. Within this area, his research agenda is focused on how tourists are physically active as both a driver of tourism behaviour (i.e., active lifestyle sports) and during visitation (i.e., active transport). His research works on active lifestyle sports closely mirrors his passions in active sport tourism for mountain biking, cycling, running, rock climbing, hiking, and more. His work crosses over to active transport through bikeshare, e-scooters, and more generally micromobility where he is focused on tourism usage and related impacts.
The outcome of his work enables communities, events, and organizations to efficiently market to and attract visitors, encourage physical activity generally, and improve the related impact to destinations as a form of sustainable tourism. Prior to academia, Dr. Buning worked in the running event industry managing race logistics and continues to work with physical activity focused organizations, events, and communities as a consultant in developing data driven business strategy.
His research methodology speciality is in mixed methods tailored to the research question using both quantitative methods (i.e., survey research, secondary data) and qualitative methods (e.g., interviews, focus groups. ). Often his work is interdisciplinary in collaboration with scholars from geography, urban planning, and transport engineering using a wide range of data sources,
Dr. Buning is regularly featured in the media, serves as an expert to government, and publishes on the topics of active transport, sport tourism, and event management.
Research methods expertise includes:
- Survey research design and analysis
- Structural equation modelling
- Delphi studies
- Quantitative scale development
- In-depth interviews and focus groups
- Grounded theory
- Secondary data and meta-analysis
Interested in working on research, teaching, or consulting projects? Please get in touch!
Availability
- Dr Richard Buning is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Florida
Research interests
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Micromobility
Micromobility (i.e., e-scooters, e-mobility) has disrupted transport globally, but we still don't yet know its true role and impacts to our communities. I'm working to fully understand how society can embrace micromobility safely to realize its benefit.
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Sport Tourism
Travel to particpate in sport is active sport tourism whether it be running, cycling, mountain biking, rock climbing, and more. This type of travel builds active vibrant communites locally and delivers rich and sustaible benefits to destinations that attract these tourists.
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e-scooters
E-scooters provide all kinds of benefits to communities for residents and tourists, but we need to better understand how they can be used safely, replace car transport, and improve urban mobility.
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Active Transport
When people walk and ride they have happier lives and communities flourish. Let’s work together to encourage active transportation and provide safe places for people to walk and ride more often.
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Event Management
Events bring people together and to destinations, I'm curious as how we can use events to attract those with active lifestyles as tourism and how we can help event attendees experience communities through active transport.
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Bikeshare
Bikeshare programs revloutionized how both residents get around cities, but moreso made it easier than ever before for tourists to use bikes to experince destinations.
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Physical Activity
Being active in modern life is a challenge. I want to help people be active in their daily transport needs and through tourism.
Works
Search Professor Richard Buning’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Journal Article
What makes collegiate sport club programs successful? Exploration of how success is measured and perceived
Lower-Hoppe, Leeann M., Talcott, Ali, Cioletti, Alina, Springer, Daniel, Czekanski, W. Andrew and Buning, Richard J. (2023). What makes collegiate sport club programs successful? Exploration of how success is measured and perceived. Recreational Sports Journal, 47 (2), 148-158. doi: 10.1177/15588661231203969
2023
Other Outputs
Five years on, Brisbane’s e-scooters and e-bikes are winning over tourists and residents as they open up the city
Buning, Richard J. and Pham, Wendy (2023, 09 11). Five years on, Brisbane’s e-scooters and e-bikes are winning over tourists and residents as they open up the city The Conversation
2023
Other Outputs
So, what do you think about eScooters and eBikes?: Understanding visitor and resident experiences and perceptions with micromobility in Brisbane
Buning, Richard J., Pham, Wendy and Chen, Milly (2023). So, what do you think about eScooters and eBikes?: Understanding visitor and resident experiences and perceptions with micromobility in Brisbane. Brisbane, Qld, Australia: The University of Queensland, Business School.
2023
Other Outputs
Why e-scooters are the 'public mobility glue' for urban transport
Buning, Richard, Corcoran, Jonathan, Rahbar, Maisie, McKercher, Bob, Pojani, Dorina, Sigler, Thomas, Zou, Frank and Hardy, Anne (2023, 01 25). Why e-scooters are the 'public mobility glue' for urban transport Contact Magazine
2022
Journal Article
The development of new social worlds through obstacle course racing
Derom, Inge and Buning, Richard J. (2022). The development of new social worlds through obstacle course racing. Leisure Sciences, 47 (4), 1-20. doi: 10.1080/01490400.2022.2154292
2022
Other Outputs
Why massive new youth sports facilities may not lead to the tourist boom many communities hope for when they build them.
Buning, Richard and Coble, Cassandra (2022, 01 19). Why massive new youth sports facilities may not lead to the tourist boom many communities hope for when they build them. The Conversation
2022
Other Outputs
2022 Urban Climb staff survey report
Buning, Richard and Chen, Milly (2022). 2022 Urban Climb staff survey report. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
2022
Journal Article
Well-being and running events in Qatar: The Ooredoo Doha Marathon
Filo, Kevin, Kennelly, Millicent, Buning, Richard J. and Sobh, Rana (2022). Well-being and running events in Qatar: The Ooredoo Doha Marathon. Event Management, 26 (1), 73-87. doi: 10.3727/152599521X16192004803629
2022
Other Outputs
2022 Urban Climb member study
Buning, Richard and Chen, Milly (2022). 2022 Urban Climb member study. IBrisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
2022
Journal Article
Collegiate sport club service delivery: moving between motivations and constraints to beneficial outcomes
Rundio, Amy and Buning, Richard (2022). Collegiate sport club service delivery: moving between motivations and constraints to beneficial outcomes. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 40 (2), 2-18. doi: 10.18666/jpra-2021-11046
2021
Other Outputs
Mountain biking gives this Tasmanian town a sustainable future.Logging does not.
Buning, Richard (2021, 11 12). Mountain biking gives this Tasmanian town a sustainable future.Logging does not. The Conversation
2021
Journal Article
Towards an understanding of family travel decision-making processes in the context of youth sport tourism
Mirehie, Mona, Gibson, Heather J., Buning, Richard J., Coble, Cassandra and Flaherty, Meredith (2021). Towards an understanding of family travel decision-making processes in the context of youth sport tourism. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 21 100644, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jdmm.2021.100644
2021
Journal Article
Initiation and introduction into sport participation: new member experiences with collegiate sport clubs
Rundio, Amy and Buning, Richard J. (2021). Initiation and introduction into sport participation: new member experiences with collegiate sport clubs. Recreational Sports Journal, 45 (2), 155886612110164-93. doi: 10.1177/15588661211016432
2021
Other Outputs
When 1 in 3 users are tourists, that changes the bike-share equation for cities, that changes the the bike-share equation for cities
Buning, Richard (2021, 03 17). When 1 in 3 users are tourists, that changes the bike-share equation for cities, that changes the the bike-share equation for cities The Conversation
2021
Journal Article
Visitor bikeshare usage: tracking visitor spatiotemporal behavior using big data
Buning, Richard J. and Lulla, Vijay (2021). Visitor bikeshare usage: tracking visitor spatiotemporal behavior using big data. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29 (4), 1-21. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1825456
2020
Journal Article
Running through travel career progression: social worlds and active sport tourism
Aicher, Thomas J., Buning, Richard J. and Newland, Brianna L. (2020). Running through travel career progression: social worlds and active sport tourism. Journal of Sport Management, 34 (6), 542-553. doi: 10.1123/jsm.2019-0256
2020
Book
Active sport tourism: global insights and future directions
Heather J. Gibson, Matthew Lamont, Millicent Kennelly and Richard J. Buning eds. (2020). Active sport tourism: global insights and future directions. New York, NY, United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429199578
2020
Journal Article
Mountain bike tourism economic impacts: A critical analysis of academic and practitioner studies
Buning, Richard J. and Lamont, Matthew (2020). Mountain bike tourism economic impacts: A critical analysis of academic and practitioner studies. Tourism Economics, 27 (3) 1354816620901955, 135481662090195-509. doi: 10.1177/1354816620901955
2020
Conference Publication
In defence of the familiar: innovating in business schools through slow histories
Middleton, S., Wallin, A., Peters, M., Kriz, A., Eckberg, S. and Buning, R. (2020). In defence of the familiar: innovating in business schools through slow histories. Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society., Christchurch, New Zealand, 30 January-2 February 2020.
2019
Conference Publication
In defence of the familiar: innovating in business schools through slow histories
Middleton, S., Wallin, A., Peters, M., Kriz, A., Eckberg, S. and Buning, R. (2019). In defence of the familiar: innovating in business schools through slow histories. Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management, Cairns, QLD Australia, 3-6 December 2019.
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Richard Buning is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Richard Buning directly for media enquiries about:
- Active Transport
- Bikeshare
- Cycling
- e-bikes
- e-scooters
- Event Management
- Micromobility
- Physical Activity
- Sport Management
- Sport Tourism
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