Overview
Background
Dr. Buning is a Senior Lecturer in the Tourism discipline at the UQ Business School and Research Lead of the UQ Micromobility Research Cluster. He is recognised as one of Australia’s leading voices on micromobility, e-mobility and global scholar for cycling tourism. His research focuses on active living, tourism systems, and destination development, with a particular attention to both residents and visitors.His research agenda examines how tourists and residents engage in physical activity both as a driver of tourism behaviour and community health (e.g., active lifestyle sports, sports club participation) and as a feature of destination mobility systems (e.g., active transport).
His work on active transport investigates how bikeshare, e-scooters, and micromobility more generally enable healthier, more active, and more sustainable communities for residents and visitors. This work directly informs public policy and industry strategy. His research on active lifestyle sports contributes to scholarship in active sport tourism, including mountain biking, cycling, running, rock climbing, and hiking. Research outcomes have contributed to improved economic performance, increased visitor dispersal, reduced congestion pressures, enhanced public health outcomes, and strengthened community wellbeing in destination contexts through sustainable transport and active tourism strategies.
Dr. Buning has worked extensively with active transport providers, sporting organisations, and state and local governments across Australia and the United States. He regularly consults on data-driven strategy development for active mobility systems, events, and community-based tourism initiatives. His work regularly appears in leading tourism, sport, and transport journals and popular press outlets around micromobility, active transport, sport tourism, and event management.
Are you a government, industry or an academic interested in collaborating on research or teaching projects to get people moving? Please get in touch
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
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
2015
Journal Article
The progressive involvement of youth in niche sport: the perspective of youth participants and their parents
Buning, Richard J., Coble, Cassie and Kerwin, Shannon (2015). The progressive involvement of youth in niche sport: the perspective of youth participants and their parents. Journal of Amateur Sport, 1 (1), 52-80. doi: 10.17161/jas.v1i1.4921
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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