On 15-16 May, 2025 a research workshop on walking as a research method took place at Vilnius University. The workshop was initiated by researchers from the Faculty of Philosophy of Vilnius University in cooperation with PAScapes. QQure was a first in a series of events by ExNurb (Exchange Network on urban studies) workshop series of the Arqus Research Network, which combines the genres of research training and joint research workshop. This format was chosen to bridge the gap between researchers who follow qualitative and quantitative epistemologies, a gap that is often still present in contemporary urban studies.
In this workshop, Dr. Natalia Martini (University of Leuven) introduced the researchers to walking methods. She also shared how walking with the homeless helped her to better understand urban spaces. Under Natalia’s guidance, the workshop participants practised exploratory walking together in the streets of Vilnius. This experience helped them to get to know each other better and also sparked discussions about the perceived and real differences between our research practices. The exploratory walks aimed to activate the participants’ imaginations and this energy was used to help each other develop new research ideas.
These two days felt like researcher retreat where the enjoyment of the process was really very important. Walking is one of the main ways we get to know cities. So, even if some of the participants did not intend to use the walking method in their research practice, walking together helped them to get to know each other better as researchers or people interested in cities. The current workloads of researchers rarely allow us to meditate about our practice or new research endeavours. QQure was the cure for that – it was a time away from teaching obligations and department relationships, which helped to reconnect with our work and to connect to ideas of others. Based on this inspiring experience a similar event titled “VisUrb: Workshop on Visual Methodologies in Urban Research” will take place in Wroclaw university coming year.
