Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon

Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 364 3626
Email
angela.curl@otago.ac.nz
Position
Associate Professor
Department
Department of Public Health (Christchurch)
Qualifications
BA PhD
Research summary
Health and transport

Research

Angela is a social scientist interested in the relationships between urban environments, transport and health. She is particularly interested in how public policies, particularly in transport, urban planning and housing, can address health inequalities and transport disadvantage.

Angela undertakes research exploring perceptions and experiences of accessibility and how these interact with the built environment to influence outcomes, such as travel behaviour, transport disadvantage, physical activity, health and wellbeing, for different population groups. Her research focuses particularly the experiences of older adults and lower income groups.

Angela uses both quantitative and qualitative social research methodologies and is particularly interested in novel methodological approaches, including those that utilise GIS.

Her current research projects include:

  • Older adults’ experiences of the pedestrian environment, particularly in relation to falling and fear of falling
  • Health and social impacts of new transport technologies, including autonomous vehicles, bicycle-sharing, and e-scooters
  • Incorporating social and distributional impact assessment into transport policy (Ministry of Transport)

She previously lectured in Health Geography at the University of Canterbury and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Urban Studies at the University of Glasgow and at the OPENspace research centre at the University of Edinburgh. She completed her PhD in Geography at the Centre for Transport Research at the University of Aberdeen. Prior to this she worked as a transport planner.

Publications

Wilson, N., Baker, M., & Curl, A. (2026). Rapid fuel crisis interventions with public health co-benefits. The Briefing, (28 April). Retrieved from https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/rapid-fuel-crisis-interventions-public-health-co-benefits Journal - Research Other

Curl, A., Watkins, A., Smithies, A., Dares, C., Pocock, T., Williman, J., … Keeling, S. (2025). A participatory virtual audit of the built environment for age-friendliness. International Journal of Health Geographics, 24, 36. doi: 10.1186/s12942-025-00422-w Journal - Research Article

Williams, N., Berghan, J., Curl, A., & McKerchar, C. (2025). Applying a relational lens to the work travel experiences of diverse women. Journal of Transport Geography, 128, 104347. doi: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2025.104347 Journal - Research Article

De La Roche, D., Curl, A., & Fitt, H. (2025). The power of community: Perspectives from women with disabilities on making healthcare journeys in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Journal of Transport Geography, 124, 104182. doi: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2025.104182 Journal - Research Article

Chippendale, T., Sangrar, R., Rotenberg, S., Curl, A., Baig, N., & Suzuki, L. (2025). Safety using public buses in naturally occurring retirement communities: An exploratory study in two North American cities. Gerontologist, gnaf067. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnaf067 Journal - Research Article

Back to top