Mohammad Sarraf

I am a researcher in urban and community planning, committed to improving how cities and the built environment support and include neurodivergent people in everyday life.

With a background in architecture, I hold a PhD in Planning & Decision Analysis (KTH, 2015). My current research projects are focused on exploring the intersection of neurodiversity and the built environment. Aligned with the concept of inclusive cities, I am examining the significance of architecture, spatial form and the built environment in the ongoing paradigm shifts towards neurodiversity.

I currently hold a research affiliation with the Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), and the Curtin Autism Research Group (CARG), Curtin University in Perth, Australia.

Prior to joining RISE, my work experiences include being a senior consultant at WSP Stockholm, a researcher at Institutet för bostads- och urbanforskning (IBF), Uppsala University, and a visiting scholar at the School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada.

Latest publication:

Sarraf M, Girdler S, et al. (2026) Neuro-aware journeys: the lived experiences of autistic adults and caregivers in Swedish public transport. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives 36: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2026.101910

Interview article in Tidningen Arkitekten: https://arkitekten.se/nyheter/forskaren-vill-planera-stadsrummet-for-al…

Sarraf, M., Girdler, S., & Bölte, S. (2025). Autism and public transport: exploring the WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework to investigate physical and spatial barriers. Cities & Health, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2025.2535246

Sarraf, M. (2024). Autism in urban planning: in search of a theoretical framework. Cities & Health, 9(1), 160–175.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2024.2404802