Advancing Behavioural Theories in Sustainable Mobility: A Research Agenda

Samuel Chng

doi:10.3390/urbansci5020043

Abstract

Ensuring that the growing mobility demand is met in a sustainable manner is important for our climate goals, and this would require changes to our current mobility behaviours. Behaviour and behaviour change theories have an important role in informing the mobility behaviour research and practices that seek to achieve these changes, and this paper discusses the application of these theories in both research and practice. Newer and more comprehensive theories have been developed in this area in the last decade, improving the quality of theories available. However, two key challenges of using theories are identified. The great number of theories today makes it challenging when deciding what and when to use them, and the appropriateness of many theories are either too simplistic or too complex. Thus, there is a need to critically review the state of theories in this area and identify ways to advance our application and development of behavioural theories. Here, two suggestions are put forward on how we can address these challenges while advancing the use of theories in mobility behaviour research and practice. First, integrate and summarise multiple, individual theories into a comprehensive and accessible framework for researchers and practitioners. Second, expand this framework beyond behaviour and behaviour-change theories by mapping out their interconnections with theories from other paradigms and disciplines using a systems approach to facilitate a more holistic theorisation.

Highlights

Climate change is disrupting economies and affecting lives today and will continue to do more in the years to come unless action is taken to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from human activities that are driving climate change [1]
From the developments in the use of theories in the last two decades, there is growing trend to move beyond thinking of theories individually to thinking about theories as a collective effort to explain the antecedents of mobility behaviours
Behaviour and behaviour-change theories have an important role to play in mobility behaviour research and practice, and there has been much progress in improving the quality of theories that are used in this area, through the development of newer and more comprehensive theories

Summary

Introduction

Climate change is disrupting economies and affecting lives today and will continue to do more in the years to come unless action is taken to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from human activities that are driving climate change [1]. Using incentives to encourage behaviour change may lead to short-lived effects [13,14], though car purchases and mobility decisions may arguably be driven more by supply-side factors, like the type of cars and mobility modes available to individuals [15]. This suggests that we need alternative and fiscally sustainable interventions to change mobility patterns and choices, and theories of behaviour and behaviour change are well-placed to support these efforts. The second suggests that we expand these frameworks beyond behaviour and behaviour-change theories to map out interrelationships with theories in other paradigms and disciplines using a systems approach that facilitates a more holistic and practical theory for researchers and practitioners

The Current State of Theory Use

The Challenges of Using Theories

Forging Better Theories

Findings

Conclusions