Cracks in the wall of a car-oriented local mobility system – Results of an urban living lab

Abstract

This paper focuses on evaluating the effects of an Urban Living Lab (ULL), which aims to promote the sustainable transition of a local mobility system through civic engagement within a multi-actor cooperation network. For this purpose, an approach is presented on how to measure and evaluate the impacts of a ULL on different levels. Therefore, a framework integrating the transition management approach and the multi-level perspective is developed and used for a mixed-methods evaluation approach of a ULL in a small rural town. The empirical results provide some evidence that after one year, the ULL activities cause some ‘cracks in the wall’ of the currently car-use dominated local mobility system: A significant decrease in the perceived social support of a local transport policy prioritizing car user needs is observed, as well as a significant decrease in the perceived social support for policy measures aiming to upgrade the existing car use infrastructure. Furthermore, citizens now perceive a higher local descriptive norm in favour of walking and cycling. However, ULL activities are not associated with a significant reduction of personal car use. Implications of the evaluation results for the further development of this specific local ULL as well as ULLs in general are discussed. Moreover, lines of psychological research aimed at supporting a better understanding of effective ULLs are described.