Stakeholders’ Views on Multimodal Urban Mobility Futures: A Matter of Policy Interventions or Just the Logical Result of Digitalization?

Jens Schippl,Annika Arnold

doi:10.3390/en13071788

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that strategies to decarbonize energy systems cannot omit the mobility sector. For several decades, particularly in urban areas, a shift from car-based mobility to more environmental-friendly modes has been high on political agendas. Progress has been made in many urban areas, but so far only in small, rather incremental steps. The dominance of the car has remained largely stable in urban transport. For some time now, many experts have argued that processes of digitalization will co-evolve with societal trends and lead to multimodal urban mobility regimes in which private car usage will lose its dominance. In this paper, we examine if stakeholders active in the field believe that, despite digitalization, policy interventions are essential to achieve such a transition. The analysis draws on concepts from transition research and is based on 10 semi-structured interviews with providers of innovative mobility services that may contribute to more multimodal urban mobility systems. Geographical focus is on the City of Stuttgart (Germany). Results indicate broad agreement amongst the interviewees that digitalization alone is not sufficient for achieving a full-scale transition towards multimodal urban mobility. Policy measures that restrict car-based mobility would also be needed. However, many of the interviewed actors doubt that the essential policy mixes will find the necessary political and societal acceptance. Finally, the paper indicates ways to overcome this dilemma.

Highlights

For several decades voices in scientific and political debates have been growing louder in demanding a large-scale transition in the mobility system [1,2,3]
It remains questionable whether certain societal trends in the landscape, i.e., concerns about climate change or the environment in general, can develop sufficient influence and power to enforce a full-scale transition towards a MaaS-dominated or multimodal urban mobility regime
Stakeholders’ views indicate that developments that match with a fit-and-conform approach are necessary but not sufficient to achieve a full-scale transition to a sustainable mobility system

Summary

Introduction

For several decades voices in scientific and political debates have been growing louder in demanding a large-scale transition in the mobility system [1,2,3]. The main reasons for this are the contributions of the transport sector to climate change and air pollution, as well as problems induced by congestion and consumption of space. Many experts point out the urgent challenges connected with the growing consumption of fossil energy in the mobility sector [4]. Promising developments can be observed in recent decades. Measures to reduce the use of private cars are considered to be just as necessary [6,7]. Changes can be observed in many European cities

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Conclusion