Who do we mobilise? Applied transformative mobilities research in a real-world laboratory

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this paper we reflect on insights concerning participation in and effects of a real-world laboratory designed to disrupt car dependency in everyday practices in an urban setting. After outlining the project and key findings, we critically reflect on design and achievements of this real-world laboratory more generally. In particular, we discuss the following questions: Who is it that we can address through transformative mobilities research in real-world laboratories? Who are the participants and what are their motives for taking part in the research? To contextualize the research findings within a real-world setting and research paradigm we extend the scope to a second set of questions: How can we conceptualise the relationship between participants and researchers and how do we account for opposing rationalities of interruption (research) and maintenance (participants) of the organisation of everyday life? How does this research enable transformative mobilities? And, finally, what can we say about the scope of our findings and reflections? In the thicket of doing transformative research encouraging and accompanying volunteers to become active in transformative mobility research becomes questions of language, educational background and time resources from the involved, but also being aware of institutionalized change actor networks, unchallenged hierarchies of superior “academic” research and being part of political struggles that require to look closely within and outside of the actual real-world-experiment especially in times of multiple crises. To design and research with those who want to contribute to change is legitimate. However, it is necessary to keep this selectivity in mind.