Mobility Makers (MM)

Mobility Makers

Partner: Intermunicipal Association for the Development of the Region of Mechelen and the surrounding area (BE), Intermunicipal organisation Leiedal (BE), Ghent University (BE), Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Urban Planning (FR), Intermunicipal authority for the Lumbres area (FR), Boulogne sur mer Développement Côte d’Opale (FR), Desvres Samer area (FR), 2 Caps Area (FR), Central Denmark Region (DK), The Design School Kolding (DK), The County Administrative Board of Skåne (SE), Energy Agency Southern Sweden (SE), City of Vlissingen (NL), HZ University of Applied Sciences (NL)

Project duration: 1/11/2023-31/10/2027

Funding: Co-funded by the European Union I Interreg North Sea

Methods: Digital Prototyping in VR, Persuasive System Design, Business Model Developement

Summary:
The North Sea region’s intermediate and rural regions are struggling to increase the share of sustainable mobility. Available policy instruments are well known and implemented in cities, but less so in towns, suburbs and rural areas. Limited availability of public transport and shared mobility services result in heavy reliance on personal cars to get around and associated negative impacts on climate change, air quality, road safety, accessibility (to public services, jobs, businesses, etc.) and livability.

Despite other previous projects under the North Sea Region programme (e.g. MOVE) that have driven the delivery of sustainable mobility measures suitable for the area (e.g., car and bike sharing, mobility hubs, company support), adoption remains difficult. With a slight change in modal split and reduction in passenger-kilometres, authorities realise that apart from the supply-side, they must address the demand-side (mobility behaviour, habits and attitudes toward car use) to meet users’ needs, as well as maintain or invest only in the most relevant services. With this project, we aim to create and implement user-centred mobility mixes through better understanding users’ needs and incentivising them to change their (perceptions of their) daily mobility practices.

By implementing pilots in eleven local mobility systems (living labs), we:

Assess the building blocks of their mobility mixes (existing mobility solutions (e.g., public transport, bikes), infrastructures, conditions (pricing, timetables)) against non- and end-users’ needs

Manage and shape travel behaviour through interventions, based on their behavioural change menus, while piloting and evaluating building blocks for the new mobility mixes

Systemise the process to show other local and regional authorities what is available, can be done and what changes happen, feeding strategies and tools, which assist decision-makers in implementing appropriate policy adjustments.