Photo: ADFC/Deckbar (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

How is civil society advancing the mobility transition?

Civil society is the driving force behind the mobility transition in Germany. Organizations such as the ADFC hold numerous bicycle demonstrations every year, demanding the expansion of safe cycle paths, among other things. Thanks to the commitment of the “Initiative Volksentscheid Fahrrad (Initiative Bicycle Referendum)”, which was founded in 2016, the state of Berlin passed a mobility law in summer 2018 that includes the expansion of safe cycling infrastructure [1]. This example shows: Healthy, active mobility is not a private matter. In order for it to be accessible to everyone, infrastructure and laws must change, and this requires civil society participation.


 

“What role does civil society play in the mobility transition? We want to explore how citizens can effectively represent their health and environmental interests vis-à-vis those of the automotive industry. We are also interested in how this engagement can be strengthened using transdisciplinary approaches such as citizen science.”

Dr. Vivian Frick

 


The mobility transition – a task for society as a whole

To promote the switch to cycling, public transport and walking, research has so far mostly focused on changing the behavior of private individuals. However, in order to achieve a turnaround in society as a whole, we need to look beyond private transportation choices and also consider the other levers that people can use in society – be it at work, in companies, in associations or at the ballot box. These versatile levers are indispensable for the mobility transition, but have not been sufficiently investigated to date.

Civil society engagement as a key factor

The AMBER team wants to better understand which individual, social and systemic factors lead to people becoming involved in civil society in the area of mobility. What factors play a role when private behavior – such as regular cycling – develops into civic engagement – such as participation in bike demonstrations? Based on the research results, we hope to gain a better understanding of the connection between individual behavior and social change in order to derive recommendations for mobility transition measures.



Our research questions

  • What motivates people to get involved in the mobility transition?
  • What role do environmental awareness or health-related traffic risks play in this?
  • How can civic engagement be promoted in order to shape the mobility transition in a democratic and social way?


Cited literature

1. Becker, S., Bögel, P., & Upham, P. (2021). The role of social identity in institutional work for sociotechnical transitions: The case of transport infrastructure in Berlin. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 162, 120385.