Mobility is a basic human need
Mobility stands for quality of life, social participation, prosperity and security of supply. More than ever, the mobility system must adapt to changing lifestyles and become more resilient. Environmental and climate policy goals must be taken into account just as much as advancing digitalization. Innovation and openness to technology are the prerequisites for developing suitable technical solutions. The mobility needs of the population are the benchmark for needs-based implementation that is suitable for everyday use. Logistics provides the necessary functions for value creation processes and trade relations. It plans, coordinates and controls the supply and disposal processes of production facilities as well as the processes of goods distribution in trade and services. Through its services, logistics realizes the necessary goods and commercial traffic and manages the associated information.
The mobility system of the future can only be shaped together, on the basis of facts and scientifically sound knowledge. This is why acatech has long made this topic a focus of its work.
On the way to a sustainable mobility system of the future, it is crucial to get everyone involved. It is not just technological developments or legal framework conditions that will determine the future of our mobility. The main issue will be whether new mobility services meet the needs of users and are also accepted in everyday life.
Thomas Weber, acatech President
Many people want a change in mobility and climate-friendly transportation. But they need solutions that are suitable for everyday use and that meet their personal, individual and regional needs. It is not enough to try to win people over to ready-made solutions. They need to be heard, consulted and centrally involved in the local design process. Sustainable mobility will only succeed if everyone sees themselves as agents of change and gets involved.
Jan Wörner, acataech President
Due to its high priority in politics and society, acatech anchored the topic of future mobility in the Academy's work back in the early 2000s. Even back then, mobility experts from science and industry were already conducting studies on growing traffic and its consequences for people and the environment, electromobility and autonomous driving, and addressing them in the political arena. Today, these topics are an integral part of all debates surrounding the transformation of the mobility system.
Henning Kagermann, Chairman of the acatech Board of Trustees
acatech Mobility Monitor: Expectations and wishes for the mobility of tomorrow
The success of a sustainable transformation in the mobility sector is largely dependent on the acceptance of citizens. They need tailor-made offers for their individual mobility. That is why it is crucial to understand people’s perspectives and living conditions and to include them in the discourse on the mobility of tomorrow.
With the Mobility Monitor, the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research has been investigating the mobility behavior, expectations and wishes of citizens in Germany on behalf of acatech since 2019. The annual survey makes it possible to identify trends and changes in attitudes. The results make a valuable contribution to the project work in acatech’s Mobility and Logistics program area and find their way into social debates via the press and media.
Results of the mobility monitor
Thinking mobility and space together
Individual mobility behavior is strongly influenced by the spatial structures that surround us. Where we live and work, where we go to school and how we spend our leisure time all have an impact on our mobility. Urban development concepts – both for new and existing buildings – must take into account the traffic-inducing effects of the spatial distribution of services and destinations. Changes in the context of urban development should therefore be incorporated into mobility planning from the outset. As part of the “Integrated urban development and mobility planning” project, key aspects of the successful integration of urban development and mobility in municipal and regional governance are being investigated. According to the thesis, planning geared towards accessibility and proximity can reduce everyday traffic and increase the quality of life in urban areas. Residents are given new mobility options and more freedom of choice in their individual mobility decisions – paving the way for a new mobility culture.
Publications of the project
acatech HORIZONTE: Making mobility change tangible
When we think of mobility, we often think first of the car, the bike, the bus or the train. But mobility is much more than that: it enables us to get to work, go shopping or to the doctor, meet friends and take our children to school. It is also a way of participating in life. At the same time, it generates traffic, which in turn has serious consequences for the environment. How can we design mobility that meets the needs of all people and at the same time contributes to achieving climate targets? What role do technologies and new mobility models that focus more on use than ownership play in this? What can we learn about modern urban planning from the cycling capital of Copenhagen? The HORIZONTE issue on the transformation of mobility is dedicated to these and other exciting questions.
Publications
