The Transport Transition as a Socio-ecological Real-world Experiment (EXPERI)

Project website experi-mobilitaet.de

The transformation of the mobility system is a crucial element within the broader transformation towards sustainability. The problems created by our current system are becoming increasingly urgent: Harmful CO2 emissions are on the rise, the number of private cars is increasing and safe cycling infrastructure is a rarity in Germany's major cities. The EXPERI project - a cooperation between the IASS, Technical University of Berlin and the DLR Institute of Transport Research, Mobility and Urban Development - is investigating how transport systems can be transformed and what solutions can deliver socially and environmentally sustainable outcomes. In a contribution to transformative research, EXPERI is developing, implementing, and systematically monitoring a real-world experiment on active mobility in Berlin together with its practice partners. Our research also explores issues of acceptance, social justice, and participation in relation to the transformation of transport infrastructure.

The Berlin Mobility Act (2018), which aims to facilitate safer, more reliable, and barrier-free mobility in Berlin, serves as an inter- and transdisciplinary case study for this project. In the past, pedestrians and cyclists have been at a disadvantage to motorists in terms of the space afforded to them in urban areas. In response, the Mobility Act seeks to significantly extend the city's cycling infrastructure and encourage active mobility.

The mobility transition unfolding in Berlin is an unprecedented learning opportunity for sustainability research. The EXPERI team works together with partners from public administration, civil society, and the private sector to support this important transformation.

Project partners: Technical University of Berlin DLR Institut für Verkehrsforschung Berlin