Research

GreenPath will develop an integrated an innovative approach to commuting in CE functional urban areas (FUAs). GreenCommute will co-design smart and green mobility solutions targeted to public and private stakeholders, co-designed with Mobility Managers, that will benefit from the project’s output by ensuring sustainable mobility solutions to students and employees. The project addresses the common challenge towards decarbonising urban mobility in CE through a set of solutions – tested through pilots – strategies and action plans developed by a unique ensemble of 11PPs (local public administration, mobility agencies and operators, universities and research bodies) and 12 APs located in a region where transport remains the primary contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The GreenCommute project specifically focuses on promoting sustainable mobility options within Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) and addressing the challenges related to mobility management and commuting from home to work. The cooperation among partners will elaborate a common strategy for the integrated governance of commuters flows in FUAs, deliver a proven approach to participated mobility management, and a range of co-designed innovative solutions to be scaled up in FUAs.

Being mobile is an essential prerequisite for participating in social life. Rising energy prices have brought the issue of mobility to the fore and raised the question of the future affordability of (car) mobility. As part of MOSAIK, we want to take an in-depth look at what mobility poverty is, which groups of people and regions are affected by it - especially in terms of work and education routes - and which measures are promising for different target groups. In a first step, a spatial analysis of regional differences in mobility poverty will be carried out. For this analysis, a new data set will be created that contains the characteristics of public transport connections (e.g. duration, transfers, number of connections during rush hour, in the evening, at weekends and at other off-peak times) between important economic/company locations and large conurbations in the Innviertel region. The analyses show where the need for commuting routes can be met particularly well or particularly badly by public transport. In addition, the data from the supplementary consumer survey conducted by Statistics Austria will be used to identify population groups affected by mobility poverty on the basis of predefined indicators and to outline their spatial distribution. The result of both analyses will be a collection of particularly vulnerable regions and groups of people. With the aid of expert interviews and interviews with affected groups of people, framework conditions and targeted solutions for those affected by mobility poverty are to be developed and then discussed with regional representatives. Using a pilot study, an existing solution approach in the Innviertel region will be evaluated as an example and its transferability discussed. The results of the project will be incorporated into an action plan to reduce mobility poverty.

Mobility is essential for participation in social and professional life. Rising energy and living costs due to inflation have had a significant impact on low-income households in particular, bringing the issue of transport poverty into the public spotlight. Transport poverty describes the difficulties and limitations people face due to inadequate or unaffordable mobility options. In addition to financial burdens, it can lead to social isolation, limited educational opportunities and limited employment prospects. While most studies focus on transport poverty in rural areas, this study looks at the impact on households in Vienna. The analysis focuses on the challenges of commuting as an unavoidable and difficult to change mode of transport. Following a review of the literature, a mixed methods approach is used to analyse the impacts, perceived constraints and coping strategies of households affected by transport poverty in Vienna. In a first step, quantitative data will be analysed to describe the distribution of transport poverty in the city. Three causes and the corresponding affected groups of individuals/occupations will be examined: 1) spatial causes, such as commuting patterns in Vienna that are difficult to manage using public transport; 2) temporal causes, including long commutes or difficulties in accessing transport at certain times (e.g. weekends, nights); and 3) personal causes, such as income, age, education level and migration background. These analyses aim to identify areas and demographic groups at higher risk of transport poverty in order to recruit approximately 25-30 participants for in-depth interviews. These interviews will explore the perceptions, everyday experiences and coping strategies of the groups concerned, using a partly narrative approach. The findings will be discussed in a results workshop with experts and practitioners to identify options for reducing transport poverty.