The topic of “Making the commuting decision safe, sustainable and popular” was confronted in the third Dialogue at the EcoMobility World Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa approached the question of how to engineer the social involvement necessary for an ecomobile future.
The need for a new mobility framework form cities was presented as well as the need to appreciate the numerous efforts to drive this. Experts then elaborated on a host of different approaches, including the role of art in designing urban spaces that inspire citizens to engage, take ownership and drive policy change. The implications of government decision-making, individual behavioural change, and community mobilization were also discussed, highlighting the overall need to complement great infrastructure with soft infrastructure to encourage use and sustainability in promoting sustainable transport. The series ended with a look towards the possibilities and socio-economic implications that innovation presents on ecomobility.
This dialogue explored behavioral change to make EcoMobility possible and also attractive for citizens and visitors. Many countries have invested significantly in public transport infrastructure such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or dedicated cycle lanes. However, this is not sufficient to convince car owners to change their commute decision, especially for work and school trips. The dialogue also explored what is necessary to change the behaviour of commuters, citizens and business. The dialogue will touch on the role of technology, fashion and wellness opportunities to create the critical mass needed to support government-led initiatives.
Keynote Speaker:
From PARK(ing) to Parklets: Matthew Passmore, Founder and Lead Artist, Morelab,United States (download presentation)
Opening remarks: Cllr Nonceba Molwele, MMC Joburg, SA
Case studies:
- Getting public and political support for sustainable transport policies: Jonas Eliasson, Professor, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (download presentation)
- Engaging communities for creating safer streets: Sarika Panda Bhatt, Manager, Cities & Transport , World Resource Institute, India (download presentation)
- If there’s a bike boom can it be made boomier? : Carlton Reid, Author, UK (download presentation)
- The Future of Urban Mobility will be Multi-modal, largely electric, on -demand and increasingly driver-less:Ross Douglas, CEO, Autonomy, France (download presentation)