Many cities are trying to reduce the ownership and use of private cars through better services and restrictive measures. However, cities are not isolated islands but are connected to their surroundings through other residential, workplace, or recreational centers. A transformation toward more multimodality or a shift away from private car use can only be successful if the causes of regional mobility interconnections are also considered. This is where TRAMIGO comes in by first examining the causes of these mobility interconnections.

The research project focuses – as an example for other regiopolises – on the more climate-friendly handling of origin and destination traffic between the city of Karlsruhe and the surrounding communities as well as the interconnections between these communities.

Goals and approach

The aim is to identify potential future opportunities for the region in regional dialogue events. We want to understand which measures are effective and feasible to make transport between Karlsruhe and the surrounding communities more sustainable. To assess feasibility, the various needs of different social groups will be identified and practical implementation strategies will be tested in interlinked real-world experiments.

We will investigate the extent to which the planning and implementation of several coordinated real-world experiments enable the design of large-scale real-world labs and examine whether and to what extent the findings can be transferred to other regions.

Methods

The project employs various methods of empirical social research. A population survey will be undertaken to determine the personal relationships people maintain and the resulting mobility patterns. In addition, document analyses and expert interviews will be conducted to gain a better understanding of regional governance processes. Simulation tools will be used to analyze various development paths and their effects on urban-rural interconnections. These tools can also be employed during the dialogue events to allow participants to directly assess the impact of the proposed measures. Together with the real-world experiments, we aim to find out what social and regulatory conditions are necessary for successful implementation.

Project management and work packages

ITAS coordinates the overall project and is also responsible for three additional work packages:

• Situation analysis: Analysis and preparation of various region-specific data through desk research. Expert interviews will provide insights into the governance structures in the region.
• Population survey: Identification of different groups of people who differ in how they organize their daily routines and therefore have different possibilities to react to changes. Representatives of these groups will be invited to participate in the dialogue process.
• Real-world experiments: Experimental implementation of possible measures, investigation of the impact as well as intended and unintended side effects on sustainability, and identification of social, technical, legal, and administrative hurdles. Development of accompanying measures to improve implementability.

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