Junior Research Group DynaMo – Mobility-Energy-Dynamics in Urban Areas

Most cities are currently struggling with transformation processes in the mobility sector. In collaboration with citizens, civil society, industry and researchers, cities have to master a number of complex challenges. The reduction of energy consumption and related emissions is the greatest and perhaps most urgent of them all.

In light of these challenges, DynaMo will explore current processes of change as well as future potentials for change (dynamics) in the urban mobility sector. Thereby, DynaMo will focus on social and technical innovations in the sociotechnical system of mobility, investigating options for the more sustainable (economic, social and ecological) design of urban mobility systems. The team will analyse different mobility-related case examples with an emphasis on the following perspectives and research questions:

1. Technology integration: a) How can information and communication technology help to foster sustainable mobility innovations? b) What are profitable business models for sustainable mobility innovations?
2. Changes in mobility practices and associated lifestyles: a) To what extent does the expansion of sustainable mobility innovations require changes in mobility practices and associated lifestyles? b) How can sustainable mobility innovations trigger changes in mobility practices and associated lifestyles?
3. User participation and legitimacy: a) How can sustainable mobility innovations be governed? b) When do users perceive those innovations as legitimate?

With the above-outlined focus and research question , DynaMo will seek to develop systemic knowledge about the interplay of social, technical and economic factors in the transformation of urban mobility systems. Furthermore, transformation knowledge in the form of (policy) recommendations for the implementation of sustainable mobility concepts will be generated. The strong emphasis on transdisciplinary cooperation in the project will strengthen the relevance of the outcomes for the uptake and implementation.

The following institutions are involved in DynaMo:

• University of Stuttgart – Stuttgart Research Center for Interdisciplinary Risk and Innovation Studies (ZIRIUS) & Institute of Human Factors and Technology Management (IAT)
• University of Münster (WWU) – Institute of Political Science, Global Environmental Governance
• Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO)

DynaMo is funded within the research funding programme “Social-Ecological Research” organised by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Dr Antonia Graf (University of Münster) and Dr Marco Sonnberger (University of Stuttgart – ZIRIUS) lead the junior research group.

Activ for ZIRIUS until 2018