The BMBF-funded research project "Social2Mobility" (duration 01.04.2019-31.03.2022) aimed to strengthen the social participation of population groups threatened or affected by poverty by promoting self-determined, affordable and environmentally friendly mobility. On 01.04.2022, the follow-up project Social2Mobility II started in order to implement and integrate the developed measures in the Hannover Region in the long term.

The results of the first phase of Social2Mobility show that mobility management measures to promote bicycle mobility have a particularly high potential to increase the social participation of people at risk of poverty. Switching from cars to bicycles also contributes on a societal level to a socially and ecologically just transport transition. 

Based on these findings, measures to promote bicycle mobility will be implemented specifically for persons at risk of poverty. Firstly, it will be investigated to what extent the implemented measures to promote bicycle mobility contribute to strengthening the social participation of persons at risk of poverty (individual level). Secondly, it will be determined what contribution measures to promote bicycle mobility, which specifically increase mobility options of persons at risk of poverty, can make to the traffic turnaround (societal level). Third, the study examines how the implementation process of these measures should be designed to maximize the contribution at the individual and societal levels (process level).

The implementation of the measures is accompanied by both a process evaluation to continuously optimize the implementation process and a qualitative and quantitative impact evaluation. The qualitative impact evaluation aims to investigate the transport and social effects of the measures, especially with regard to participation, from the perspective of people at risk of poverty. The quantitative impact evaluation examines in particular the change in mobility options, the choice of means of transport and environmental impacts. Since mobility management measures and their effects (on transport mode choice) cannot be mapped with transport demand models so far, a new model approach will be developed and implemented in the transport demand model of the Hannover Region.

The Social2Mobility II project is being carried out jointly by the Hannover Region, the Universities of Kassel and Frankfurt am Main, and WVI Verkehrsforschung und Infrastrukturplanung GmbH. The BMBF is funding the research project with a total of 1.06 million euros as part of the implementation of the flagship initiative Future City. The University of Kassel's share amounts to 540,000 euros. The project sponsor is the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

Further information:

www.social2mobility.de

Contact:

M. Sc. Alena Fischer and M. Sc. Franziska Kesper
Department of Transportation Planning and Systems
Phone: +49 561 804-3281
E-Mail:

alena.fischer@uni-kassel.de

franziska.kesper@uni-kassel.de