aspern.mobil LAB

new mobility solutions made in Seestadt

12. September 2018/in Mobility and transport, Participation, engagement & culture, Urban ecology, environment & water

In urban areas, the mode of transport we choose for our everyday journeys, both for work and leisure, has a major impact on the quality of our shared living space. The aspern.mobil LAB creates space for joint consideration and testing of mobility solutions at aspern Seestadt, with researchers, companies and representatives of the municipal administration working together with local people to develop environment-friendly modes of transport. Within the aspern.mobil LAB Seestadt residents act as local experts, co-developing, testing, evaluating and implementing innovative mobility solutions, services or products.

Local people contribute local expertise

In the “Walk and Feel” project, for example, the lab uses sensors to measure the physical reactions of passers-by to the built environment, allowing researchers to draw conclusions about amenity value and hence improve future planning. The everyday experiences of Seestadt residents are also being used as input in the further development of a self-driving bus project. The general focus of the lab is on active mobility – cycling, walking, skateboarding, scooters, cargo bikes and the like. Mobility as a Service – combining and interconnecting multiple mobility modes to create new customised services (e.g. car sharing) – is another key aspect. The third central topic is first/last mile logistics in goods transport and solutions to tackle the associated high CO2 emissions and operating costs.

Innovation lab

The aspern.mobil LAB in Vienna’s 22nd municipal district is one of five urban mobility labs in Austria funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology under its “Mobility of the Future” programme. The lab involves Seestadt residents, local businesses, an interdisciplinary team from TU Vienna and Vienna University, the development agency wien 3420 aspern development AG, the Seestadt Neighbourhood Management team, the Jauschneg landscape and open space planning consultancy and Upstream Mobility, a subsidiary of municipal utilities provider Wiener Stadtwerke, working together on an equal footing to develop solutions that further the goals of the Smart City Wien Framework Strategy and address the following topical questions: Will private cars soon be a thing of the past? Do services such as cargo bikes, well-designed cycling infrastructure and excellent public transport links change people’s mobility behaviour? Which technologies will prevail, and are they environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive?