Shedding a new light on urban mobility: a focus on leisure-related trips before and during the pandemic
Sébastien MUNAFÒ, 6t-bureau de recherche, Switzerland
Magali GUILLAIN, 6t-bureau de recherche, Switzerland
Guillaume BLATTI, 6t-bureau de recherche, Switzerland
Leisure is the main travel motive in Switzerland: in 2015, leisure-related trips accounted for 40% of distances travelled, while work-related trips only totalled 24% (OFS-ARE, 2017). In addition to day-to-day leisure, occasional travel has gained a tremendous social value over the past decade, leading to an increase in long-distance trips. Urban dwellers tend to be particularly prone to take these trips as they value cosmopolitanism and diversity (Munafò, 2017). The COVID-19 pandemic strongly disrupted this trend. This presentation will explore this topic using data from a representative survey of 1003 Greater Geneva residents, conducted in November and December 2020.
First, it will be argued that the future of urban mobility can only be truly understood by engaging with leisure-related trips. Day-to-day leisure-related trips represent 44% of GHG emitted by residents of the Swiss part of the Greater Geneva. 83% of these GHG emissions are due to the use of private motorised vehicles. Moreover, 85% of Greater Geneva residents go away for a weekend at least once a year, and 90% take a longer holiday. Almost half of respondents travel by plane at least once every other trip. Plane-related mobilities are responsible for 65% of all leisure-related GHG emissions.
The impact of COVID-19 on long-distance leisure trips will then be discussed. 68% of Greater Geneva residents gave up on travelling, and 37% changed their plans to stay close to home. This greatly decreased distances travelled and the use of airplanes. 85% were satisfied with their local holiday and valued proximate destinations for everyday leisure mobility and short stays. This suggests that large metropolises may reduce leisure-related emissions by valorising amenities of the hinterland. Nevertheless, 94% of respondents still value discovering new cultures and landscapes. Better understanding what urban dwellers value in a holiday will be key to limiting emissions in the future.
Mots clés : Leisure |transport |mobility |Geneva|GHG emissions
A103544SM