Voluntarily car-free living and mobility in the city region of Aachen/Germany
Since the beginning of mass motorisation, cars have dominated everyday mobility and lifestyles in developed countries, causing various negative impacts on humans, nature, and cities. To foster a more sustainable society, it is crucial to reduce carbon-based transport in the future. In addition to new technologies in the transport sector, a less car-dependent mobility is regarded as a contribution to achieve this aim.
My dissertation investigates voluntarily car-free households in the city region of Aachen/Germany, which has been categorised as an “auto-oriented city” (Klinger et al., 2013). Voluntarily car-free households forgo car ownership by choice. They are expected to have a more sustainable mobility and lifestyle compared to other households, thus considered as pioneers of a less car-dependent mobility. Moreover, they are assumed to have a different perception of space and use special temporal and spatial strategies. By using guided interviews and mental maps, I examine their mobility and other everyday practices, their mobility biographies and mobility socialisation, as well as their motives for car-free living. In addition, I explore the socio-demographic and -economic characteristics of the households and their residential surroundings.
In my presentation, I will discuss the following questions: How do voluntarily car-free households practice their daily routines and mobility? What role do time and proximity play? What challenges do they face in everyday life? What strategies do they use in response?
Mots clés : transport transition|everyday mobility|voluntarily car-free|social practice|time and proximity
A104270AH