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Managing the Transition to Sustainable Mobility
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:55:24
Abstract
Addressing current societal and ecological challenges, such as climate change, requires a major transformation of the mobility sector. Drawing on case studies and insights from the academic literature, the course provides an overview of the required changes and discusses the measures that allow individuals, organizations, societies, and policy makers to successfully manage this transition.
Objective
After taking this course, students will be able to... • Know important trends and challenges in the mobility sector with regard to sustainability • Understand the changes required at the individual, societal, organisational, political, and system level to address sustainability challenges • Critically analyze interactions between the levels • Apply frameworks and concepts from the academic literature that help understand and structure potential solutions to the challenges • Derive and critically assess potential solutions and measures that help manage the transition to sustainable mobility at the different levels
Content
The course “Managing the Transition to Sustainable Mobility” aims to provide interested students at the Master and Bachelor’s level with the practical and theoretical knowledge that allows them to understand the ongoing transition in the mobility sector and the ways in which it can be managed. At the beginning of the course, students will be familiarized with the most important trends and sustainability challenges in mobility, and will also get an overview of important basics (such as important technologies and the functioning of transportation modes). Based on this, drawing on case study discussions, students will discuss challenges and potential solutions at the individual, societal, organizational, industrial, political, and systems level. Case studies will cover, for example, air travel, electric mobility, mobility platforms, and bicycle initiatives. Exemplary questions that will be dealt with in this context are: • Which factors determine travel behavior at the individual level and how can such behavior be influenced? • How can social norms and values that hinder a transition to sustainable mobility be changed? • Which organizational changes are necessary within incumbent firms to address the changes in their environment? • How will industry architectures and value chains need to be redesigned as part of the mobility transition? • How can public policies be redesigned to overcome regulatory barriers and foster the development and diffusion of sustainable mobility solutions? • How can one overcome systemic lock-ins and inertia that hinder the transition to sustainable mobility? Students are expected to read the case studies at home and prepare short answers to predefined questions. In addition, each case study discussion is followed by 2 to 3 student presentations on selected topics and input from the lecturer. The purpose of the presentations is to summarize the current academic debate on the questions raised in the case studies and introduce important concepts and frameworks (e.g., from environmental psychology, social movement research, and the literatures on organizational change, industry life cycles, policy change, and system transitions). At the end of the seminar, the knowledge gained in the discussions will be applied using a mobility management game.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC , NDS
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Signup End
- 26.02.2021
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture |
Managing the Transition to Sustainable Mobility
The lecture takes place ONLINE via Zoom (recorded).
The lecturers will communicate the exact lesson times of ONLINE courses.
|
|
24 h semesterly |