Giving up cars – The impact of a mobility experiment on carbon emissions and everyday routines

Abstract

Despite recent political and scientific interest in experiments, there is little research on participants' experiences of experimentation. This article focuses on an experiment during which eleven participants gave up ownership of their cars, and in return, received free travel cards to local buses for six months. The experiment is analysed from two perspectives. Firstly, the impact of the experiment on carbon emissions of the participants' everyday mobility is estimated based on weekly mobility surveillances and travel card data. Secondly, the practice theoretical approach is used to study the change in participants' mobility routines. The results indicate that the processes of de-and re-routinisation depend on multiple structural and individual factors reinforcing each other. Although carbon emissions of everyday mobility were reduced because of the experiment, there was variation in how the new routines were (or were not) acquired among the participants. The article suggests that, when analysed from the practice perspective, experiments might work as tools for mutual learning on how to make local public transportation more attractive among residents. Attention should also be paid to reducing the need for driving in the first place, as well as to providing more support and services for car-free living.

Designerly Living Labs: Early-stage exploration of future sustainable concepts

“…In Car-Free, on the other hand; to accept a strict study design that required substantial changes to their practices, motivated forerunners had to be specifically recruited. (This was also the case in a similar study in Finland, see Laakso, 2017).…”

Appraising the environmental benefits of ride-sharing: The Paris region case study

“…Transport policies intending to abate GHG emissions can be classified into two categories (Chapman, 2007;Littman, 2013;Stanley et al, 2011). Technological innovations, such as cleaner vehicles or cleaner first-kilometers, aim to reduce emission rates per vehicle-kilometer, while mobility management seeks to reduce distances travelled and to promote cleaner modes by triggering behavioral changes among users (see for instance Laakso, 2017).…”

Dynamics of experimental governance: A meta-study of functions and uses of climate governance experiments

“…Yet scholars have pointed to a lack of frameworks covering how to approach experimental development work and governance as a whole (Bulkeley and Castán Broto, 2013;Kivimaa et al, 2015). In addition, it is important to note that progress towards transformations cannot be assessed solely on the basis of specific, measurable results such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (Laakso, 2017;Mickwitz et al, 2011). At the moment, few models have been offered that those designing, conducting, and evaluating sustainability experiments could utilise for choosing the most suitable experimentation framework and methodological tools (Berg et al, 2014).…”