Impacts of Commuting Practices on Social Sustainability and Sustainable Mobility

Abstract

Commuting is an integral part of many people’s everyday life providing a transition between private and working life. It does, however, lead to negative impacts at a personal and social-ecological level (health impacts, lack of time, climate emissions, etc.). This article is based on the transdisciplinary research project “CommuterLab” (PendelLabor), which investigates commuting practices in the German Rhine-Main region. Using a practice-theoretical approach, we conducted a qualitative empirical study to explore how commuters organise the transition between their personal life and job. Through our analysis, we were able to identify different meanings of commuting and its strong interconnection with other everyday practices. This allowed us to gain deep insight into the social (non-)sustainability of commuting. At the core of our results are four different types of commuting practice whose impact on social sustainability differs widely. Furthermore, since the interviews were conducted during the coronavirus pandemic, respondents had their first experience of strongly reduced commuting. This in turn allowed insights into the changing organisation of everyday life and the impact of reconfigured commuting practices on social sustainability. Based on these results, we drew conclusions about the dynamics of commuting in terms of social sustainability.

Transport Planning beyond Infrastructural Change: An Empirical Analysis of Transport Planning Practices in the Rhine-Main Region in Germany

“…The practice-theoretical perspective is increasingly applied to the analysis of sustainability transitions and the transport transition, in particular [9,35,36]. In the context of the transport transition it has been applied to mobility practices of certain groups of society, e.g., elderly people [37] or commuters [15,38,39], to various transport modes, e.g., cycling [40] or car-sharing [41], as well as to the role of transport providers [36] and the development of transport scenarios [9].…”

“…Local and regional transport planning practices cannot be changed easily, as they are embedded in a complex interplay with spatial, political, and financial conditions and the practices shaping those conditions. The practices described in this paper should not obscure the fact that prevailing conditions, such as the availability of parking spaces and commuter tax allowances, promote continued stability of car use [15]. Restructuring infrastructures that have been built over decades takes time [47].…”

“…Furthermore, transport planning practices need to be set in relation to mobility practices. Stein et al, based on a qualitative study on commuter practices in the Rhine-Main region, make it clear that travel choices are deeply embedded in various routines from household organisation (e.g., childcare) to working arrangements (e.g., working hours) [15]. Local and regional transport planning can create environments that support sustainable travel choices, but these environments alone will not be sufficient to achieve sustainable mobility.…”

“…This is particularly evident in commuting: car use in Germany is particularly high on commutes and commuting distances on average are becoming longer [4]. The Rhine-Main region stands as an example of an urban region with increasing commuter traffic in Germany [14,15].…”

Impact of Neighborhood Urban Morphologies on Walkability Using Spatial Multi-Criteria Analysis

“…All these combined aid in enhancing both creativity and productivity. Several empirical studies have found that active commuters are found to be physically and mentally in a be er state, even if this is their only form of exercise [10,11].…”