Back to the Future: A Return to Human-Scaled Urban Mobility

Join the discussion: 13.09.2022, 19:00 at IKS – Interkulturelle Schule Frankfurt Rhein Main, Kaiserkronenweg 1

2022/08/30

The panel discussion will be held in English, and is a cooperation between the U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt and Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Hessen

After the societal changes wrought by COVID, and partially owing to rising energy costs, urban leaders around the world now have the opportunity to reimagine city streets. Urban spaces long designed for cars can now be reconfigured as spaces that advance clean energy, net-zero emissions technology and human-scaled mobility. This is true in the EU, in North America, and especially in rapidly urbanizing emerging economies. Space for cars takes up roughly 1/3 of the land area in many cities, and the conversion of this land into shared public space will transform how cities function. In these cities of the future, there will be more inhabitable neighborhoods, healthier lifestyles, green space, and less congestion. New vehicle technologies are critical to this future and includes rethinking the size of cars and relying more increasingly on smaller scooters and e-bikes.

These technologies rely less on greenhouse gas emitting fuels and will provide for mobility in more livable cities. This talk justifies how designing streets around smaller vehicles will combat climate change and pollution, all while providing an economically sound, safe, and equitable way to access city spaces after reclaiming car lanes and parking spots as public space.

Participants:

KEVIN J. KRIZEK, Professor for Sustainable Planning & Design at the University of Colorado.

BEATRIX BALTABOL, Architecture firm Drei Eins – Stadt Freiraum Architektur, Frankfurt am Main

KATHARINA KNACKER, The mobility policy spokesperson for the Green Party, the Frankfurt City Council

MARTIN LANZENDORF, Professor für Mobilitätsforschung, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main

Moderation:

NEBOJŠA ČAMPRAG, Guest Professor of International Urbanism at the Faculty of Architecture, TU Darmstadt

More info here.

Video recording available here.