Public Bicycles: How the Concept of Human-Oriented ‘Mobility Sharing’ Technology can Influence Travel Behaviour Norms and Reshape Design Education
Year: 2014
Editor: Erik Bohemia, Arthur Eger, Wouter Eggink, Ahmed Kovacevic, Brian Parkinson, Wessel Wits
Author: Nikitas, Alexandros; Wallgren, Pontus; Rahe, Ulrike
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Division Design and Human Factors, Department for Product and Production Development, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Section: Social Aspects of Design Education
Page(s): 159-164
ISBN: 978-1-904670-56-8
Abstract
se systems are currently on three dissimilar operational phases spanning from bidding for funding to actually having a fairly successful system already in place. As a matter of fact, the choice of the three case study cities represent an effort to frame the dynamics of the bike-sharing phenomenon in a micro-scale (Drama, Greece, 50.000 residents), meso-scale (Gothenburg, Sweden, 500.000 residents) and mega-scale (Shanghai, China, 23 million residents) looking also into the attitude-shaping process before and after the implementation of a scheme. This project’s didactic role is a twin one; it aims to reinforce education practice on sustainable mobilities design by using student projects as an apparatus for supporting research and promoting urban change in real societal terms and subsequently to integrate the findings of the research into future postgraduate and undergraduate course material. Thus, bike-sharing design, for the means of this paper, aims to serve as an academic platform for integrating and synchronising research and education by promoting a balanced and timely development of technological opportunities that capture the mobility needs of tomorrow.
Keywords: Public Bicycles, Bike-Sharing Schemes, Travel Behavioural Change, Sustainable Mobilities Planning and Design, Research-driven Design Education