Mobility Culture
Our First Zine Mobility Culture in the Saarland provides a concise overview of the development of mobility in the region from 1945 to the present. As one of the first outcomes of our project, this zine aims to contribute to the contemporary discourse on mobility by opening up new conversations and encouraging shifts in perspective on the region’s planned landscape.
Through a retrospective analysis, we examine how political decisions, economic transformations, and urban planning principles have shaped today’s transportation infrastructure. The zine focuses on why the Saarland has developed such a high density of cars and highways and explores the historical path dependencies that have led to this situation. At the same time, it investigates how everyday mobility needs have evolved over time and how different social groups have been affected by these changes…
Mobility Workshop
On 25 June 2026, the first Mobility Workshop was held at Saarbrücken Castle as part of the Saarmila research project. The event focused on a key question: How can everyday cycling for local and intermunicipal travel be strengthened across the Regional Association of Saarbrücken? To address this topic, representatives from almost all municipalities within the Regional Association, the Managing Director of the AGFK Saarland (Working Group for Bicycle-Friendly Municipalities in Saarland), and representatives of the Regional Association’s Road Traffic Authority came together for a day of exchange and collaboration.
The workshop aimed to strengthen networks among municipal staff responsible for cycling and mobility planning while establishing new channels for intermunicipal cooperation. This newly created forum is intended to support the identification of shared challenges and enable municipalities to formulate common support needs to be addressed by the Regional Association. The event opened with an interactive introduction that not only allowed participants to get to know one another but also created a spatial connection between the participating municipalities.
The programme continued with two keynote presentations. The first, delivered by AGFK Saarland, highlighted the importance of intermunicipal cooperation and networking in advancing cycling policies. The second presentation, given by the Regional Association’s Road Traffic Authority, provided insights into the authority’s general approach to cycling-related measures and explained its statutory responsibility to ensure road safety. The presentation was complemented by practical examples from municipalities where the authority had successfully supported the implementation of cycling infrastructure and traffic management measures. Together, these contributions stimulated lively and constructive discussions among participants.
The final workshop session built on this momentum by inviting participants to develop a shared vision for the future of cycling within the Regional Association. Central questions included: What role should cycling as a sustainable mode of transport play in the region’s future mobility system? What common long-term vision should municipalities work towards, and what characteristics should define this future state? Through collaborative discussions, participants developed initial draft strategic objectives. These will be continuously refined throughout the duration of the Saarmila research project. Ultimately, this process may result in a broadly supported vision for sustainable mobility in the Regional Association—one that could also serve as inspiration for a future state-wide mobility vision for Saarland. With its transformative research approach, Saarmila seeks to initiate, support, and scale such co
Road Safety Day
After extensive planning and preparation, the day had finally arrived: on Saturday, 30 May 2026, the Road Safety Day in Homburg took place, and the “saarmila-wohnizmmer” moved out onto the streets.
At four interactive stations, families with children as well as other interested visitors were invited to share their experiences of mobility. The discussions focused particularly on journeys to kindergarten and school. The teams from Saarmila, BIN Saar, and fugeefilms, who had joined forces for this project, were delighted by the strong public interest….
On-Demand mobility
On May 5, 2026, the first stakeholder workshop titled “On-Demand Transportation in Saarland” took place at the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Mobility, Agriculture, and Consumer Protection (MUKMAV) in Saarbrücken as part of the Saarmila research project. Under the theme “Working Together for the Sustainable Scaling of On-Demand Transport in Saarland,” representatives from the various flitsaar projects came together, including the MUKMAV, the ZPS, as well as transport companies, public transport authorities, and municipalities from the three flitsaar regions.
Walkshop In Saarlouis
On November 18, 2025, the project team Saarmila conducted a walkshop in the Vogelsang Educational Quarter, applying the methodology of promenadology to gain a deeper understanding of the area. The educational quarter comprises the Vogelsang Primary School, the municipal daycare center Metzer Wiesen, and the Protestant daycare center. The objective was to foster a conscious and subjective perception of space, followed by a critical reflection on spatial quality, with particular attention to safety and quality of stay.
Mobility in Saarland
Our transdisciplinary team is currently focusing on researching and communicating the historical and political factors that have shaped the present state of mobility planning in Saarland, as well as the effects such a system has on the everyday lives of its residents. This focus was developed on the basis of current data, which show that Saarland has the highest motorway density and the highest private car density of all German federal states. Drawing on regional and urban history, video and photographic archives, and field research, we analyze the broader context in order to better understand our surroundings from multiple perspectives.
