Saarmila is a research and transformation project for sustainable mobility in Saarland. Together with citizens, public administrations, and scientists, we are developing new solutions for everyday-friendly, equitable, and climate-friendly mobility.
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Naming and logo:
The name “saarmila” derivates from two words. “saar” is an hydronym that defines the toponym of the region, a river that has defined forms of mobility, a natural landscape highly defined by infrastructural intervention. “mila” refers to a feminine name, a shortened “-mil” that refers to many possibile extended names, a connotation that brings gender representation and questions in mobility planning.
We decided to use the glyphs « » in our logo and communication channels. These graphic signs suggest a visual connection between written language (discours) and street signs (mobility). The German conventional indicates to use those glyphs oriented toward each other in a “convergent direction”, in order to indicate a: »Direct Dialogue« or a »Quote«. In the traffic system arrow-like symbols are used to indicate curves, turns, and junctions. They communicate through repetition (“follow this direction”) and divergence (“go left” or “go right”).
We are using the glyphs « » in a “divergent direction” for two reasons. We are interested in opening divergent dialogues and in what happens on the margins of the established mobility discourse, an area that can be graphically represented as a “space in-between dialogues”: »Conventional dialogue«_______________»Conventional dialogue«_______________»Conventional dialogue«. An unconventional typographic gesture represents also our approach to mobility research. We want to enter an established field from a different perspective (care workers and kids needs, participatory processes) creating a difformity in the planned system.
Saarmila is a transdisciplinary consortium consisting of:
This collaboration brings together perspectives from administrative practice, science, and civil society.
We aim to test new mobility options, improve existing structures, and jointly find ways to make mobility in Saarland more socially equitable, environmentally friendly, and practical for everyday life – especially for schools, kindergartens, people with caregiving responsibilities, and for improving social participation.
Children, parents, and professionals experience the impacts of car-centered mobility every day – from drop-offs and pick-ups to unsafe routes. We want to make school and kindergarten routes safer and more climate-friendly, enable independence, and pay more attention to the needs of children.
Through workshops, surveys, creative participation formats, and real-world laboratories. A civil society organization helps us engage people on-site and incorporate their ideas. Initiatives, schools, kindergartens, or individual volunteers are also welcome to get involved.
Real-world laboratories are experimental spaces directly on-site – for example, testing new mobility services or school route experiments. They allow solutions to be developed, tested, and improved collaboratively.
Governance describes how different groups – the state, administrations, scientists, and citizens – make decisions together to plan, implement, and evaluate projects. It means that all participants work together, contribute ideas, and test solutions collaboratively.
We welcome any feedback and participation. Whether you have suggestions, observe everyday problems, want to contribute, or participate with a group – feel free to contact us.
Currently, we are working on:
Saarmila started in 2025 and will run until 2029. During this time, several real-world laboratories will be developed, conducted, and scientifically monitored.
The project is funded by the federal government (BMFTR).
You can reach us anytime via the contact form. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
