Summary
«Saarmila»
Working together for a sustainable mobility culture in Saarland – testing and scaling real-world laboratories
Duration: 01.10.2024 – 30.09.2029
Funding Agency: BMFTR
Support measure
Sustainable mobility in regional transformation areas – in metropolitan regions, regiopol regions and intermunicipal associations.
Primary topic area
Developing holistic mobility concepts for different areas of life.
Secondary topic area
Advancing the mobility transition in regional transformation areas through digitisation and new business models.
Objectives
Initiating the mobility culture of the future
Development, implementation, and research of networked real-world laboratories for a sustainable, barrier-free mobility culture with a focus on the areas of gainful employment, care work, and leisure. Evaluation, development, and optimization of governance strategies.
Making change imaginable
Development of a model for climate neutrality and sustainability in the mobility sector in Saarland as part of a transformative research process. Public relations and awareness raising are seen as a joint challenge for science, society, and politics.
Strategy
Transdisciplinary Approach
In a participatory, transdisciplinary process, knowledge and perspectives from science, Saarland civil society, stakeholder groups, and local politics and administration are brought together.
Planning tools and systemic intervention
Joint evaluation and further development of existing planning instruments. Networking of the research team with governance approaches at various administrative levels in Saarland (municipality, district/regional association, state) to develop a holistic mobility concept. This is supplemented by a targeted communication strategy and the active involvement of civil society in creative processes.
Practical implementation of real-world labs
Implementation of concrete real-world laboratories on mobility at schools and daycare centers and on the use of on-demand services. In addition, the potential of communication- and participation-oriented aesthetic communication for promoting local orientation and functional diversity is being investigated.
Work Plan
» The project
Transformative research project
The transformative research project Saarmila identifies, develops, and researches networked real-world laboratories for a sustainable mobility culture with a focus on the areas of gainful employment, care work, and leisure. It uses and researches approaches for scaling up to the entire Saarland as a project region. A so-called “Meta-Lab,” which controls the networking and scaling process and involves all relevant actors (administration, NGOs, associations, scientific and artistic institutions, citizens, etc.), will be established and will continue to operate after the project period.
During the proposed project period, the topics of on-demand transport, mobility at schools and daycare centers, and region-specific challenges and potentials of communication- and participation-oriented aesthetic communication in local planning will be examined in particular. Here, the project ties in with corresponding planning processes already initiated by the regional partners. The special spatial structure of the Saarland as a regiopolis region with Saarbrücken as a conurbation and high integration with the entire federal state represents a starting point for the project.
This offers great potential for the mobility transition: short distances, good infrastructure, dense development, and well-connected stakeholders. At the same time, there are challenges in the high density of cars and the comparatively low use of bicycles. Here, causes, starting points, and potential are explored using a multi-method approach. Cooperation and collaboration in the Meta-Lab enable the generation and transfer of knowledge in various spatial structures and categories, as well as temporal and spatial anchoring in existing institutional arrangements.
Lead: IZES
» Subproject A
Saarmila coordinates, implements, and conducts research
Subproject A, “Saarmila coordinates, implements, and conducts research,” makes a key contribution through comprehensive project management, which ensures the overall coordination and evaluation of the project. The research work of the project as a whole is accompanied by subproject A with a sustainability science research approach. It also takes on the implementation of real-world laboratory research (AP4) and conducts accompanying empirical social research (AP5).
The real-world laboratories are developed and implemented in three thematic areas: mobility at schools and daycare centers with a focus on the mobility needs of children and the reduction of motorized private transport, the potential of on-demand mobility services to relieve the burden of care work and improve mobility participation, and the integration of local orientation and functional mixing through prototypical and participation-oriented design of existing spaces.
The accompanying empirical social research supports the transdisciplinary process, generates insights for scaling, examines the mobility needs and preferences of the population, creates maps of mobility hubs, and develops needs-oriented recommendations. The project management coordinates all stakeholders and, through a systematic and integrative approach, enables the generation and transfer of knowledge in different spatial structures and categories, supported by the Meta-Lab, which will continue to exist after the end of the project.
Lead: IZES
» Subproject B
Saarmila builds on and anchors local
Governance strategies are being further developed at all levels, e.g., the funding guidelines for sustainable mobility (NMOB) or the mobility measures in Saarland's climate protection concept. Both fall within the remit of MUKMAV, which already cooperates with local authorities and relevant stakeholders in the mobility sector on issues of sustainable mobility. By deepening this cooperation within the framework of Saarmila, the implementation and transfer opportunities with regard to the state's governance strategies are to be increased.weiterentwickelt, z.B. die Förderrichtlinien zur nachhaltigen Mobilität (NMOB) oder die Mobilitätsmaßnahmen im saarländischen Klimaschutzkonzept. Beides fällt in die Zuständigkeit des MUKMAV, das in Fragen der nachhaltigen Mobilität bereits mit den Kommunen und einschlägigen Stakeholder*innen im Mobilitätssektor kooperiert.
The existing funding instruments in the NMOB program will be evaluated for their effectiveness in a participatory manner and with the inclusion of empirical surveys on the mobility behavior of Saarland residents. With regard to the prioritized measures in the field of mobility laid down in the state's climate protection concept, the results of the Saarmila project will also contribute to the Saarland achieving its climate protection goals in the mobility sector and thus net greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045.
By establishing participatory structures that critically monitor governance processes, the solutions developed within the framework of Saarmila are intended to achieve a measurably higher level of participation by the Saarland population in project-related administrative processes than in regular administrative processes. This will strenghten acceptance of the mobility transition as a whole in its implementation in Saarland as a regional hub.
Lead: MUKMAV
» Subproject C
Saarmila designs future
Subproject C “Saarmila designs future” is led by the Saarbrücken Regional Association, consisting of the five cities of Saarbrücken, Völklingen, Püttlingen, Sulzbach, and Friedrichsthal, as well as the five municipalities of Heusweiler, Riegelsberg, Quierschied, Kleinblittersdorf, and Großrosseln. With their individual mobility, these cities and municipalities face different, very specific challenges in some cases, but also offer a variety of possible ideas and solutions. Through the Saarmila project, the Saarbrücken Regional Association hopes to gain insights and visions of how sustainable and holistic mobility can be offered and function in the regional association in the future.
Through inter-municipal exchange and the involvement of external actors, solutions are to be developed during the project period and beyond that will shed new light on mobility in the Saarbrücken Regional Association. With the help of the developed mission statements, a long-term sustainability effect is to be created and cooperation between the municipalities in the regional association in the area of sustainable mobility is to be intensified. As the regional association is responsible for secondary schools, mobility models for students and teachers, as well as for citizens in the vicinity of schools, are to be developed here. The Saarbrücken Regional Association aims to integrate the findings into regional planning processes and thus promote the mobility transition at the local level. In addition, the Regional Association will actively participate in science communication in order to raise awareness among the local population. Public events in the Regional Association contribute to the local anchoring of sustainability as a guiding principle of mobility.
Lead: RVSB
» Subproject D
Saarmila drives sustainability
Subproject D “Saarmila drives sustainability” of the city of Saarlouis works closely with research institutions, civil society, and local partners to develop innovative strategies for sustainable mobility. There is a particular focus on mobility at schools and daycare centers, as well as the trial-based implementation of integrated daycare and school route planning in Saarlouis. Existing planning tools are being systematically reviewed, adapted, and further developed in practical test phases in order to create tailor-made solutions for safe, sustainable, and stress-free routes in the everyday lives of families.
The subproject analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks of existing governance structures and develops—together with all relevant stakeholders—mission statements and concrete improvement strategies for child-friendly and sustainable mobility planning. An essential component is participation in the implementation and research of networked real-world laboratories. These include, in particular, pop-up measures in the vicinity of schools and daycare centers that test new routes, traffic calming measures, or safe crossings. In addition, the subproject also supports real-world laboratories in the area of on-demand transport and communication of the mobility transition.
The findings developed are actively communicated between administrative levels, organized citizens, and politicians. By networking with other municipalities, the city of Saarlouis shares its experiences and thus supports the supraregional transfer of successful mobility solutions. Subproject D thus makes a central contribution to the sustainable mobility transition in Saarland and provides valuable impetus for future-oriented, child-friendly, and socially equitable mobility concepts.
Lead: SLS
» Subproject E
Saarmila mediates
Through targeted and differentiated science communication, we want to raise awareness for a sustainable mobility culture in Saarland, promote knowledge transfer and exchange between stakeholders, support active participation, and encourage long-term behavioral change. The focus of communication research is on scientific and participatory communication: tools for research and catalysts for transformation processes.
Saarmila will communicate on various levels and channels and address different target groups, experimenting with cross-media approaches between scientific publications and popular media. We will explore opportunities to integrate impulses from society into our practice, involve people in an open dialogue, and keep our verbal and visual framework open for participation. A special communicative and participatory focus will be placed on organized interest groups and citizens, children, families, people who provide care or gainful employment, and marginalized groups.
Our communicative task is to bring the processes and results of Saarmila into public discussion, to communicate them, and to engage in open dialogue with the public. We will explore communication methods and try out different approaches to reduce complexity, maximize understanding, and optimize our scope for action. Since we deal with identity-forming and potentially polarizing issues, our communication process must consciously include and reflect conflicts. We see this challenge as an opportunity to open up new perspectives and create constructive spaces for negotiation through deconstruction, shared learning, and facilitation.
Lead: HBKsaar
Project coordinator
IZES gGmbH, Saarbrücken
Project partners
MUKMAV, Regionalverband Saarbrücken, HBKSaar, Kreisstadt Saarlouis, BIN Saar
