This book explores mobilities as a key to understanding the practices that both frame and generate contemporary everyday life in the urban context. At the same time, it investigates the challenges arising from the interpretation of mobility as a socio-spatial phenomenon both in the social sciences and in urban studies. Leading sociologists, economists, urban planners and architects address the ways in which spatial mobilities contribute to producing diversified uses of the city and describe forms and rhythms of different life practices, including unexpected uses and conflicts. The individual sections of the book focus on the role of mobility in transforming contemporary cities; the consequences of interpreting mobility as a socio-spatial phenomenon for urban projects and policies; the conflicts and inequalities generated by the co-presence of different populations due to mobility and by the interests gathered around major mobility projects; and the use of new data and mapping of mobilities to enhance comprehension of cities. The theoretical discussion is complemented by references to practical experiences, helping readers gain a broader understanding of mobilities in relation to the capacity to analyze, plan and design contemporary cities.

The emergence of sharing mobility is having a profound impact on urban landscapes. In fact, it is deeply affecting the traditional organization of local services by calling into question how urban transportation is planned, and by redesigning city spaces. Further, by connecting people to shared assets, services or both, sharing mobility is poised to facilitate the more efficient use of underutilized resources, becoming a powerful tool for economic growth and social inclusion, while also contributing to sustainability. That being said, the economic, social and spatial impacts of sharing mobility have not been sufficiently investigated, and so far, the evidence is mixed. From a normative standpoint, while it is relevant to better understand the relations between sharing mobility, the city and the environment, it is also of crucial importance to define new policies and sound rules for sharing mobility in urban areas. Against this backdrop, this book adopts a multidisciplinary perspective to explore the role that sharing mobility can play in the creation of more just and sustainable cities.

This book offers the reader a comprehensive understanding and the multitude of methods utilized in the research of urban mobilities with cities and ‘the urban’ as its pivotal axis. It covers theories and concepts for scholars and researchers to understand, observe and analyse the world of urban mobilities. The Handbook of Urban Mobilities facilitates the understanding of urban mobilities within a historic conscience of societal transformation. It explores key concepts and theories within the ‘mobilities turn’ with a particular urban framework, as well as the methods and tools at play when empirical, urban mobilities research is undertaken. This book also explores the urban mobilities practices related to commutes; particular modes of moving; the exploration of everyday life and embodied practices as they manifest themselves within urban mobilities; and the themes of power, conflict, and social exclusion. A discussion of urban planning, public control, and governance is also undertaken in the book, wherein the themes of infrastructures, technologies and design are duly considered. With chapters written in an accessible style, this handbook carries timely contributions within the contemporary state of the art of urban mobilities research. It will thus be useful for academics and students of graduate programmes and post-graduate studies within disciplines such as urban geography, political science, sociology, anthropology, urban planning, traffic and transportation planning, and architecture and urban design.

This book investigates how established transport planning tools can evolve to understand and plan for the ever-changing contemporary mobilities that influence the opportunities available to individuals. It discusses existing techniques, revised in the light of the growing interest in the social implications of transport planning decisions: these include analytical tools to interpret consolidated and emerging phenomena, as well as operational tools to tackle new and existing mobility demands and needs. The book then addresses the implications of everyday mobility for individuals and communities. The result of a continuous exchange between the two authors, it brings together the results of their various research projects. Despite referring to different objects and settings, the work presented is connected by an underlying interest in the impact that mobility has on people in an increasingly mobile world, and the need to include such concerns into mobility planning and policy.

The sharing economy and collaborative consumption are attracting a great deal of interest due to their business, legal and civic implications. The consequences of the spreading of practices of sharing in urban environments and under daily dynamics are underexplored. This Special Issue aims to address if and how sharing shapes cities, the way that spaces are designed and lived in if social interactions are escalated, and the ways that habits and routines take place in post-individualistic society. In particular, the following key questions are of primary interest: Urban fabric: How is ‘sharing’ shaping cities? Does it represent a paradigm shift with tangible and physical reverberations on urban form? How are shared mobility, work, inhabiting reconfiguring the urban and social fabric? Social practices: Are new lifestyles and practices related to sharing changing the use and design of spaces? To what extent is sharing triggering a production and consumption paradigm shift to be reflected in urban arrangements and infrastructures? Sustainability: Does sharing increase the intensity of use of space and assets, or, rather, does it increase them to meet the expectations of convenience for urban lifestyles? To what extent are these phenomena fostering more economically-, socially-, and environmentally-sustainable practices and cities? Policy: How can policy makers and municipalities interact with these bottom-up and phenomena and grassroots innovation to create more sustainable cities? Scholars responded to the above questions from the fields of urban studies, urban planning and design, sociology, geography, theoretically-grounded and informed by the results of fieldwork activities.

This book is focussing on the results of the mobil.LAB Doctoral Research Group “Sustainable mobility in the metropolitan region of Munich” for its first phase. It highlights the key findings of young scientists from diverse disciplines on selected issues of sustainable mobility, such as neighbourhood mobility, sustainable modes, regional governance and spatial aspects. This includes insights of methods used to assess sustainable mobility, the way how to study and how to conceptualize sustainable development in each of the contributions. Each chapter is built on case studies in cooperation with practice partners and based on empirical data in the metropolitan region of Munich. Moreover, a common understanding of sustainable mobility in metropolitan regions and future research perspectives on mobility cultures are developed. In consequence, the knowledge and experiences are shared in order to generate strategies and actions to address, promote and support sustainable mobility in metropolitan regions.

In this book, top scholars in the field of mobile communication discuss the major issues related to the use of mobile phones in today’s society, such as the tension between private and public, youth mobile culture, creative appropriations of mobile devices, and mobile methods. Each chapter unfolds as an open dialogue between scholars and graduate students of communication. They contain an introduction by a student, followed by a short lecture and a question and answer section with the students, and a closing statement by a student that responds to the scholar’s argument. The book is a valuable resource not only for individuals interested in mobile communication, but also students and teachers willing to use the affordances of mobile media to expand the physical boundaries of classrooms and promote collaborative learning practices.