A multi-disciplinary look at user-centred transport: Results from the MIND-SETS final conference

The MIND-SETS final conference, which was held on May 22-23, 2017 in Brussels with Mobility4EU, took a look at transport issues and the future of mobility from a variety of perspectives. The day began with an introduction to the two projects, which address the impact of societal trends and the challenges facing European mobility. Ioana Adamescu spoke about the European Commission’s priorities and objectives, starting with the direction they would like to see mobility move in over the next few years and decades. The EC wants to see a more inclusive and sustainable mobility that contributes to the well-being of all Europeans. There are also concerns related to Big Data and how to manage it – how to balance its usefulness in creating better and more tailored solutions with the need for protecting privacy.

This introduction from the EC easily segued into the next two presentations, which asked how we can create a more human city and a more inclusive society. To achieve this, we need to carefully consider the role of mobility, as this has a crucial impact on people’s self-esteem, social status and well-being.

Several partners from the MIND-SETS consortium then explained the multidisciplinary MIND-SETS approach and presented the results of the project. Different “mobility mind-sets” – from economics, psychology, sociology, ICT and other disciplines – need to be integrated if we want to achieve a more sustainable and inclusive mobility. We can utilise what we know about behavioural economics and decision-making biases to encourage better user choices. Understanding how mobility fulfils our psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness – or, conversely, how restricted mobility frustrates these psychological needs – can help us build a happier and more inclusive society. Social networks can either transform or bolster existing travel patterns, and the data generated by these networks and by ICTs in general will go a long way towards making mobility smarter, seamless and more sustainable. There is also an important generational element when it comes to exploring user behaviour; it was demonstrated how one initiative was able to harness generational values (the millennial propensity towards sharing) to create connections with older people, improving both their access to mobility and their quality of life.

After a lunch in the garden, where participants were able to mingle and reflect on the morning’s ideas, an interactive session took place in which participants ranked current and future transport innovations by how safe, smart, social and sustainable they are. The main purpose of this session was to introduce the radar charts, an interactive tool that will be available at the MIND-SETS Knowledge Centre. This tool is designed to help predict user acceptance of policies, products and services.

The day continued with a discussion of the future of Europe’s transport as the focus passed to the Mobility4EU project. The discussion continued on the second day, which also featured a series of collaborative workshops on transport education, transport innovation and seamless mobility.

Agenda and presentations

Day 1 – 22 May 2017 (10H-19H30)

Day 2 – 23 May 2017 (8H30-14H30)

Photo gallery

These projects have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 690732 Mobility4EU and No 640401 MIND-SETS.

*Please note that the views expressed in these remarks are personal and do not express a commitment or official policy of the European Commission.