Urban Lunch Talk #39 – Can Urban Experiments Breach the Car Dominance in Cities?

Urban Living Labs are typically local experiments that allow researchers and stakeholders from cities to work together to explore and develop new solutions that can show the way towards more sustainable cities. In normal circumstances these experiments are small niche innovations without the power to instigate radical and long term change. However, in volatile times with rapid shifts in policies and peoples’ preferences niche innovations can gain traction and challenge the status quo, i.e. the current system and dominating practices.

Welcome to a new episode of the Urban lunch Talks series. In this episode we will learn more about a theory that explains how transformation of urban systems can take place and thereafter deep dive into the role of experiments to challenge the dominance of cars in cities.

We will learn from projects that promote alternative temporary uses of streets and parking lots for other purposes, e.g. urban space for pedestrians, parks and physical exercise. Building on learnings from these JPI Urban Europe funded research and innovation projects focused on mobility and accessibility, we will discuss how local experiments can be seen as niche innovations and as such important stepping stones towards a more people centred urban transformation as they destabilise the current car dominated regime. We will also discuss benefits and hurdles of embedding and mainstreaming these experiments in the larger planning processes of cities and municipalities for an increased impact.