Location: United Kingdom, Greater London
Duration: 3 months: October 2023 – December 2023
Living Lab Lead: LSE Cities | The London School of Economics and Political Science
Partners: University of St. Gallen, Transport for London (TfL)
Living Lab London
- Does control over defining fairness lead to more sustainable behaviour?
- How to use policy instruments for an equitable reduction of cars in inner cities?
This Living Lab generates insights on fairness perceptions of target groups and analyses if pro-active engagement with related policy challenges leads to changes in mobility behaviour. Based on the findings, policy recommendations and an approach to fairness in urban transport policy are developed.
Inner City Transport Equity
How do drivers perceive fairness in their mobility and decision-making processes? The London Living Lab utilize information sessions, a movement-tracking mobile application, and virtual workshops to assess potential changes in attitudes towards perceived fairness, aiming to influence individual behaviour.
The MyFairShare Living Lab in London investigates the concept of Individual Mobility Budgets from a fairness perspective. It investigates whether perceptions of fairness change with varying levels of information and if allowing individuals more control over defining fairness promotes sustainable transportation practices. Additionally, it delves into policy options for equitably reducing car usage in inner cities.
To answer these questions, the London Living Lab conducts an experiment involving non-professional drivers in Greater London, encompassing both Inner London and its immediate suburbs. In partnership with Universität St. Gallen and Transport for London (TFL), the project enrols participants who commute to or within Inner London at least three times a week.
Equipped with a mobility tracking app (MotionTag), the participants monitor their personal mobility patterns. The app calculates their carbon emissions based on distance and transportation mode. Every two weeks, participants receive reports detailing their individual carbon footprint and how it compares to various scenarios.
Half of the participants additionally partake in Virtual Workshops, where they engage with informational data and take part in discussions about fairness and policy instruments for a reduction of inner-city car use. The study concludes with interviews of all participants to gather their opinions on urban car mobility, potentially revealing differences in fairness perceptions between the two groups.
Through this experimental approach, the Living Lab analyses whether proactive engagement with policy challenges leads to behavioural changes and if active involvement in fairness considerations can impact decision-making processes. Based on the findings, the project develops policy recommendations and an approach to fairness in urban transport policy.