Tactical Mobilism

Interventions for a sustainable mobility culture

Public urban spaces in Austrian small and medium-sized towns are still predominantly allocated in favor of motorized individual traffic (driving or parking), resulting in significant social and ecological impacts that require urgent action. The ongoing developments in the transportation system, with a continuously increasing motorization rate outside urban core zones, along with a societal mobility culture that remains heavily reliant on cars, are having a progressively negative influence on opportunities for social participation and gender-equitable usage. Furthermore, there’s a risk of losing the functionality of public spaces for active mobility, and the slow pace of ecological transformation of urban areas in terms of climate change adaptation.

Despite decision-making and planning processes being built on a traditional, negotiated framework, they are notably inflexible and hinder the necessary redistributive efforts in urban spaces. This is where the Tactical Mobilism project comes into play. The project aims to establish time-limited, simple, and cost-effective interventions in the transportation sector, such as new traffic management, reassignment of spaces, additional design elements, and greenery, as well as functional programming. The particularly crucial aspect is the collaborative and participatory develop- ment and testing of such interventions in public spaces within a so-called “real-world laboratory.” This approach opens up new perspectives, prompts the necessary rethinking among stakeholders, and can trigger a transformation in mobility culture.

The spatial intervention mechanisms intentionally implemented in the Tactical Mobilism project are aimed at improving their integration into existing planning and decision-making processes, thereby creating room for inclusive and sustainable mobility and quality of stay. The city of Villach, as a project partner and pilot city, provided the space for the first Tactical Mobilism real-world laboratory within the project. The experiences gained here can serve as a model and example for other cities in Austria and beyond. Drawing from the insights, follower cities can learn, incorporate processes and concepts, and utilize them for their transforma- tion and innovation processes. The physically tangible elements and pro- cedural insights tested in Villach have been summarized in a guide.

Place: Villach, AUT

Partner: TU Graz, TU Wien, queraum, planum

Year: 2021