Crises as incubators of sustainable mobility patterns? Evidence from two shock events

This paper promotes our understanding of how crises accelerate systemic sustainability-related changes in our transforming societies using the example of mobility. Not only is the magnitude of the mobility carbon footprint large, but its dynamics make reducing it very challenging. Our paper addresses the impact of crises on the transformation of mobility patterns, including short-distance mobility and holiday tourism. A first study was conducted after the 2008-2010 crisis using focus-group participatory systems mapping. This found that when people are forced to change their habits for financial reasons, they adapt holiday travel first. Nonetheless, participants were just as satisfied with domestic destinations, provided they could spend time with loved ones. The second study focused on the COVID-19 crisis. Participants missed foreign travel, so some rebound seems inevitable. However, the crisis has been an incubator of changes in urban mobility that could reduce carbon footprints in the longer term and offset the prospective increase in tourism. Recent changes have been more profound and innovative than those during the 2008-2010 crisis.

Automated summary

This paper explores how crises accelerate systemic sustainability-related changes, using mobility as an example. The large magnitude and dynamics of the mobility carbon footprint make reducing it challenging. The study investigates the impact of crises on mobility patterns, focusing on short-distance travel and holiday tourism. The findings suggest that financial reasons lead people to adapt holiday travel first, but they are equally satisfied with domestic destinations if they can spend time with loved ones. The COVID-19 crisis has driven changes in urban mobility that could reduce carbon footprints in the long term and offset the potential increase in tourism. Recent changes have been more profound and innovative than those during the 2008-2010 crisis.