Alternative Mobility Narratives
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Alternative Mobility Narratives
This course is part of Human Mobility in Future Cities Specialization
5,708 already enrolled
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39 reviews
39 reviews
What you'll learn
We will reflect on the role of language and narratives in shaping our views on mobility, transport policy and mobility innovation
You will learn about the implied (but invisible) homo-economicus in our thinking about mobility and our transportation system
We present 4 alternatives to the homo-economicus model: 1)mobility as unnecessity 2)mobility as commons 3)mobility as play 4)mobility as interaction
In the final project, you will choose a mobility innovation and critically reflect on it from these alternative and meaningful perspectives.
Details to know
13 assignments
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There are 7 modules in this course
Ready to imagine a radically different mobility future? This course is about the stories that we tell ourselves about why and how we move. By critically examining our current narratives, we help you think about mobility in a new way. Using systems dynamics modelling, we explore how a mobility innovation (of your choice) impacts our mobility system as a whole, for better or for worse. This course will invite you to reflect on our mainstream mobility narrative built on engineering and economics. But warning: you may end up never looking at mobility in the same way again!
This online course is supported by the EIT Urban Mobility’s Competence Hub. EIT Urban Mobility is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) that has been working since January 2019 to encourage positive changes in the way people move around cities in order to make them more sustainable and liveable places.
What's included
3 videos11 readings2 assignments1 plugin
3 videos•Total 50 minutes
- Course Introduction with Marco te Brömmelstroet and George Liu•12 minutes
- The Art of Using Mobility Language•24 minutes
- Systems Thinking and Loopy Tutorial•14 minutes
11 readings•Total 109 minutes
- Meet the team•5 minutes
- Content and Aim of Alternative Narratives for Urban Mobility Futures•5 minutes
- Keep notes to prepare for your final assignment!•3 minutes
- Support and feedback•3 minutes
- Block 1 content•3 minutes
- How much time to spend on academic papers?•5 minutes
- "Interpretative flexibility" and "Discourse institutionalization"•45 minutes
- Don't Say 'Cyclists,' Say 'People on Bikes'•10 minutes
- What to Do if You’re Hit by a Car•15 minutes
- About the Weekly Assignments•10 minutes
- Examples of Loopy System Diagrams•5 minutes
2 assignments•Total 15 minutes
- Block 1 Graded Quiz•10 minutes
- Practice Quiz: "Interpretative flexibility" and "Discourse institutionalization"•5 minutes
1 plugin•Total 15 minutes
- How language shapes the way we think | Lera Boroditsky TED Talk•15 minutes
What's included
1 video7 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts
1 video•Total 26 minutes
- Block 2 Intro with Miloš Mladenović•26 minutes
7 readings•Total 98 minutes
- Block 2 content•3 minutes
- "Current key imaginaries of mobility" and "From economic thinking to economic being"•45 minutes
- Texas A&M Urban Mobility Report•10 minutes
- The Boring Company•15 minutes
- Videos on the effects of the dominant narrative•5 minutes
- What is a mobility innovation?•5 minutes
- Examples of Mobility Innovations•15 minutes
2 assignments•Total 15 minutes
- Block 2 Graded Quiz•10 minutes
- Practice Quiz: "Current key imaginaries of mobility" and "From economic thinking to economic being"•5 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 55 minutes
- Searching your news or social media•10 minutes
- Mini-Assignment: Select a Mobility Innovation•45 minutes
What's included
3 videos5 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts
3 videos•Total 62 minutes
- Reflection: The Roots of Dominant Mobility Imaginaries, narrated by António Ferreira•22 minutes
- Reflection: Localism and Immotility, narrated by António Ferreira•21 minutes
- Reflection: Mobility Beyond Instrumentalism, narrated by António Ferreira•18 minutes
5 readings•Total 83 minutes
- Block 3 content•3 minutes
- Immotility as resilience? A key consideration for transport policy and research•45 minutes
- (Optional) The social destruction of speed•10 minutes
- If Seeing the World Helps Ruin It, Should We Stay Home?•15 minutes
- Viewpoint blog on mindful traveling•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 15 minutes
- Block 3 Graded Quiz•10 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Immotility as resilience? A key consideration for transport policy and research•5 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 50 minutes
- COVID-19 and less travel•10 minutes
- Mini-Assignment on Unnecessity•40 minutes
What's included
3 videos3 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts
3 videos•Total 24 minutes
- Block 4 Intro with Anna Nikolaeva•20 minutes
- Talking Living Streets with Ghent’s Vice Mayor Filip Watteeuw | Streetfilms.org•2 minutes
- Prompt video for forum post on COVID-19 and Commoning Mobility•2 minutes
3 readings•Total 63 minutes
- Block 4 content•3 minutes
- Commoning mobility: Towards a new politics of mobility transitions•45 minutes
- How this Amsterdam inventor gave bike-sharing to the world•15 minutes
2 assignments•Total 15 minutes
- Block 4 Graded Quiz•10 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Commoning mobility: Towards a new politics of mobility transitions•5 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 50 minutes
- COVID-19 and Commoning Mobility•10 minutes
- Mini-Assignment on Commoning•40 minutes
What's included
1 video3 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin
1 video•Total 10 minutes
- Block 5 Intro with Marco te Brömmelstroet and George Liu•10 minutes
3 readings•Total 63 minutes
- Block 5 content•3 minutes
- Have a good trip! Expanding our concepts of the quality of travel time with flow theory•45 minutes
- Why Run? BBC Radio Four Thought episode with Adharanand Finn•15 minutes
2 assignments•Total 15 minutes
- Block 5 Graded Quiz•10 minutes
- Practice quiz: Have a good trip! Expanding our concepts of the quality of travel time with Flow theory•5 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 40 minutes
- Mini-Assignment on Play•40 minutes
1 plugin•Total 10 minutes
- Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi | FightMediocrity YouTube•10 minutes
What's included
4 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt2 plugins
4 readings•Total 68 minutes
- Block 6 content•3 minutes
- Travelling together alone and alone together: mobility and potential exposure to diversity•45 minutes
- Jane Jacobs's Sidewalk Ballet•10 minutes
- People-centered methods for cycling•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 15 minutes
- Block 6 Graded Quiz•10 minutes
- Practice Quiz: Travelling together alone and alone together: mobility and potential exposure to diversity•5 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 40 minutes
- Mini-Assignment on Interaction•40 minutes
2 plugins•Total 95 minutes
- Taylor & Francis Podcast: Why cycling is good for society•35 minutes
- Documentary: A way we go•60 minutes
What's included
1 reading1 assignment1 peer review2 discussion prompts
1 reading•Total 25 minutes
- “Mobility as meaningful part of societies“•25 minutes
1 assignment•Total 5 minutes
- “Mobility as meaningful part of societies“•5 minutes
1 peer review•Total 360 minutes
- Final Assignment: Fundamental Rethink of a Mobility Innovation•360 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 20 minutes
- Mobility narratives around the world•10 minutes
- Additional alternative narratives•10 minutes
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Instructors
Explore more from Governance and Society
- Status: Free TrialU
University of Amsterdam
Specialization
- Status: PreviewU
University of Michigan
Course
- Status: PreviewU
University of Amsterdam
Course
- Status: PreviewÉ
École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées
Course
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Reviewed on Jun 15, 2022
Make the participant think about multiple mobility options and the dynamics around it
Reviewed on Sep 25, 2022
Very interesting and much more informative than I expected. I loved it so much that I actually kept learning and finished it early. :)
Reviewed on Nov 27, 2021
Phenomenal! Extremely well structured with highly inspirational content and course management.
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