The project focuses on "smart" mobility concepts. They are based on the extensive collection and algorithmic processing of data and promise a more sustainable and efficient organisation of mobility services. In addition to statistical data from public administration, user data from the use of digital and networked end devices is increasingly being used as a database, as well as data that comes directly from surveillance systems of urban infrastructure. In this respect, there is a convergence of media and urban mobility infrastructure and a reorganisation of different spaces/places, technological components, social aspects and media in their respective different accentuations.

The interdisciplinary research project analyses the everyday, individual mobility and media practices of people who regularly use public transport services. Central aspects here are the interactions between the existing mobility infrastructure, the affordances of the media and media technologies used and the agency of non-human actors, such as algorithms. The extent to which users experience and reflect on these interactions and the resulting scope for action is also of interest. In addition, critical discourse analysis will be used to identify power-knowledge relationships in relation to "smart" mobility concepts.

In a comparative design, the metropolitan regions of Vienna (Austria), Milton Keynes (UK) and Shanghai (China) will be examined, which already rely on "smart technology", but differ significantly in terms of size, socio-cultural and political factors.

Funded by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation; funding line: Elite programme for postdoctoral researchers
amount: €150,000
duration: 01.01.2023 - 31.03.2026

• Helena Atteneder (PI),
• Joan Ramon Rodriguez-Amat (collaborator computational methods and analysis),
• Eva Neugebauer (PhD student),
• Bernhard Collini-Nocker (technical support),
• Olha Kurinna and Kaya Hartmann (student assistants)