Car Sharing and Urban Mobility in Malmö and San Francisco: A Niche Dynamic Perspective
(2017) In IIIEE Theses IMEN56 20171The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
- Abstract
- Car sharing as an idea challenges the prevailing mobility regime in the global north that has been built around private vehicle ownership. Well established regimes such as this, over time generate norms and collect actors that become dependent on the private car as the dominant form of
mobility. These norms and actors, whose very existence is at times contingent on upholding the current socio-technical system of mobility, support the current system and suppress any regime challenging concepts. Thus, for car sharing to grow to a scale where it can challenge private
vehicle ownership, initially it requires protection from these aggressive forces. These protected spaces or niches, emerge from other actors promoting the use of and shielding... (More) - Car sharing as an idea challenges the prevailing mobility regime in the global north that has been built around private vehicle ownership. Well established regimes such as this, over time generate norms and collect actors that become dependent on the private car as the dominant form of
mobility. These norms and actors, whose very existence is at times contingent on upholding the current socio-technical system of mobility, support the current system and suppress any regime challenging concepts. Thus, for car sharing to grow to a scale where it can challenge private
vehicle ownership, initially it requires protection from these aggressive forces. These protected spaces or niches, emerge from other actors promoting the use of and shielding car sharing until it can, in conjunction with other mobility actors, challenge or replace the socio-technical regime.
This thesis explores the urban niche dynamics of car sharing in two case study locations: Malmö, Sweden and San Francisco, California. In both urban environments the numerous social and technical components of car sharing render thorough analysis a difficult task. Two theoretical frameworks are utilized in the analysis: the evolutionary/multi-level perspective and the
relational perspective. This paper suggests that the institutional regulation and taxation relating to car sharing in Sweden has necessitated the greater number of relationships with other actors and has framed the concept as a complementary alternative within a system of alternative mobility actors. In San Francisco however, the demand from residents for a dramatic change to the current mobility regime, paired with favorable institutional enablers, frames car sharing as having greater potential to be a more independent, promising alternative. Both cities aim to significantly reduce the dependence on private vehicles in their downtown by 2030. To accomplish this goal, mutually beneficial partnerships within alternative mobility actors’ networks play a critical role in growing car sharing and attracting users from the existing mobility regime. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8922881
- author
- Noll, Brayton LU
- supervisor
-
- Tareq Emtairah LU
- Peter Arnfalk LU
- organization
- course
- IMEN56 20171
- year
- 2017
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Car sharing, Niche dynamics, Socio-technical theory, San Francisco, Malmö
- publication/series
- IIIEE Theses
- report number
- 2017:07
- ISSN
- 1401-9191
- language
- English
- id
- 8922881
- date added to LUP
- 2017-08-30 12:47:00
- date last changed
- 2017-08-30 12:47:00
@misc{8922881,
abstract = {{Car sharing as an idea challenges the prevailing mobility regime in the global north that has been built around private vehicle ownership. Well established regimes such as this, over time generate norms and collect actors that become dependent on the private car as the dominant form of
mobility. These norms and actors, whose very existence is at times contingent on upholding the current socio-technical system of mobility, support the current system and suppress any regime challenging concepts. Thus, for car sharing to grow to a scale where it can challenge private
vehicle ownership, initially it requires protection from these aggressive forces. These protected spaces or niches, emerge from other actors promoting the use of and shielding car sharing until it can, in conjunction with other mobility actors, challenge or replace the socio-technical regime.
This thesis explores the urban niche dynamics of car sharing in two case study locations: Malmö, Sweden and San Francisco, California. In both urban environments the numerous social and technical components of car sharing render thorough analysis a difficult task. Two theoretical frameworks are utilized in the analysis: the evolutionary/multi-level perspective and the
relational perspective. This paper suggests that the institutional regulation and taxation relating to car sharing in Sweden has necessitated the greater number of relationships with other actors and has framed the concept as a complementary alternative within a system of alternative mobility actors. In San Francisco however, the demand from residents for a dramatic change to the current mobility regime, paired with favorable institutional enablers, frames car sharing as having greater potential to be a more independent, promising alternative. Both cities aim to significantly reduce the dependence on private vehicles in their downtown by 2030. To accomplish this goal, mutually beneficial partnerships within alternative mobility actors’ networks play a critical role in growing car sharing and attracting users from the existing mobility regime.}},
author = {{Noll, Brayton}},
issn = {{1401-9191}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{IIIEE Theses}},
title = {{Car Sharing and Urban Mobility in Malmö and San Francisco: A Niche Dynamic Perspective}},
year = {{2017}},
}