On 3 September 2020, MAMBA project launched its Final Web Conference series with a session that tried to set the scene when it comes to rural mobility and its intricacies. More than 100 participants joined the online event and watched a keynote presentation by Laurie Pickup, an esteemed transport expert, International Projects Director at Vectos Ltd. and Honorary Professor of European Transport Policy at the University of Aberdeen. This was followed by an introduction into the plethora of social, economic, cultural and legal factors which influence the success or failure of rural mobility innovations, provided by Linda Randall, Research Fellow at Nordregio. During the second part of the session, the participants joined breakout rooms, where they followed presentations by experts and participated in a discussion on a range of topics such as gender and mobility, transport poverty, the dichotomy between urban and rural areas and more. This was more than a succesful kick-off to the conference series, it was a Call to Action to finally take the rural mobility and accessibility challenge serious and act!

For a full summary of Session #1 check out the conference report. You can also visit Session #2 (Inspiring Stories from MAMBA and beyond) and Session #3 (Better Policies for better Mobility and Accessibility) if you are interested in further content.

 

The conference was also graphically recorded by an artist from Ellery Studio, Berlin – see Kitty’s artwork here:

 

 

 

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If you missed the first installment of the Final Web Conference, you can watch the recordings below, see the presentations and read the conference report:

 

Main session

 

 

Breakout sessions – Delve deeper…

 

1. What is transport poverty and how to eliminate it?

Tobias Kuttler, Technical University Berlin, HiReach Project

 

 

2. Why does gender matter in rural mobility?

Melanie Herget, Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forest and
Fisheries

 

 

3. Urban vs. Rural? What makes genuinely rural mobility solutions and why are they
necessary?

Jenny Milne, University of Aberdeen; Independent Consultant

 

 

 

4. Mobility and public transport access in socially deprived urban areas in Sweden

Jessica Berg, VTI – The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute

 

 

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Presentations

 

Keynote address: DESTROYING THE URBAN MYOPIA: TOWARD A POSITIVE RURAL VISION FOR EUROPE
Laurie Pickup, International Projects Director Vectos Ltd., Honorary Professor of European Transport Policy at the University of Aberdeen

 

Exploring the challenge: Introduction to MAMBA, socio-cultural, economic and legal considerations for successful rural mobility innovations
Linda Randall, Nordregio

 

Breakout Sessions – Delve deeper: What challenge are you most interested in?

What is transport poverty and how to eliminate it?
Tobias Kuttler, Technical University Berlin, HiReach Project

 

Why does gender matter in rural mobility?
Melanie Herget, Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forest and Fisheries

 

Urban vs. Rural? What makes genuinely rural mobility solutions and why are they necessary?
Jenny Milne, University of Aberdeen; Independent Consultant

 

Mobility and public transport access in socially deprived urban areas in Sweden
Jessica Berg, VTI – The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute