Studying Abroad in Stockholm: Incentivising Young Adults Towards Greener Mobility

by Ningning Xie

Stockholm’s City Context

Stockholm area has comparatively low city density (23.5/ha) -less than half of typical European cities (47.9/ha), and barely decrease than giant Canadian ones (25.8/ha). Additionally it is under the density threshold (35/ha) that allows decrease automobile dependence. But, Stockholm has a better share of whole each day journeys by motorised modes of public transport (31.6%), in comparison with its European (22.4%) and Canadian (13.1%) counterparts. The numbers are 22.1%, 34.5%, 11.6% for non-motorised modes, and 46.3%, 43.1%, 75.4% for motorised personal ones. Stockholm additionally leads in lots of indicators pertaining to public transport use, in comparison with different world cities, together with metro community size per 1000 individuals, and metro boardings per capita.

One might argue Stockholm shares European journey tradition the place public transport is extra accepted by all walks of life. Nonetheless, town has achieved comparatively low automobile use, which is atypical for its density stage. A extra cheap rationalization is likely to be its city kind. Stockholm stood out because the Nineteen Fifties with its ground-breaking satellite tv for pc city idea. By means of sturdy city rail networks, town unfold high-density, mixed-use, transit-oriented developments (TOD) alongside metro stations, with enticing circumstances for pedestrians and cyclists. Such TOD nodes are embedded in low-density areas, from which feeder buses take residents to metro stations.

Making use of a Life Course Perspective to Younger Adults’ Mobility

In 2019, I studied as an trade pupil in Stockholm for six months. Dwelling in Bredäng, a suburban neighbourhood alongside the metro line in southwest Stockholm, I gained an immersive expertise of town’s distinctive city context. I used to be impressed by its integration of urbanity and nature by means of well-connected, environment friendly transit programs, along with its journey tradition and infrastructures that help lively mobility. It struck a chord with a lot of my mates and I, who all come from numerous social and cultural backgrounds. As an city researcher, I subsequently determined to empirically perceive the explanations behind such shared ‘shocks’ amongst us.

A life course perspective to mobility was used to elucidate our reactions. Based mostly on psychological theories together with the Idea of Deliberate Behaviour and the Behavior Discontinuity Speculation, the method tracks modifications of journey behaviour throughout one’s life course. It assumes that journey behaviour is routine over time, till key life occasions disrupt habits, and set off deliberation on new journey selections. The deliberation course of might be moderated by private components together with journey histories, attitudes, calls for, and sources, and by exterior circumstances, corresponding to friends, journey tradition, in addition to constructed and pure environments. For us, finding out overseas in Stockholm was a key life occasion.

By means of retrospective, semi-structured interviews, a choose group of seventeen overseas college students from eleven international locations (aged 21–28) who studied in Stockholm for six to 12 months, shared their journey experiences and attitudes in direction of using totally different transport modes in Stockholm, whereas evaluating these experiences with their earlier life programs and mobility patterns.

The Results of Learning in Stockholm on Journey Behaviour and Attitudes

‘I didn’t have entry to my automobile. However I didn’t actually miss it.’

– Alternate pupil from Greece

Seventeen younger adults have been grouped into 4 life course typologies, primarily based on their earlier dwelling contexts. The most important group is from car-oriented societies with little transit use, like small European cities. This group is characterised by dominant automobile use and uncommon transit use till they pursued increased schooling, once they moved to greater cities. A second group, from car-oriented societies with entry to transit, are initially from larger cities, corresponding to Athens. This group usually began transit use throughout secondary faculty, once they more and more wanted to journey impartial of fogeys. Each teams thought of vehicles extra handy and comfy, contrasted by unfavourable or sceptic attitudes in direction of transit programs or bicycles. A 3rd group is from motorbike-oriented societies, corresponding to smaller Indian cities, the place vehicles replicate increased social standing, whereas using public transit carries social stigma. Lastly, the final group comes from extra transit-oriented societies, like Tokyo, characterised by common transit use as early as major faculty, and the widespread notion that utilizing public transit is a norm.

Regardless of numerous life programs, the life occasion of shifting overseas to Stockholm made these younger adults’ journey behaviour converge on this metropolis. All seventeen younger adults bought transit interval tickets as they arrived in Stockholm. Nonetheless, six of them additionally began biking at first or halfway. All associated this life occasion to their transit use or biking behaviour.

A mechanism of journey behaviour change triggered by the life occasion might be revealed. By shifting overseas to Stockholm, these younger adults needed to rethink their journey selections, contemplating modified mobility sources, journey calls for, and exterior circumstances, incorporating journey attitudes and private histories. For a lot of, on account of distance between locations, the transit system in Stockholm was the one, albeit passable, possibility. For some others, earlier experiences and expertise in biking, and bicycle-friendly environments in Stockholm, additionally inspired them to bike. A number of even stored the biking habits they fashioned in Stockholm, once they moved elsewhere.

Contrarily, these younger adults’ journey attitudes, in response to the life occasion of finding out in Stockholm, have diverse by their life course typologies. Younger adults from car-oriented societies, who beforehand held unfavourable attitudes in direction of transit and bicycles, have been extra inclined to develop new, optimistic attitudes in direction of the 2 modes of transportation. Most have associated their improved attitudes in direction of transit to its punctuality and effectivity, accessibility and connectedness, and luxury stage. Many, together with non-cyclists, additionally associated their improved attitudes in direction of bicycles to the cycle-friendly tradition and infrastructure in Stockholm. In distinction, attitudes of these from transit-oriented societies, or who skilled stronger biking cultures, or who’ve robust preferences for vehicles, have been much less affected.

One other mechanism then emerged for journey attitudes evolution. Some younger adults, by gaining nice journey experiences in transit and biking in Stockholm, and evaluating such experiences with unfavourable ones earlier than, generated new, optimistic attitudes in direction of these two modes. These optimistic attitudes have been cumulatively built-in into their analysis of various journey modes, which helps form future journey selections, once they transfer elsewhere, and significantly transit and cycle-friendly environments.

This piece introduces a collection on city improvement and the function of highway infrastructure in forging socio-spatial circumstances, primarily based on contributions from individuals in a closed LSE Roundtable in September 2021. Learn the introduction right here, and see different items under.

On this collection: