An ambitious mobility strategy in Utrecht: city part Merwede

Abstract

Mobility in cities has become saturated. Therefore, cities are using new ways of transportation, like Mobility as a Service and shared vehicles. This thesis will have an explorative form, in which the Merwede plan area will be investigated in the form of a case study. To add value to this research Paris will be included as an illustrative research case. Paris also has an ambitious mobility strategy, which is even already implemented. This thesis focuses on the feasibility of such an ambitious mobility strategy in Merwede; what conditions should be met according to existing literature, and are these conditions implemented in the plan making process? This thesis will be based on a conceptual framework, where the ’fifteen minute city’, ‘smart mobility’, ‘reasons to own a car’ and ‘urban commons management’ are the foundation of the study. There are some possible obstacles in this strategy. The biggest two are 1: Merwede claims to be inclusive to everyone. This claim is exaggerated. 2: The large implementation of MaaS in Merwede could lead to negative side-effects, like deprivation of the public space, because of vehicles parked in random spots.