For generations, the car stood for independence, access and freedom. But today, as our cities become denser and more complex, it is worth asking what that promise of freedom really means: how free are we when cars on streets, crossings and carparking dominate the spaces where we live? Join us for a broader and more human perspective on mobility in the car-centered city. Rather than focusing on one type of transport alone, we look at the full spectrum of everyday movement: walking, cycling, public transport, cars and the many ways people combine them in their daily lives. Mobility is never experienced in the same way by everyone, and a route that feels easy and natural to one person may feel confusing, unsafe, exhausting, or inaccessible to someone else.
We also place this discussion in the context of the 15-minute city. Often presented as a practical and attractive way to organize urban life around proximity it is also politically charged and sometimes misunderstood. This evening does not entertain these slogans or fears but focuses on what a city structured around proximity really delivers for its inhabitants—and the ways this can open alternatives to car – centered mobility. A central part of the discussion is the danger of assumptions. Too often, urban and mobility planning is based on abstract ideas of how people move, rather than on how people experience the built environment. We bring in research that helps us better understand the psychology of movement, perception, and access, and asks what spatial conditions make people feel safe, welcome, and able to move in different ways.
During the evening, we will use the Proximity Flower quiz as a tool to explore how different people imagine their ideal city and their preferred relationship between home, services, mobility, and public space. The flower makes visible that there is no single universal answer to questions of distance and access. People have different routines, responsibilities, cultural backgrounds, and values, and this shape how they understand the “ideal” city. Researchers from the project groups will also present key findings from their work. These presentations will offer concrete academic insights into the links between mobility, urban form, and everyday life, and will show how research can inform design, policy, and planning. The audience will then be invited to reflect on how these findings relate to their own mobility lifestyles and to broader question how we want our cities to function. Ultimately, join us to rethink freedom: not as the ability to move primarily by car, but as the ability to access what you need, feel at ease in your surroundings, and participate in urban life in different ways. It is about understanding how car-centric planning has shaped our cities, and how a more proximity-based approach can open new forms of movement, inclusion, and wellbeing.
