ALBERT

Description: Thermal effects in model viscoelastic solids

Description: Thermal analysis of mechanical behavior of material models with temperature dependent properties

Description: Sustainability initiatives, such as Repair Cafes, are sites of niche innovations with the potential to contribute to an urban sustainability transition. Using the multi-level perspective as a framework, we explore the visions of change of 12 Repair Cafes in Berlin to understand how the members believe the movement can effect change. We explore the dynamics and demographics of the different user groups within the Repair Cafes to understand who has a voice within them. We found that Repair Cafes have two main visions of change which ask for mass participation. However, we also found that latent discrimination by ‘expert’ technician volunteers discourages the involvement of women and lower social classes. This knowledge that Repair Cafes are inconsistent in their purported visions of change and their practices has repercussions for their role in urban sustainability transitions.

Description: Die Covid-19 Pandemie hat das Mobilitätsverhalten eindeutig beeinflusst. Während der ÖPNV mit einem starken Rückgang der Fahrgäste zu kämpfen hat, gewinnen individuelle Mobilitätsformen – wie der Fußverkehr, Radverkehr und Autoverkehr – an Bedeutung. Gleichzeitig haben der Infektionsschutz und das Einhalten der Abstandsregeln höchste Priorität. In Berlin entsteht eine sogenannte Pop-Up-Radinfrastruktur – provisorische Radwege, die mit einfachen Mitteln sicheres Radfahren und den nötigen Abstand ermöglichen. Welche Reaktionen rufen die Pop-Up-Radwege bei den Verkehrsteilnehmer*innen hervor? Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, durch eine Online-Befragung explorativ die Reaktionen und Wahrnehmungen in Form von Vor- und Nachteilen zu erfassen.

Description: The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly influenced mobility behaviour. While public transport has to cope with a sharp decline in the number of passengers, individual forms of mobility - such as walking, cycling and car traffic - gain in importance. At the same time, protection against infection and adherence to the rules of distance are a priority. In Berlin, a so-called pop-up cycling infrastructure is being created - provisional cycle paths that allow safe cycling and the necessary distance to be maintained by means of simple tools. What reactions do the pop-up cycle paths provoke in transportation users? The aim of this study was to explore reactions and perceptions in terms of advantages and disadvantages, using an online questionnaire.

Description: Obwohl die Umsetzung der beiden neuen Abschnitte des Berliner Mobilitätsgesetzes geplatzt sind, wurden damit bereits viele der gesteckten Ziele erreicht, schreiben Sophia Becker und Anke Sterz von der Technischen Universität Berlin im Standpunkt. Sie ziehen nach drei Jahren eine überwiegend positive Bilanz und empfehlen anderen Städten, dem Berliner Beispiel zu folgen.

Description: The transport sector and especially private cars pose environmental, economic, and social challenges. For this reason, cargo bikes and shared mobility are considered viable alternatives for road transport. In order to understand the potential and barriers of alternative transport modes, it is essential to analyze underlying motives. Moreover, comparing sustainable alternatives (such as public transport) to cars in terms of motives has been established as a research approach (Steg, 2003). Despite increasing interest in cargo bikes and cargo bike sharing, research on this topic is relatively rare. Particularly, there exists a lack of research addressing the impact of cargo bike sharing on car ownership. Against this background, this study quantifies the car ownership reduction effect of cargo bike sharing. In addition, it is investigated how cargo bikes differ from cars with regard to the underlying motives of users which also helps understanding potential barriers. To answer these research questions, this study is based on a large-scale survey with n = 2,590 cargo bike sharing users. The results imply that cargo bike sharing has a notable impact on car ownership. In general, cargo bikes are rated superior in regard to affective, symbolic, and environmental motives as well as on flexibility and price. However, discrepancies to cars do exist in terms of other instrumental aspects (traffic safety, travel speed, comfort, weather-independence). Notably, users who reduced car ownership tend to rate cargo bikes superior compared to car-dependent users. The results imply that cargo bikes can play a marked role in reducing car dependency. Improving infrastructure and cargo bike technology as well as stimulating favorable social norms for cargo bikes have been identified as beneficial conditions that could help to leverage this potential.

Description: In the course of the COVID-19 crisis, there were a number of behavioral adaptations to the extraordinary conditions that temporarily reduced individual carbon footprints. The question is whether these short-term changes will evolve into sustainable behavioral habits and how to support these changes through policy measures. During the three waves of the pandemic, there has been an increase in surveys as well as in social science studies and research in Germany and other countries on the topic of behavioral changes due to the pandemic. The paper recapitulates what is known about behavior change from psychology and sociology, and synoptically summarizes the preliminary findings from the empirical studies conducted so far. The emphasis will be on the behavioral changes, with a focus on mobility and work routines, as witnessed in Germany. However, the insights from Germany may also shed a light on similar processes in other countries.

Description: In diesem Bericht der Wissenschaftsplattform Klimaschutz gehen die Autorinnen und Autoren der Frage nach, ob sich aus Verhaltensanpassungen im Laufe der Coronakrise nachhaltige Verhaltensgewohnheiten entwickeln werden und ob man dies durch politische Maßnahmen unterstützen kann.