What are suitable measures for creating liveable inner cities? - Lessons learned from a case study in Berlin, Germany

Abstract

In the quest to create sustainable transportation systems and drive the mobility transformation in urban areas, innovative mobility and logistics concepts are being implemented, often accompanied by redesigns of public spaces. However, due to the novelty of these approaches, empirical data on their effectiveness is often lacking. Impact assessments play a crucial role in estimating the outcomes of these changes, helping us evaluate alternatives before implementation and verify actual effects afterward. The VMo4Orte project focuses on conducting comprehensive impact analyses of various mobility and logistics concepts across diverse scenarios. Utilizing a range of methods—such as microscopic traffic and noise modeling, logistics analysis, and the integration of new vehicle concepts—we explore how these innovations can shape urban environments. Our contributions highlight the breadth of our findings and their relevance, particularly through collaborations with practical partners in Berlin and the district Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Practically the collaboration meant regular workshops with stakeholders from the logistics and transport industry, municipal administrations and research to develop scenarios and assess existing concepts. The results were then again discussed with the stakeholders to achieve an iterative and transdisciplinary research process.