Sharing instead of owning: Successful citizen workshop on future mobility in Rostock
The workshop “Rethinking mobility – sharing cars instead of owning them”, organised by the city as part of the EU project NXTLVL Parking, took place recently. Participants came up with creative ideas and suggestions for more sustainable mobility in Rostock Südstadt.
Mobility without a car – finding ways together
The workshop offered participants the opportunity to learn about different ways to be mobile without owning a car. In lively discussions, they exchanged ideas and developed concepts tailored to the needs of the Südstadt district of Rostock. For example, they came up with the idea of providing cargo bikes at social meeting places such as neighbourhood meeting centers or the library, as well as at central shopping facilities in the district. An important issue was the maintenance and care of these bikes – an area where support would be needed.
Great interest in car sharing
The topic of car sharing was very well received and many valuable ideas were collected, which will now be passed on to the operators. Suggestions such as child seats in the vehicles, special rates for day trips and targeted advertising of the service in the Südstadt district were discussed in detail.
The opportunity to try out cargo bikes on the spot was particularly well received. Car sharing could also be experienced live: Participants were able to get a step-by-step explanation of how to rent and use a Car-Sharing vehicle.
Positive feedback and outlook
Participants suggested that similar workshops could be held in other parts of the city to further spread the idea of ‘sharing rather than owning’. The city now plans to start discussions with individual stakeholders to drive the implementation of altenrative mobility offers in the coming years.
Events such as this workshop are important steps towards sustainable and shared mobility that can improve the quality of life in the city.