Sustainable City Year Reports 2018-19 (Eugene and Gresham)

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Browsing Sustainable City Year Reports 2018-19 (Eugene and Gresham) by Subject "Ridesharing"

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    New Mobility Case Study
    (University of Oregon, 2018) Cohen, Rachel; Skov, Joshua
    The city of Eugene is interested in learning how its residents might benefit from technology-enabled ‘new mobility’ solutions to differently meet their transportation needs. Student teams analyzed how members of a fictional or real household in Eugene could reduce their reliance on single-occupancy vehicles in daily commutes, local and regional trips, and infrequent travel destinations. For this project, new mobility is defined as a transportation mode that is: • enabled by new technologies, including electric and autonomous vehicles, or; • enabled by new business models or social trends, sometimes referred to as shared-use mobility (a categorization that typically includes bikesharing, carsharing, e-scooters, ridehailing, and even transit at various scales). The implications of shifting a household’s transportation habits created tradeoffs between competing priorities of cost, time, flexibility, and sustainability. In order to understand the financial implications, students were asked to analyze the full—and often overlooked—costs of vehicle ownership. Upon completing this analysis, many teams found significant savings opportunities in adopting active transportation and shared-use mobility. Beyond financial cost, teams discovered opportunities, trade-offs, and barriers to adoption. Teams found that households best served by existing new mobility solutions lived closest to the city center. Feasibility was often complicated by demographic factors including income, age, and occupation. Cultural norms and attitudes toward car ownership played a role in whether households shifted their behavior, both for fictional household members and for the authors. Where currently available options were not feasible, students identified modes in other markets that might benefit Eugene residents. Students also examined emerging and future technologies not currently in existence. While feasibility varied widely based on currently available modes, the city of Eugene can foster a transition to new mobility through partnerships that support multimodal first- and last-mile solutions. The City can also work to educate residents by using tools and messaging to improving awareness, perception, and trust in new mobility options.