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Alternative Mobility Narratives
  • Level Professional
  • Duration 25 hours
  • Course by University of Amsterdam
  • Offered by

About

Ready to imagine a radically different mobility future? This course is about the stories that we tell ourselves about why and how we move. By critically examining our current narratives, we help you think about mobility in a new way. Using systems dynamics modelling, we explore how a mobility innovation (of your choice) impacts our mobility system as a whole, for better or for worse. This course will invite you to reflect on our mainstream mobility narrative built on engineering and economics. But warning: you may end up never looking at mobility in the same way again! This online course is supported by the EIT Urban Mobility’s Competence Hub. EIT Urban Mobility is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) that has been working since January 2019 to encourage positive changes in the way people move around cities in order to make them more sustainable and liveable places.

Modules

Course Introduction

    • 1 Videos
    • 4 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Videos

  • Course Introduction with Marco te Brömmelstroet and George Liu

4 Readings

  • Meet the team
  • Content and Aim of Alternative Narratives for Urban Mobility Futures
  • Keep notes to prepare for your final assignment!
  • Support and feedback

Block 1: Why Mobility Language Matters | Intro and Academic Lesson

    • 1 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz: "Interpretative flexibility" and "Discourse institutionalization"

1 Videos

  • The Art of Using Mobility Language

3 Readings

  • Block 1 content
  • How much time to spend on academic papers?
  • "Interpretative flexibility" and "Discourse institutionalization"

Block 1: Why Mobility Language Matters | Popular Lessons

    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Plugin
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Block 1 Graded Quiz

2 Readings

  • Don't Say 'Cyclists,' Say 'People on Bikes'
  • What to Do if You’re Hit by a Car

Introducing LOOPY and the Weekly Assignments

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
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1 Videos

  • Systems Thinking and Loopy Tutorial

2 Readings

  • About the Weekly Assignments
  • Examples of Loopy System Diagrams

Block 2: Mobility as Disutility | Intro and Academic Lesson

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz: "Current key imaginaries of mobility" and "From economic thinking to economic being"

1 Discussions

  • Searching your news or social media

1 Videos

  • Block 2 Intro with Miloš Mladenović

2 Readings

  • Block 2 content
  • "Current key imaginaries of mobility" and "From economic thinking to economic being"

Block 2: Mobility as Disutility | Popular Lessons and Mini-Assignment

    • 5 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Block 2 Graded Quiz

1 Discussions

  • Mini-Assignment: Select a Mobility Innovation

5 Readings

  • Texas A&M Urban Mobility Report
  • The Boring Company
  • Videos on the effects of the dominant narrative
  • What is a mobility innovation?
  • Examples of Mobility Innovations

Block 3: Mobility as Unnecessity | Intro and Academic Lesson

    • 3 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz: Immotility as resilience? A key consideration for transport policy and research

3 Videos

  • Reflection: The Roots of Dominant Mobility Imaginaries, narrated by António Ferreira
  • Reflection: Localism and Immotility, narrated by António Ferreira
  • Reflection: Mobility Beyond Instrumentalism, narrated by António Ferreira

3 Readings

  • Block 3 content
  • Immotility as resilience? A key consideration for transport policy and research
  • (Optional) The social destruction of speed

Block 3: Mobility as Unnecessity | Popular Lessons and Mini-Assignment

    • 2 Readings
    • 2 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Block 3 Graded Quiz

2 Discussions

  • COVID-19 and less travel
  • Mini-Assignment on Unnecessity

2 Readings

  • If Seeing the World Helps Ruin It, Should We Stay Home?
  • Viewpoint blog on mindful traveling

Block 4: Mobility as Commons | Intro and Academic Lesson

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz: Commoning mobility: Towards a new politics of mobility transitions

1 Videos

  • Block 4 Intro with Anna Nikolaeva

2 Readings

  • Block 4 content
  • Commoning mobility: Towards a new politics of mobility transitions

Block 4: Mobility as Commons | Popular Lessons and Mini-Assignment

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 2 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Block 4 Graded Quiz

2 Discussions

  • COVID-19 and Commoning Mobility
  • Mini-Assignment on Commoning

2 Videos

  • Talking Living Streets with Ghent’s Vice Mayor Filip Watteeuw | Streetfilms.org
  • Prompt video for forum post on COVID-19 and Commoning Mobility

1 Readings

  • How this Amsterdam inventor gave bike-sharing to the world

Block 5: Mobility as Play | Intro and Academic Lesson

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice quiz: Have a good trip! Expanding our concepts of the quality of travel time with Flow theory

1 Videos

  • Block 5 Intro with Marco te Brömmelstroet and George Liu

2 Readings

  • Block 5 content
  • Have a good trip! Expanding our concepts of the quality of travel time with flow theory

Block 5: Mobility as Play | Popular Lessons and Mini-Assignment

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Plugin
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Block 5 Graded Quiz

1 Discussions

  • Mini-Assignment on Play

1 Readings

  • Why Run? BBC Radio Four Thought episode with Adharanand Finn

Block 6: Mobility as Interaction | Intro and Academic Lesson

    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Plugin
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz: Travelling together alone and alone together: mobility and potential exposure to diversity

2 Readings

  • Block 6 content
  • Travelling together alone and alone together: mobility and potential exposure to diversity

Block 6: Mobility as Interaction | Popular Lessons and Mini-Assignment

    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Plugin
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Block 6 Graded Quiz

1 Discussions

  • Mini-Assignment on Interaction

2 Readings

  • Jane Jacobs's Sidewalk Ballet
  • People-centered methods for cycling

Final Assignment

    • 1 Readings
    • 2 Discussion
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • “Mobility as meaningful part of societies“

1 Peer Review

  • Final Assignment: Fundamental Rethink of a Mobility Innovation

2 Discussions

  • Mobility narratives around the world
  • Additional alternative narratives

1 Readings

  • “Mobility as meaningful part of societies“

Auto Summary

"Alternative Mobility Narratives" is a professional-level course that invites you to rethink the future of mobility. Offered by Coursera and supported by EIT Urban Mobility, this course uses systems dynamics modeling to explore the impact of mobility innovations. Over 1500 minutes, you'll critically examine mainstream narratives and reflect on sustainable changes. Ideal for those in personal development, the course is available through a Starter subscription. Join to transform your perspective on urban mobility!

Anna Nikolaeva
Instructors

Anna Nikolaeva

Marco te Brömmelstroet
Instructors

Marco te Brömmelstroet

George Liu
Instructors

George Liu