The "Saarmila" project focuses on three key themes to promote a sustainable mobility culture in Saarland: First, mobility at schools and daycare centers will be researched to better address the needs of children and reduce drop-off and pick-up traffic. Second, the project examines how on-demand mobility services can help improve access to mobility overall, especially for people providing caregiving. Third, the use of existing spaces through innovative design concepts will be explored to promote functional mixed-use in the local area.
Dr. Andrea Amri-Henkel, overall project manager and sustainability scientist at IZES, explains: "The approval of this project is a great success for us and a unique opportunity to advance sustainable mobility in Saarland together with municipalities, districts, and the state based on science. Particularly important to us is also the inclusion of civil society, which must be involved for a successful mobility transition. Deliberately, we have focused in our funding application on aspects of the mobility transition that have been neglected so far, such as the involvement of children and caregivers – and this has allowed us to convince."
Prof. Dr. Petra Schweizer-Ries, expert in environmental psychology and associate professor at IZES: "Making change imaginable is a challenge for science, society, and politics. At Saarmila, we want to jointly develop positive visions of the future for sustainable mobility with a wide range of actors and advance their joint implementation. By integrating environmental psychological and sustainability science approaches, we promote awareness and activation for implementation, which are essential for a sustainable mobility transition."
Ministry for Environment, Climate, Mobility and Agriculture of Saarland, represented by Minister Petra Berg: "Through closer cooperation with municipalities and key stakeholders in the mobility sector, the opportunities for implementing and disseminating the state's mobility strategies are to be improved. The existing funding instruments in our state program for sustainable mobility (NMOB) will be participatively evaluated for their effectiveness, incorporating empirical surveys on the mobility behavior of Saarlanders. The results from the Saarmila project are intended to help Saarland achieve its climate protection goals in the mobility sector."
Regionalverband Saarbrücken, represented by Regionalverband Director Peter Gillo: "Sustainable and holistic mobility in the Regionalverband is essential for the future. Therefore, a position for mobility management will be created as part of the project. Together with and for the municipalities, suitable solutions for the mobility culture in the Regionalverband can be developed and examined."
District town Saarlouis, represented by Reiner Körner, Office for Civil Engineering and Surveying: “The practical implementation of mobility strategies and sustainable solutions is very important to us. Saarmila offers us the opportunity to take a step forward here. The insights gained are brought into our networks and we actively share experiences with other municipalities to transfer successful mobility solutions beyond regional borders.”
Saar College of Fine Arts, represented by Prof. Dr. Christian Bauer (Institute for Design and Ethics): "HBKsaar is pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to the Greater Region within the framework of the Saarmila project. As a transformative university, we are delighted to contribute to the success of Saarmila through targeted design measures in science communication. As a representative of the Institute for Design and Ethics, I am excited that designers can deepen transdisciplinary work with the project partners."
