Work packages

Overview

All work packages are structured around the main research aim of the project:

How can shared mobility services contribute to equitable and sustainable multi-optional transport solutions within the 15-minute city concept (15mC)?


Informal and community-led shared options

ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development

WP1

ABOUT WP1



Perceptions and behavior

Team University of Gävle (UoG) and Region Uppsala (RU)

WP2

ABOUT WP2




Informal and community-led shared options

Team POLIMI

WP3

ABOUT WP3



Co-creating a justice-oriented toolkit for policy evaluation

Research Team

WP4

ABOUT WP4



Transferability and Urban Governance of Shared Mobility for Equity

Research Team

WP5

ABOUT WP5




Outreach and Dissemination

Team EGTC

WP6

ABOUT WP6



DUT Knowledge Hub support

Team POLIMI

WP7

ABOUT WP7



Project management

Team ILS


WP8

ABOUT WP8

WP 1: Informal and community-led shared options

Team institut für landes und stadtentwicklungsforschung (ILS)

Team ILS WP 1

Research question

“How are the supply structures of shared mobility services related to socio-spatial characteristics of the target areas, and to what extent can regulatory frameworks or business models of service providers play a role in supporting transport justice in terms of fair supply structures?”

ILS, as WP1 lead, aims to obtain an overall picture of the current supply structures of three types of shared mobility service (car-, bike-, e-scooter) in European and Canadian cities with more than 300.000 inhabitants: 1) by visualising (un)even spatial distribution of shared mobility services, and 2) by substantiating whether large cities are advanced units of progress. It elaborates which types of variables (e.g. socio-economic and socio-cultural characteristics) correlate with supply patterns in order to reveal associations with the current spatial distribution of service providers. Depending on the regulatory framework of local authorities and market-driven business plans of providers, the potential for shared mobility services to replace private cars is explored.

Team

  • Janina Welsch WP1 Lead
    senior researcher in Research Group Mobilities and Space at ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development
    Mail: janina.welsch@ils-forschung.de
    Research profile: Dr. Janina Welsch – ILS
  • Theresa Milde
    researcher in Research Group Mobilities and Space at ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development
    Mail: theresa.milde@ils-forschung.de
    Research profile: Theresa Milde – ILS
  • Christian Gerten
    researcher in Geoinformation and Monitoring Group at ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development
    Mail: christian.gerten@ils-research.de
    Research profile: Dr. Christian Gerten – ILS
  • Noriko Otsuka
    senior research manager in Research Group Spatial Planning and Urban Design at ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development
    Mail: noriko.otsuka@ils-forschung.de
    Research profile: Dr. Noriko Otsuka – ILS

Tasks

This task conducts a review of the latest literature, centered on providing an overview over the academic field of justice-related studies on shared mobility. This includes studies on the distribution and usage patterns; the impact on accessibility and the policy-making related to shared mobility services. The task is led by ILS in close collaboration with AMU and PolyMtl.

This task collects data and compares the number of shared mobility services in European and Canadian cities with a population of more than 300,000, considering socio-economic and socio-cultural characteristics, to visualise the current supply structures. ILS leads this task in collaboration with all partners.

This task develops a typology (e.g. structurally disadvantages cities, global metropolis) regarding the supply structures of shared mobility services based on indicators from the literature review, and selects up to ten cities as case studies for detailed analyses. ILS determines the typologies and a framework for case study selection in collaboration with all partners.

This task conducts a detailed and small-scale evaluation of the supply structure of shared mobility services in the selected case study cities using bivariate and multivariate analysis of socio-spatial variables. Based on GIS analysis, ILS creates detailed distribution maps and provides statistical analysis results for cross city comparisons.

This task Identifies variables associated with the current supply structure and problematic areas being excluded from these services in the case study cities from the three justice perspectives. ILS drafts potential determinants to be discussed with selected co-operation partners such as providers and municipalities in different types of workshops in collaboration with all partners.

WP 2: Perceptions and behavior

Team University of Gävle (UoG) and Region Uppsala (RU)

Team Team University of Gävle (UoG) and Region Uppsala (RU) WP 2

Research question

“What role do environmental (including supply structure), socio-cultural and individual factors play in supporting transport justice from the perspective of individual experiences? This includes perceptions of accessibility of different mobility options and services, and actual mobility behaviour”

Within this work package, University of Gävle and Region Uppsala closely collaborate with other project partners, local stakeholders, and co-operation partners in activities centered around individual experiences, perceptions, and behavior – related to transport justice and active, shared, and collective mobility.

Team

  • Katrin Lättman WP 2 Lead
    associate professor in psychology at UoG
    Mail: Katrin.lattman@hig.se
    Research profile at UoG: Katrin Lättman – Högskolan i Gävle
  • Mona Jabbari
    researcher in mobility planning and psychology at UoG
    Mail: Mona.jabbari@hig.se
    Research profile at UoG: https://www.hig.se/engelska/university-of-gavle/research/researchers/aha/mona-jabbari
  • Madelene Håkansson
    mobility strategist at RU
    Mail: madelene.hakansson@regionuppsala.se

Tasks

This task focuses on reviewing the current knowledge on perceived accessibility and perceived justice within transport and mobility research. UoG leads this task in close collaboration with PolyMtl and McGill.

This task focuses on the development of criteria for prioritizing target groups and target areas for the Uppsala case studies. This task is lead by RU and UoG, and supported by PolyMtl, local stakeholders and co-operation partners. Activities include workshops and project meetings.

This task focuses on the development of empirical toolbox that will be implemented in Sweden. Teams in the other project countries will implement selected parts of the toolbox in their case study areas. Led by UoG, the work in this task consists of designing and providing guidelines and materials for qualitative and quantitative research frameworks, including Back casting workshops, Focus group and Individual interview designs, and a household survey.

This task includes field activities within WP 2 in terms of data collection in workshops, individual interviews, back casting workshops with different target groups, and surveys. UoG lead the field activities in Sweden in close collaboration with RU, and together we arrange local and partner-focused seminars and workshops for dissemination and feedback activities.

WP 3: Informal and community-led shared options

Team Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI)

Research question

“From a transport justice perspective, to what extent and for whom can informal shared mobility options (developed within transport-poor communities) provide basic access to valuable social activities and ensure participation in social life? ”

Within this work package, Polimi, Comune di Genova, and the Elettra Car sharing company closely collaborate with other project partners, local stakeholders, and cooperation partners in activities aimed at analysing the socio-spatial configurations of sharing services and their possible combinations with collaborative, community-led transport services. These activities include developing an inventory of existing collaborative shared mobility services in peri-urban areas and, within selected testbed, investigating the role of local communities in sharing services and in optimizing resources and capabilities through direct cooperation with local stakeholders and citizens.

Team

  • Paola Pucci WP 3 Lead
    Full professor in Urban Planning at Politecnico di Milano
    Mail: paola.pucci@polimi.it
    Research profile: Paola Pucci_Polimi
  • Giovanni Lanza
    researcher in Urban planning, at Politecnico di Milano
    Mail: giovanni.lanza@polimi.it
    Research profile: Giovanni Lanza Polimi
  • Jaime Sierra Munoz
    researcher in Urban planning, at Politecnico di Milano
    Mail: Jaime.sierra@polimi.it
    Research profile: Jaime Sierra Polimi
  • Paola Savoldi
    Full Professor in Urban Planning at Politecnico di Milano
    Mail: paola.savoldi@polimi.it
    Research profile: Paola Savoldi Polimi

Tasks

This task provides a systematic literature review, inventory, and classification of experimented collaborative, community led shared mobility services in urban outskirts. Polimi leads this task in close collaboration with UoG, RU, ILS, PolyMtl, AMU.

This task aims to identify the main mobility needs and preferences for different types of transport services in target areas of Genoa metropolitan area, through citizen survey and stakeholders focus groups. Polimi leads this task in close collaboration with UoG, ILS, PolyMtl.

This task analyses the last-mile challenge by mapping the catchment areas of the main public transport systems and sharing mobility options within the testbed, using IAPI accessibility index. Polimi leads this task in close collaboration with Municipality of Genoa, Genova car sharing, ILS, UoG, PolyMtl, AMU.

This task aims to identify informal, bottom-up mobility options developed within the testbed by local communities through co-creation workshops involving citizens and stakeholders, while also assessing their potential integration with formal transport supply. Polimi leads this task in close collaboration with Municipality of Genoa, Genova car sharing, ILS, UoG, PolyMtl, AMU.

This task develops guidelines for local policymakers to extend the knowledge gained at the test-bed and escalate informal shared mobility practices in similar contexts. PoliMi leads this task and develops the design guidelines tool with inputs from WP4 and WP5.


WP 4: Co-creating a justice-oriented toolkit for policy evaluation

Team Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (AMU) in cooperation with researchers from AMU, University of Gdańsk (UG) and University of Warsaw (UW).

Research question

How can we evaluate local mobility policies from a social justice perspective and address the barriers that prevent the equitable development of shared mobilities?

The aim of WP4 is to co-create and test a toolkit consisting of guidelines, metrics and thresholds for the conceptual, quantitative and qualitative assessment of local mobility policies and practices, as well as the potential impact of shared mobility on the parameters of this system in terms of multiple dimensions of social justice. To this end, we will draw on the findings and data from WPs 1, 2 and 3, as well as using existing data and co-creating additional data layers.
The toolkit should enable stakeholders, particularly local government officials and shared mobility operators, to:

  • measure and assess selected aspects of the current and potential level and distribution of mobility availability, and the associated benefits; and
  • measure and assess the costs and harms generated by mobility.
  • identify processes leading to the creation and maintenance of a given level and distribution of benefits and harms;
  • estimate how the current and increased share of shared mobility may affect the aforementioned levels and distributions, as well as transport policy implementation and the concept of social justice in transport.

Team

The main stages of the process

Collect and compile existing knowledge on the indicators and criteria used in mobility policies to evaluate their effects, paying particular attention to shared mobility.

Identify the skills, tools and practices of local stakeholders in creating and evaluating mobility policies and shared mobility services using:

  • analysis of documents, procedures and data used by stakeholders.
  • an internal survey;
  • in-depth interviews

Synthesise the results of tasks 4.1 and 4.2, as well as those from other WPs, and critically review them during the first workshop with stakeholders. Creating assumptions and guidelines for the toolkit with stakeholders.

Development of the first version of a toolkit for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of mobility policies, including the role of shared mobility. The toolkit will be applied jointly during the second workshop to examples of local mobility policies and practices, as well as existing shared mobility services, in order to identify knowledge gaps and barriers to effective and equitable multi-modal (MW) solutions.

Co-production of data to overcome the barriers and fill the gaps identified in the previous step, using appropriate methods and techniques such as qualitative research, surveys, content analysis and/or GIS analysis. These will be applied to create an improved version of the toolkit.

Test the updated version of the toolkit in the Poznań and GZM agglomerations, gathering feedback from local stakeholders and project partners to make final adjustments to the toolkit during the third workshop.

WP 5: Transferability and Urban Governance of Shared Mobility for Equity

Team Polytechnique Montréal(PolyMTL) in collaboration with McGill University.

Research question

How can lessons from shared mobility policies and practices be transferred across different urban contexts in a way that is sensitive to governance structures, local capacity, and social justice outcomes?

WP5 focuses on understanding how and under what conditions shared mobility policies, governance models, and practices can be transferred between cities, without reproducing existing inequalities or creating new ones.

The main objectives are to:

  • Identify governance, institutional, and contextual factors that shape the equitable implementation of shared mobility.
  • Examine barriers and enabling conditions for policy transfer across different urban, regulatory, and socio-economic contexts.
  • Translate research findings into actionable guidance for local authorities, practitioners, and shared mobility operators.
  • Support cross-city learning by connecting empirical insights from other WPs with real-world decision-making processes.

Team

  • Zahra Zarabi WP5 Lead
    Postdoctoral Researcher, Polytechnique Montréal
  • Owen Waygood
    Full Professor, Polytechnique Montréal (PI)
  • Geneviève Boisjoly
    Associate Professor, Polytechnique Montréal (Collaborator)

Approach and Main Activities

WP5 builds directly on the empirical findings and analytical outputs of WPs 1–4 and adopts a multi-method, practice-oriented approach, including:

Analyse governance arrangements, institutional roles, and regulatory frameworks shaping shared mobility in partner cities, drawing on document analysis and insights from WPs 1–4.

Conducting in-depth interviews with:

  • local and regional government officials,
  • shared mobility operators, and
  • civil society and community stakeholders to understand decision-making processes, constraints, and trade-offs related to equity.

Compare cases to identify key contextual factors (e.g. governance capacity, funding models, public–private relations, political priorities) that affect the transfer of shared mobility policies.

Organising workshops, site visits, and mobility-oriented excursions with project partners and stakeholders to test transferability assumptions in real-world settings.

Producing practical guidance, case-based insights, and recommendations to support cities in designing equitable, context-sensitive shared mobility strategies.

Expected Contribution

WP5 acts as a bridge between research and practice, ensuring that the justice-oriented insights of Share4Equity can be meaningfully applied across diverse urban contexts. By foregrounding governance, institutional capacity, and local conditions, WP5 supports cities in moving beyond “one-size-fits-all” solutions toward equitable and transferable shared mobility policies.

WP 6: Outreach and Dissemination

Team Interregional Alliance for the Rhine-Alpine Corridor EGTC (EGTC) in collaboration with ILS and RU

Team EGTC:

Team ILS:

  • Noriko Otsuka
    senior research manager in Research Group Spatial Planning and Urban Design at ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development
    Mail: noriko.otsuka@ils-forschung.de
    Research profile: Dr. Noriko Otsuka – ILS
  • Janina Welsch
    senior researcher in Research Group Mobilities and Space at ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development
    Mail: janina.welsch@ils-forschung.de
    Research profile: Dr. Janina Welsch – ILS

Team RU:

Work Package 6 focuses on outreach and dissemination activities aimed at supporting external communication, internal dissemination, and the long-term visibility of the Share4Equity project. The work package is led by the Interregional Alliance for the Rhine-Alpine Corridor EGTC, drawing on its experience in communication, stakeholder engagement, and transnational cooperation in the transport and mobility field. Work Package 6 is closely coordinated with the research Work Packages and with the work on transferability and knowledge exchange.

The activities under Work Package 6 aim to ensure that project objectives, progress, and results are communicated to a wide range of audiences, including policy makers, public authorities, mobility practitioners, researchers, and the general public. In the early project phase, the focus is on establishing the communication infrastructure and maintaining continuous visibility ahead of the availability of consolidated research results.

Tasks

This task covers the development and maintenance of the project website and the management of social media activities, in particular LinkedIn. It also includes the coordination of communication content provided by project partners and the preparation of outreach materials, including the future e-booklet on project results.

This task supports the dissemination of scientific results through academic publications, conference contributions, and dedicated sessions, in close cooperation with the academic partners.

This task focuses on dissemination within European transport and mobility networks and on engagement with policy-oriented stakeholders, acting as a bridge between research results and practical planning contexts.

This task supports the organisation and communication of the final project conference, providing a platform to present results from all research Work Packages and discuss their transferability beyond the case study areas.

WP 7: DUT Knowledge Hub support

Team POLIMI

  • Paola Pucci WP 7 Lead
    Full Professor in Urban Planning at Politecnico di Milano
    Mail: paola.pucci@polimi.it
    Research profile: Paola Pucci_Polimi
  • Giovanni Lanza
    Researcher in Urban planning, at Politecnico di Milano
    Mail: giovanni.lanza@polimi.it
    Research profile Giovanni Lanza Polimi

Team EGTC

The research activities in WP7 mainly focus on supporting the development of the new DUT Knowledge Hub, which brings together results and knowledge derived from various related research projects and activities of former and recent DUT initiatives. Within this work package, Polimi works closely with other project partners to support all DUT Knowledge Hub–related activities. The scientific results of the project will be tailored to the needs of the DUT Knowledge Hub. This support will be provided in addition to the collaboration with the outreach and transferability–related WPs (WP5 and WP6).

Tasks

This task aims to communicate about the project and disseminate project results to different types of audiences. This task is led by EGTC, which provides knowledge on outreach activities and will support those applicants who take part in, for example, video, multimedia communications, and social media in response to DUT formats and activities.

This task contributes to discussions on the strategic development of transition pathways. It is led by PoliMi, and suitable applicants will participate in DUT activities and knowledge-exchange processes.

This task supports activities aimed at exchanging knowledge on the S4E methods and results with other DUT-funded projects, as well as providing inputs for scientific policy briefs on specific topics. The task is led by PoliMi, which will organise an online meeting
with sister projects, and selected applicants will participate in DUT-led and/or sister-project events.

WP 8: Project management

Team ILS

  • Noriko Otsuka WP8 Lead
    senior research manager in Research Group Spatial Planning and Urban Design at ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development
    Mail: noriko.otsuka@ils-forschung.de
    Research profile: Dr. Noriko Otsuka – ILS
  • Janina Welsch
    senior researcher in Research Group Mobilities and Space at ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development
    Mail: janina.welsch@ils-forschung.de
    Research profile: Dr. Janina Welsch – ILS

WP8 focuses on project management and coordination with all partners, monitoring the project progress, risk assessment, and interconnection of different work packages. ILS represents the consortium at project-related events and establishes internal communication channels including in-person, hybrid and online project meetings. As the basis of scientific work, a shared knowledge base is developed to build a common framework for terminologies and definitions. The WP also includes the development of a data management plan and monitoring of the ethical approvals.

Tasks

This task establishes an international communication platform by completing a signed Consortium Agreement and organising five project meetings (in-person/hybrid) across the five countries where the WP leaders are based. Also, regular online meetings for progress monitoring are held to facilitate continuous internal communications.

This task, led by ILS, aims at consensus building on a common framework for definitions, overall themes, and concepts. This platform will also be used to gather project findings from all partners.

This task monitors the work progress and the timely submission of milestones and deliverables in close collaboration with the WP leaders. This also supports strategic decision-making if schedule adaptation and content-wise change is required. ILS will submit annual reports to DUT, while all applicants will provide their own reports to their respective national funding agencies.

This task involves the development of a data management plan for all partners and monitoring its application. ILS ensures that all applicants obtain ethical approvals from their respective institutions if necessary.

This task ensures that the WP leaders will conduct risk assessments in the beginning of all the tasks to reduce the negative impact of unexpected events and to avoid conflicts. The assessments are updated by the WP leaders for monitoring meetings.