Crucial for western Sweden to keep up with mobility development

To achieve the goal of preventing global warming, we need to quickly find ways to efficiently halve our emissions. Johanneberg Science Park regularly gathers together its partners to develop solutions to contemporary challenges, and this time the theme was mobility in a changing world.

Johanneberg Science Park’s Chairman Tomas Kåberger:

“The whole world is suffering from uncertainty due to the Coronavirus pandemic, which can make it difficult for our partners to take decisions on new projects. Johanneberg Science Park’s activities are crucial in countering the financial stress caused by the pandemic. At the same time, very exciting national and international technical development is under way which will affect and change the whole transport sector in a relatively short space of time. It is crucially important for western Sweden to keep apace with this development.”

The whole city as a test arena for sustainable and climate-smart innovation

Mobility is a term often used for issues concerning the transportation of people and goods inside and outside the city, but it also includes the design of cities and integrated systems in urban districts and buildings. Technical development is progressing rapidly, and the question of how to more efficiently plan, design and provide energy to urban districts, houses, services and vehicles in the future is both relevant and pressing. 

“Meetings like this are extremely important as they enable public administrations such as the City of Gothenburg and Region Västra Götaland to meet with industry and academia, so that we can all gain facts and new knowledge that we can pass on to politicians”, says Kristina Lindfors, Traffic Director at the Gothenburg Traffic and Public Transport Authority.

The ideas contributed by the workshop participants can be combined to develop new ground-breaking innovations, which can be launched in the national and international market. The development and testing of pilot projects is crucial in order to break new ground, both for technical and behaviour-related solutions.

Claes Sommansson, Head of Projects at Johanneberg Science Park, describes this as an important arena for Johanneberg Science Park’s project development:

“During the workshop, ideas for projects were put forward by participants from the energy, property and automotive sectors. These ideas can be developed in existing and new collaborations between local administration, industry and academia. I look forward to taking the ideas further through testing and demonstration projects!”

“All the parties agree that Gothenburg should be used as a platform for testing and piloting new ideas and innovations. We need to find new ways to develop new technology, with flows of people and goods in demonstration projects,” says Toni Orsulic (Moderate Party), Chairman of the Urban Transport Committee, City of Gothenburg.