Around 150 interested guests came together at the Deutsches Museum's Transport Center on 14 December 2023 to draw a first interim conclusion on the MCube innovation project aqt (car-reduced districts for a liveable city).
As part of the MCube Speaker Series "Future of Mobility", a series of events organized by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and TUM's openLab Mobility with the Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum, researchers and industry leaders brought together the Reallabor in the southern Au. Over a period of five months, the temporary project transformed sections of road into green oases, converted parking spaces, promoted active mobility and created a sense of neighborly togetherness through urban gardening. This redesign generated both enthusiasm and criticism locally. Over 90 media reports on the project were published across Germany and the project became a reflection of complex social change. The aim of aqt is to learn precisely from this microscopic process of change how the mobility transition can be effectively implemented as a whole so that the city and all relevant stakeholders can learn from it. To this end, the results will be evaluated in detail over the coming months and recommendations for action will be formulated.
In the MCube Speaker Series, we looked back on the last few months with an interim summary: What can we already learn from this comprehensive but temporary project and what do we expect as the project progresses.
Summary:
aqt project team, TUM: Reflections on one year of the real laboratory - Marco Kellhammer and Simone Aumann from the aqt team gave a comprehensive presentation of the project and reflected on the key question: How can existing urban neighborhoods be designed in the context of the mobility transition? What opportunities does this create for the neighborhood? An interim conclusion showed that the majority of participants found the project positive and increased their appreciation of open spaces in the neighborhood.
Georg Dunkel, Mobility Department: Criticism of the legal framework.
Georg Dunkel, Head of the Mobility Department of the City of Munich, spoke out clearly in favor of the importance of testing projects and saw the project on Kolumbusstraße as a success in principle. However, he criticized the inadequate legal framework in particular: "The Federal Council's blocking of reforms and the lack of room for manoeuvre for local authorities in the urgently needed traffic turnaround are a slap in the face." He underlined the urgency of bold and innovative approaches in local transport policy and summarized: "Change hurts, but standing still is not an option."
Heinrich Strößenreuther (author of "Die Verkehrswesen - Miteinander den Kulturkampf beenden", co-founder of KlimaUnion e.V., founder of Changing Cities e.V.): A turnaround is quick, radical and courageous - Heinrich Strößenreuther, known as "Germany's most successful transport lobbyist" and founder of various initiatives such as Volksentscheid Fahrrad and Changing Cities e.V., criticized the term "Verkehrswende", which comes from sailing: "fast, radical and courageous and short with headwinds". He emphasized the need to endure headwinds, the right "opportunity design", to convince majorities and to carry the opposition along in order to achieve effective and sustainable change. Strößenreuther would rather see a focus on how cooling and green zones can be standardized, with long-term sustainability instead of temporary experiments and scaled to the whole of Munich.
Professor Benedikt Boucsein: Careful shaping of change
Professor Benedikt Boucsein, Head of the Chair of Urban Design at TUM, brought a more considered perspective to the discussion. "Even if change happens quickly, it requires careful practice. The first time I went sailing, I found myself spinning in circles," he explained. The aqt project on Kolumbusstraße served as a testing ground to try out new ideas, which can then be adapted and developed further.
Boucsein advocated a balanced approach that involves all stakeholders and takes their needs into account. He emphasized the importance of time and patience in change processes and advocated a gradual implementation and testing of new concepts in order to secure broad support for change.
Boucsein also emphasized that a blanket condemnation of cars is not expedient. "It's not just about promoting sharing and creating courage for new mobility concepts. It is essential to positively involve those who are affected by the changes and to win them over for sustainable change." He referred to the current situation in Munich, where the average car occupancy rate is 1.2 people and parking space utilization is 120%. These figures illustrate the need for a change in behavior in order to achieve climate targets and improve the quality of life in the city.
Jana Kugoth: Editorial Director Tagesspiegel Background): The role of the media: education and responsibility
When moderator Marco Eisenack asked in the panel discussion about the role of the media in the mobility transition, in particular whether the reporting on the road redesign had been exaggerated, Jana Kugoth from Tagesspiegel defended the media landscape. She explained that the media play an informative role, but are also subject to economic constraints. "It is important that all opinions are included in the reports in order to provide a balanced picture. However, it is often polarizing headlines and quotes that attract attention and encourage people to read," said Kugoth.
Conclusion: Navigating change between acceleration and acceptance
The diverse perspectives presented during the MCube Speaker Series shed light on the central challenge of the mobility transition: How can change in Germany be accelerated without losing public acceptance? It is a complex balancing act that must combine urgent action with the need to take people with us on this journey and at the same time react sensitively to concerns and resistance. The key to success lies in setting the sails skillfully and steering a common course that is both fast and sustainable.
The discussions at the MCube Speaker Series made it clear that the mobility transition is much more than a technological undertaking: it also encompasses social, cultural and political dimensions. These require courage, determination and a willingness to break new ground. Georg Dunkel, Head of the Munich Mobility Department, put it in a nutshell: "We are not in a battle, but in a phase of transformation." The event conveyed a clear message: the mobility transition offers a unique opportunity to make our cities more liveable. To achieve this, it is crucial to actively involve citizens in the process and take decisive action. Ultimately, success depends on the courage of decision-makers to stand by their democratically legitimized decisions and implement them consistently.
About our speakers:
Many thanks for the impulses and discussions. This time in cooperation with MUCBOOK - The Munich city magazine.
____
"The future of mobility" is a series of lectures by MCube - Munich Cluster for the future of Mobility in Metropolitan Regions, Technical University of Munich and openLAB Urban Mobility.
Together - Make it possible
With over 130 new employees, Germany's future cluster MCube at Munich Urban Colab entered the next project phase on April 9, 2025 - and at full speed.
What if fewer cars were normal in the city?
Germany's future of mobility: What needs to be included in the new coalition agreement? With the planned 500 billion euro special fund
Call for papers now open! Be part of one of the top-notch international conferences on mobility and transport!
Mobility is at the heart of Germany's economic and innovative strength, is the key to climate neutrality and is at the core of everyday life
What makes Munich so special as an innovation powerhouse? We were often asked this question at MCube DEMO DAY 2024.
We are very proud to finally present our MCube SASIM full cost calculator!
You can find out what we have implemented in MCube over the last three years in our brochure.
The Wiesn 2024 was not just a folk festival, but also the setting for a groundbreaking innovation:
