Stefan Blachfellner, Managing Director at the BCSSS and former Special Adviser to the European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport, was invited on 23rd of April 2018 to the ELF Expert Forum to provide a systems perspective on the future of the “Digitalisation of Transport”.
Stefan Blachfellner joined the panel as an independent expert and invited the audience to leave the mindsets categorisations, such as “transport” and “infrastructure” behind. He, furthermore, identified people and their needs, developments in lifestyles and behaviours, changes in the social systems and opportunities in the technological systems, as well as trans-sectoral processes as the main drivers for change in the future of mobility. Understanding the general interdependencies of all parts in the European Transport Eco-system and the evolutionary processes of the emergent patterns will be key. Those who want thrive the future developments must take a broader systems view and change their mindsets and sometimes even roles from expert to learner, to engage in the present future of a data economy based on people and process. Participative processes and co-creation are a unique chance rooted in the European value system, which values free mobility very high, from an educational point of view up to the vision of wellfare and economic growth. But the main limitation still is the fragmention in particular interests and structures, may they be political or business interests and systems. A future data economy may not be owned by particular interests anymore, but by the people, as in data as a public good or commons, with an already visible signal as the distinction between public and private ownership of transport data, services and infrastructure is already disolving.
Overcoming the fragmentation of sectors is one main aspect of Social Systems Research and Design and was, thus, promoted by the BCSSS representative at the forum.
Links:
Video of the event (from 2:26:00 with Stefan Blachfellner)