Mobility, sustainability and well-being in the 15-minute city

2-3 ECTS

Monday	31.08.2026	13-16:45	Muttenz
Tuesday	01.09.2026	8:45-16:45	Muttenz
Wednesday	02.09.2026	8:45-16:45	Olten
Thursday	03.09.2026	8:45-16:45	Olten
Friday	04.09.2026	8:45-12	Brugg-Windisch

What to expect:

The module teaches the key principles of sustainable urban mobility and introduces you to the concept of the 15-minute city. You will examine the spatial, social and psychological factors that shape mobility behaviour, accessibility and quality of life. You will learn how proximity, diversity and density contribute to the design of sustainable cities and engage with current debates and issues of social justice – such as whether the concept works equally well for families, older people and people with limited mobility.

In view of growing urbanisation, the mobility of the future will increasingly take place in cities and conurbations. At the same time, resource scarcity – from a spatial and ecological perspective – means that sustainable mobility solutions are becoming increasingly important.

Building on insights from psychology, transport and spatial planning, and consumer behaviour, you will analyse how human-centred approaches can contribute to the design of sustainable 15-minute cities.

Problems faced by partner cities such as Olten and Basel form the basis for the case studies in the module. In collaboration with the partner cities, you will work in interdisciplinary and international teams (participants from ChallengeEU universities) to develop solutions for the city of the future.

To prepare for this module, there is an initial online introduction in which you analyse your own mobility spaces as part of the exercise ‘My 15-minute city’. This concept aims to enable people to reach central facilities and services such as work, education, shopping and leisure within a short walking or cycling distance. The aim is not only to conserve resources, but also to promote social proximity and quality of life in the residential environment. The concept described is the subject of controversial discussions, on which we would like to form an opinion.

During the course, we will explore the urban space in and around Basel and delve deeper into topics such as accessibility, mobility psychology and interventions. You will learn to apply methods such as mapping, isochrone analysis, persona development and design thinking. In interdisciplinary and international teams, you will work on real challenges facing the cities of Basel and Olten and develop solutions for future mobility and urban design. The results will be presented in a final presentation and discussed by a jury of experts.

In the follow-up, you will reflect on your findings and write an individual reflection report or an extended analysis.

Language:

English

Requirements:

None

Comments:

The module is open to all students who are interested in interdisciplinary and international cooperation and are willing to actively contribute content and methodological knowledge from their own discipline. It is particularly aimed at students in advanced bachelor’s programmes in psychology, architecture, geomatics, civil engineering, social work or economics.

Transcript of records:

Module with compulsory attendance, active participation in inputs and project work, final presentation

(For 3 ECTS, an in-depth individual reflection is also expected.)

Module evaluation:

pass / fail (2-point scale)

Literature:

Michie, S., Van Stralen, M. M., & West, R. (2011). The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation science, 6, 1-12. 

Ohnmacht, T., Schaffner, D., Weibel, C., & Schad, H. (2017). Rethinking social psychology and intervention design: A model of energy savings and human behavior. Energy Research & Social Science, 26, 40-53. 

Hunecke, M. (2015). Mobilitätsverhalten verstehen und verändern: Psychologische Beiträge zur interdisziplinären Mobilitätsforschung. Springer-Verlag. 

BFS & ARE. (2023). Mobilitätsverhalten der Bevölkerung: Ergebnisse des Mikrozensus Mobilität und Verkehr 2021. BFS und ARE. https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/mobilitaet-verkehr/personenverkehr/verkehrsverhalten.html  

Tomaino, G., Teow, J., Carmon, Z., Lee, L., Ben-Akiva, M., Chen, C., Leong, W. Y., Li, S., Yang, N., & Zhao, J. (2020). Mobility as a ser-vice (MaaS): The importance of transportation psychology. Marke-ting Letters, 31(4), 419–428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-020-09533-9 

You will acquire the following skills:

Professional and methodological competence

Students acquire knowledge of key concepts of sustainable mobility, in particular the 15-minute city, and are able to explain psychological, spatial and technical factors that influence mobility behaviour. They analyse urban spaces in terms of accessibility, spatial quality and social justice, and critically evaluate current and future mobility trends and social debates. In addition, they apply basic methods of mobility and spatial analysis, develop target group-specific analyses (e.g. personas), use creative problem-solving approaches such as design thinking, and present their findings to an expert audience. They apply their knowledge to real urban issues.

Social skills

Students work together in interdisciplinary and international heterogeneous teams and cooperate professionally with external stakeholders, such as partners from cities. They communicate constructively, moderate processes, give qualified feedback and incorporate different perspectives in an appreciative manner.

Self-competence

Students critically reflect on their own assumptions, working methods and contributions. They work responsibly and solution-oriented in open project contexts and deepen their knowledge independently and critically.

Lecturers:

Dorothea Schaffner (Hochschule für Angewandte Psychologie), Michael van Eggermond (Hochschule für Architektur, Bau und Geomatik), Corinne Moser (Hochschule für Angewandte Psychologie)