Abstract

This paper presents an approach for assessing technological solutions and policy options for sustainable mobility and co-modality, according to the economic, environmental, and social dimensions. A multi-criteria assessment (MCA) has been developed as generalized framework to be applied to different cases in transportation (referred to hereafter as the EU-FP7 project OPTIMISM). This method will guide and support the decision-making process for technological solutions and policy measures by creating a balanced comparison of different options and transparency of discussion. Achieving sustainability is mainly a matter of communication, commitment, and cooperation. This paper focuses on the development of the method; the application of the method still has to be tested. Principles of sustainable mobility are defined and then specified as criteria in a matrix of measurable sustainability indicators for economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The matrix should be used to structure an assessment and has to be embedded in a multiple-step decision-making process; recommendations for this process are included in the method description. In developing the approach, and for practicability of sustainable decisions in transportation, issues that need to be addressed in research are: (1) ways to overcome inner barriers for sustainable thinking and link them with practical acting, (2) how to bridge the time gap of recent issues and future resilience, (3) how to overcome barriers between global sustainability and local action, and (4) how to improve stakeholders’ commitment and cooperation in order to be able not only adapt to change, but shape transformation for a viable future.