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Changing Urban Travel Behaviour for a Low-Carbon Transition

Explore the determinants of transport behaviour and choices that promote low-carbon mobility.

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Changing Urban Travel Behaviour for a Low-Carbon Transition

  • 2 weeks

  • 2 hours per week

  • Accreditation available

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Intermediate level

Find out more about how to join this course

The CPD Certification Service

This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. Find out more.

Discover how to transition human behaviour for low-carbon travel

The impacts of climate change present significant challenges for the development, sustainability and resilience of cities. Decarbonising transport is vital to prospects of mitigating dangerous climate change but requires changes in travel, which will affect people’s lives.

On this two-week course from RMIT University, you’ll explore the question: how do we understand and influence human behaviour and choices for low-carbon mobility? Through innovative solutions, case studies, and experts in the field, by the end of this course, you should start to formulate an answer.

Disover the structural, cultural, and psychological factors influencing behaviour

Travel behaviour is influenced by a range of interdependent factors, from structural factors such as how cities are built to a person’s personal values.

You’ll explore the many different factors involved in people’s transport decisions, including current policies and the often difficult logistics of using low-carbon transport.

Discover innovative solutions aiming to change transport behaviour

A large aspect in driving positive change, especially when it comes to transport behaviours, is the policies and mechanisms surrounding transport and how they can more favourable conditions.

This course will guide you through some of the innovative policy changes hoping to create a greener future by improving the ease of using low-carbon transport.

Learn from the experts at RMIT University

As the largest urban research hub in the southern hemisphere, RMIT University provides an intellectual home for multidisciplinary urban researchers to successfully execute global and local initiatives.

This course has also been co-designed together with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.

Skip to 0 minutes and 4 seconds In this course, we’re going to talk about the determinants of transport behaviour and how to influence transport behaviour. My name is Jan Scheurer. I’m honorary associate professor at RMIT University, partly based at RMIT in Barcelona. And my co-designer of this course is Professor Diego Dodson. The determinants of transport behaviour are manifolds. It’s about structural factors, how our cities and settlement area are structured and what does it mean for getting around. And also, what sort of modes of transport are actually available for people and affordable to people. Then there’s the practical factors. Those are considerations like safety and comfort of travelling around. Then there are the psychological factors.

Skip to 0 minutes and 47 seconds Are we actually creatures of habits who travel the way we’ve always travelled, or are we open to change? And also, things like are we perhaps a bit enamoured with certain modes of transport over others? And where does that come from? And then there’s the important question of what do the decisions of policymakers actually have to do with our transport choices? What levers of influences do we actually have as policy makers, or advisors to policymakers, to change people’s behaviour, and perhaps change our own behaviour as well?

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Determinants of transport behaviour

    • Modes of transport

      Meet the teaching team and discover who you’ll be learning with as we start exploring modes of transport use.

    • Structural factors influencing transport behaviour

      Examine the range of interdependent factors influencing travel behaviour.

    • Cultural and psychological factors influencing mobility behaviours

      Explore the ways in which our personal values and other psychological variables influence our mobility behaviour.

    • Weekly wrap

      Reflect on the key ideas covered in Week 1 and find out what's on for next week.

  • Week 2

    How to influence transport behaviour in policy terms?

    • Changing your travel behaviour

      Find out what's on for Week 2 as we begin exploring your personal motivations and barriers to switching to more sustainable transport modes.

    • Reducing the dominance of cars in the urban space

      Explore how cities and regions are trying to influence travel behaviour by slowing and constraining car traffic, and by managing parking.

    • Fare-reduced or fare-free public transport and its impacts

      Explore debates related to mobility polices involving free or heavily subsidised public transport.

    • Micromobility in urban and regional areas

      Explore the micromobility options that have emerged in European cities in recent years.

    • Weekly wrap

      Reflect on what you've learned in this course.

Who is this accredited by?

The CPD Certification Service
The CPD Certification Service:

The CPD Certification Service was established in 1996 and is the leading independent CPD accreditation institution operating across industry sectors to complement the CPD policies of professional and academic bodies.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Investigate the structural, practical and psychological determinants of transport behaviour
  • Explore the relationship between climate change, human behaviour and transport choices
  • Interpret how people make transport choices
  • Describe policy, design and technology that influences travel behaviour

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for urban mobility students and professionals with an interest in the mobility infrastructure required for inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable living.

Who will you learn with?

Honorary Associate Professor at RMIT University and lead educator of this course. Jan researches how to improve transport networks and urban spaces to enable more sustainable mobility in cities.

Romaine Logere is one of the lead content writers at FutureLearn for RMIT Europe. She has a masters in design and did her PhD on transdisciplinary practice, both with RMIT University in Melbourne.

Who developed the course?

RMIT University

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) is a global university, with over 80,000 students, specialising in technology, design and enterprise.

  • Established

    1887
  • Location

    Melbourne, Australia
  • World ranking

    Top 210Source: QS World University Rankings 2022

EIT Urban Mobility

EIT Urban Mobility is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Since January 2019 we have been working to encourage positive changes in the way people move around cities in order to make them more liveable places. We aim to become the largest European initiative transforming urban mobility. Co-funding of up to € 400 million (2020-2026) from the EIT, a body of the European Union, will help make this happen.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$39.99

For your first month. Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$54/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 22 Dec 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 29 December 2024 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 29 December 2024 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

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