What if cities could be designed to be… y’know, better? Here’s how Europeans want to transform their cities
The cities of the 21st century have adapted to cars just as much as they have to humans. But a new international survey by Ipsos for the mobility brand Lynk & Co shows that the common wish amongst Europeans is to use vehicles more efficiently and free up urban space for more greenery. With the average car in use only 4% of the time, Lynk & Co is challenging the industry to take a new approach to disruptive mobility.
Let It Grow
Three quarters of Londoners are already, or are considering car sharing in some form. Whilst men in the capital city are more likely to borrow a friend’s car and use a car sharing service compared to women. Shareable mobility is one solution for easing congestion, decreasing vehicle standing time and maximising efficiency. It comes as mobility brand Lynk & Co seeks to explore alternative solutions to urban landscapes scarred by road and traffic requirements.
It’s London’s younger generations (aged 25-34 years old) that are the most positive toward car sharing and keen to explore simple mobility solutions.
The current landscape? A lot of parking lots
Stockholm, for instance, is covered by 550 000m2 worth of permanent parking space. That is more than 77 football fields. Lynk & Co wants to disrupt the car industry and challenge the idea that cars are possessions rather than a shared mode of transportation. Their flexible month-to-month membership model means you only have a car when you actually need it, and you can seamlessly share it with others. With fewer cars, cities could be built for humans and not cars. Citizens could enjoy greener, more vibrant, and inspiring urban environments. Almost half of Londoners would remove parking spaces in favour of more green spaces.
A new survey with over 8,000 respondents in eight European capitals; London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Brussels was conducted by Ipsos for Lynk & Co. With the report “Cities Reimagined by Lynk & Co”, the mobility company set out to learn how Europeans enjoy their cities today and how they would like to shape their cities for tomorrow. Turns out, the views differ.
Young Europeans are at the forefront
Londoners are the most likely to have a nice and polite experience with their fellow commuters (19 percent).
The attitude towards car-sharing is similar throughout the eight markets but varies when it comes to the respondents’ age. Here, the younger generation. Amongst respondents aged 25-34 years, 66 percent feel positively towards car sharing. In contrast, only 35 percent of respondents aged 55-65 years felt the same.
“With cars parked 96 percent of the time, our cities have a lot of unused potential. I feel motivated by the results of the survey, and I’m excited that the people of Europe agree with our mission of more accessible, open, and green cities. It’s time to reclaim our human space.” – Alain Visser, CEO at Lynk & Co
Fewer parking spaces, more living spaces
The most common wish across the eight cities is to replace parking spaces with more greenery (57 percent), followed by places to rest (32 percent), and wider sidewalks (28 percent). But there are a few more surprising findings. Londoners are the most art-hungry citizens and are most likely to vote for more public art, street art, and graffiti to replace parking.
The data has shown: better cities aren’t just a distant dream, they’re possible. Lynk & Co is leading a revolution in attitudes towards car ownership. By re-imagining cars to be flexible, shareable, and adapted to modern life, we create space in our cities for people.