Bialystok University of Technology new research project led by Prof. Joanna Ejdys

The main goal of the project is to gain new knowledge about the factors that determine public acceptance of the three strategies: electromobility, public transport 2.0 and low mobility society. According to the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy (2020), public acceptance is a key factor in the transformation towards smart and sustainable urban mobility. The results of the project may be used by those responsible for designing urban transportation systems.

– Urban transportation is an important factor in the socio-economic development of cities, but also a source of numerous environmental and social problems. For this reason, the European Union has taken a number of measures aimed at reducing the scale of the negative phenomenon associated with the rapid growth of urban transportation. This is how the concept of Smart and Sustainable Urban Mobility was created, which is part of the European Union’s Green Deal Strategy. It is worth mentioning that its main goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. In our project we will try, among other things, to develop different types of profiles of Polish residents, reflecting their level of social acceptance for this strategy – explains Prof. Joanna Ejdys, head of the research project.

A team of researchers from the Faculty of Engineering Management has won a grant from the National Science Center in the OPUS 23 competition (HS4 panel) to carry out project tasks. They will receive funding in the amount of PLN 335,584 for a project entitled ” Factors determining social acceptance of intelligent and sustainable urban mobility.” Duration of the project: 2023-2025.

The project includes the implementation of eight research tasks:

• to identify and classify factors determining the implementation of solutions within three smart and sustainable urban mobility strategies: electromobility (EM); public transportation 2.0 (CT) and low mobility society (LM);
• to review and evaluate existing constructs and measures within the framework of models of public acceptance of smart and sustainable urban mobility (SSUM);
• to design and conduct qualitative research (IDI) on the driving forces and barriers to implementing SSM strategies;
• to develop theoretical models (constructs, measurement variables, relationships between variables) for measuring social acceptance of EM-CT-LM strategies;
• to design and conduct quantitative research (surveys) to verify the theoretical models for measuring social acceptance of EM-CT-LM strategies;
• to analyse relationships in SSUM acceptance models – statistical data processing and analysis;
• to develop different types of profiles of Polish residents reflecting their level of social acceptance of the EM-CT-LM strategy;
• to develop methodological recommendations for a model study of social acceptance of SSUM solutions.

Researchers:

Prof. Joanna Ejdys, DSc, PhD, Eng is the author and co-author of more than 200 scientific and popular science papers covering the study of the relationship between technology, man and the environment.

Aleksandra Maria Gulc, PhD is an assistant professor in the International Department of Logistics and Service Engineering. Her area of scientific interest revolves around the issues of service quality management and smart city.

Klaudia Panasevich, MSc, has been an assistant professor in the International Department of Logistics and Service Engineering since 1 March. Her area of scientific interest refers to the issues of smart city maturity and sustainable urban mobility.

Photo by Danuta Szpilko / Faculty of Engineering Management, Bialystok University of Technology.

by mr