Changing mobility cultures for a just and inclusive mobility transition: An intersectional analysis of dwelling and cycling experiences of immigrant and refugee women in Germany
In the face of rapidly intensifying climate change, calls for an immediate and extensive sustainability transformation of the transport industry have gained momentum worldwide. As a low-carbon mode of transport, cycling has been widely promoted by governments as a key strategy in this transition. In Germany, the cycling boom of recent decades has been celebrated by policymakers; however, recent studies have revealed its highly uneven nature across societal groups and spatial contexts (Hudde, 2022). Rather than contributing to important sustainability goals, increasing disparities in bicycle usage have exacerbated social inequalities, particularly among marginalised populations such as immigrant and refugee women, who often face limited accessibility and heightened transport-related exclusion.
Many refugees in Germany originate from regions where cycling is culturally restricted or prohibited for women (Mohammadi, 2019). Upon arrival, they are confronted with a mismatched mobility culture in which prevailing socio-cultural norms and practices clash with their previous experiences, resulting in mobility constraints (Enderle, 2024). However, this encounter also presents a window of opportunity: exposure to a new mobility culture can enhance mobility and offer various psychological, social, and physical benefits that support women's participation and integration in society (Enderle, 2024). Understanding how the diverse mobility experiences of marginalised groups are embedded in the wider social and cultural contexts is thus essential for achieving sustainable and equitable mobility futures. Despite its importance, the mobility of refugee and immigrant groups remains underexplored.
The dissertation aims to examine how dwelling environments influence the travel behaviour, preferences, and needs of immigrant and refugee women. By situating mobility patterns within their broader context, this qualitative research offers crucial empirical insights into refugee and immigrant women’s subjective cycling experiences. Drawing on in-depth interviews and case-studies, this research aims to reveal how the local environment (prevailing infrastructural conditions and mindsets) (re)produces preexisting exclusions by facilitating certain ways of being mobile whilst constraining others. By unpacking the unique place-specific factors that promote or hinder cycling, this research seeks to inform inclusive policies and planning structures to overcome enduring mobility barriers, facilitate associated processes of integration and realise more inclusive and sustainable mobility futures in Germany.