Abstract

The two editors (from the Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment) see the transport sector as a sector in which it seems "almost hopeless" to achieve significant reductions in transport services and environmental pollution. They therefore believe that "fundamental changes" are necessary. In addition to the introductory article, the book therefore examines 8 other facets of future-proof urban and regional transport. Visionary images of the future are described as well as innovative strategies, concrete steps for action are mentioned as well as practical measures. All contributions are intended to contribute to making real future concepts tangible. The contributions themselves stand out due to their different approaches and perspectives: Technology-focussed approaches are juxtaposed with philosophical and moral considerations, while long-term visionary approaches are contrasted with entirely prognostic, engineering ideas. In sum, this actually results in a unified overall picture, namely the picture of an area of our society in which developments are being driven in completely divergent directions, and with all their might. The promise of creating a consistent, real concept for the future cannot be realised, but that does not hurt, because such a task is probably not (yet) achievable today.

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