[sustran] "Old Mobility = mechanical solutions to biological problems. "

[eric britton]

I like this and while by itself it may not move the earth I would like to
invite your comments and suggestions on this image which, self evident
though it may seem, some of us at least may find of use from time to time(at
least I would like to think that).



In a conversation yesterday with Katherine Freund of ITNAmerica, during
which we were  discussing her possible volunteer participation in the
forthcoming World Share/Transport Forum in Kaohsiung next month, the
conversation rolled around as to the reasons why the narrow binomial choices
which seem inevitably to frame the transport policy issues/choices in most
places - i.e., either spend money to help cars or public transit as the two
main options - are destined to fail. And in the process we eventually worked
our way around to the phrase . . .



・         Old Mobility = Tries to fashion basically mechanical solutions to
deal with what are in fact biological or organic problems. *



I like it because I feel that it gives us in a nutshell an explanation for
why we are failing so badly in the sector.



Without wishing to be disrespectful to anyone in particular (we are all in
any event prisoners of our pasts), is it reasonable to say this? The older
generations of experts, institutions, and problems solvers are locked into
mainly mechanistic approaches and ways of thinking: i.e., here is the
problem we face, here is how we are going to fix it, and off we go. Solve
problem, and then go fishing.



But when and if we shift over to new mobility thinking, what we have come to
understand is that we are not going to "fix" the problem or problems,
because it is not their nature nor that of complex interactive systems to be
"fixed" in this sense. Rather we are ready to work with them over time
within a more complex strategic frame, try this or that here of there, use
21st century feedback systems and logistics to get a flow of information
about actual performance and impacts, and then tweak as infinitum. If it
sounds like nurturing a child, it is no coincidence.



I hope this is not to muddled to exclude understanding and that there may be
something here eventually useful and at least worthy of your comments.



Eric Britton



PS. Of as Lao-Tzu just may have said: "How can a man, riding on an ox,
looking for an ox, ever find an ox?"



 PPS. One of my  Chinese colleagues who is working with us on the Kaohsiung
project, said that she felt this approach has parallels with the tradition
of foot-binding of women in ancient China -纏足. A mechanical solution to a
biological problem.