The association was founded by enthusiastic individuals who feel it is the matter of their heart to use their experience and network within the framework of a new association in order to make the cities of the Deutschlandsberg district of Styria region and Austria more livable. We have great experience in cross-border, transnational and interregional programs, which we will be able to utilize in the framework of the Interreg Central-Europe, Interreg Danube, Interreg Alpine, and the Slovenian-Austrian programs affecting the Deutschlandsberg district of Styria region.
It is important to mention that we have experience in the field of both research and practical studies. We have a strong cooperation with several European countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Italy.
Research topics
We have experiences on smart cities and innovative ways of city planning. Also we have serious experiences on the field of RRI. Our researches include theoretical, empirical and practical analysis of RRI. The main goal is to make the urban development strategies more responsible and socially desirable.
The research topics in our Association cover the following areas.
1) Smart cities
Nowadays, the question of sustainability is becoming increasingly important in all areas of life. It is no different with cities, which are the basic organizational units of societies. In these organizations, it is extremely important to create and maintain livable conditions, since the fundamental building blocks of every society are the individuals and families living in it, so if the living conditions of the population living here are unsatisfactory, - e.g. inadequate public safety, undeveloped infrastructure, etc. – it can ultimately lead to the decline of society and the economic decline of the city. Reforming cities into smart cities can have a positive effect on these insights and problems, since the essential goal of creating these cities is to create sustainability and livable conditions. When defining the concept of a smart city, three basic priorities need to be taken into account: sustainability (realization of an economically self-sustaining city), efficiency (availability of quality public and other services, efficient and economical use of energy and resources, the decisive role of environmental protection), broad participation (inclusion of city residents).
2) Smart mobility
For the past 50 years, passenger transport has been dominated by private vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. Its widespread spread in cities also led to congestion (with its economic impact and related increase in commuting time), had a negative impact on the environment (air and noise pollution), human health, personal safety, and reduced livability and social inclusion. As the world's population continues to be concentrated in cities, the negative impacts associated with transporting people and goods are increasing. Urban mobility is one of the sectors that will change the most in the future due to technological innovation and behavioral changes. The ownership of private vehicles is decreasing, as mobility as a service becomes a combination of several modes of transport in cities. Legislation and appropriate governance measures will be needed to ensure that new modes of transport complement and do not compete with public transport.
3) Autonomous vehicles, as part of smart mobility
AVs are being tested in a number of countries where they are already on public roads, such as Phoenix, Arizona, USA, and Singapore. The question is no longer if all road vehicles will become fully autonomous, but rather when. The special importance of technology lies in the fact that this technology has a great impact not only on the lives of the owners and users of transport vehicles, but also on all participants in transport, be it pedestrians, cyclists or drivers. Autonomous electric vehicles may bring benefits to cities by reducing air pollution and congestion, although they may also have negative socio-economic consequences (e.g. displacing existing occupations). Autonomous technology seems to be accompanied by a new type of transportation system that can completely change urban transportation and the overall image of the city. As a result, it may become possible to actively participate in transport for those who were previously unable to use it, and the burden on cities, which are difficult to maintain, can also be relieved in this way. However, this is accompanied by a high degree of uncertainty, which makes it extremely important to deal with autonomous vehicles, their impact on cities and society, and their social acceptance.
4) Autonomous vehicles in the framework of responsible innovation
Autonomous driving technology can radically change our current lives and the current state of urban mobility. However, the negative effects associated with technology should not be ignored. One of the possible approaches for dealing with the uncertainties associated with emerging technologies is Responsible Innovation, which aims to explore the positive and negative effects associated with the technology and manage them in a complex system. The development of AV technology is not only a technological issue, but also requires an integrated study of the host environment (both at the level of individuals and cities). The success of the spread of autonomous vehicles depends not only on the development of technology, but also on the regulatory environment, the state of urban infrastructure and social acceptance. It is therefore important to examine the readiness level of autonomous technologies at the level of individuals and cities, as well as its factors. Thus it is important to examine how responsible innovation can help individuals and cities adopt AV technology.