Last year, Campus Groningen started an exploratory study into the future of mobility at the Zernike Campus Groningen, together with Groningen Bereikbaar and Hive.Mobility. The parties wanted to know what the ideal Zernike Campus would look like in the field of smart mobility in 2030 and what steps must be taken to achieve this ideal image.
Under the title ‘Smart Mobility Campus 2030’, the Student Advisory Committee Groningen (SAC) mapped out this vision of the future and the route to it. In February, SAC presented their final report. In this vision of the future, the three central building blocks from Campus Groningen’s mobility vision were: 1. Hospitable, accessible campus, 2. Attractive residential climate, 3. Sustainable and innovative campus. Based on this vision, three main themes have been formulated on the basis of which the SAC has shaped the research results:
- The (campus) organization
- Mobility and spatial planning
- Campus as a testing ground environment
Within these themes, a great deal of attention was paid to properly setting up an overarching working group that focuses specifically on mobility and to achieve a uniform policy in this regard. Within the theme “spatial planning”, space has been freed up for bicycles and pedestrians in particular as two most sustainable and healthy forms of mobility to move around on campus. In addition, the supply to the campus has been actively taken into account in order to keep both campus locations easily accessible from the city center and region.
Finally, innovation and sustainability are two important themes for Campus Groningen, also when it comes to mobility and accessibility issues. Where possible, collaboration will be done with students, researchers and companies. In this way, the campus is at the forefront of the implementation of innovative initiatives. For example, pilots with autonomous transport are the rule rather than the exception, SAC outlines.
Continuation
The SAC vision of the future outlined above serves as input and inspiration for future developments and further discussion around mobility on the Zernike Campus. Irene Amsing, Community Coordinator Campus Groningen, says: “This report from SAC will certainly not end up in a drawer, but will contribute to the overall strategy development of the Campus in the field of mobility and accessibility. Here lies a vision of the future that gives us direction in what we consider important towards 2030. This makes the report very valuable.“
Nils Bruinsma, SAC, concludes: “It is great to see that the subject of mobility is so much alive at the Zernike Campus, but what is perhaps even better is that the parties on the campus understand that collaboration yields more than setting up individual initiatives.“
