Car-free city center? What the urban mobility turnaround will bring.

Cities are built for cars: motorized private transport has dominated life in urban areas for decades - with social and health consequences for everyone. But could it be possible to ban cars from city centers and thus improve quality of life? Markus Mailer, head of the Intelligent Transport Systems department at the University of Innsbruck, talks about this with Manuel Tschenet, managing director of the regional mobility center Kufstein mobil. The second edition of the new "Food for Thought" series aims to provide background information and facilitate an intensive exchange between the two experts and the interested audience. It will be an eventful evening.
Markus Mailer is an expert in traffic planning and intelligent transportation systems. He has headed the "Intelligent Transport Systems" department at the University of Innsbruck since 2010, where he is involved in teaching and research into innovative solutions for the challenges of modern transportation. He completed his studies and doctorate in civil engineering at the Vienna University of Technology and then worked at BMW AG Munich in various positions in the field of traffic concepts and traffic management. His research interests include the planning, construction, operation and management of transportation systems of all modes and types of transport, with a particular focus on cooperative traffic management strategies, mobility services and cable car systems.
Manuel Tschenet, born in 1986 in Kufstein, studied spatial planning at the Vienna University of Technology and, after 10 years in various places in Austria, Germany and Spain, moved back to Tyrol to become the mobility officer for the KUUSK LEADER region in 2019. Since 2022, he has headed the newly founded regional mobility center Kufstein mobil, which is working to expand walking, cycling and public transport services in the 20 municipalities it serves. In 2024, Kufstein:mobil won the VCÖ Mobility Award Tyrol for the project "Crossing the border with the KlimaTicket".
Moderation: Rebecca Sandbichler, freelance journalist
A cooperation event of WuV, the Vice Rectorate for Digitalization and Sustainability and the research focus EPoS (both University of Innsbruck), together with the Innsbruck City Library. We are a cultural pass partner. This event will be recorded for a Kulturton program by Radio Freirad