Vanessa Maxé i David Balbás: "Only if it's good for people, territories, and the planet, is it sustainable mobility."

The School of Sustainable Mobility enables anyone to become an agent of change within the framework of one of the current global challenges facing our society: achieving sustainable mobility. It does so through flexible online training, which allows students to choose between modules, courses, postgraduate and master's degrees, as well as the analysis and development of real-life cases and projects, and field visits to experience firsthand all the topics covered in the courses.

In recent years, there has been much debate about sustainable mobility, to the point where it has become a concept that often lacks a real purpose.

— That's right: in the end it seems to mean anything or, what is the same, it doesn't mean anything at all. We have sustainable fuels, sustainable highways and sustainable airports, and it is often difficult to sort out the greenwashing, biased proposals, media noise, and conceptual confusion. We need to clarify concepts, organize objectives and strategies, and clarify the tools and processes that will help us move forward.

What is the concept that you defend, from school?

— We try to summarize our vision with the motto "Only if it's good for people, territories, and the planet, is it sustainable mobility." The elderly; or our health; it doesn't fit.

What role can the social economy play in meeting this challenge?

— The conventional economy prioritizes capital and profits. For the social economy, however, capital is a means, not an end. It prioritizes people and the social purpose, managing democratically and engaging with the territory and its associated community. All of this gives the social economy key characteristics to respond to the challenges posed by sustainable mobility.

And how should we move from purely technological innovation to a more social one?

— When we think of innovation, we imagine self-driving cars, artificial intelligence, supersonic trains, and so on. But the innovation that truly transforms our cities doesn't always come in high-tech guise. At school, we believe that the most valuable innovations are those born from social and organizational processes. Incorporating gender, childhood, and older adult perspectives; improving coordination between stakeholders; and using existing data to plan more fairly and effectively are just a few examples.

Why is it also necessary to create collaborative environments to meet the challenge?

— One of the pillars of the school is the idea that to transform our mobility systems, we need to connect issues that until now have been addressed in fragments. Connecting theory with action; the different disciplines; the actions carried out by public administrations; the different modes of transport and public space; the tools and instruments with which we operate to transform mobility; and so on. This entails dedicating time and energy to networking and strategic alliances with all the stakeholders involved in the sustainable mobility ecosystem. Currently, nearly 100 professionals and 40 leading organizations collaborate with the school.