Presented at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Annual International Conference, 27-29 August 2014. www.rgs.org/WhatsOn/ConferencesAndSeminars/Annual+International+Conference/Annual+international+conference.htm

1. Immobility as well-being
Creating alternatives to pro-mobility discourses
Antonio Ferreira – University of Leeds
Luca Bertolini – University of Amsterdam
Petter Næss – Norwegian Univ. of Life Sciences
Greg Marsden – University of Leeds
Dr Antonio Ferreira
Email: a.c.ferreira@leeds.ac.uk
Research Fellow in Governance and Transport Policies
Institute for Transport Studies
University of Leeds

2. Setting up a vision for transport

3. Vision element 1: from transport for GDP to well-being
In the UK:
“It is increasingly understood that traditional economic
measures are necessary, but not sufficient, to reflect a nation's
overall progress or well-being.”
ONS. (2012). First ONS Annual Experimental Subjective Well-Being Results. Retrieved from
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171766_272294.pdf
In France:
“the time is ripe for our measurement system to shift
emphasis from measuring economic production to measuring
people’s well-being. And measures of well-being should be put
in a context of sustainability.”
Stiglitz, J. E., Sen, A., & Fitoussi, J.-P. (2009). Report by the commission on the measurement of economic performance and
social progress. Retrieved from www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr

4. Vision element 2: from carbon intensive to… something else!
The Stern Review:
“The benefits of strong, early action on climate change
outweigh the costs.”
Stern, N., Peters, S., Bakhshi, V., Bowen, A., Cameron, C., Catovsky, S., . . . Zenghelis, D. (2006). Stern Review: The economics
of climate change. London: HM Treasury. Retrieved from
http://www.wwf.se/source.php/1169157/Stern%20Report_Exec%20Summary.pdf

5. Vision: Transport sustainability meets well-being… but how?
Electric cars Cycling “Maker Faire”
Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Electric
_car_charging_Amsterdam.jpg
Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ciclism
o_en_Amsterdam.jpg
Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Goats_
and_cheesemaking_workshop,_Maker_F
aire_2011.jpg

6. Understanding “well-being”

7. Understanding “well-being”
Two views on
well-being
Hedonic
(satisfaction)
Eudaimonic
(fulfilment with life)
Diener, E. (2009). The science of well-being: The collected works of Ed Diener,
volume 1. Dordrecht: Springer.
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the
meaning of psychological wellbeing.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081.
Vos, J. D., Schwanen, T., Acker, V. V., & Witlox, F. (2013). Travel and subjective
well-being: A focus on findings, methods and future research needs. Transport
Reviews, 33(4), 421-442.
Presence of positive feelings
Absence of negative feelings
Overall satisfaction with life
Self-acceptance
Positive social relationships
Personal growth
Purpose in life
Environmental mastery
Autonomy
Personal expression

8. Understanding “well-being”
“In light of travel behaviour research’s strong roots in
utility theory [i.e. economics], this bias towards hedonic
well-Two views being on
is no surprise. But well-being is more than
satisfaction”
well-being
Vos, J. et al. (2013)
Hedonic
(satisfaction)
Eudaimonic
(self-realisation)
Presence of positive feelings
Absence of negative feelings
Overall satisfaction with life
Self-acceptance
Positive social relationships
Personal growth
Actually, it seems common-sense that feeling “fulfilled”
Purpose in life
is more important that feeling “satisfied”.
Environmental mastery
Autonomy
Personal expression
Diener, E. (2009). The science of well-being: The collected works of Ed Diener,
volume 1. Dordrecht: Springer.
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the
meaning of psychological wellbeing.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081.
Vos, J. D., Schwanen, T., Acker, V. V., & Witlox, F. (2013). Travel and subjective
well-being: A focus on findings, methods and future research needs. Transport
Reviews, 33(4), 421-442.

9. Well-being and mobility

10. The relationships between well-being and mobility
Well-being is
affected by…
…the experience of
mobility itself.
…experiences while being
mobile.
…activity participation
enabled by mobility.
…the possibility of / the
potential of travelling.
Vos, J. D., Schwanen, T., Acker, V. V., & Witlox, F. (2013). Travel and subjective well-being: A focus on findings, methods and future
research needs. Transport Reviews, 33(4), 421-442.

11. The relationships between well-being and mobility
However, a bias towards mobility is present here.
Well-being is
affected by…
…the experience of
mobility itself.
…experiences while being
mobile.
…activity participation
enabled by mobility.
…the possibility of / the
potential of travelling.
What about immobility?
Vos, J. D., Schwanen, T., Acker, V. V., & Witlox, F. (2013). Travel and subjective well-being: A focus on findings, methods and future
research needs. Transport Reviews, 33(4), 421-442.

12. The relationships between well-being and mobility
Retrieved from http://wisdomquarterly.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/bodhi-tree-to-be-planted-in-india-for.html

13. The relationships between well-being and mobility
Mobility and
wings
“Having wings to fly”
Common saying
“Flying too high can burn wings”
Element of Icarus myth
Immobility
and roots
“Deep roots are not reached by the frost”
J.R.R. Tolkien
“Leaving home's a cinch. It's the staying,
once you've found it, that takes courage.”
Catherine Watson

14. Introducing “immotility”

15. Introducing “immotility”
‘Motility’
(Kaufmann)
‘Immotility’ ‘Stagnancy’
Mobility as well-being
Immobility as
well-being
Frequent
mobility
practices
Frequent
immobility
practices
‘Liquidity’
(Bauman)
Ferreira, Bertolini, Naess, Marsden (Under review). Immotility as Resilience. Environment and Planning A

16. The pro-immotility discourse:
Potential benefits and drawbacks
(and therefore not a panacea)

17. The pro-immotility discourse: benefits and drawbacks
POTENTIAL BENEFITS POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS
DIMENSION
Subjective
individual
- Sense of belonging
- Kinship ties
- Sense of boredom
- Sense of confinement
Political
- Development of local
communities
- Empowerment
- Beyond geographical
competition logic
- Disempowerment
- Driven by / leading to
xenophobia and narrow-mindedness
Sustainability
and resilience
- Reduced mobility
- Responsible local production
and consumption
- Independence from global
downturns
- Disconnection from wider
networks of supply, support and
rescue
Implementation - Opportunity for innovation - Sharp U-turn from present logic
Economy
- Opportunity to develop a
Steady-State Economy - Sharp U-turn from present logic

18. A critique on current
(pro-mobility) discourses

19. A critique on current (pro-mobility) discourses
‘Motility’
(Kaufmann)
‘Immotility’ ‘Stagnancy’
Mobility as well-being
Immobility as
well-being
Frequent
mobility
practices
Frequent
immobility
practices
‘Liquidity’
‘Vagabondism”
(Bauman)
Ferreira, Bertolini, Naess, Marsden (Under review). Immotility as Resilience. Environment and Planning A

20. Conclusion
The need for a holistic research
agenda for transport centred on
eudaimonic well-being

21. The need for a holistic research agenda
‘Motility’
(Kaufmann)
Eudaimonic well-being at
the heart of transport
(as “fulfilment” is more
important than
“satisfaction”… no?)
‘Immotility’ ‘Stagnancy’
Mobility as well-being
(wings)
Immobility as
well-being (roots)
Frequent
mobility
practices
Frequent
immobility
practices
‘Liquidity’
(Bauman)
Ferreira, Bertolini, Naess, Marsden (Under review). Immotility as Resilience. Environment and Planning A