Mobility Moshpit 23

✨ Hello pioneering minds!

The Lab of Thought wants to challenge the way we think and act about mobility and the spaces we live in. We love to question the narratives that have shaped our motonormative mindset and explore alternative ways of seeing, thinking, and doing. Curious? Let's go!

PEOPLE-FIRST CITIES: JUST STREETS WEBINAR ON DECEMBER 4

On December 4, we’re unveiling the Just Streets Manifesto — a new narrative crafted to activate the silent majority that wants safer, more equitable streets. The upcoming LinkedIn Live webinar brings together our own Marco te Brömmelstroet (University of Amsterdam & Just Streets), Melanie van der Horst (Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam), and Filipa Corais (City of Braga) to explore how cities can shift from moving cars to making places.

The conversation will dig into why storytelling matters for street transformation, how Amsterdam is embedding justice into mobility planning, and what truly holds cities back as they try to move beyond traffic-first logic. With an open Q&A, participants can ask the questions their own cities urgently need answered.

The session is designed for city leaders, planners, advocates, and anyone working toward people-first public spaces. It’s an invitation to rethink what streets are for — and to help rewrite the narrative that shapes them.

👉 Register here, and bring a friend!

CHALLENGING CAR SUPREMACY: A GLOBAL STUDY FOR JUST STREETS

Each year, more than one million people lose their lives in traffic crashes — a crisis often treated as inevitable. Our latest research initiative challenges that assumption by investigating the deeper belief system that keeps car-dominated societies in place. Together with Ian Walker (Swansea University) and Ashton R. Rohmer (George Mason University), we are launching the first global survey designed to identify and quantify car supremacy: the ideology that frames roads as spaces for drivers alone and pushes everyone else to the margins.

This work builds on our earlier findings on motonormativity, which revealed how deeply driving’s harms are normalized and how widely the public underestimates support for change. The new study will generate a representative global dataset, open-access tools, and practical resources for advocates and policymakers. With public support, we aim to provide the evidence needed to challenge car supremacy at its roots and open the door to safer, fairer mobility systems worldwide.

👉 Please support this study into the ideology of CarSupremacy, and, if you want, have a look at our earlier study

BLACK FRIDAY AT THE LAB SHOP: IDEAS YOU CAN WEAR, READ, AND SHARE

This Black Friday, The Lab of Thought Shop brings together everything you need to spark better conversations about mobility — and look good doing it. From the new Non-Boring Mobility Innovations books to statement gear like the Carless Drivers Tote bag, EX-CYCLIST shirts, and jumpers that call out car dominance and keep you warm.

Our shop isn’t just merch — it’s a toolbox for the movement toward fair, people-first cities. Every purchase supports our research, campaigns, and public resources that challenge car supremacy and help build safer, more just mobility systems.

Treat yourself or your friends to something meaningful. Grab a book and start learning. Grab a T-shirt and wear your values. Let’s turn consumer energy into momentum for mobility justice — because real change starts when ideas meet action.

👉 Ready to dive in? Explore the collection in the Lab of Thought Shop and pick something that fuels the movement

Parkeer parels and Bel Parcheggio: Shining a Light on Everyday Inconvenience

Parkeer Parels (“Parking Pearls”) is a playful yet pointed initiative highlighting a familiar issue in Dutch streets: people who consistently prioritise their own convenience over that of others. The platform showcases examples of poor parking behaviour to spark reflection rather than shame. Importantly, the team behind parkeerparels.nl has faced regular — and sometimes serious — threats, so they never publish number plates or identifiable faces and work with a private investigative agency to document incidents and support police reports when needed.

A similar spirit exists in Italy with Bel Parcheggio (“Nice parking”, ironically), a Turin-based initiative that documents illegal and dangerous parking on cycle lanes and other sensitive areas. The initiative also encourages people to leave a harmless, removable sticker on cars parked improperly — a small nudge that might make careless drivers think twice next time. Beyond exposing everyday infringements, it promotes road safety and encourages more respectful, people-centred mobility.