Written by / Researcher Ying-Yi Hsieh
Shaping Taiwan's Innovative Applications for Micromobility
In recent years, “Micromobility” has grown rapidly in major cities worldwide, accompanied by the issue of urban net-zero carbon emissions, and under the rapidly changing global economic situation during and after the pandemic. Micromobility has been introduced into cities by local governments around the world as one of the solutions to alleviate urban transportation problems. For example, in response to environmental issues such as traffic congestion, air pollution, and noise, it provides a personalized, highly free, and environmentally friendly form of light mobility (Badia & Jenelius, 2023). At the same time, the advantages of micromobility do not just stop at individual choices, but can also be expanded under the urban framework, adding to the grid of complex urban transportation systems. In urban transformation planning, it can open up a more inclusive and sustainable imagination of future cities and provide the public with more flexible transportation options. The combination of all these factors is the reason driving the rapid growth and high emphasis on micromobility services.
Up to now, the development of micromobility has faced mixed arguments in international public opinion (Perry, 2020). What is certain is that micromobility should be regarded as a formal form of transportation and needs to be taken seriously. Under widespread public use, environmental sustainability, regulation, and infrastructure must continue to be improved. However, realizing the vision of urban micromobility cannot be accomplished by a single enterprise or company alone; it also requires cross-domain integration and mutual collaboration between public and private sectors. Just like the concept of a living lab: when exploring forward-looking issues, one must simultaneously think about the heterogeneous convergence characteristics of regional development, combining user-oriented cores through participatory behaviors, so that the possibility of landing and implementing micromobility can be further established.
In summary, micromobility has already become a new transportation trend, constituting one of the elements for cities to move toward sustainability and livability. Internationally, many micromobility systems have been practically deployed in cities to become a new lifestyle transportation tool for citizens. Today, the international development of micromobility has already moved toward a stage of reflection (Abduljabbar et al., 2021), pondering how a balance should be struck among urban governance, market mechanisms, and public safety issues. Therefore, looking back at the current situation of micromobility in Taiwan, although it started relatively late, it possesses excellent examples to learn from, laying a sound foundation for Taiwan's micromobility to unfold practical applications. However, the problems and solutions faced internationally are not entirely suitable for Taiwan's urban environments and market conditions. Due to local customs, cultural habits, regulatory governance, and even urban planning and road forms, different challenges will be faced, requiring a thorough review to formulate strategic guidelines.
The Taiwan Design Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as TDRI) hopes to move toward constructing Taiwan's micromobility living lab. Therefore, it planned a development research framework based on the Design-Led Innovation framework and proposed a conceptual model for innovative micromobility applications (Figure 1). This model is grounded in user needs (user-centered), technology R&D (core knowledge), and field applications (spatial scenarios), thereby exploring its strategic value, with the final innovative outputs formed by the intersection of three dimensions. In terms of development, this conceptual model does not just think about the possibilities of design driving from a single point or single direction, but instead emphasizes the mutual intersection of different dimensions, exploring landable usage needs through domestic application scenarios, converging opportunities that Taiwan can develop from different fields, and understanding the technical demands beneath the scenarios, so as to comprehensively shape a design-led innovative application model for micromobility, aiming to build Taiwan's micromobility living lab.
Figure 1: Research Conceptual Diagram – Innovative Micromobility Application Model
Researching Taiwan's Micromobility Deployment and Future Development
Cities are complex systems. For micromobility to achieve landed applications in Taiwanese cities, many complex problems remain to be clarified, while different factors within will intertwine and influence each other. It can be seen that users' usage behaviors influence vehicle design, service provision, and facility regulations; riding states under specific scenarios will influence the construction of business models; and the comfort and convenience provided by micromobility vehicles will influence the willingness to ride.
Therefore, TDRI uses the innovative micromobility application model as a framework to produce appropriate entry points for various dimensions of Taiwan's micromobility from three dimensions—field adaptability, usage demand, and scenario-based technology applicability—driven by design. It also provides the possibility of design thinking value-addition for Taiwan's micromobility industry, breaking the ecology of relying on technological competition, optimizing past micromobility technology development, and shifting the R&D path that pairs user needs from a functional perspective by incorporating more diverse viewpoints to drive the development of micromobility in Taiwan.
In the adaptability research focused on field observation and alignment with domestic urban environmental ecologies, the observation method is used to understand the regulations and constraints corresponding to users in different fields, shaping micromobility field planning. The micromobility workshops launched with usage needs as the core explore usage demand research, digging out usage demands that can be implemented and applied through the focus group method in workshop formats. Furthermore, extending from the same workshops, experts discuss and pair key technology applications based on different scenarios, progressively constructing scenario-oriented technology applicability research. These scenarios include:
- Mass Transit Integration: Micromobility serves as the last mile of transportation, integrating with mass transit such as metros, buses, or trains.
- Commuting: Micromobility is used for purposes such as going to work or school.
- Transportation Gaps: Using micromobility to supplement areas lacking mass transit, such as closed or semi-closed areas like campuses, hospitals, technology parks, or communities.
- Daily Mobility: Micromobility applications used for mobility with daily life purposes, such as buying daily necessities, shopping, or visiting friends.
- Long-Term Care: Micromobility applications to assist elderly people with mobility in daily life.
- Large-Scale Events: Micromobility applications for regional exhibition and performance activities, such as international exhibitions, annual meetings, or celebrations.
- Tourism: Micromobility implemented for marketing and guided tour activities within tourism environments.
Discussions across different dimensions establishes field adaptability, usage demand, and scenario-based technology applicability. Through these results, opportunities for applying future innovative service design can be laid out subsequently, serving as the foundation of Taiwan's micromobility living lab. The operational steps and outcomes of each dimension are recorded in detail in the specialized book "Design and Technology: Digital Transformation and Trend Analysis.”
What is currently presented consists mainly of phased outcomes serving as Taiwanese experience, providing urban planners and managers with a reference guideline to enrich and diversify Taiwanese urban transportation options. Subsequent research focusing on subjects investing in or applying the implementation of micromobility-related services and development should combine real environments, observe variations among users, fields, and technologies, execute demand assessments, and propose business models, operational strategies, and riding regulations. The practice of micromobility still relies on the joint efforts of industry, academia, and research sectors to be realized.
References:
- Badia, H., & Jenelius, E. (2023). Shared e-scooter micromobility: review of use patterns, perceptions and environmental impacts. Transport Reviews, 43(5), 811–837.
- https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2023.2171500
- Perry, F. (2020). Why we have a love-hate relationship with electric scooters. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200608-how-sustainable-are-electric-scooters
- Abduljabbar, R. L., Liyanage, S., & Dia, H. (2021). The role of micro-mobility in shaping sustainable cities: A systematic literature review. Transportation research part D: transport and environment, 92, 102734.