Parking, Waiting, Anticipating the Future: Lecture Series Sheds Light on Stationary Traffic

Over the course of three months, various aspects of parking, stopping and waiting at traffic lights will be explored. Each event will provide a multi-faceted perspective on issues that are becoming increasingly important in the context of the mobility transition.

The event will kick off with transport planner Prof. Dr. Petra Schäfer discussing the challenges of car park management, which plays a crucial role in the transition to sustainable mobility. Later, social scientist Dr. Weert Canzler will share his insights into why parking has become such a given and how this assumption might be challenged. Finally, media studies expert Prof. Dr. Florian Sprenger will employ a theory-driven perspective to illustrate the importance of traffic lights as media of traffic flow.

The events at a glance:

Prof. Dr. Petra Schäfer (Chair of Transport Planning, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences): »Parkraummanagement als wichtige Stellschraube der Mobilitätswende – technische, betriebliche und soziale Herausforderungen« (»Car park management as an important lever of the mobility transition – technical, operational and social challenges«)
Presentation: 18 November, 7 pm (R.116, Geschwister-Scholl-Strasse 7)
Workshop: 19 November, 9:15 am (HS A, Marienstrasse 13 C)

Dr. Weert Canzler (Head of the research group »Digital Mobility and Social Differentiation«, Social Science Research Centre Berlin): »Und wo stehst du? Warum das Parken zur Selbstverständlichkeit geworden ist – und wie diese Selbstverständlichkeit verloren gehen könnte« (»And where do you stand? Why parking has become a matter of course – and how this norm could go by the wayside«)
Presentation: 9 December, 7 pm (R.116, Geschwister-Scholl-Strasse 7)
Workshop: 10 December, 9:15 am (HS A, Marienstrasse 13 C)

Prof. Dr. Florian Sprenger (Professor of Virtual Humanities, Ruhr University Bochum): »Stehen, warten, fahren – Ampeln als Medien des Verkehrsflusses« (»Standing, waiting, driving – traffic lights as media of traffic flow«)
Presentation: 27 January, 7 pm (R.116, Geschwister-Scholl-Strasse 7)
Workshop: 28 January, 9:15 am (HS A, Marienstrasse 13 C)

All events are open to the public, and interested parties are cordially invited to attend.

The research workshop »Was ist das Auto, wenn es nicht fährt? Dimensionen des ruhenden Verkehrs« (»What is the car when it’s not driving? Dimensions of stationary traffic«) is an initiative of the Professorship of History, Theory and Aesthetics of Material Cultures at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, in collaboration with an association of researchers from the Faculties of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Professorship of Transport System Planning), Art and Design, and Media (Research Training Group Media Anthropology). The aim is to think about, reflect upon and plan mobility not only from the perspective of moving traffic but also from the viewpoint of stationary traffic in order to foster a paradigm shift in transport research.

After the fellows’ visits during the winter semester of 2024/25, the research workshop will continue into the summer semester of 2025 and ultimately culminate in an interdisciplinary conference on stationary traffic in the summer of 2025. Speakers from the fields of media studies, social sciences, transport planning, design, architecture and journalism will gather to explore the implications of parking on transportation, urban planning, and the people who reside in the relevant community. The date of the conference will be announced at a later date.

For more details about the research workshop and the individual events, please visit https://www.uni-weimar.de/de/kunst-und-gestaltung/projekte/dimensionen-des-ruhenden-verkehrs/