Experiments in Everyday Mobility: Social Dynamics of Achieving a Sustainable Lifestyle

Abstract

This article presents the results from an experimental project in Jyväskylä, Finland, in which five ‘pioneer households’ aimed to reduce their environmental impacts by a variety of trials in different domains of daily consumption. The article analyses this ‘home lab’ experiment from a practice-theoretical perspective, focusing particularly on everyday mobility and the social interplay that occurs in mobility practices in different contexts. In so doing, the article explores the reasons behind the various outcomes of experimentation and discusses the potential of such experimentation to facilitate transformation in mobility practices. The results suggest that in order to shift daily mobility onto a more sustainable path, the social dynamics related to mobility practices should be better addressed. For example, the negotiations both inside and outside the participating households proved important in challenging the ways of doing mobility. Moreover, the potential for the diffusion of alternative mobility practices was shown to depend on a variety of factors that maintained the normality and acceptability of private driving. Utilising practice-theoretical insights in living laboratories can open new areas for experimentation and facilitate understanding of the shift in everyday practices towards greater sustainability.