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Paper short abstract

In a French mid-mountain setting dominated by carnormativity, a group of residents promote innovative forms of active mobility. This presentation aims to document the origin and development of this initiative to question how alternative futures of mobility can be created in car dominated rural area.

Paper long abstract

In a French mid-mountain setting dominated by carnormativity, a group of residents founded in 2018 an association to promote innovative forms of active mobility. They defined the criteria for a vehicle that could remain competitive with cars in terms of journey time, protection from the weather and capacity. They developed a partnership with a regional manufacturer to jointly create a prototype that met these requirements. Thanks to public funding, the association has been running a program to test these vehicles.

Unlike industrial cars, these low-tech vehicles can be built, maintained, and repaired by their users. They involve a different approach to thermal and physical comfort. Furthermore, due to their limited energy autonomy and their poor compatibility with most of the electric charging stations, users often ask to recharge at private homes, establishing new bonds of mutual aid. This new technical object is thus giving rise to new aspirations and social relationships, as well as new skills and physical techniques.

Based on ethnographic research combining participant observation and semi-structured interviews conducted with various stakeholders in the field of territory and mobility. This presentation aims to document the conditions under which this initiative emerged, its development to date and to question how alternative mobility futures can emerge in a car dominated society.