Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Mobility: The Role of Technological Innovations

ISBN-13: 9783642642517 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 262 str.

Harry Geerlings

Opis

The author provides new insights into the relationship between transport and the environment, the role of technology and the meaning of the concept of sustainable development for the transport sector. Special attention is given to the relationship between technological progress and policy. The different theoretical approaches are combined to create a strategy for R&D and the implementation of mega-technological innovations. The empirical part deals with two specific cases: Maglev technology and fuel-cell technology for transport purposes. Taking into account the new theoretical insights and the empirical findings, the author presents a synthesis and draws conclusions which are important for researchers and professionals in transportation, environmental sciences and related fields.

Spis treści

List of tables.- List of figures.- 1 New challenges in technology development: the environmental problem.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Environmental problems.- 1.2.1 Environmental problems: From local to global.- 1.2.2 Solutions: From national to international.- 1.2.3 The technological option.- 1.3 The scientific response.- 1.3.1 The rise of environmental sciences.- 1.3.2 The interaction with economic sciences.- 1.4 The structure of this book.- A Theoretical part.- 2 Transport, technology and sustainable development.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Transport and the environment.- 2.2.1 Stratification within the transportation sector.- 2.2.2 The environmental concern.- 2.3 The technology card.- 2.3.1 Environmental technologies.- 2.3.2 The political setting.- 2.3.3 Two paradoxes.- 2.4 The concept of sustainable development.- 2.4.1 Linking the environment and economics.- 2.4.2 Risk and uncertainty.- 2.4.3 The need for an attitudinal change.- 3 The evolutionary theory of technology dynamics.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 The evolutionary theory of technology dynamics.- 3.2.1 The relevance of technology forecasting.- 3.2.2 Technology; a definition.- 3.2.3 From macro-trends to micro-analysis.- 3.3 Critics of the modern theory.- 3.4 The relevance of technology dynamics for sustainable development and the transportation sector.- 3.4.1 Technological innovations and sustainable development.- 3.4.2 Technological innovations in the transport sector.- 3.5 Respecting heuristics; a new opportunity.- 4 Policy making in networks and alliances: implications for a sustainable technology policy.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Network management and public policy making.- 4.2.1 The crises in public policy.- 4.2.2 The concept of network management.- 4.2.3 Network management and steering.- 4.2.4 A new role for the government.- 4.2.5 Instruments.- 4.3 Network management and the private sector.- 4.3.1 Changing positions and performances.- 4.3.2 Strategic alliances as networks.- 4.4 Cooperation in networks.- 4.4.1 Networks and strategic cooperation.- 4.4.2 Network management and technology policy.- 4.4.3 Network management and sustainable development.- 5 Directing innovations in the transport sector: a synthesis.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Processes of change.- 5.2.1 The dynamic environment of innovations.- 5.3 Establishing a technology policy for transport and sustainable development.- 5.3.1 General policy requirements.- 5.3.2 Technology policy requirements.- 5.4 Towards a sustainably-sound technology policy for the transport sector: a strategy framework.- B Empirical part.- 6 Exploring trends and ‘weak signals’.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Global mobility patterns.- 6.2.1 Passenger transport.- 6.2.2 The development of freight transport.- 6.3 Expected trends and ‘weak signals’.- 6.3.1 Public policy perspective.- 6.3.2 Business perspective.- 6.3.3 Environmental perspective.- 6.3.4 Transportation perspective.- 6.4 Transportation - the environment - technological opportunities: a challenging future.- 7 The Maglev-technology.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Rail transport - the history of high speed trains.- 7.3 The potentials of the Maglev-technology.- 7.3.1 The state of development.- 7.3.2 Technical performance.- 7.3.3 Economic issues.- 7.3.4 Environmental impacts.- 7.4 An evaluation of the Maglev from the viewpoint of network management, technology dynamics and sustainable development.- 7.4.1 Actors and activities.- 7.4.2 The strategy framework.- 7.5 The Maglev: hype or technological revolution?.- 7.5.1 Prospects for motive power applications.- 7.5.2 The implementation gap.- 8 The Fuel-cell technology.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.2 The historical context.- 8.2.1 The history of the fuel-cell.- 8.2.2 A competitive technology?.- 8.3 The potentials of fuel-cell technology.- 8.3.1 The state of development.- 8.3.2 Technical performance.- 8.3.3 Economic issues.- 8.3.4 Environmental impacts.- 8.4 An evaluation of the FC-technology from the viewpoint of network management, technology dynamics and sustainable development.- 8.4.1 Actors and activities.- 8.4.2 The strategy framework.- 8.5 The fuel-cell: a great future?.- 8.5.1 Prospects for motive power applications.- 8.5.2 The implementation strategy.- 9 Some conclusions and reflections.- 9.1 Introduction.- 9.2 Technology dynamics and networks.- 9.2.1 Sustainable development and objectives in the transport sector.- 9.2.2 The role of sustainability-oriented technologies in the transport sector and the meaning of the evolutionary theory of technology dynamics.- 9.2.3 The role of the government in generating sustainability oriented technologies.- 9.3 Defining a Window of Technological Opportunity (WTO).- 9.3.1 Characteristics of innovation processes for sustainability oriented technologies in transport.- 9.3.2 Realising the Window of Technological Opportunity.- 9.3.3 The empirical results.- 9.4 Epilogue.- Annex.- Annex I List of interviewed persons.- Annex II Technology evaluation manual and tables.- Annex III The technology clusters and their impact on the environment.- References.

Blurb

This book evolves around technological change and the urgent need, from the perspective of environmental sciences, to reduce the impacts caused by transportation.
It provides insights into the relationship between transport and the environment, the role of technology and the meaning of the concept of sustainable development for the transport sector. Special attention is given to the knowledge gleaned from technology dynamics and the role of the government (in cooperation with the private sector) in generating a sustainability-sound technology policy in transportation.
The different theoretical complexities are combined in a strategy for R&D and the implementation of mega-technological innovations. The result of the strategy is the formulation of a 'Window of Technological Opportunity'.
In the empirical part of the study 2 specific cases are dealt with: Maglev technology and fuel-cell technology for transport purposes. In line with the objectives of the study, and taking into account the new theoretical insights and the empirical findings, a synthesis is presented and conclusions drawn.