Collective Choices

Ep 14 - Mobility Hubs with Rebecca Karbaumer

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0100

What is your city even doing if it's not doing Mobility Hubs?

Rebecca Karbaumer is an expert for Shared Mobility and Mobility Management at the Department of Transportation in Bremen, working to create more sustainable, liveable and socially equitable cities.

We talk about Mobility Hubs, a very powerful idea perfected in Bremen, now finally becoming mainstream:

- what is a mobility hub and what super powers does it have?

- keeping the modern lifestyle without losing anything

- how come Bremen has been doing this for so many years?

- the few occasions when people change their mobility behavior

- the super-bonus: mobility hubs and housing affordability

- do people really want parking spaces?

- what about cycling?

- how it feels to have absolute freedom of choice

- future challenges and political frustration

*This episode was recorded in December 2025 in Bremen, Germany.

More about Bremen's Mobility Hubs:

https://mobilpunkt-bremen.de/

The Share North Square project and The Low Car Diet Podcast:

https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/sn2

Housing Europe:

https://www.housingeurope.eu/

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Collective Choices is a podcast by Doru Oprisan, exploring sustainable choices for a better future and the process of agreeing on those choices. Thanks for listening and sharing!

Get in touch:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/doruoprisan/
www.doruoprisan.com

Ep 13 - Urban Research Moves Into The Fast Lane with Fariya Sharmeen

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0100

Fariya Sharmeen is a Research Scientist and Associate Professor at KTH Stockholm, working with travel behavior modelling, social network analysis and urban transformation.

We talk about:
-how your social network and life events determine your travel behavior
-from research data to having an impact in daily life, faster
-tech advancements and more cooperation between decision makers in cities
-the Bicification project in Istanbul, Tallinn, Braga - rewarding people for cycling
-human scale cities and the equation of space
-the importance of having an interactive experience in our cities
-how building a city around the bike reinforces the social fabric
-flexible transport vs scheduled transport
-what’s the future of mobility in cities from a researcher’s perspective
-improving awareness about the different options available
-mobility hubs, the freedom of not having to own every type of vehicle you’ll ever need
-how our preference for routines impairs our choice making abilities

*This episode was recorded in June 2023.

About the Bicification project:
https://marketplace.eiturbanmobility.eu/best-practices/braga-accelerating-the-modal-shift-through-gamification-and-rewards/

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Ep 12 - What's Next After Capitalism with Jennifer Hinton

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0200

In this episode of Collective Choices we talk about the BIG change that everything else depends on.
Dr. Jennifer Hinton is an ecological economist, sustainability researcher, educator and book author. She has worked with the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Lund University, Stockholm University and The Schumacher Institute. Her research focuses on the not-for-profit economic model.

We talk about:
- why we urgently need a new economic model as a way forward for society
- thinking outside the box when you're in the box
- the influence of the cold war trauma on the global economy
- capitalism vs communism, the false choice and the common mechanism
- why democracy is being rejected
- what to do with profit
- why are people locked in the current view, supporting a system that hurts them
- the myth of the free market
- the common economy and the elite economy
- Buddhist economics
- the role of fear
- the cost of wealth for the rest of us
- successful not-for-profit companies
- why growth is not that great and shrinking is good
- how to make the transition
- changing the meaning of success
- gaining value and meaningfulness
- will the young win this time?
- carbon coins
- the purpose economy
- limits to profit and pay gaps

Dr. Jennifer Hinton's website:
https://www.relationship-to-profit.net/

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Ep 11 - Is Superhood The Future Tool For Communities? with Markku Mehtälä

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0200

As we re-discover the importance of local communities, a Helsinki based startup proposes a tool for basically everything regarding information and communication in a city or a neighborhood. Or any location, actually.

I talked to Superhood's founder, Markku Mehtälä, about this modern agora:
- it's a social discovery hub for all things local
- it aggregates local information sources, solving a major communication problem for cities
- you follow a location instead of other persons
- it only allows locals to post and discuss, reducing the noise and increasing involvement, while outsiders can follow a location
- it creates an informed community that is more engaged and better connected to the authorities that manage the area
- it is a bulletin board for local businesses and entrepreneurs, enabling them to easily find an audience

More about Superhood:
www.superhood.com

This episode was recorded in Stuttgart, at the Urban Future conference.

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Ep 10 - How Men And Women Move In Cities with Marianne Weinreich

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0200

Marianne Weinreich joins me for Ep 10 of Collective Choices. She is Co-founder and Chair of the Cycling Embassy of Denmark, manager of the Danish Mobility Network and Market Manager Global Smart Mobility at Ramboll.

We talk about:
- how transport connects us all
- how the mobility focus is moving from cars to people
- why the bicycle is so special
- gender and transport: differences between men and women in patterns of mobility
- why storytelling matters
- what kind of city do we want? We might have more ideas in common than we think.
- you need to have the basics in a city and you get what you design for
- the arrogance of the auto industry
- how different countries view cycling issues differently
This episode was recorded in Stuttgart, at the Urban Future conference.

Cycling Embassy of Denmark:
https://cyclingsolutions.info/cycling-embassy/
Ramboll:
www.ramboll.com

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Ep 9 - The World’s First Solar Bakery with Simon Zimmermann

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0200

Collective Choices Ep 9 was recorded in Stuttgart, Germany, at the Urban Future conference.
My guest is Simon Zimmermann, founder of SOLARBAKERY, the world’s first provider of fully equipped, mobile and energy independent container bakeries.

We talk about:
- how the idea was born
- what does a solar bakery have to do with a school?
- when businesses have the well-being of people as a final goal instead of profit
- the technical details: solar panels, kilowatts and other bits
- special bread made in Africa
- the use cases for Europe
- the delicious baked goods

Find out more about the bakery here:
https://solarbakery.com/en/

Urban Future:
https://urban-future.org/

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Ep 8 - Beyond The 15 Minute City with Carlos Moreno

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 07:00:00 +0200

This episode of Collective Choices was recorded in Stuttgart, Germany, at the Urban Future conference.
My guest is Carlos Moreno, scientist and professor at Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris. He developed the 15 Minute City concept a few years before it became highly publicized during the pandemic.

We talk about:
-the six essential functions that a city should provide for a good quality of life
-why do we need to commute?
-the zoning system and the architectural influence of Le Corbusier, who separated the functions of the city and imagined that infrastructure and cars will provide access to them, but didn’t consider the time, costs and environmental damage involved
-the proximity concept brings together legacies from multiple urbanists
-what is the role of technology and looking past the "smart city"
-chrono-urbanism, changing the rhythm for living and working in cities
-where the resistance to change comes from
-Paris pioneering the 15 Minute City concept
-the launch of the Global Observatory of Sustainable Proximities

More about Carlos Moreno:
https://www.moreno-web.net/

More about the Global Observatory of Sustainable Proximities:
https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/sustainableproximities?language=en_US

Urban Future:
https://urban-future.org/

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Ep 7 - How A Mobility Expert Moves With Kids feat. Marie Pellas

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0200

Ep. 7 of Collective Choices was recorded in Uppsala, Sweden, with Marie Pellas, mobility expert and winner of the Traffic Award for 2023.

We talk about:
- how do you win a traffic award
- living an (almost) car free life with kids
- how the size of a city, its design and the options available influence travel choices
- you need infrastructure to change behaviors, but you have to feel the change before you know you want it
- how politicians are open to build new infrastructure, but not to prioritize differently in the existing one
- why the planners should navigate the city without their car
- a mother’s experience with the beg button
- trying to explain to children why the infrastructure is against them and why they are blamed
- how municipalities reacted to the energy prices and why the attitude will change regarding the transportation sector as well

Marie works at Mälardalen Energikontoret:
https://energikontor.se/

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Ep 6 - A Glass Of Wine On The Sidewalk with Mikael Colville-Andersen

Fri, 26 May 2023 11:00:00 +0200

Ep 6 was recorded in Copenhagen with Mikael Colville-Andersen: urban planner, activist, host of the TV series The Life-Sized City and the author of Copenhagenize - The Definitive Guide To Global Bicycle Urbanism.
He's also behind the Bikes4Ukraine initiative.

We talk about:
-Copenhagen, of course, but also Barcelona, Paris, Brussels, Montreal and others
-cycle chic and the arrogance of space
-the better choice between a dumb city and a "smart city"
-what are modern cobblestones and sponge parks
-the joys of sidewalk life
-how to communicate the reallocation of urban space: ask or don't ask the citizens
-why cities are more influential than climate summits
-the analog gift of the pandemic
-how to get from 2% cycling share in a city to 10% in one year
-bikes in war and disaster zones
-the US disappointment and the car hell in the center of Europe
-participatory democracy at street level, new people’s movements
-the age of urbanism after the car dictatorship
-how a metro is not always a great idea
-why even Denmark still has a problem with cars

More about Mikael here:
https://www.colville-andersen.com/

Donate to the Bikes4Ukraine iniative:
https://www.bikes4ukraine.org/

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Ep 5 - Creating the Biggest Wilderness Reserve in Europe with Christoph Promberger

Thu, 04 May 2023 14:00:00 +0200

Episode 5 of Collective Choices was recorded in the Carpathian Mountains, in Transylvania, Romania. Christoph Promberger is the executive director of Foundation Conservation Carpathia.

We talk about:
-the story behind the biggest national park Europe will soon have
-fighting the government and the timber mafia
-what do you do when you receive a forest
-why a conservation project would have a hunting association and would sponsor a football club
-why Romania should be your next eco-tourism destination
-how lack of long term vision affects economic growth for generations
-how distrust endangers conservation efforts and why it’s worth believing in exceptional people
-getting along with bison and bears
-when Western Europe is not a good example to follow and when poorer countries have a lot to offer
-why you need (some) development in a nature reserve
-cute animal videos

Read more about the project and even plan your next visit here:
https://www.carpathia.org/

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Ep 4 - Photography And Conservation with Staffan Widstrand

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 10:00:00 +0200

Staffan Widstrand is an award winning nature photographer, book author and National Geographic explorer. He has traveled the world and has been involved in many conservation efforts, including Wild Wonders of Europe.

We talk about:
-how we don’t take logical decisions
-the power of images
-when air travel is good for nature
-nature conservation in the last decades through the eyes of a photographer
-mountain gorillas feeding people
-Europe the wild
-how humans changed their attitude towards animals in the last decades
-the first countries to have national parks and the most ambitious now
-the need for fast trains

See Staffan's beautiful work here:
www.staffanwidstrand.se

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Ep 3 - Life With A Cargo Bike Subscription with Kari Anne Solfjeld Eid

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 10:00:00 +0200

Episode 3 of Collective Choices was recorded in Oslo, Norway.
Kari Anne Solfjeld Eid is a User Experience designer and founder of Whee!

On the discussion menu:
-how to create a cargo bike subscription service
-transportation on human scale
-skiing vs cycling in Oslo
-why winter cycling with an e-bike is so much better than you assume
-why car sharing needs cargo bikes
-never shame people for not using the bike sometimes
-the cities cannot be friendly to both cars and people, they have to choose
-how Oslo almost had a 12 lane highway through the middle of the city
-it takes 15 minutes on the bike to get radicalized
-cycling as user experience
-the cargo bike is a Trojan horse
-what do people carry with cargo bikes

Read more about Whee! here:
https://whee.no/

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Ep 2 - Preferable Futures with Tove Blomgren

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0100

Tove Blomgren is a Creative Director at SALLY - Future Manifestation Lab in Stockholm, Sweden.

We talk about:
-the cone of plausibility
-the insanity of our current reality
-seeing the future then traveling back to the present to implement it
-how to share the vision of a preferable future so that people want it
-the preferable future of food and transportation
-the desire to move vs. the desire to get somewhere
-the 15 minutes access
-citizens assemblies
-social tipping points
-going beyond competition

Find out more about SALLY: https://sally.doberman.co/

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Ep 1 - How Stockholm Moves with Lars Strömgren

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 11:00:00 +0100

Welcome to the first episode of Collective Choices!

Lars Strömgren is Vice Mayor for Transport and Urban Environment in Stockholm, Sweden.
We're talking about:
- why transport solutions also include decreasing transport, not just facilitating it
- the time when Stockholm had more cyclists than Copenhagen
- electric boats as buses
- winter cycling
- what the recent EU resolution to adopt a cycling strategy means
- summer streets and play streets
- how city planning is a bit like Hamlet
- the essence of a city

This episode was recorded in the Stockholm City Hall, a gorgeous building that should be on your must-see list in case you visit Stockholm.
https://stadshuset.stockholm/en/

To get a sense of how cycling in Stockholm looks like, you can find a few photos I took here: https://www.doruoprisan.com/cycling/

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