A psychosocial analysis of citizens’ orientations towards sustainable urban mobility: overview of results from 10 years of research in Italy (and abroad)

This paper summarizes and discusses a series of studies conducted in Italy over the last 10 years on the theme of sustainable urban mobility. The studies applied different theoretical models (attitude theory, social representation theory and the communication research approach) and methodological approaches (quantitative and qualitative) to investigate citizens’ orientations (in terms of values, attitudes, beliefs and representations) toward the adoption of more sustainable transportation styles in an urban context. Particular attention was dedicated to deepening the understanding of social psychological factors that affect the endorsement of cycling mobility. The aims of this work were to increase scientific knowledge on the topic and to identify core issues and themes that could inform urban planners engaged in designing more sustainable policies and infrastructures in urban contexts. Regarding the latter, our results: i) suggest the importance of considering urban mobility styles as parts of broader life styles ii) encourage their investigation with more subtle and articulated methodological approaches and iii) recommend taking into account inter-individual and socio-cultural factors when planning interventions directed to change urban travel mode choices.