Transitioning e-commerce: Perceived pathways for the Norwegian urban freight sector

E-commerce is becoming an increasingly visible feature of modern society that places increasing strain on transport systems. Research has hitherto paid substantial attention to ways in which e-commerce might modify personal travel behaviour but has been less attentive to the ramifications of e-commerce for urban freight. Although contemporary conditions of urban freight are increasingly scrutinised by scholars in several disciplines, this study peeks into the future of urban freight from the scholarly perspective of sustainability transitions. Specifically, we investigate what expectations Norwegian freight providers hold for the transition pathways of their own sector. We find that the Norwegian urban freight sector expects technological shifts to be most prominent, pointing to the replacement of vans and lorries with low-emission models. Conversely, although deemed important enough, the urban freight sector orients less towards behavioural shifts that enhance efficiencies within and across freight providers. To ensure more transformative effects in the transition pathways of urban freight, we thus advise decision-makers in urban planning to establish inclusive approaches to policy making that enhance the legitimacy of technological and behavioural shifts in urban freight alike.publishedVersio

Implementing decarbonisation measures in Norwegian ports

Despite the extensive literature on port sustainability, empirical research has so far paid limited attention to experiences with implementing measures that contribute to decarbonisation in small and medium-sized ports. This study contributes to the literature by investigating decarbonisation measures implemented by Norwegian ports, and drivers and barriers that ports associate with such efforts. We rely on a unique dataset of survey responses from 96 Norwegian port organisations, supplemented with insights from qualitative research. We find that most ports have implemented at least one measure that contributes to decarbonisation. Most prominent is shore power, followed by increased energy efficiency. We find that support from owners and surroundings is prominent in decarbonisation efforts and that political guidelines and steering from port owners are important drivers. Heterogeneity in port types and contexts implies that further empirical research is needed. This study calls for raising the role of ports in the energy transition on the political agenda.publishedVersio

Green Public Procurement for Accelerating the Transition towards Sustainable Freight Transport

Requests for emission reduction in the freight transport sector will be more intense in the coming years. One possible strategy to reduce emissions from freight transport is through utilising zero emission vehicles, which requires substantial investments both by transporters and by authorities. This paper examines how green public procurement (GPP) can be used to push the market in an environmentally sustainable direction. For this purpose, interviews with both public authorities and freight service providers are conducted. The results show that GPP is considered a useful tool for public authorities to both boost the uptake of zero emission vehicles and to share the investment costs with freight service providers. However, our study shows that there are differences between small and large municipalities. Moreover, to succeed with GPP, public authorities must prioritise such tasks in their daily routines through political decisions and strategies. Additionally, barriers related to financial possibilities are crucial to handle, as public support schemes are important to reduce costs for all involved stakeholders. Altogether, our paper shows that with the right tools and willingness among both public and private stakeholders, GPP can contribute to the use of more environmentally friendly solutions in the freight transport sector.publishedVersio

Designing for movement quality in exergames: Lessons learned from observing senior citizens playing stepping games

-Background: Exergames are increasingly used as an exercise intervention to reduce fall risk in elderly. However, few exergames have been designed specifically for elderly, and we lack knowledge about the characteristics of the movements elicited by exergames and thereby about their potential to train functions important for fall risk reduction. Objective: This study investigates game elements and older players' movement characteristics during stepping exergames in order to inform exergame design for movement quality in the context of fall preventive exercise. Methods: Fourteen senior citizens (mean age 73 years ± 5.7, range 65 - 85) played 3 stepping exergames in a laboratory. Each of the exergames was described with respect to 7 game elements (physical space, sensing hardware technology, game graphics and sound, model of user, avatar/mapping of movements, game mechanism and game narrative). Five movement characteristics (weight shift; variation in step length, speed, and movement direction; visual independency) were scored on a 5-point Likert scale based on video observations of each player and each game. Disagreement between raters was resolved by agreement. Differences in scores for the 3 exergames were analyzed with a multivariate one-way ANOVA. Results: The Mole received the highest sum score and the best score on each of the 5 movement characteristics (all p values <0.0005). LightRace scored the lowest of the 3 exergames on weight shift and variation in movement direction (both p values <0.0005), while DanceDanceRevolution scored lowest on step length variation and visual independency (p < 0.03 and p < 0.0005, respectively), and lower than The Mole on speed variation (p < 0.05). The physical space players used when exergaming and the on-screen representation of the player, affected movement quality positively as indexed by multiple weight shifts and variation in stepping size, direction, and speed. Furthermore, players' movements improved when playing speed-affected game progression and when the game narrative was related to a natural context. Conclusion: Comparing differences in game elements with associated differences in game movement requirements provides valuable insights about how to design for movement quality in exergames. This provided important lessons for the design of exergames for fall-preventive exercise in senior citizens and illustrates the value of including analyses of movement characteristics when designing such exergames

Transportation to employment

For decades, the employment of Norwegians with disabilities has been lower than for the rest of the population. One possible explanation is inaccessible transportation. To people with disabilities, transportation might pose a significant barrier to employment. Through interviews with people with disabilities who are currently or have been previously employed, this study identifies barriers to transportation experienced by people with disabilities, the presence of these barriers in their occupational lives and the potential consequences for employment. The study shows that transportation is an obvious obstruction to equal level of employment of people with disabilities in their early career, active career and late career

Policy and politics in energy transitions. A case study on shore power in Oslo

Their position in transport systems allows ports to play a fundamental role in energy transitions. In increasingly ambitious quests to promote sustainability, ports often look to shore power to reduce emissions. To fill knowledge gaps regarding empirical experiences with shore power, this study turns to the transition to shore power in Oslo, Norway. In doing so, it demonstrates the instrumental role policy and politics can play in transitions. To explore this particular transition, we rely on document analysis and interviews with actors around the Port of Oslo and discuss their involvement with reference to the Multiple-Streams Approach. We argue that the main reason for successful implementation in this case was the environmental thrust and the lack of controversy. The transition was supported by shore power's ability to address different problems experienced by different actors, by the lack of competition from other policies and by a range of political influences which gave momentum to and aligned policy domains. Specifically, we find that the political stream was less prominent in selecting a policy, but more prominent in realizing it. Although the experiences from this particular transition are not necessarily transferrable beyond this case, our study demonstrates the importance of policy alignment, and argues that holistic policy making could be crucial to ensure deep transitions – in which ports can be expected to be prominent.publishedVersio

Diverging pathways to port sustainability: How social processes shape and direct transition work

To counter climate change, societies are under pressure to transform energy and transport sectors. Considering the crucial node position of ports in the intersection between energy and transport systems and their connecting of numerous sectors, markets, and values chains, they have hitherto received surprisingly little attention as potential sites for whole system thinking and deep transition. Their heterogeneity suggests that ports are likely to follow different transition pathways. This study explores two Norwegian frontrunner ports to demonstrate how social processes are part of the fabric that constitutes transition pathways in ports. The transition pathways in the two ports diverge according to how they are shaped by deep learning, resource capacity and the collective action of their wider networks, as well as the specificity of expectations. The study complements existing research on transition pathways by focusing on social processes beyond the niche level and by suggesting inter-process and inter-level dynamics to be decisive for the direction of transition work. Contrary to earlier findings, the paper demonstrates how broad and diversified networks may also represent a challenge to the directionality of transitions work. Ports can, however, promote transition work by aligning expectations to port sustainability with expectations in specific value chains.publishedVersio

Towards sustainability in the port sector: The role of intermediation in transition work

Intermediation has received substantial attention from transition scholars. Intermediaries play important roles in configuring, brokering, and facilitating transition efforts and operate in different parts of socio-technical systems. Their node position between transport and energy systems makes port authorities a potentially crucial intermediary in transitioning the many different sectors that intersect in ports. Ports are increasingly orienting their environmental endeavours towards energy issues and are pressured to reduce their global emissions. This paper explores intermediation in ports and investigates how intermediation connects to transition work. Based on a quantitative survey among 96 Norwegian ports, we find that ports engage in intermediation to varying extent, and that intermediation is associated with progressive transition work. The study complements previous research on intermediaries by conceptualising and quantitatively measuring transition work, allowing us to explore in what ways ports rely on intermediation in their sustainability endeavours.publishedVersio

Funksjonshemmende kollektivtransport?

Lik tilgang på transport anses som en forutsetning for at personer med nedsatt funksjonsevne skal kunne delta i samfunnslivet på lik linje med den øvrige befolkningen. Universell utforming av kollektivtransporten innebærer at alle skal kunne benytte seg av det ordinære tilbudet i så stor utstrekning som mulig, uten behov for bistand. Teknologiske utviklinger knyttet til billettbestilling, billettavhenting og informasjon blant annet på internett har på den ene siden økt tilgjengeligheten for enkelte grupper, men samtidig redusert selvstendigheten for andre. Dette notatet viser at personer med nedsatt funksjonsevne reiser mindre kollektivt enn den generelle befolkningen. En av tre har også vansker med å reise kollektivt, hvilket særlig skyldes forhold inne på kollektive transportmidler. Kvinner, eldre og personer med nedsatt bevegelsesevne opplever størst vansker med kollektivtransport. Dette notatet drøfter også konsekvenser av vansker med å reise kollektivt, særlig knyttet til sysselsetting og sosial deltakelse