Individual Mobility in 2020: Research Questions

Economy

1. What is the projected growth of this region?
   
2. What drives this growth/decline?
   
3. What impact does economic growth/downturn have on government spending for this matter?
   
4. What are the economic uncertainties?
   
5. How would the economical cycles of growth and recession influence the way we travel?
   
6. What is the projected change in demographics? And what economical impact would that bring?
   
7. Is environment going to be more or less relevant within the different scenarios of economical growth?
   
8. What is the impact of a change in world trade/economy on mobility?
   

Oil Price

1. How much will oil pricing be influential for economical stability?
   
2. [[Even though oil price has risen by 70% in one year, the economy did not seem to have reacted too much on it. Is this just a one time incident whereby if oil price did not rise as much all economies would be in a steady lift, or is this a structural trend whereby the market has the ability to counter react the effects of oil price increases/decreasesc?]]
   
3. Will we see an increase or a decrease of oil pricing? Why?
   
4. Will governments maintain their policies on levies on oil or will they retract some of it if economic growth is jeopardized?
   
5. What impact would that have to the “revenue stream” of the governments?
   
6. How much are governments dependent on income from oil and oil related products?
   
7. How much are corporations in this region dependent on oil and/or oil related product?
   
8. Will an increase in oil price immediately mean an increase of cost? If yes, can those costs be transferred to the consumer/user?
   
9. Will the major oil companies invest their extreem high returns given by today's high oil prices back into exploration and production of oil products or will they invest it in renuables?
   
10. How much would oil price influence the use of personal mobility vehicles like cars and scooters?
    
11. How much would oil price influence the price of electrivity? Is there a link between rise and fall of energy prices between each other?
    
12. If there is a direct link between the different energy prices, what would that mean for public transportation?
    
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Security

1. How much is security driven by economic/physical wealth? And how much does security contribute to economical wealth of the nation?
   
2. How will government react to security instability?
   
3. If someone had to choose between food and shelter versus mobility, what will it be?
   
4. Why would people still find the need to move?
   
5. What would be the impact of the threat of terrorism on infrastructure and control and how would it affect mobility?
   

Individualism

1. What are the physiological factors that influence individualism?
   
2. Does globalization with a strong tendency to the western (American) society stimulate individualism?
   
3. Will individualism strengthen or weaken in a crisis situation? Even if it is for a longer period of time?
   
4. How much influence will the “survival mode” have on individuals in moments of difficulties?
   
5. Will individualism be across all the different ethnic or age groups?
   
6. How would individualism translate to mobility issues? How do we want to live, or how will we be forced to live?
   
7. Will individualism lead to migration out of this region to other “better suited” ones?
   
8. What will be the impact of a harshening world (in regards of personal security) when it comes to individualism?
   
9. Will technology lead to more or less individualism?
   
10. If one has to choose between food and shelter versus mobility. What will it be?
    
11. Why would people still find the need to move?
    

Government

1. The trend in the EU and in NL is to build more and more due to housing requirements, how will that affect mobility? How do urban developers cope with mobility issues within this trend?
   
2. What are the challenges that (local, provincial & state) urban developers phase in regards of individual mobility?
   
3. What are current plans of the government regarding major infrastructure projects?
   
4. Which new technologies are planned to be taken in consideration to streamline motion in NL? (Within road, railroad and air networks)
   
5. How will an expanded EU with fading borders impact individual mobility?
   
6. What efforts are taken on a political level to influence mobility?
   (Infrastructure, funding, policies)
7. Will urbanization be ruled by the same principles of today? How will architecture change the landscape of office, home and shopping area? And how will that impact mobility?
   
8. How will specific taxes influence the mobility of individuals?
   

Distance Working

1. Will distance working be accepted by the corporate world? Even in strong economical recession?
   
2. What is the link between (de)centralization and distance working?
   
3. Will corporation tend to de- or centralize in economical shifts?
   
4. Would people like to work at home or in the office?
   
5. What impact does a social working life have on office vs. home work?
   
6. Will technology help stimulate distance working or due to its complexity inhibit its development?
   

Transition to New Fuels

1. Who are the players in this market?
   
2. Who is investing?
   
3. How much government support is provided for R&D and for new fuels?
   
4. How much will governments be willing to pay in economic downturn?
   
5. How much is the income from taxation of fossil fuels a negative stimulus for governments to stimulate the change?
   
6. How will governments be getting income from these new fuels?
   
7. If no income can be obtained from the new fuels, where would it come from?
   
8. How much is this development influenced by oil prices?
   
9. If oil prices drop due to a strong recession, will the field of new fuels be profiting or go with the flow?
   
10. How quick can the acceptance of the population be achieved?
    
11. What stimuli need to be in place to achieve this?