Open Access

At Higher Education Institutions, student and staff mobility significantly contributes to overall CO2 emissions (Helmers, Chang and Dauwels, 2021). To design ‘regenerative landscapes’, mobility must be considered in context. The research project EN ROUTE uses real-world experiments to investigate the connection between campus design and mobility at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, asking: How can real-world experiments disrupt unsustainable mobility practices in landscapes of higher education? (How) Can campus design influence this? In a transdisciplinary process, the researchers co-designed real-world experiments with students at campus. The group started disrupting the status quo by engaging with the landscape, intervening in it, adding new uses, testing new practices and inspire others through spatial changes. The experiments served as a communication tool and catalyst for a transformation process, vividly demonstrating how new uses of the campus could look and how they would alter mobility practices.

When the ECLAS Conference took place in 1972 western societies were undergoing profound change: They transformed from industrial to postindustrial societies – the so-called service societies. 50 years later, the knowledge society is emerging: Knowledge is considered the key resource of this era. Digitalization and widespread dissemination of ICT allow information to be obtained anywhere anytime. This has severe implications for individual lifestyles and everyday practices. Different aspects of living, learning and working are no longer bound to physical limitations but can be enhanced by or even transferred to the virtual space. So being on the move today means travelling in hybrid spaces. We call this the space and practice “en route”. At the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück we explore the following questions: What does “en route” mean and look like in landscapes of higher education? How is it perceived individually? (How) can landscape architecture shape it? Our transdisciplinary research project EN ROUTE aims to meet current challenges at universities (e.g. digitalisation, sustainable development) with a comprehensive understanding of space and practices “en route”. In a transdisciplinary process, researchers from various disciplines – landscape architecture, geography, urban planning, business administrations and marketing, energy technology and computer science – develop concepts and strategies for sustainable and digital mobility in the higher education sector. New “EN ROUTE” types provide insights into the individual production and utilization of spaces “en route”. The campuses of the University of Applied Science Osnabrück as well as the virtual and physical space network of its members serve as research example. Initial findings will be presented at the conference. While the ECLAS conference in 1972 focused on physical scales, landscape architecture has to reflect them critically and ask: What could be an innovative understanding of spaces “en route”?