Socialised transport: increasing travel mode diversity through open-source vehicle design, upcycling, natural production and distributed production methods

Road transport networks are becoming increasingly vulnerable - growing populations, peak oil, road congestion, space limitations, climate change and global financial instability are all putting pressure on vehicle makers to deliver new and more relevant products. There appears however, to be heavy inertia surrounding the development, manufacture, retail and social acceptance of alternatives to the traditional automobile. This paper explores a number of issues that could be contributing to this inertia including safety concerns, auto industry infrastructural limitations, prohibitive price points of alternative vehicles, road regulations and social perceptions. It goes on to outline a number of ways these issues can be countered, citing two design concept studies that propose ways to decrease society's reliance on traditional automobiles, and to build resilient networks through product diversity, distributed production and open-source design innovation.