Hermann Knoflacher

Life and teachings

Knoflacher completed degrees in civil engineering, geodesy, and mathematics. Since 1975 he is a professor at the Vienna University of Technology. In 1985 he became head of the Institute for Transport Planning. His research focuses on spatial planning, urban planning, and transport planning. He is one of the key contributors to the sustainable transport movement (known as "Sanfte Mobilität" in German). Since 2004 he is the president of the Club of Vienna. He is also a member of the Club of Budapest and the global pedestrian representative of the United Nations.

Knoflacher is well known for his criticism of excessive automobile usage and its effects on humans and the environment. Knoflacher has compared the automobile to "a virus": "We are increasingly retreating into enclosed environments, more or less out of our own choice, while isolating ourselves from an outside world subjected to noise, pollution and dust created by cars".

To illustrate the problems he identified in urban transport policy, Knoflacher developed the concept of the "Gehzeug" (a German neologism that can be translated as "walkmobile"). The "walkmobile" is essentially just a wooden frame that can be worn by a pedestrian in order to utilize the same amount of space as a motorist. The "walkmobiles" have become a popular way to draw attention at demonstrations against car dominance in cities, especially in Austria. According to Knoflacher, the walkmobile allows people to visualize the irrationality of urban motor traffic and its excessive land consumption.

Publications

His ideas on parking and transport policy are also summarized in English in Knoflacher, Hermann (2006), "A new way to organize parking: the key to a successful sustainable transport system for the future", Environment and Urbanization Vol. 18, No. 2, page 387-400.