At the Work Culture Festival at Orgatec 2024, futurologist and urban geographer Stefan Carsten gave a groundbreaking presentation on the topic of ‘The immobile society: How metamobility will change our working environments’. In his exciting presentation, Carsten linked the topics of the future, cities and mobility to take a critical look at current living environments and develop sustainable solutions for the society of the future.

From car parks to logistics hubs: how metamobility is transforming our cities

Mobility expert Stefan Carsten put forward the theory that the convergence of work, leisure and mobility will fundamentally change our understanding of space. He coined the term metamobility, which describes the merging of the virtual and physical as a new, dynamic intersection. This transformation represents a revolution of possibilities by reducing access to activities such as shopping, working or conferences to a click. The change also affects key urban spaces: doctors’ surgeries, supermarkets and public administrations will be forced to reinvent themselves and develop alternative spatial concepts.

Stefan Carsten illustrated these changes using concrete examples: Car parks could turn into logistics hubs, petrol stations into mobility hubs. He thus pointed to a creeping but irreversible shift away from traditional industrial ideas of work and prosperity. Public space will have to be rethought and utilised in the future – an idea that could fundamentally change the world of mobility in the coming years.

Stefan Carsten: ‘The office is the place where creativity is born.’

One succinct point from Carsten’s presentation concerned the paradoxical nature of our mobility. While our world is more connected than ever, we are in fact travelling less. Only 80 % of working people still leave their homes every day. This raises questions about the future design of workplaces. ‘The office is the place where creativity is born,’ says Stefan Carsten, but these spaces need to adapt to the hybrid demands of work and leisure.

Another worrying phenomenon he addressed concerns the younger generation. Children spend an average of five hours a day on social networks, which poses a serious challenge to their mental health. This aspect illustrates how the digital dimension not only influences our mobility, but also the social fabric of society.

In the subsequent Q&A session with Michael Trautmann, these concepts were explored in greater depth. Together, they discussed how cities and companies can respond to these developments and what innovative approaches are needed to shape a sustainable society.

Would you like to find out more about Stefan Carsten or book him directly as a keynote speaker on metamobility, immobile society and future working environments? Please contact us: +49 (0)30 640 777 42 or contact@leading-minds.com