How the Discourse of Urban Smart Mobility Portrays the Role of Automobility after 'The End of Car Ownership'

Abstract

The slogan “the end of car ownership” (TEoCO) occurs regularly in the discourse of urban smart mobility. In this article, I examine TEoCO as a micronarrative used for agenda framing purposes. I situate the discourse within the theory of urban fabrics, to argue how cities need to fight car dependence. The TEoCO slogan appears as a seemingly powerful policy and marketing device. The slogan establishes private car use – and the negative externalities of automobility – as the baseline comparison for new digital mobility services. Urban smart mobility’s promise to eradicate car ownership but not cars per se may be a reinforcement of car dependence. Smart mobility cannot relieve cities from car dependence, because the most lucrative business opportunities in mobility reside in automobility.