NEXT-PT · New Experiences in Collective Transport for intermediate low-demand areas (ILDA) in Lombardy and the Skåne region.

Across Europe, Public Transport (PT) is undergoing a decisive transformation, assuming a critical role in the sustainability transition. In literature PT is recognized as a means to tackle transport-related social exclusion (TRSE) and environmental challenges. Yet, in intermediate (rural and low density) areas PT experiences low demand, and mobility depends almost entirely on cars, putting extra effort on poor and single parents household.NEXT-PT, hosted by the Urban Studies Department at Malmö University (MAU) in collaboration with K2– Sweden’s national knowledge center for collective mobility, a leading European institution in PT research and action, is driven by the ambition to reframe the scientific and societal relevance of PT in Intermediate Low-Demand Areas (ILDAs). Drawing on epistemic justice, the project aims to explore the “local meanings” of PT in European ILDAs through a comparative study of Scania (SE) and Lombardy (IT) regions. NEXT-PT pursues a three-fold objective: mapping and analyzing collective transport in ILDAs as combinatory ecosystem of tradition and innovations (WP1); embedding PT by exploring intersectional mobility practices (WP2); providing society-based knowledge to policymaking at multiple scales (WP3). The research applies an interdisciplinary multi-method approach combining comparative document analysis with in-depth qualitative, participatory and GIS tools, drawing on mobile methods. NEXT-PT will produce an Open Atlas on collective mobility as research output, communication tool and impact lever, with a Transferability Toolkit to support replication. It fosters post-car city visions, supporting EU integration in PT, European Green Deal and UN SDGs good practice sharing. NEXT – PT will consolidate my profile as international researcher in Mobility and Urban Studies by advancing theoretical, methodological, managerial, and communicative skills, by broadening networks and enhancing funding competitiveness, ensuring long-term legacy.