Hermann Knoflacher (born 21 September 1940 in

Villach Villach (; sl, Beljak; it, Villaco; fur, Vilac) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the p ...

) is an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

civil engineer. He was the head of the Institute for Transport Planning and Technology at the

Vienna University of Technology TU Wien (TUW; german: Technische Universität Wien; still known in English as the Vienna University of Technology from 1975–2014) is one of the major universities in Vienna, Austria. The university finds high international and domestic recogn ...

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 Spatial planning mediates between the respective claims on space of the state, market, and community. In so doing, three different mechanisms of involving stakeholders, integrating sectoral policies and promoting development projects mark the th ...

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

, and

transport planning Transportation planning is the process of defining future policies, goals, investments, and spatial planning designs to prepare for future needs to move people and goods to destinations. As practiced today, it is a collaborative process that i ...

. 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 The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

. Knoflacher is well known for his criticism of excessive

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

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 Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, and bicycles. Permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met and drivers are required to fol ...

. 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 Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffi ...

and its excessive

land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

Publications

* ''Katalysatoren für Nichtmotorisierte''. H. Knoflacher, Wien 1985, . * ''Fußgeher- und Fahrradverkehr''. Böhlau, Wien/Köln/Weimar 1995, . * ''Zur Harmonie von Stadt und Verkehr''. 2. Auflage. Böhlau, Wien/Köln/Weimar 1996 . * ''Landschaft ohne Autobahnen''. Böhlau, Wien/Köln/Weimar 1996, . * ''Stehzeuge – Fahrzeuge : Der Stau ist kein Verkehrsproblem''. Böhlau, Wien/Köln/Weimar 2001, . * ''Weltreligionen und Kapitalismus. Kapitalismus gezähmt?'' (Hrsg.). Echomedia, Wien 2006, . * ''Grundlagen der Verkehrs- und Siedlungsplanung : Verkehrsplanung''. Böhlau, Wien/Köln/Weimar 2007, . 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.

References

External links

* *
Hermann Knoflacher
at the Donau-Universität Krems
various interviews
a
zukunft-ennstal.at
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knoflacher, Hermann Austrian civil engineers Transport engineers People from Villach Academic staff of TU Wien 1940 births Living people Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Sustainable transport pioneers

Life and teachings

Publications

See also

References

External links