Mobility

With a rapidly growing elderly population, it’s crucial to design a society that is adapted to these people’s needs – both for their individual wellbeing and independence as well as for effective distribution of society resources. Lidingö Municipality is actively working to improve mobility for the older population, ensuring accessibility and reliability. With funding from Vinnova, Sweden’s public innovation agency, EGGS part of Sopra Steria, the mobility expert Karolina Pamp and Lidingö Municipality set out to explore how innovations can impact mobility and quality of life for Lidingö’s aging population up until 2035.

What kind of future do we envision, how can we reach that vision, and how can we avoid an undesirable future?

Envision a possible future for senior mobility

Many seniors between 65 and 84 have structured their lifestyles around car use, with nearly 60% of trips made by car and only 8% via public transport. However, for those over 85, mobility becomes more challenging as many are no longer able to drive and rely heavily on public transportation or assistance from family. As a result, elderly individuals often face limited mobility and social isolation, especially if they are unable to get rides from family members.

What if it’s the year 2035, and all citizens can move freely in society, regardless of physical or cognitive ability. How would this impact quality of life? How would it foster community and combat involuntary loneliness? These are the question that we asked ourselves and set out to answer in the project. To do so, we approached the question with strategic foresight and 

 - a methodology that enables us not only to react to the future but to actively shape it.

Future Scenarios

Together with representatives from different parts of Lidingö Municipality, 

, and senior citizens of Lidingö, we held a series of workshops and created concrete future prototypes for mobility. 



Participants in the workshop analysed societal trends and emerging signas, focusing on their impact on future mobility for the aging population, and identified key areas for further exploration and innovation.



Megatrend Exploration

In the scenario workshop, we transformed societal trends and emerging signals into future mobility scenarios for an aging population, aligning on a shared vision for the future. This vision guides the creation of trigger materials and prototypes to drive future innovation.



A trigger material and idea generation workshop


The trigger material workshop aimed to equip the team with skills to create and use trigger materials in target group interactions. Here, we focused on developing mobility innovations to enhance the elderly freedom of movement.




To foster inclusive innovation, we organised interactive events with senior participants, inviting them to engage with early-stage concepts of future mobility. The goal was to directly integrate their insights, concerns, and aspirations into the development process. Through interactive trigger materials, participants shared valuable feedback, helping to shape these mobility ideas to better suit the needs and preferences of an aging population. This collaborative approach ensures that future mobility solutions are designed with real user insights, paving the way for more accessible and impactful innovations.



At the end of the project, the results and prototypes were exhibited at Lidingö City Hall and at the science exhibition hall Universeum in Gothenburg, where the future prototype were exhibited together with 28 other Vinnova-funded innovation projects.

Strategic foresight and future prototypes

Strategic foresight provides us with insights, understanding, inspiration, and motivation to shape the future rather than just letting it unfold. It’s not about predicting the future; instead, it involves working with scenarios of possible futures based on the knowledge we have today. This approach allows us to make decisions today that will influence our tomorrow as we desire. 

Data-driven foresight enables us to identify patterns and trends through signal analysis, allowing us to distinguish emerging changes in behaviors, new business models, and innovative services. By concentrating on key areas essential for forthcoming transformations, we developed detailed scenarios that reflect potential futures. One effective method for creating these scenarios is through the use of future prototypes, as we did in this project.

With the prototypes, we create a fruitful discussion about aging and mobility and facilitate possible, and positive, visions for the future. How can we create a future where older individuals, regardless of physical abilities, can move freely, remain independent, and live actively at home for longer? What could an investment in mobility innovations for an aging population enable? These visions are the first step in making solutions become reality.

An enabled vision for a possible mobility future

At the end of the project, the results and prototypes were exhibited at Lidingö City Hall for the citizens￼, and at the science exhibition hall Universeum in Gothenburg, where the future prototype were exhibited together with 28 other Vinnova-funded innovation projects.

The future of mobility for an aging population