Dr. Stefan Carsten: Future – City – Mobility.
He served as project manager in Daimler AG’s ‘Society and Technology Research Group’ in Berlin, where he developed innovative mobility services like car2go and moovel. Currently, he is a member of the advisory board for the Federal Ministry of Transport’s “Strategic Guidelines of Public Transport in Germany,” the IAA Mobility event in Munich, the Reallabor Radbahn project in Berlin, and the design advisory board of HOWOGE Berlin. Since 2019, he has been co-publishing the Mobility Report in collaboration with the Zukunftsinstitut.
Stefan Carsten Lecture topics
- AI and mobility: When cities think, vehicles negotiate, and people become passengers
Artificial intelligence is transforming mobility beyond just vehicles, impacting the entire system—from traffic management and maintenance to platforms, pricing, and automated public transport service planning. In this talk, Stefan Carsten illustrates how “traffic” evolves into a negotiated, real-time system governed by dynamic rules, data-driven priorities, and new interfaces connecting cities, operators, and providers. The future of mobility begins where cities anticipate needs, vehicles make decisions, and people remain primarily users and passengers. The critical issues then shift from technology to governance: who defines objectives, who controls data, and how algorithms stay transparent, equitable, and aligned with the public interest?
- The next mobility: From traffic to networked everyday mobility
The future of mobility is less about technology and more about systemic change: prioritizing access over ownership, favoring cycling and walking over cars, embracing multimodality, sharing, on-demand services, platforms, and robust public transport as the foundation. This presentation analyzes shifts in mobility behavior, highlights which services are gaining traction in urban and rural areas, and explains how they interact effectively. It clarifies the key decisions companies, municipalities, and associations must make now to enhance mobility’s ease, reliability, affordability, and environmental sustainability.
- Scooter Gene & Mobile Identity: New Mobility Biographies, New Status Logics
A new generation approaches mobility differently: focusing less on horsepower and ownership, and more on lifestyle, time, experience, and digital services. Stefan Carsten explores how e-bikes, sharing, micro-mobility, running clubs, bike events, and digital self-tracking are becoming integral to identity, and what this means for brands, cities, and services. The talk combines cultural shifts, consumer trends, and mobility markets, demonstrating why status today is often linked to climate-conscious daily life and community engagement.
- Energy transition meets mobility transition: When power grids become key infrastructure
The upcoming mobility wave will be shaped by energy considerations: charging, grids, storage, neighborhoods, dynamic pricing, vehicle-to-grid integration, and how these operate seamlessly in daily life. This presentation explains why smart power grids are essential infrastructure and how cities, fleets, and real estate are evolving into energy platforms. Concrete examples illustrate emerging business models and guide companies and the public sector in aligning strategies for the combined energy and mobility transition.
- Circular Mobility & Moveable Spaces: Fewer resources, more use per square meter
The most sustainable mobility minimizes resource use and maximizes multifunctional space utilization. Stefan Carsten links the circular economy principles (repair, reuse, modular systems, second life) with transforming streets, parking areas, and buildings into versatile spaces. The presentation offers a compelling vision for the future of industry, real estate, and public stakeholders: moving away from a linear “use-dispose” approach toward cycles that foster resilience and create new value.
- Retail in transition: How retail and city centers are regaining their appeal
Urban centers are being redefined: shifting from monofunctional to mixed-use spaces, emphasizing experience, and a retail sector that must navigate between platform economies, sustainability, and evolving mobility habits. This presentation explains why ground floors are becoming a vital resource and how retail, gastronomy, culture, services, and mobility offerings collaborate to attract new visitors. It focuses on practical strategies, from “retail as a stage” to neighborhood concepts and new partnerships among real estate, cities, and brands.
- Logistics & transport of the future: From delivery traffic to urban supply systems
Delivery traffic has long influenced urban development, affecting climate, spatial quality, and public acceptance. This presentation identifies key drivers: e-commerce growth, same-day delivery expectations, labor shortages, regulations, zero-emission zones, and new technologies. Stefan Carsten demonstrates how micro-hubs, consolidation, cargo bikes, electric fleets, digital slot management, and new standards are transforming the “last mile” into a dependable supply system, outlining the roles cities, operators, and companies must assume.
- City of the future: Adaptive cities between climate stress, spatial and mobility change
How do climate change, urban densification, new work patterns, and digital control reshape our cities, and what implications arise for space, real estate, and mobility? This presentation argues that the “adaptive city” is not only smarter but also more resilient, equitable, and livable, supported by international best practices.
Stefan Carsten collaborates with various international stakeholders in the mobility sector, including the bicycle industry, public transport companies, automotive manufacturers, as well as cities and municipalities.
Born in Lisbon in 1973, Dr. Stefan Carsten is a futurist and urban geographer recognized globally as a leader in mobility and innovative city planning. He is married, has two children, and resides and works in Berlin.
