Car sharing & housing construction: Save parking spaces and construction costs thanks to Mobility

• Car sharing saves space, reduces costs and makes sustainable housing projects more attractive.
• According to a recent study, one Mobility vehicle replaces 18 private carsthe new urban centre will relieve traffic congestion and create new areas for quality living and recreation.
• Building projects, architects or even housing cooperatives benefit if car sharing is planned into their mobility concepts from the outset.
• Mobility also offers attractive solutions for existing housing estates that want to integrate car sharing at a later date.

In urban housing estates and new-build projects with good public transport connections, car sharing plays a key role in reducing traffic and utilising space efficiently. A new study by BSS and the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences OST shows that a single Mobility car replaces an average of 18 private cars in Switzerland. This has enormous advantages for residential construction: Fewer car parks mean more space for living and quality of life.

One major advantage for developers and housing cooperatives is the reduction in parking space requirements. The study shows that Mobility could save 40,000 cars or the equivalent of 70 football pitches of parking space throughout Switzerland. This significantly reduces the cost of building and maintaining car parks – especially underground car parks, which require high levels of investment. Car sharing also optimises the electrification of parking spaces, as fewer parking spaces need to be equipped with charging infrastructure.

The study shows that households with a Mobility subscription own significantly fewer private cars and at the same time rely more on public transport. Particularly in cities where public transport coverage is dense, residents benefit from an ideal mix of car sharing and public transport. The combination not only reduces motorised private transport, but also relieves the urban space of unnecessary parking spaces.

Housing concepts influence how people move around. If car sharing is integrated into new buildings from the outset, more people will move in without their own car. Mobility offers a flexible service for housing cooperatives that optimally complements alternative forms of mobility such as public transport, cycling and walking.

This gives sustainable mobility behaviour a better chance from the outset. "Planning car sharing spaces into the mobility concept at an early stage offers advantages – for both sides," says Magdalena Balogh, Head of Service Development at Mobility. 

Car sharing is a particularly useful addition for housing cooperatives: Mobility's sharing concept fits in perfectly with the philosophy of cooperative living. A shared mobility service not only reduces the number of private cars, but also promotes neighbourliness and the shared use of resources.

Mobility also offers flexible solutions for existing housing estates. The presence of car sharing makes a neighbourhood more attractive, helps people to do without their own car and has a positive long-term effect on the modal split of residents. Fewer cars mean less traffic, less noise, better air and healthier living conditions. Or as Magdalena Balogh says: "It's never too late to create space for car sharing so that living space can be created for other needs instead."