The Evolution of Smart and Intelligent Mobility - A Semantic and Conceptual Analysis

Smart or intelligent mobility has been the founding concept to address new technologies needed to develop future transport systems. The development of intelligent mobility has traditionally been much driven by the automotive industry. Research in this domain has traditionally focused on providing safe, comfortable, and affordable mobility to drivers and passengers. As the awareness of the effects of emissions released to the environment by transportation has been increasingly acknowledged, transport systems have since then expected to be "intelligent" also in terms of sustainability. Furthermore, social issues, such as transport poverty and social exclusion, have emerged as key topics. By performing a bibliometric analysis of scientific literature, reviewing inter-governmental policy documents, and analyzing national (Finland) government programs, this paper shows how there has been a shift of thought at conceptual and semantic levels regarding what we perceive as smart mobility. The findings quite clearly suggest that the policy debate as well as research topics have taken the shift first from traffic safety toward technology orientation, and thereafter further toward a more holistic perception of sustainability. "Inclusiveness" appears to be the latest theme in the transport policy debate at the European Union level, although research on it is still marginal.