Pathways for Sustainable Technology Development – The Case of Bicycle Mobility in Berlin

Sustainability requires that quality of life and resource consumption are harmonized. The use of sustainable technologies fosters their harmonization. A scenario based method has been developed for identifying sustainable technology systems on different levels of development and in different areas of human living. The developed method consists of four elements: the surrounding field scenarios, technology pool, sustainability assessment and system creation. They can be applied in various paths with different starting points. The two technology induced paths, emanating from either a system or a system element, enable the transformation of technological potentials into useful applications. The problem induced path, emanating from future framework conditions of an observed field, allows human needs to be satisfied trough technological potentials.The application shown in this paper illustrates the usage of the method's problem induced path in mobility as one area of human living. Based on three surrounding field scenarios for bicycle mobility in Berlin, technology systems for bicycle design, operation and their repair in self-help workshops are illustrated.