From 'Car-Less' to ' Car-Free' Living: A Social Practice Theory Perspective on Sustainable Mobility among South Asian Immigrant Families in Helsingborg.

Sammanfattning

This thesis analyzes how South Asian immigrant families in Helsingborg with children utilize, perceive, and sustain car-free mobility in their lives. It reveals that car-free mobility is not merely the absence of car ownership, but a practice shaped by material conditions, users' competencies, and the meanings they attach to different cultural norms and early practice experience in their daily lives. Through 16 semi-structured interviews and a survey with 65 responses, we sought to understand their current meaning of a car-free life and their plans for the future in Sweden. The study shows that South Asian immigrants are leading car-less lives, not car-free, as their decision is influenced by various constraints rather than voluntary choice. In this study, we adopted a Social Practice perspective to unpack their present and future thinking about voluntarily leading a car-free life. Further, the findings demonstrate that the meaning of mobility is consistently influenced by immigrants' native country's cultural norms and prior mobility experience. Although there are well-planned cycling paths and many benefits to cycling, most participants, especially women, do not consider using it for daily mobility, even though it would cost less than owning a car. The majority of families have expressed that they plan to become car owners in the future, provided that their living conditions improve. However, they also mention that their travel habits will likely feature a "hybrid travel mode," using both private and public transport according to their preferences and circumstances. We also emphasize the need for further in-depth qualitative and longitudinal research to enhance our understanding of the viability of South Asian immigrant families adopting car-free mobility in Helsingborg, Sweden.