Alireza Aboutalebi Adergani Forschung

In his doctoral research, Alireza looks at the transition toward electric mobility through the lens of mobility justice. The project does not attempt to compete in producing another normative definition of justice. Instead, justice is approached as a critical analytical lens through which the processes leading to mobility-related decisions can be examined. In this sense, the concept serves less as a theoretical endpoint and more as a diagnostic tool for interrogating when and how questions of justice emerge within the governance of mobility transitions.

The research focuses on the spatial and political dynamics through which electric mobility infrastructures are planned and deployed in urban environments. A central element of the project is a comparative analysis , examining how the distribution of charging infrastructure intersects with socioeconomic structures, housing conditions, and institutional decision-making processes.

Methodologically, the project combines spatial analysis of infrastructure deployment with a broader conceptual investigation into the governance of sustainability transitions. Earlier work within the project explored these dynamics through a five-leverage points framework, identifying strategic entry points where policy interventions may influence the trajectory of urban mobility systems. 

Rather than evaluating transitions solely through technological or environmental indicators, the research asks a different set of questions: whose mobility needs are prioritized, how infrastructure benefits are distributed, and whether the transition toward electric mobility risks reproducing existing urban inequalities.

By comparing the perspectives embedded in policy frameworks with the expectations and experiences of urban residents, the project seeks to understand whether a gap exists between political commitments to sustainable mobility and the social realities of infrastructure provision. Through this lens, the research aims to contribute to a more critical and empirically grounded understanding of justice within contemporary mobility transitions.