Co-Designing Shared Mobility in Fredrikstad: A Clearing for Citizens and Multi-Stakeholders

Paper in proceeding, 2026

Shared mobility is gaining traction as cities seek sustainable alternatives to private car use, but its development and implementation remain complex, particularly in the public sector where diverse stakeholders' interests, regulation, and evolving user needs converge. Co-design has emerged as a promising approach to address these challenges. This paper presents a co-design case from the Seamless Shared Urban Mobility (SUM) project in Fredrikstad, Norway which aims to integrate an electric automated ferry line to improve accessibility and promote commuting by bike, foot and shared mobility. Two rounds of co-design workshops were conducted with citizens, planners, ferry operators, and service providers to identify problems and co-create solutions. Different tools were designed to support the capturing, visualization, and concretization of ideas. The process has already generated actionable ideas that take into consideration the journey beyond the ferry transfer. Identified co-design process challenges range from recruitment of participants to the need for flexibility, adapting the process to real-world conditions and changes. Nevertheless, the paper argues that co-design offers a clearing, a conceptual space where diverse perspectives converge, and mobility solutions can take shape organically.