Shifting the paradigm: the need for a demand-driven ecological transition

This paper frames MUV within the broader challenge of sustainable mobility transition, arguing that decarbonisation cannot be achieved through supply-side measures alone. Despite ambitious European targets and increased investment in sustainable mobility infrastructure and services, recent trends show that emissions rebound when structural demand-side mechanisms are absent. In this context, MUV is presented as a design-driven demand-side mitigation infrastructure that promotes measurable behavioural change toward more sustainable mobility practices. Emerging from publicly funded research and developing through competitive calls, incubators, accelerators, and a university spin-off pathway, MUV represents a case of design for social innovation linking research, entrepreneurship, and public value. The paper also identifies a structural tension: while public institutions fund socially relevant innovation, market dynamics tend to reward short-term, low-disruption solutions rather than systemic change. It therefore argues for regulatory and procurement frameworks that align capital, metrics, and incentives with long-term environmental and social outcomes. Within this perspective, MUV can be understood as an enabling infrastructure that connects behavioural design, impact measurement, and public–private collaboration in support of a more just and sustainable mobility transition.