My doctoral research adopts a prospective, conceptual, and participatory approach to explore possible futures for sustainable, low-carbon mobility in Laval by 2050. Using four contrasting scenarios, the project examines how individual mobility could evolve beyond the current dominance of single-occupant car travel.
The research centers on a new category of small, fuel-efficient vehicles—intermediate light vehicles (Vélis)—considered as potential catalysts for change in personal transportation practices. The central hypothesis, explored through collective discussion, is that integrating Vélis into mobility systems could disrupt conventional transportation planning frameworks and open up viable pathways toward desirable, socially innovative, low-carbon forms of individual mobility.
Ultimately, the thesis seeks to produce both knowledge and concrete proposals that support local conceptual sovereignty within Québec’s socio-ecological transition in transportation.
About Florent Bègue
After an initial career as an officer in the French Air Force, Florent Bègue returned to academia in 2020, prompting a deeper reflection on sustainability in its broadest sense. He earned a Master’s degree in Management and Sustainable Development from HEC Montréal and subsequently worked for nearly five years in the field of sustainable mobility.
He is currently enrolled in an interdisciplinary doctoral program in Urban Planning at the Université de Montréal, where he continues to explore issues related to sustainable mobility transitions. His doctoral research is conducted in close collaboration with the City of Laval (Québec), where he is in the data collection phase of a project aimed at developing a sustainable mobility plan.