Jeffrey Schnapp - Autumn 2019 Baumer Lecture Series

Jeffrey Schnapp presented the lecture Movability (Mobility) in Knowlton Hall’s Gui Auditorium at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 28. Schnapp’s presentation concerned the granular approach to urbanism being developed at Piaggio Fast Forward (PFF) that, in keeping the spirit of Vespa scooters, we like to refer to as “movability.” Founded in 2015 by the Piaggio Group, PFF’s mission is to develop innovative vehicle types that reclaim human-scale movement from the city-design default of energy-intensive vehicles and the expensive infrastructure needed to support them. Instead of autonomous cars delivering inert people and goods, PFF is developing mobile carriers like gita™ that enable people of all ages and abilities to move better, further, faster and more enjoyably. In the present era of machine intelligence and ubiquitous networks, Schnapp will argue that vehicles that promote urban walkability, face-to-face interactions and off-screen exploration will be fundamental to our collective sense of well-being