Design of a Sustainable and Modular Shuttle Vessel for Inland Waterways

Abstract: Issue of slow mobility in inland waterways represents an important opportunity for the design research community, as part of the objectives of the main research programs in EU (e.g., Horizon Europe); hence, complex problems related to mobility can be faced by the design community through sets of smart solutions, both tangible and intangible. Recent trends in the sector suggest that the Design discipline should employ conceptual, methodological and operational tools to produce meaningful visions for urban and territorial scenarios oriented towards sustainable mobility. This is important in the perspective of sustainable development, and the related development of sustainable solutions supporting local authorities in enhancing the environmental and socio-economic quality of living contexts. Among the possible interventions that can be proposed to deal with this scenario, this paper proposes a project of a sustainable water shuttle. The boat is a part of a more complex project – system design approach – comprising service design and communication. It considers different users and stakeholders, as well as ergonomics standards like accessibility, safety, sustainability, mobility on waterways, modular design, enhancement of the natural and cultural heritage, etc. Specifically, this project focuses on the use of modular and photovoltaic components for green ferries, and how the design process used for this work can contribute to define the structure for a system-oriented design for sustainable mobility on waterways cities and natural contexts. The result presented in the document provides evidence and validity on the use of green technologies, alongside insights related production and management of sustainable products for water cities (re: shuttle boat). Ultimately, this work suggests good design practices and opportunities for intelligent solutions, opening up even new research avenues for community design.