Moving beyond mobility: a typology of interlocking commuting, dwelling, and studying practices and their linking elements

Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector in Europe have largely been unsuccessful to date, highlighting the need for new approaches. Drawing on Social Practice Theory, recent research has called for cross-domain analyses of mobility practices to identify more effective leverage points for policy intervention. Responding to these calls, this study analyzes 24 week-long mobility diaries and 26 in-depth interviews with university students in Germany to examine university-related travel as part of broader constellations of commuting, studying, and dwelling practices. It develops a typology of these practices and identifies specific mechanisms through which elements of studying and dwelling – such as campus facilities, vibrant campus life, and the symbolic value of student independence – intersect with commuting. By tracing these links, the study shows how systems of interlocking practices emerge that shape travel demand in higher education and vary significantly in their openness to sustainability transitions. While the interdependence of mobility, studying, and dwelling is well known, this study is among the first to offer a systematic, empirically grounded analysis of practice systems through a Social Practice Theory lens. Crucially, it argues that by leveraging linking elements at the intersections of practices, targeted policy measures could generate ripple effects across systems of practices that extend across different sectors and domains of everyday life – rather than addressing commuting practices in isolation. This integrated framework advances practice-theoretical mobility research and can inform future efforts to foster sustainable commuting and broader sustainability transitions.