Franziska Meinherz

Prof. Franziska Meinherz is Professor of Urban and Mobility Geography at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), holding a newly established chair since 2024. As a social scientist at KIT's Institute of Geography and Geoecology, she investigates mobility equity and sustainable urban mobility transitions through interdisciplinary geography-sociology frameworks.

She earned her doctorate from ETH Lausanne studying urban commuting practices, followed by research at Technical University of Munich's "Transforming Mobility and Society Lab" on urban mobility transformation.

Meinherz examines how spatial structures and social dynamics shape mobility experiences, revealing critical disparities: mothers endure greater strain from multi-stop trips (daycare, supermarket, workplace) compared to fathers, while peripheral neighborhood residents face accessibility gaps. Her mixed-methods approach combines qualitative journey mapping with spatial analysis to assess infrastructure needs and policy impacts on neighborhood cohesion.

From 2025-2028, she will serve on the advisory board of Paris' Forum Vies Mobiles institute, advancing science-society collaboration for sustainable, needs-oriented mobility solutions.