So you study Industrial Design or Social Geography and suddenly you are working in the innovative mobility world. Michelle Jansen and Myrthe Platenburg started at The Future Mobility Network a few months ago. In this double interview, they talk about their first months at the scale-up and reveal their fresh perspective on mobility.
In terms of location, it is not a resounding surprise (Myrthe moved to Delft from Voorschoten a few years ago for her studies), but how does an Industrial Designer end up at FMN? “A friend joined FMN as a working student and told good stories. In addition, I have already done a number of projects within mobility before my studies and some part-time work. At Schiphol Airport, for instance, I helped implement autonomous shuttles for the Airside. I also designed a wireless charging solution for electric shared scooters for a start-up at YES!Delft’s neighbours. It is a sector where a lot of exciting things are happening and to which I think I can contribute with my design background.”
Michelle graduated in social geography and GIS and found FMN somewhere between her birthplace Naaldwijk and current habitat Utrecht. “In geography there is a strong overlap with mobility and several friends also work as mobility consultants. Yet for myself, I had not so quickly made the link to such a company. The director (Iris Ruysch) contacted me on LinkedIn and after the first call there was an immediate click.”
“Headhunted so early in your career!”
Michelle (laughs): “Initially it wasn’t FMN as a company itself that I fell for, because I didn’t really know yet how to start applying GIS, but more the conversation I had with Iris. She was very open, which I am myself. There was actually a work-transient connection that was forged right away. That immediately inspired me to continue with the application process.”
It’s very well learning by making mistakes
Straight into the deep
Myrthe: “The openness of the work and the fact that you have your own input is very nice. You also notice the principle of learning by doing embraced by FMN on a daily basis. At first, I wondered whether I wasn’t being thrown in at the deep end too much, whether I wasn’t swimming in a vacuum, but in the end it was a good thing. Learning from mistakes is excellent and that’s exactly how I quickly come into my own. That combined with coming up with new things myself makes the work exciting. For the road to a future world, developing new visions is also the right approach. You avoid pigeonholing.”
Michelle can largely concur. “I was immediately put on the MMP (Multi-Year Mobility Plan) of Drechtsteden (Zuid-Holland Bereikbaar). That took some switching, but the nice thing is that people are also open to discussing your role in it and adapting it. The dynamic of different types of assignments ensures rapid development.”
Working in a new sector can change your outlook on it and way of life. Is that already the case with them? “In terms of behaviour, not much has changed yet because I have almost always walked and cycled everything. Only in cases of great necessity do I take the car. My own mobility behaviour already fitted in seamlessly with the company”, Myrthe is clear, “although I do notice that I might say to my parents a bit more often: get on your bike! Not that they listen to it very much yet (laughs).”
Michelle was already looking more consciously at streets and thus mobility because of her geographical background. “Although I was already working on it for some time, mobility does have more emphasis now. In Amersfoort the other day I saw a hub and then I do check: what’s there. Share scooters, bikes….”
“Recognisable!” adopts Myrthe seamlessly. “How is such a hub set up?” Michelle again: “Where are the charging stations?” For both of them, there already seems to be more professional deformation creeping in than they thought.
Back to the Future
They would not have seen themselves at (something like) FMN 10 years ago. Where do they see themselves in another 10 years? Myrthe does have some concrete dream images. “Starting or founding something myself. I have a very broad interest in innovation, but it could also be a Bed & Breakfast. And what I often imagine is then abroad. With perhaps a family and children. It could also just be that I end up in different sectors each time, helping new different kinds of people in an innovative way.”
Michelle takes over the interview role: “And if it’s in the Netherlands do you see yourself staying in Delft?”
“During my studies, I did fall a bit in love with Delft. The location is good and I’m fine here for now. If I ever end up working somewhere else, that would definitely be a good reason to move. You never know how life will turn out.”
Michelle is currently living just fine in Utrecht. “I have been living with my boyfriend, an area counsellor, for a while now. I once, in a long long long past, exclaimed that I would never travel long distances for work again. Nor did I immediately think of a commercial company. Now here I am. An hour and three-quarters of an hour there and back every day for a commercial company – where I have a blast! It teaches me that it is impossible to say what I will be doing in 10 years, but hopefully by then this whole period full of valuable lessons will have contributed to a clear destination. I do see myself moving back to this region at some point when children come into the picture. Closer to grandparents and back to our roots together.”
“This never again I thought
(read further underneath the picture)
(Myrthe, Michelle and other new office dog Frits)
Contributing to change
The Future Mobility Network aims to shake up the mobility world. Bringing the future forward and accelerating the mobility transition. Do the two already have something they see improvement or change in?
Michelle without a doubt: “The interface and efficacy of certain sharing apps! There is an app for sharing bikes somewhere in the country and it doesn’t work at all. Note for my job interview at FMN, I had to come from somewhere and thought: I’ll take the share bike to the station. Convenient, fast, electric. There were six bikes in the neighbourhood and they all didn’t work. So that became fifteen minutes of fast walking to running to another share bike. Which could then not be parked at the station because a good 500 metres earlier there was a parking zone. I had to go back and run again. Never this again I thought. We must be able to do so much better.”
With her background in design, Myrthe sees many opportunities to renew the approach and vision of municipalities for the future. “I want to apply more design methodologies to change the way municipalities think and work and encourage them to look at the future of urban mobility with innovative eyes. Of course, I also get the best of it, but Delft is really ahead in terms of innovativeness and speed.”
How do they themselves stand on the car (as a status symbol)? Myrthe, as mentioned, sees it mainly as a convenience when cycling and walking are not enough, but does have a weakness for beautiful cars. “My own car is 20 years old, which I was able to take over from my grandmother. It’s not exactly a Porsche.”
“So you would drive more often if you had a Porsche?”
“Then I would drive a Porsche Taycan! Porsche’s electric car.”
Michelle: “I saw a video on the internet the other day where someone mocked others who walk and cycle: ‘Bunch of losers, I just have a 2-million-euro vehicle coming to pick me up!’ She appeared to be waiting for the train.”
Michelle really does see opportunities for change here too. “Take the route to my parents’ house in Westland. A black hole in terms of mobility. It only has two serious access roads, so to speak. If you rely on public transport, walking almost becomes an option. It’s twice as long a journey as by car and then it’s at absurd prices too. Almost 50 euros round trip.”
Myrthe: “The cost of public transport! If you travel a lot, the car is still cheaper.”
And Michelle again: “Despite the car being faster, I did think this week, when I exceptionally travelled once in my mother’s car: what is the net life benefit? I am tired in the morning and evening and driving takes a lot of energy. Isn’t two hours on the train a more comfortable life than an hour of jogging in the car and/or standing still during rush hour?”
And she concludes, “At least it was comfortable for Kim Kardashian when she flew up and down to Paris last week because they sell a specific ice cream there. Meanwhile, I drink through an uncomfortable paper straw. Is it worth it? Yes! We have to start somewhere.” Myrthe: “And we at The Future Mobility Network do that every day!”