Our Philosophy:
Our beliefs and goals are based on one overriding conviction: society’s long-term wellbeing is contingent upon an absolutely sustainable way of life. Our homes, our work, our industry, our food production and our global commerce, all must be based on the most sustainable practices that we know of at any given time. Therefore, long-term transportation solutions for a prosperous, sustainable society will, by necessity, be complex, integrated networks of different transportation systems. These complex systems must also respond to environmental stress, users’ needs, regional differences and economic realities.
OnGoing believes in the combination of design and systems thinking throughout the development of these complex transportation solutions. The viability of all technologies and modes of transportation should be evaluated with an open mind, based on scrupulous scientific fact and human-centric needs, not on hearsay and single interest agendas.
In a complex world, visions and solutions can no longer develop in isolation. Future transportation and mobility solutions will be complex networks of different transportation modes. Planning for this future needs to involve all stakeholders. Multi-disciplinary collaboration is the answer. Just as important, solutions must be as compelling and appropriate to end-users as they are to business and industry. Otherwise, regardless of the technical or logical brilliance, they will not be accepted. This is why OnGoing believes that design and design thinking need to be an integral part of the research and creative process.
OnGoing’s background in design, design management and systems thinking offers unrivaled levels of facilitation to allow multi-disciplinary teams to develop valid solutions for the future. Design processes can provide the special leadership, skills and environments within which diverse disciplines and cultures can function properly. There are plenty of individual experts on many topics related to future transportation and mobility. However, they are frequently biased towards one particular solution. For instance, automobile researchers tend to want to solve their problems with alternative car solutions. Rail experts advocate new trains and so on. There need to be new, broader visions and solutions that are not encumbered by old and established ways of thinking. Design culture can break down those incumbent practices and prejudices.
Public education is another significant interest of OnGoing. Many members of the public, business and political worlds are unconcerned or unaware about many issues concerning energy, our environment, water and climate change. OnGoing aims to present truthful and reliable information about the choices and trade-offs that need to be made for a truly sustainable, mobile future.
OnGoing offers visionary, creative and systems thinking input to the earliest stages of transportation planning. For every new project, OnGoing evaluates the viability of all technologies and modes of transportation with an open mind, based on scrupulous scientific fact and human-centric needs, not on hearsay and single interest agendas.
Design :
Design is a crucial systems element. Design refers to far more than just creating alluring new products or services. Design is about understanding what the problems are that need solving.
Having decided what the challenges really are, solutions are then sought through open-minded inquiry, exploration of abstract early ideas, spotting opportunities that are not at first obvious, working with diverse stakeholders, balancing the needs and expectations of end users with those of enterprises or providers.
The solutions, often complex in the field of transportation systems, must then be presented in a format that anyone can easily comprehend. Factual data must be supported by straightforward graphical presentation and realistic visualizations of the physical end results. This clarity of presentation can fundamentally help correct decisions to be made by political, business and civic leaders.
Systems thinking :
OnGoing advocates integrated, multi-modal transportation systems across the nation. Researching, proposing, evaluating, designing and delivering integrated, diverse systems also require systems thinking. Systems thinking is a methodology for facilitating individuals or teams of people to see complex entities as a whole, rather than through the lens of a specific sub-system.
Future transportation solutions will require the collaboration of multiple, diverse disciplines, such as engineers, urban planners, designers, policy-makers, developers, economists, social scientists, to name only a few. Each of these disciplines will have their own, valid perspectives on transportation, according to their individual education, professional experience and the culture of their field. Within each of these disciplines, there will be experts on, for instance, light-rail systems, cycle-ways, highways, freight logistics, sustainable building or energy distribution. Systems thinking will enable them to contribute their own expertise and wisdom to an overall, complex solution, while being cognizant and accommodating of other disciplines.
