engineering

Hermann Knoflacher

Hermann Knoflacher is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hermann Knoflacher rather than just read about it. In short: Hermann Knoflacher (born 21 September 1940 in Villach) is an Austrian civil engineer. He was the head of the Institute for Transport Planning and Technology at the Vienna University of Technology.

Key takeaways

Hermann Knoflacher belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hermann Knoflacher to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hermann Knoflacher from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hermann Knoflacher (born 21 September 1940 in Villach) is an Austrian civil engineer. He was the head of the Institute for Transport Planning and Technology at the Vienna University of Technology.

Life and teachings

Knoflacher completed degrees in civil engineering, geodesy, and mathematics. Since 1975 he is a professor at the Vienna University of Technology. In 1985 he became head of the Institute for Transport Planning. His research focuses on spatial planning, urban planning, and transport planning. He is one of the key contributors to the sustainable transport movement (known as "Sanfte Mobilität" in German). Since 2004 he is the president of the Club of Vienna. He is also a member of the Club of Budapest and the global pedestrian representative of the United Nations. Knoflacher is well known for his criticism of excessive automobile usage and its effects on humans and the environment. Knoflacher has compared the automobile to "a virus": "We are increasingly retreating into enclosed environments, more or less out of our own choice, while isolating ourselves from an outside world subjected to noise, pollution and dust created by cars". Knoflacher developed the concept of the "Gehzeug" (a German neologism that can be translated as "walkmobile") to illustrate the problems he identified in urban transport policy. The "walkmobile" is essentially just a wooden frame that can be worn by a pedestrian in order to utilize the same amount of space as a motorist. The "walkmobiles" have become a popular way to draw attention at demonstrations against car dominance in cities, especially in Austria. According to Knoflacher, the walkmobile allows people to visualize the irrationality of urban motor traffic and its excessive land consumption.

Publications Katalysatoren für Nichtmotorisierte. H. Knoflacher, Wien 1985, ISBN 3-900657-00-9. Fußgeher- und Fahrradverkehr. Böhlau, Wien/Köln/Weimar 1995, ISBN 3-205-98308-4. Zur Harmonie von Stadt und Verkehr. 2. Auflage. Böhlau, Wien/Köln/Weimar 1996 ISBN 3-205-98586-9. Landschaft ohne Autobahnen. Böhlau, Wien/Köln/Weimar 1996, ISBN 3-205-98436-6. Stehzeuge – Fahrzeuge : Der Stau ist kein Verkehrsproblem. Böhlau, Wien/Köln/Weimar 2001, ISBN 3-205-98988-0. Weltreligionen und Kapitalismus. Kapitalismus gezähmt? (Hrsg.). Echomedia, Wien 2006, ISBN 3-901761-54-3. Grundlagen der Verkehrs- und Siedlungsplanung : Verkehrsplanung. Böhlau, Wien/Köln/Weimar 2007, ISBN 978-3-205-77626-0. His ideas on parking and transport policy are also summarized in English in Knoflacher, Hermann (2006), "A new way to organize parking: the key to a successful sustainable transport system for the future", Environment and Urbanization Vol. 18, No. 2, page 387-400.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hermann Knoflacher

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hermann Knoflacher claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hermann Knoflacher before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hermann Knoflacher ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hermann Knoflacher

In research: Hermann Knoflacher appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hermann Knoflacher in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hermann Knoflacher is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1940 births, Academic staff of TU Wien, Austrian civil engineers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hermann Knoflacher outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hermann Knoflacher in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hermann Knoflacher means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hermann Knoflacher out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hermann Knoflacher in simple terms?

Hermann Knoflacher (born 21 September 1940 in Villach) is an Austrian civil engineer. He was the head of the Institute for Transport Planning and Technology at the Vienna University of Technology.

Why does Hermann Knoflacher matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hermann Knoflacher?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hermann Knoflacher.