Political decision makers often shy away from implementing policies that could affect mobility behavioural freedom. In order to support or replace a cost-intensive “material” measure, mobility management campaigns addressing subjective determinants are realized, to set psychological incentives for behavioural change. However, whereas infrastructural or supply activities are well investigated, the causal effects of persuasive measures on the mobility behaviour are obscure. Moreover, the interrelations of indirectly effecting political factors and socio-spatial inequalities are a “black box”. So the central research question should be to identify causal effects in the urban governance arrangements on the mobility behaviour of different social groups and in certain city districts.
The state of research in transport politics or policy is whether moderate or related to other topics like demography, economy, social politics or planning. However, a new developed concept of “mobility culture” on urban level opens research impulses, which can be linked to the regional governance analyses of political science.
The presented methodological approach is to investigate with different methods on two levels. On the city level it could try to identify decisive governance factors on mobility behavioural change, by applying a combined expert interview and questionnaire with a statistical analyses of three household mobility surveys in the last 10 years. Parallel and on the level of single policies it could conduct its own panel questionnaire with control groups, complemented by guideline-oriented qualitative interviews. The final objective is to produce general statements on the effects and interrelations of “citizen-oriented” urban transport governance.
Table of Contents
0. Summary
1. Research Questions and Objectives
2. State of Research
2.1 Transport Politics, Transport Policy and Transport Planning
2.2 Urban Mobility Culture and Transport Governance
2.3 Environmental Psychology and Mobility Behavioural Research, Mobility Management
3. Theory and Hypotheses
4. Methodological Access and Research Design
5. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this dissertation project is to identify the causal effects of urban governance arrangements on the mobility behaviour of diverse social groups within specific city districts, addressing the current "black box" regarding how political decisions and socio-spatial factors interrelate.
- Analysis of urban governance arrangements and their influence on mobility culture.
- Investigation into the effectiveness of "soft" mobility management measures versus "hard" infrastructure investments.
- Exploration of social-spatial inequalities and the allocation of ecological stress in transport planning.
- Evaluation of citizen-oriented governance models and their impact on behavioural change.
- Differentiation of mobility behaviour across various socioeconomic segments and lifestyles.
Excerpt from the Book
Urban Mobility Culture and Transport Governance
A newly opened research orientation pursued mainly by Jutta Deffner, Konrad Götz and the workgroup of Martin Lanzendorf in Frankfurt a.M. is the mobility culture. In 2013, this group completed a complex investigation on the mobility culture of 44 German cities. Based on a general concept of culture in day-to-day life with commonly shared knowledge and practices, mobility culture as a theoretical framework integrates objective and subjective elements of the determinants debate on a city-level. Spatial and transport realities here are seen as “the materialised extension” of a culture setting, that “can be interpreted as a complex configuration of different preferences and lifestyles represented by a city’s population, which might even develop common conventions and habits.” (Klinger et al., p. 20) and the concept of urban mobility cultures integrates “both habitual practices, including underlying preferences and lifestyles, as well as […] as infrastructure and spatial characteristics”, added by city-specific discourses and transport policy.
Referring to the social theory of Martina Löw, Klinger et al. note that each city has its own historically developed narrative, which forms its unique political and economic city logic or specific patterns. Because urban form and lifestyle patterns are long-lasting constructs, urban mobility cultures show a high level of path dependence and cannot be changed in a short period (Ibid, p. 21).
Summary of Chapters
0. Summary: This section outlines the research goal of uncovering causal links between urban governance, mobility culture, and individual travel behaviour, noting the limitations of current research.
1. Research Questions and Objectives: This chapter details how local transport policy objectives often conflict with user needs and discusses the challenges of implementing effective mobility management.
2. State of Research: This chapter provides an overview of the intersection between political science, mobility research, and environmental psychology, critiquing the current lack of causal evaluation in transport policy.
3. Theory and Hypotheses: This section develops testable hypotheses regarding how urban governance affects mobility culture and, consequently, the mobility behaviour of citizens across different social groups.
4. Methodological Access and Research Design: This chapter explains the two-level research approach, combining city-level governance analysis with policy-specific questionnaires and qualitative interviews.
5. Bibliography: This section lists the academic sources and research references used throughout the study.
Keywords
Urban Transport Governance, Mobility Culture, Mobility Management, Behavioural Change, Transport Policy, Environmental Psychology, Social-Spatial Inequalities, Travel Mode Choice, Citizen-Oriented Planning, Governance Arrangements, Socioeconomic Determinants, Sustainable Transport, Public Participation, Urban Planning, Policy Instruments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research project?
The research examines the impact of urban transport governance and mobility culture on the behavioural changes of city residents, specifically looking for causal links in how governance influences mobility patterns.
What are the primary thematic areas covered in the work?
The key themes include urban governance structures, mobility management strategies, the role of psychological determinants in transport choice, and the socio-spatial impacts of local political measures.
What is the overarching research goal?
The goal is to determine how specific "citizen-oriented" governance arrangements can effectively influence mobility behaviour and to provide general statements on the interrelations between policy and social side-effects.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The study uses a dual-level approach: statistical analysis of household mobility surveys combined with expert interviews at the city level, and time-series panel questionnaires complemented by qualitative interviews for specific policies.
What does the main body of the work address?
The main body focuses on theoretical frameworks for governance and mobility, a literature review of existing transport research, and the development of a specific research design to test hypotheses about governance-induced behavioural shifts.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include Urban Transport Governance, Mobility Culture, Mobility Management, Behavioural Change, Transport Policy, and Socio-Spatial Inequalities.
How does the "mobility culture" concept influence the study's framework?
The concept is used to integrate objective and subjective determinants of mobility, helping to explain why different cities show different path dependencies in their transport development.
What role do "soft" vs. "hard" measures play in the governance of transport?
The study contrasts "hard" measures (infrastructure/restrictions) with "soft" measures (mobility management/communication), noting that while the former are often controversial, the latter lack sufficient empirical evidence regarding their causal impact on individual behaviour.
- Quote paper
- Robert Rädel (Author), 2013, The impact of urban transport governance on mobility behavioural change, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/282328
