Transforming Urban Transport
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Transforming Urban Transport Political Strategies and Tactics June 2018 Contents Transforming Urban Transport: The Volvo Research and Educational Foundations The Role of Political Leadership (TUT-POL) The Volvo Research and Educational Foundations seeks to advance our knowledge of how, when, inspire, initiate and support research and educational About TUT-POL and where political leadership has been critical to activities promoting sustainable transport for fair access 4 the successful implementation of path-breaking in urban areas, with the aim to nurture processes of transportation policies. The project has done so change and transformative capacity. Through the through case study research of 8 democratically Program called “Future Urban Transport – How to deal Political Strategies + Tactics for Transforming Urban Transport governed cities around the world: Los Angeles, with complexity” (FUT) VREF invests in research for How to Enable Policy Change Mexico City, New York City, Paris, San Francisco, the purpose of contributing to new ideas and solutions 6 Seoul, Stockholm, and Vienna. Under the direction within the complex structure underlying the design of Professor Diane E. Davis, TUT-POL is hosted at of sustainable transportation systems in cities. The the Harvard University Graduate School of Design challenge is to find urban transport solutions that will (GSD) and is sponsored by the Volvo Research and provide mass accessibility, while at the same time Case Briefs Educational Foundations (VREF). radically reducing transportation’s negative local and New York City..................................................................................................................................... global environmental and climate impacts. The FUT 10 Program’s thematic areas include Mobility and Access Los Angeles....................................................................................................................................... 13 in Cities, Urban Freight, and Change Processes: Governance, Leadership and Financing. VREF launched San Francisco.................................................................................................................................... 16 “Transforming Urban Transport – The Role of Political Leadership” in 2013 as part of the latter. Mexico City........................................................................................................................................ 19 Seoul.................................................................................................................................................. 22 Stockholm......................................................................................................................................... 26 Vienna............................................................................................................................................... 29 Authors Barbara Kellerman Paris.................................................................................................................................................. Diane Davis, Director of TUT-POL Patrick Le Galès 33 Lily Song, TUT-POL Senior Research Associate Jay Walder Design and Graphic Content A special thanks for the contributions of TUT-POL Gina Ciancone Case Writers: Concluding Remarks 38 New York City, David Luberoff Acknowledgments Los Angeles, David Luberoff We thank the Volvo Research and Educational San Francisco, Onesimo Flores Dewey & Lisa Rayle Foundations (VREF) for their contributions and Mexico City, Onesimo Flores Dewey guidance throughout this process. We would also Seoul, Onesimo Flores Dewey like to acknowledge the TUT-POL Advisory Board Stockholm, Diane Davis & Amy Rader Olsson for their expertise and support: Vienna, Ralph Buehler & John Pucher Alan Altshuler Paris, Charlotte Halpern & Patrick Le Galès David Banister Robert Cervero Ralph Gakenheimer Jose Gomez-Ibanez 2 Transforming Urban Transport | June 2018 3 Transforming Urban Transport | June 2018 TUT-POL Introduction TUT-POL Case Study Sites Stockholm About TUT-POL Paris New York City Vienna San Francisco Seoul Los Angeles The project for Transforming Urban Transport – The Mexico City Role of Political Leadership (TUT-POL) emerged as a response to the shared realization that, “Rather than focusing on the same compared to the wide array of public options to promote sustainable urban transport, knowledge transport policy in multiple cities, and of how to achieve these aims remains sorely identifying similarities or differences lacking. Answering a call to generate actionable knowledge on process as much as outcome, the in stakeholder strategies, we took the TUT-POL project closely examined how obstacles to change were overcome in eight different opposite approach. We selected a cities that sought to introduce path-breaking range of cities each confronting very transportation policies. Each of the (8) case studies detailed how proponents of new transportation different transport challenges, and initiatives confronted a range of administrative, sought to identify common lessons fiscal, environmental, and political obstacles, using leadership skills, technical resources, negotiation learned from those actors who enabled capacities, and a range of governance styles and tactical maneuvers to successfully overcome transformative change, regardless of Case Study Sites entrenched opposition and guide good ideas from which transport issue was at stake.” the drawing board to the streets. New York City Mexico City - Diane E. Davis Los Angeles San Francisco The research design and methodology, besides USA USA USA Mexico being case-based, was also international and comparative. Although all are large and well-known Livable Streets 2008 ballot Regulatory Replacement of cities (see figure on next page), our cases exhibit initiative and referendum (Measure accommodation independent bus regional variation in terms of political systems, restructuring R) imposing a of commercial and jitney system cultures, and histories as well as time frames of institutional half-cent sales tax ridesharing starting in with Bus Rapid industrialization and democratization. The eight mandates from increase for county- 2013. Transit network on case studies further cover a range of transportation transport to transit wide transportation key roadways innovations, including those aiming to enhance from 2007. investments with (2005 – 2014). public transit systems, modify vehicle and traffic strong transit tilt. management operations, repurpose roads and other urban spaces away from their initial function as vehicle travel corridors, and turn sidewalks and city streets into more pedestrian and cycling- friendly places. This case variation allowed us to Stockholm Vienna Paris draw larger analytical insights about the conditions Seoul Austria under which certain strategies and tactics are South Korea Sweden France employed, leading to more robust findings about what leads to implementation success and whether 2003 downtown Adoption of Cumulative public Networked certain approaches are most successful in certain expressway congestion pricing transit improvements urban transport institutional or governance contexts, how, and why. demolition, bus on results of a voter and parking improvements in system overhaul, referendum following management since Paris and surrounds This summary report of TUT-POL project findings and urban stream full-scale trial in 2007. the 1990’s. since 2001. is intended for specialists of urban transportation restoration. as well as students, scholars, and practitioners of urban policy, urban planning, and urban governance. We hope that by raising their awareness of possibilities, we can encourage greater creativity in their deliberations. 4 Transforming Urban Transport | June 2018 5 Transforming Urban Transport | June 2018 TUT-POL Actionable Lessons Political Strategies and Tactics for Transforming Urban Transport How to Enable Policy Change Restructuring bus industry 1. Identify appropriate timing. While timing is a key factor for successfully adopting In what follows, we summarize the five and implementing new transportation policies, political most common political strategies used to leaders and other change advocates rarely have the advance transport priorities across our cases. chance to cherry-pick “right” moment for action. In The political strategies and corresponding many cases, good timing is about perceiving the tactics were not associated with particular political atmosphere and responding to triggering transportation policies but appeared to find opportunities, in part by using readily available deployment for various transport objectives, solutions. In fact, moments of political conflict and including charging for automobile usage, crisis can be as propitious as any other for disrupting managing parking, restructuring the bus the status quo and advancing new transportation policies. It falls upon proponents of change policies to industry, repurposing roads and other urban take advantage of the political atmosphere, triggering spaces away from their initial function as opportunities, and available solutions. vehicle travel corridors, and introducing multiple measures to achieve peak car usage. 6 Transforming Urban Transport | June 2018 7 Transforming Urban Transport | June 2018 TUT-POL Actionable Lessons TUT-POL Actionable Lessons 2. Strategically frame 3. Assess and enable 4. Integrate technical 5. Proactively assess the issues. stakeholders. expertise. policy