Abstract

This licentiate thesis consists of two free-standing papers and a linking essay that links the papers by articulating an overall research aim and common theoretical background. The research aim is kept general and focuses on the role public transport can play in sustainable development. The work aims to contribute to a better understanding of why people do or do not choose to use public transport, to grasp the ideas/attitudes underlying the decisions made regarding the future of public transport, and to make suggestions for solving problems that may arise in public transport. The thesis has three theoretical bases: transport research, cultural theory, and sustainable development. Transport research is the starting point of the work, and I outline a gap in it that needs to be filled. This gap is filled by drawing on cultural theory connected to geographic terms. Sustainability discourses, on one hand, legitimate the work’s importance but also further stimulate the linking essay. Methodologically, the thesis can be placed in the hermeneutic tradition. Due to the work’s particular alignment with cultural theory, cultural relativism is supported. In addition, the interdisciplinary and multi-methodical approach can be explained by the work’s cultural focus. Against this background, the research concluded that, as a business, public transport has difficulties achieving the vaguely formulated ideological goals set for it at the national political level. As well, citizens have been marginalised in the goal-setting process. Citizen empowerment and a clearer formulation of the ideological goals are needed. Furthermore, public transport seems to be poorly rooted in society, and the present research found subregional differences that might be culturally based or explainable. The fact that public transport is poorly rooted in society can partially be explained by the marginalisation of citizens from decision making. Cultural differences in and between subregions should thus be taken into account by a farther-reaching customer perspective that acknowledges the importance of subregions. In conclusion, one should be sceptical as to public transport’s role in sustainable development. This pessimism arises from the technological step backward people would have to take in changing their main mode of transportation. Therefore, more all-embracing technical innovations are needed in the transport sector.  

Abstract

This thesis fills a gap in contemporary transport research and planning as it introduces perceived accessibility as a theoretical and methodological concept for incorporating the individual dimension of accessibility in current practice. Perceived accessibility is defined as “how easy it is to live a satisfactory life with the help of the transport system”, and is proposed as a complement to objective measures and understandings of accessibility. The thesis includes three studies. Study I developed a measure for capturing perceived accessibility with a specific transport mode, based on theories and conceptualizations of accessibility. Study II looked at determinants of perceived accessibility, and Study III further developed the measure of perceived accessibility to include actual travel (combinations of transport modes), and explored the relation between perceived accessibility and objectively measured accessibility for the same geographical area in Sweden. In all, the thesis provides background ideas and theory on perceived accessibility, and a validated quantitative approach to capturing perceived accessibility in day-to-day travel. Empirical findings further support the complementary nature of the approach and results indicate that assessments of perceived accessibility may be helpful in determining where to direct interventions aiming at improving accessibility by evaluating different transport modes or different segments of individuals. The method developed for capturing perceived accessibility shows merit in contributing to further theory development on accessibility by its ability to identify determinants of perceived accessibility and its potential in identifying segments of the population that experience significantly lower accessibility than other groups, and thus are at risk of experiencing social exclusion or suffer from transport disadvantage. This thesis introduces perceived accessibility as a theoretical and methodological concept for including the individual dimension of accessibility in transport research and planning. Perceived accessibility is defined as “how easy it is to live a satisfactory life with the help of the transport system”, and as it captures individual experiences and abilities, it is proposed as a complement to objective measures and understandings of accessibility. The thesis includes three studies. Study I developed a measure for capturing perceived accessibility with a specific transport mode, based on theories and conceptualizations of accessibility. Study II looked at determinants of perceived accessibility, and Study III further developed the measure of perceived accessibility to include actual travel (combinations of transport modes), and explored the relation between perceived accessibility and objectively measured accessibility for the same geographical area in Sweden. In all, the thesis provides background ideas and theory on perceived accessibility, a validated quantitative approach to capturing perceived accessibility in day-to-day travel, and empirical findings supporting the complementary nature of the approach and its potential to differentiate between individuals. Mistra SAMS (Sustainable Accessibility and Mobility Services)

Abstract

It has been argued that for the management of complex issues such as sustainability, which transcend traditional policy sectors and require coordination between several different interests and actors, policymaking depends upon collaboration and integration processes between different sectors and tiers of government. The overall aim of this thesis is therefore to study how and why (or why not) policy integration processes are being developed in regional policymaking and what this means for the achievement of sustainable transport. The thesis consists of two separate qualitative case studies of policymaking in two Swedish regions, one representing a least likely case and the other a most likely case of policy integration. The focus has been on the organizational actors involved in policymaking processes for the regional transport system. For the general discussion the theoretical framework of policy integration, complemented by the analytical concepts of policy logics, organizational identities and boundary object are used. The findings are presented in four articles. An overall conclusion is that policy integration processes do not necessarily result in policy for sustainable transport. If policy integration becomes a goal in itself and the same as joint policy, it risks neglecting sustainable values and becoming the smallest common denominator that a number of actors can agree on. For developing sustainable transport solutions, collaboration for the coordination of policy may be beneficial, but the aim of such processes should not be joint policy. För att beslut och riktlinjer ska kunna utformas så att de leder till lösningar av komplexa frågor, såsom hållbar utveckling, anses de behöva hanteras i samverkan mellan flertalet berörda sektorer och beslutsfattande nivåer. Det är dessa samverkansprocesser, beskrivna som integration under policy processer, som den här avhandlingen analyserar. Syftet är att studera om och hur integrerade regionala policyprocesser förekommer, hur de utvecklas samt deras betydelse för att åstadkomma ett hållbarare transportsystem. Detta undersöks genom kvalitativa fallstudier av två olika svenska regioner som representerar ett minst och ett mest troligt fall av integration av policy. Fallstudierna görs i regionerna Stockholms län och Västra Götalands län. Dessa två fall representerar dessutom två helt olika typer av regionala organisationer, vilket gör att de utgör underlag till, inte bara en diskussion om hållbara transporter, utan också om utvecklingen av den svenska regionala förvaltningsnivån. För analys används teori kring integration av policy och tre huvudsakliga analytiska begreppsansatser: policylogiker, organisationsidentiteter och gränsobjekt. Resultaten presenteras i fyra separata artiklar och dessa diskuteras tillsammans i den inledande kappan. I studien konstateras att integration av policysektorer och förvaltningsnivåer inte nödvändigtvis leder till transportlösningar som är mer hållbara. Beslut om en gemensam policy över sektorer och nivåer riskerar bli urvattnad eftersom det är många aktörer som ska komma överens. Samverkan för att samordna olika mål och intressen visar sig i huvudsak vara viktigt för att styra mot ett hållbart transportsystem, men det innebär inte att gemensam policy bör vara målet. Därutöver belyser studien hur olika organisationsformer på regional nivå påverkar regionala beslutsprocesser och hanteringen av hållbar transportutveckling.