Fairness and the sufficiency turn in urban transport

This commentary considers the research and policy implications of applying the sufficiency principle to urban transport. It explores “enoughness” against a backdrop of increasing carbon emissions in the transport sector, inevitable ceilings for resource intense movement, and the essential requirement of providing access to opportunities in cities. Given the relative lack of progress, increasingly polarizing political debate and urgent requirement for change, this commentary advocates for a more direct and open engagement with a sufficiency turn in urban transport. Most importantly, fundamental questions about a fair distribution of remaining emissions and finite street space within the transport sector must be considered. This engagement can build on the emerging field of transport equity while joining up social justice perspectives of the “here and now” with sustainability justice recognising global society, future generations, and nature. While acknowledging the political risks of embracing sufficiency in urban transport, this commentary builds on this rationale and directly engages with the idea of establishing budgets for transport-related carbon emissions and space consumption. It encourages further exploration and presents critical questions for future research and policy practice based on Martens et al.’s (Martens et al., 2019) three transport equity components of considering mobility benefits and burdens, the disaggregation of social groups, and determining the distribution principle

Cities and energy:urban morphology and residential heat-energy demand

Our aim is better understanding of the theoretical heat-energy demand of different types of urban form at a scale of 500 m × 500 m. The empirical basis of this study includes samples of dominant residential building typologies identified for Paris, London, Berlin, and Istanbul. In addition, archetypal idealised samples were created for each type through an analysis of their built form parameters and the removal of unwanted ‘invasive’ morphologies. The digital elevation models of these real and idealised samples were run through a simulation that modelled solar gains and building surface energy losses to estimate heat-energy demand. In addition to investigating the effect of macroscale morphological parameters, microscale design parameters, such as U-values and glazing ratios, as well as climatic effects were analysed. The theoretical results of this study suggest that urban-morphology-induced heat-energy efficiency is significant and can lead to a difference in heat-energy demand of up to a factor of six. Compact and tall building types were found to have the greatest heat-energy efficiency at the neighbourhood scale while detached housing was found to have the lowest

The integrated ideal in urban governance: compact city strategies and the case of integrating urban planning, city design and transport policy in London and Berlin

This thesis investigates how objectives of integrating urban planning, city design and transport policies have been pursued in key case study cities as part of a compact city agenda since the early 1990s. Focusing on the underlying institutional arrangements, it examines how urban policymakers, professionals and stakeholders have worked across disciplinary silos, geographic scales and different time horizons to facilitate more compact and connected urban development. The thesis draws on empirical evidence from two critical cases, London and Berlin, established through a mixed method approach of expert interviews, examination of policy and planning documents, and review of key literature. Four main groups of integration mechanisms were identified and analysed: those related to (1) governance structures, (2) processes of planning and policymaking, (3) more specific instruments, and (4) enabling conditions. Based on having identified converging trends as part of the institutional changes that facilitated planning and policy integration in the case study cities, this thesis presents three main findings. First, rather than building on either more hierarchical or networked forms of integration, integrative outcomes are linked to a hybrid model of integration that combines hierarchy and networks. Second, while institutional change itself can lead to greater integration, continuous adjustment of related mechanisms is more effective in achieving this than disruptive, one-off ‘integration fixes’. Third, integrated governance facilitating compact urban growth represents a form of privileged integration, which centrally involves and even relies on the prioritisation of certain links between sectoral policy and geographic scales over others. Integrating urban planning, city design and transport policy at the city and metropolitan level, this thesis concludes, is essentially a prioritisation, which the compact city model implies and helps to justify

Urban planning and transport policy integration: the role of governance hierarchies and networks in London and Berlin

This article investigates how the integration of urban planning and transport policies has been pursued in key case study cities since the early 1990s. Focusing on the underlying institutional arrangements, it examines how urban policymakers, professionals, and stakeholders have worked across disciplinary silos, geographic scales, and different time horizons. The article draws on expert interviews, examination of policy and planning documents, and review of key literature from 2 cities, London and Berlin. The article presents 2 main findings. First, it identifies converging trends as part of the institutional changes that facilitated planning and policy integration. Second, it argues that rather than building on either more hierarchical or networked forms of integration, planning and policy integration are linked to a hybrid model that combines hierarchy and networks

National transport policy and cities: key policy interventions to drive compact and connected urban growth

This paper provides a foundation for national transport policy-makers to begin pragmatic but ambitious conversations about actions they can take to make cities more accessible

Cities and the governance of transport interfaces: Ethiopia’s new rail systems

This paper investigates the governance of transport infrastructure interfaces. These are connection or touching points that bring together different city systems, technical characteristics and governance regimes. The empirical evidence comes from Ethiopia's new rail systems and is based on experiences in two cities, the capital Addis Ababa and the second largest city Dire Dawa. The techno-spatial and organisational boundaries that define infrastructure interfaces are under-researched across disciplines. Yet it is at these hotspots of urban governance where many critical questions for cities arise: who governs, what to prioritise, how to coordinate? Based on a multiple case study approach, this paper combines socio-spatial analysis with institutional analysis of infrastructure governance. The findings include the identification of highly centralised and hierarchical governance and coordination dynamics, as well as the critical role of a new bureaucracy (the Ethiopian Railway Corporation) structured around core railway engineering competence rather than urban transport and development expertise. More generally, it is a techno-political alliance in Ethiopia which shapes urban development and the rollout of infrastructure at an unprecedented speed and scale

New urban governance: a review of current themes and future priorities

This review paper explores some of the key concepts, trends and approaches in contemporary urban governance research. Based on a horizon scan of recent literature and a survey of local government officials it provides a big picture on the topic and identifies areas for future research. Bridging the gap between the scholarly research focus and the perceptions and requirements of city administrators represents a major challenge for the field. Furthermore, because global and comparative research on urban governance is confronted with an absence of systematically collected, comparable data, the paper argues that future efforts will require experimenting with methodologies that can generate new empirical insights