Urban mobility transitions: comparing the capacity of municipal governments for transformative experimentation in Bristol, New York and Singapore
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Science, Tech, Eng and Public Policy
Abstract
Despite two decades of policy commitment to sustainable mobility/transport in cities around the world, the dominance of the private car and greenhouse gas emissions have remained remarkably stable in many urban mobility systems. Experimentation (trials, pilot and demonstration projects) has been posited as a form of governance and approach to public policy that has potential to break this institutional inertia, by allowing for opportunities to test innovations on the ground and accelerate learning processes. This PhD project compares the capacity of municipal governments, who still control the mobility system to a considerable degree, to pursue experiments that have demonstrated 'transformative' impacts (resulted in 'upscaling', policy or organisational change). The research aims to contribute to theoretical development that can explain why such capacity differ in cities, by studying the development and innovation undertaken in three case study cities (Bristol, New York and Singapore). The cities are chosen to represent different degrees of municipal autonomy, as multi-level governance (e.g. local-national government dynamics) is hypothesized to have a major influence on capacity to pursue transformative experimentation. The research examines the reconfiguration of mobility systems in Bristol, Singapore and New York over a 20-year time period, and traces trajectories of experimentation in four segments of the mobility system (bus services, cycling, street space and electric vehicles), including in-depth study of 4 experiments in each case study city to assess their long-term transformative impact. The empirical material draws on three fieldwork periods, analysis of policy documents and 66 semi-structured interviews conducted with municipal government, private sector and civil society organisations. The Research Impact Ambition is to produce analytical frameworks and empirical insights that can be used to provide practical recommendations for municipal governments on how to pursue experimentation more effectively, allowing for capacity-building assistance, as well as recommendations for funding bodies (national governments, European Union, etc).
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509577/1 | 01/10/2016 | 24/03/2022 | |||
| 1783479 | Studentship | EP/N509577/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2020 | Fanny Smeds |
| Description | Transitions away from car-dominance is one of the key debates in urban research, policy and practice today. Car-free public space, cycling and convenient public transport services are widely seen as desirable, yet the reconfiguration of our streets and transport networks has been incremental. This doctoral research examines how mobility in cities is governed through experiments, commonly understood as pilot projects, and whether experiments hold potential for transformative change in urban mobility systems, including transitions away from automobility. The research draws on a synthesis of sustainability transitions, transport studies and urban studies literature, and traces the outcomes of 108 experiments undertaken over two decades in two cities: Bristol (UK) and New York City (USA) between 1996/7 and 2016. The findings demonstrate that experiments can contribute to transforming the physical shape of urban mobility systems and the institutions involved in governing them, and can even contribute to transitions, if assessed as change in commuting patterns away from car use. The research compares the capacity of respective municipal governments, Bristol City Council and NYC city government for 'transformative experimentation', and presents an institutionalist analysis of why the transformation of Bristol's mobility system was more limited than NYC's. To unpack the problematisation of piecemeal, 'project-based' experimentation driven by competitive funding landscapes, the research compares Bristol City Council and NYC city government as two municipalities with a different degree of reliance on external funding. The stronger capacity of NYC city government can be explained by its higher degree of fiscal autonomy and mobility policy discretion, whereas Bristol City Council's capacity was limited by the centralisation of the UK state. Yet the thesis also shows that both municipalities pursued successful endogenous strategies in response to multi-scalar structure, and points to organisational and governance practices that can create 'political space' for urban actors to further transitions. |
| Exploitation Route | PhD thesis has been published, has already attracted interest, and the monograph is being turned into journal articles. Some of the PhD findings were put to use in the Horizon 2020 SUMP-PLUS project, in which the researcher was involved. The PhD findings are not directly being put into use in a subsequent ESRC/JPI funded project, where the researcher is working as a postdoctoral Research Fellow. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice,Transport |
| URL | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10138066/ |
| Description | The PhD research has evolved from the visible abstract to focus on transport policy and innovation. The researcher wrote an article in The Conversation, an online open-access magazine, regarding the barriers to innovation in public transport in the UK, based on research on UK local transport policy: https://theconversation.com/smart-transport-can-change-peoples-lives-but-austerity-is-suppressing-new-transit-tech-101767. This article got good press and was further reposted on CityMetric and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (via Commons license), with practitioners (private/public) getting in touch to follow up. Based on the PhD research, responses have also been submitted to a number of public sector policy consultations, such as the Greater London Authority's Mayor's Draft Transport Strategy and the Government's Future of Mobility Strategy under the Industrial Strategy. Further policy impact: - invited chapter on achieving carbon-neutrality by 2030, for a report on the future of public services produced by the Fabian Society/Foundation for European Progressive Studies - invited presentation at University of Bristol on PhD research on low-carbon mobility innovation in Bristol, at an event featuring local authority decision-makers and entrepreneurs - interviewed as an expert to inform development of the European Union's innovation accelerator Climate KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) - selected as Early-Career Research (ESR) Fellow for the ENERGY-SHIFTS project, currently assisting with a Horizon Scanning exercise to inform future energy research funding as part of the European Commission's Horizon Europe programme Under this Studentship, a side project to the PhD has been developed, focusing on night-time transport provision in London. A report by the researcher (and colleagues) on transport provision for night-time workers in London was cited by the Greater London Authority's Night Time Commission, in its recent report from January 2019: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/ntc_report_online.pdf, which was developed further into a public-facing project in partnership with the Royal College of Nursing, funded by a UCL Beacon Bursary for Public Engagement (£2000). |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice,Transport |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Input to the UK Department for Transport's call for evidence on its Future of Mobility strategy, 2018. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Interviewed as expert on urban climate change policy innovation by EIT Climate-KIC, October 2019. |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or Improved professional practice |
| Description | Invited input into US Department of Transportation's Request for Information on Transportation Equity Data, June 2021. |
| Geographic Reach | North America |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Publication cited in Greater London Authority's night-time economy strategy |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or Improved professional practice |
| Description | Beacon Bursary, UCL Public Engagement Unit |
| Amount | £2,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2018 |
| End | 07/2019 |
| Description | Article in The Conversation about local transport innovation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Think piece based on preliminary PhD research findings, syndicated in a number of industry magazines and other online media. Smeds, E. (2018). Smart transport can change people's lives - but austerity is suppressing new transit tech. The Conversation, 4 September 2019. [Syndicated by CityMetric, Logistics & Transport Focus (March 2019, 21(3), pp.36-37)] |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/smart-transport-can-change-peoples-lives-but-austerity-is-suppressing-ne... |
| Description | Article in the Conversation on night-time transport |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Robin, E., Smeds, E. and McArthur, J. (2017). Nurses, drivers and delivery people: meet the real starts of the night time economy. The Conversation, 16 October 2017. Available online at: https://theconversation.com/nurses-drivers-and-delivery-people-meet-the-real-stars-of-the-night-time-economy-85340. [Syndicated by CityMetric]. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/nurses-drivers-and-delivery-people-meet-the-real-stars-of-the-night-time... |
| Description | Online media article in The Conversation about public transport funding |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | McArthur, J., Smeds, E. and Singerman Ray, R. (2020). Coronavirus showed the way cities fund public transport is broken - here's how it needs to change. The Conversation, 8 September 2020. Available online at: https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-showed-the-way-cities-fund-public-transport-is-broken-heres-how-it-needs-to-change-145136. [Syndicated by Cities Today, Architecture & Design, and The Independent] |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-showed-the-way-cities-fund-public-transport-is-broken-heres-... |
| Description | Transitions to Connected Places seminar, University of Bristol |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presented PhD findings on transport policy in Bristol to local politicians and government officers, third sector and private sector organisations. Transitions towards Connected Places Seminar, May 2019, University of Bristol, Bristol (UK). Invited oral presentation, Urban mobility transition in Bristol? Tracing the long-term impact of pilot projects from 1996-2017. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |