Urbanisation, increasing transport demands, and car-dependent mobility patterns constitute severe challenges for cities that aim to ensure sustainable transport systems and liveable urban environments in the future. Additionally, many cities experience a lack of integration not only between different transport modes, but also between the key actors who are responsible for strategic planning and coordination. Key actors within transport planning should collectively discuss and address how to develop sustainable transport futures.
Through a case study of coordination between public transport companies in the Greater Copenhagen Area the aim of this thesis is to investigate the opportunities and challenges regarding the use of backcasting to create a long-term vision in order to contribute to improving coordination. To do so, we have constructed an example of a backcasting scenario containing a normative vision and the measures to reach that vision. Through the perspectives of Actor-Network Theory we have focused on the needed actor configurations and potential controversies related to each measure when presenting the scenario to key actors. This way backcasting worked as an interessement device by encouraging discussions with key actors on their identities and roles in developing long-term visions and improving coordination.
Based on these discussions, we suggest that including key actors as active participants in a participatory backcasting study can contribute to improving coordination across actors within transport planning in cities. Additionally, we suggest that identifying and describing actor configurations is a useful approach to specifically address aspects of coordination when undertaking a backcasting study.