Research, Adapt, Innovate: What is the process of transition to a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan in Riga and why is this important for the city and the metropolitan area of it?
Author
Potihonins, Mihails
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-06-04
Pages
81
Abstract
Europæiske byer bevæger sig væk fra bilcentreret planlægning mod bæredygtig bymobilitet. Selvom byer definerer og måler bæredygtighed forskelligt, findes der fælles tilgange som Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) – en byomfattende plan for bæredygtig transport – der formidles på EU-niveau. Implementeringen er dog udfordret af bureaukrati, mangelfuld kommunikation, uensartede politiske visioner samt begrænset teori og utilstrækkelig brug af værktøjer til at måle mobilitet. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan Riga overgår til en SUMP, og hvordan processen kan håndteres fremover. Der bygges en analytisk ramme ved at gennemgå europæiske planlægningsdokumenter og projekter samt ved at anvende en fler-niveautilgang til socio-tekniske forandringer – en måde at forstå, hvordan teknologi, institutioner og hverdagspraksisser spiller sammen på forskellige niveauer. Riga fungerer som casestudie for at vurdere status for byens system til at følge og vurdere mobilitet under denne overgang. Undersøgelsen identificerer barrierer og muligheder gennem dokumentanalyse, en kort statistisk oversigt og to e-mail-interviews med aktører i planlægningsprocessen. Analysen fokuserer især på dokumenter fra den langsigtede plan (til 2030) og de mellemlange perioder (2014–2020 og 2019–2025). På baggrund af resultaterne præsenterer rapporten anbefalinger til Riga Kommune om, hvordan monitoreringen af politik for bæredygtig bymobilitet kan styrkes, sammen med de potentielle gevinster, der diskuteres i rapporten.
European cities are shifting from car‑centered planning toward sustainable urban mobility. While cities define and measure sustainability in different ways, shared approaches such as the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP)—a citywide plan for sustainable transport—are promoted at the EU level. Implementation is difficult, however, due to bureaucracy, weak communication, fragmented political visions, and limited theory and use of tools to measure mobility. This thesis examines how Riga is transitioning to a SUMP and how the process can be managed in the future. It builds an analytical framework by reviewing European planning documents and projects and by using a multi‑level perspective on socio‑technical change—an approach that looks at how technologies, institutions, and everyday practices interact across different levels. Riga is used as a case study to assess the current state of the city’s system for tracking and evaluating mobility during the transition. Obstacles and opportunities are examined through document analysis, a brief statistical overview, and two email interviews with actors involved in the planning process. The analysis focuses mainly on documents from the long‑term plan (to 2030) and the medium‑term periods (2014–2020 and 2019–2025). Based on the results, the report offers recommendations to Riga Municipality on how to improve the monitoring of sustainable urban mobility policy, along with the potential benefits discussed in the report.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Keywords
sustainable urban mobility planning ; Riga municipality ; European mobility management ; socio-technical regime transition ; multi-level perspective on mobility planning ; SUMP ; policy ; sustainable urban mobility planning ; Riga municipality ; European mobility management ; ocio-technical regime transition ; multi-level perspective on mobility planning ; SUMP ; policy
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