A master thesis from Aalborg University
The Problematization of Compact Urban Development: A case study of the municipality of Aarhus' Master Plan '09
[Problematiseringen af Kompakt byudvikling: et case-studie af Aarhus' Kommuneplan 2009]
Author(s)
Term
10. term
Publication year
2010
Submitted on
2010-06-09
Abstract
This project aims at investigating how the dominating discourses in the municipality of Aarhus’ Master Plan ’09 conforms to state-of-the-art knowledge about urban structures’ influence on travel behavior and by which mechanisms of power this knowledge has been filtered through the decision-making process. The project will further investigate the practical implications of this in regards to the goal of minimizing the amount of car traffic, influencing the modal split in favor non-motorized means of transport, and ultimately the goal of mitigating CO2-emissions from transportation. The study shows that growth, competitiveness, freedom of choice, and small-scale change are key-elements in the dominating discourses and in the filtering of knowledge about urban structures’ impact on travel behavior and the dismissal of the compact city strategy. This entails extensive greenfield development outside the existing city with neighboorhood-scale built environment characteristics, which makes it questionable whether the stated goals of minimizing the amount of transport, because metropolitan-scale variables exert stronger influence on travel behavior than local scale variables, and it also entails several road capacity expansions and opposition against restricting car traffic, which makes it questionable whether the modal split will shift in favor of mass transit and non-motorized means of transport. Ultimately this makes it questionable whether the goal of mitigating CO2-emissions from transport will be successful.
Documents
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