Green transport policies and restrictive measures against cars, including toll financing, have been met with massive protests from residents in both Europe and Norway. Such protests may be rooted in perceptions of injustice, which undermine the legitimacy and effectiveness of the measures. While we have significant knowledge about the tools that help reduce car traffic and greenhouse gas emissions, we know less about how cities, especially medium-sized Norwegian cities, can design sustainable and socially just transport systems.To study sustainable transport policy in medium-sized cities, the collaborative project SUSTAIN is based on a framework consisting of three interconnected urban governance challenges: 1.The spatial challenge – how spatial conditions in urban regions influence policy-making and residents' perceptions of transport policy, 2.The network challenge – how local authorities collaborate with public and private actors in the development of sustainable transport policies, 3.The communicative challenge – how communication strategies can increase accountability and residents' acceptance of political measures. SUSTAIN is based on case studies in Ålesund, Grenland, Haugesund, Tønsberg, and Sandefjord. These medium-sized urban areas are characterized by higher car usage and lower state support for developing sustainable transport compared to Norway's largest cities. SUSTAIN's main contribution will be to establish a knowledge base and a roadmap for sustainable and just transport in medium-sized cities. User partners will be involved through urban labs and seminars, allowing cities to learn from each other and provide researchers with important feedback throughout the project.
To achieve ambitious climate goals, strong transport policies are needed. We have much knowledge on which policy instruments contribute in reducing car use and emissions, but we know less about how cities, particularly medium-sized Norwegian cities, can design sustainable and socially just transport systems. This is needed, as measures seeking to reduce car use often have been protested by citizens, undermining their effectiveness and implementation. SUSTAIN takes a holistic and inter-disciplinary approach in applying a framework of three interconnected urban governance challenges to study transport policy: i) the spatial challenge, addressing how spatial conditions in city regions affect policy design and citizens’ perceptions of transport policies; ii) the governance-network challenge, addressing how local governments facilitate collective action when designing sustainable transport policies; and iii) the communicative challenge, addressing ways for communicative strategies to increase accountability and citizen acceptance of policy measures. SUSTAIN aims to unpack factors that shape successful (or unsuccessful) sustainable transport policies in these contexts. We ask: How can spatial-, network- and communicative challenges of urban governance be addressed to promote sustainable and just transport policies in medium-sized Norwegian cities? SUSTAIN involves case studies in Ålesund, Grenland, Haugesund, Tønsberg and Sandefjord. These medium-sized urban areas are characterised by more car use and lower state engagement in developing sustainable transport compared with Norway’s larger cities. SUSTAIN’s main impact will be to establish a knowledge base and a roadmap on sustainable and just transport in medium-sized cities. The user partners will be involved through city labs and project workshops, enabling the cities to learn from each other and giving researchers crucial inputs during the project. The project includes a PhD in political science/public administration.