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JPIURBAN-Urban Europe

Capacities for Resilient and Inclusive Urban Public Transport Infrastructure and Built Environment

Alternative title: CARIN_PT

Awarded: NOK 4.0 mill.

CARIN_PT will map out issues related to socially-just transitions towards higher uptake of public transport (PT) and propose solutions to increase inclusive built environments. It does so by investigating topics: how people practice and experience PT and built environment and how decision-making effects just outcomes. Questions regarding who benefits (distribution), whose needs are considered (recognition), and who gets to decide and how (procedure) will be posed. CARIN_PT will advance inclusive transitions through a dual perspective on households and urban policy. It will examine inequalities in needs, capabilities, decision-making, accessibility and everyday mobility with regard to the interlinking of PT and built environment. The project will co-produce understandings of how sustainability and accessibility can be strengthened through inclusive transition processes. In close collaboration with policymakers and mobility service providers, the project will consider different forms of PT and built environments in Tallinn (Estonia), the Flemish cities (Belgium), Stockholm (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway). Ultimately, CARIN_PT aims to bring about a shift in how PT policies and services at the urban scale are developed, implemented and delivered, so that transition pathways are not only accelerated but also become as inclusive as possible. The project will use a combined quantitative-qualitative assessment by linking spatial locations, travel behavior, preferences, urban agreements and policy-packaging. An assessment of acceptable and effective measures, by identifying different groups and their opportunities, will inform the recommendation stage. This part will also address the process of adopting such measures in city-networks. In sum, this project will assess the following: -PT practices and experiences, -effectiveness of measures from a built environment perspective, -potential impact across different groups in light of needs, attitudes and political processes.

Public transport (PT) is an essential urban infrastructure. Attempts to accelerate PT uptake are based on accruing environmental benefits and enhancing economic viability. It remains unclear how socially just these attempts and their outcomes are in terms of who benefits (distribution), whose needs are considered (recognition), who decides and how (participation). The close relationship between the built environment and uptake of PT is poorly understood. The proposed research will advance capacity building and inclusive transitions on the urban scale through a dual perspective on PT and built environment. It will examine inequalities in terms of needs, capabilities, decision-making and accessibility. It will also analyse how and to what extent PT and built environment policies take distribution, participation and recognition dimensions into account. It will co-produce understandings on how urban planning goals regarding resilience can be strengthened through inclusive processes. In close collaboration with policy-makers and service providers, the project will consider micromobility, fare structures, flexible on-demand PT and transit-oriented development (TOD) in the urban regions of Tallinn (Estonia), the Flemish cities (Belgium), Stockholm (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway). The project aims to bring about a shift in how mobility policies and services are developed, implemented and delivered so that urban built environments and PT become integrated and inclusive.

Funding scheme:

JPIURBAN-Urban Europe