A Paradigm Shift in European Transport and Urban Planning -Fact or Fable?

Abstract

The grand challenges such as global warming, global markets, energy supply, ageing population, security, scarcity of financial resources and also new technologies necessitate new ways of system -level thinking, working and making decisions within transport systems. The potential measures or innovations to tackle the grand challenges in the transport sector are often systemic. System innovations are co-evolution processes, which involve technological changes, but require changes also in social, cultural, economic and legal dimensions. Because existing system is rsquo;locked in’ at multiple dimensions, it is stable and not easy to change, e.g. new technologies are not easily taken up. There are already noticeable signs of new ways of thinking and working or even paradigm shifts in transport and urban planning in many European countries, necessitated by the grand challenges. Some of the changes have even taken place. Based on theoretical approaches of transport planning and empirical material on policy documents and survey to European transport experts, this paper explores the current state-of-the art in strategic European transport and urban planning. Further, it discusses whether a paradigm shift in strategic planning is taking place and if so, which are the main areas of change and the main drivers.