The Impact of Changed Structural Conditions on Regional Sustainable Mobility Planning in Norway

Abstract

A primary impediment in achieving sustainable mobility objectives is the multi-level and cross-sectoral nature of land-use and transport planning. This paper investigates whether changes in structural conditions have affected the ability of Norwegian regional authorities to succeed in sustainable mobility planning. The effects of the changes were minor, as the national government acted in ways that undermined the power of regional authorities. By analysing the fine-grained inter-agency dynamics, this study contributes richer and more nuanced theoretical understandings of the challenges involved in sustainable transport planning. The new insights could assist discussions in many countries on how land-use and transport planning can be organized to facilitate more sustainable mobility patterns.

Keywords:

• Regional level
• land use and transport planning
• coordination and steering
• policy-integration
• sustainable mobility

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the anonymous referees of Planning Theory & Practice, as well as the editors, for valuable comments on previous versions of the article.