Strategic participation for sustainable transport

Strategic participation for sustainable transportLake Sagaris, MSc., PhD (c) Planning and Community DevelopmentCiudad Viva, Santiago, Chile.Transforming Transportation, Washington 2012Overcoming the challenges of integrating urban transportation systems

The University of Life: It started with a march and...

Ciudad Viva (Living City) was born in the fight of 25 community organizations against a major urban highway concession, Chiles first, the Costanera Norte (1996-2000). We saved our neighbourhoods from destruction and voted to continue with new proposals.

...became citizen-led planning.

Citizens and government

celebrating pro-cycling

roundtable, Santiago 2007-

2010.

Practical, real-world

experience and the reflection

and theoretical development of MSc. and PhD. studies (urban

planning)

Whats at stake?

Sustainable transport matters

Going from this

to some version of this...

New living systems require: A new equation: Citizens x (widespread understanding + articulatedemand) = political will to change.

Academic Academic knowledge: knowledge:

bridging across bridging across silossilos

Experiential Experiential knowledge: knowledge:

Recognition of Recognition of value addedvalue added

Participatory institutions for Participatory institutions for bridging: sustainable transport bridging: sustainable transport

equivalent of Chambers of equivalent of Chambers of Commerce.Commerce.

THE (FATAL) ATTRACTIONS OF AUTOMOBILITY...

100 years, billions of dollars in advertising

Main product (after mortgages) in the financial industry.

For users, cars (like cigarettes) promise freedom: door-to-door service, user-defined timing, ability to

carry cargo (especially children and groceries)

HOW CAN WE CURB THE CAR?

Cycling advocacy exploding worldwide...

Missing to date:Citizens movements and advocacy in

favour of all sustainable transport, including public transport and BRT.

We wont get more sustainable cities without them...

Practicalities = Policies

Strategic participation1. Fundamental 1: Making PARTICIPATION

strategic2. Fundamental 2: POLICY STREAMS AND

ENTREPRENEURS3. Fundamental 3: POLICY TRANSPLANTS4. Planning and implementation: starting from

people5. Putting it together, sustainable transport as

part of new systems for living

Fundamental 1: Strategic participation

Well-planned, well-integrated participation builds connections among disparate groups and players, tuning individual voices by providing them with

information and incentives to sing out, but above all connecting them, so they function with all the

power, inspiration and effectiveness of a well-trained choir.

Partners Opponents

FansOutsiders

positive negativeAttitude on the issue

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Co-operate Involve

Utilise Inform

Mobilizing ecologies of actors(or policy entrepreneurs)

Source: Tom Godefrooij, I-CE/Brabant

planners, The Netherlands

TIME is an issue: the one-two rule of policy innovation20- to 30-year cycle for significant policy change,

roughly four stages.

1.Small innovations, often erroneous and/or imperfect

2.Contagion: problem-solution-crisis

3. Sexy city, crisis, or other catalyst

4.Exponential growth, often from one-city level to national policy

The one-two rule: maintain the movement 2/3

Experts (technical staff, academics, NGOs, operators, others)

The one-two rule: create pros, to counter the contras 3/3

CREDIBILITY DEPENDS ON

KnowledgeSkills

ConnectionsIndependence

Individuals are good, organizations betterContinuity beyond government turnover

Independent monitoring and evaluation that other people value, credibility

Instant data, which can replace, supplement or complement expensive studies

Optimal conditions for successful pilots

Accumulate: Skills, knowledge, capacity, relationships, networks.

Fundamental 2: Policy streams and entrepreneurs

Policy not rational-technicalReflects framingand agendasetting(Kingdon)

Connecting PROBLEM and POLICY streamsHow can we resolve Whos asking?

Congestion, road safety City and regional governments, citizens

Air pollution Governments at all levels, especially regional (metropolitan), CSOs, health actors

Obesity/sedentarism, non-communicable diseases, social determinants of health

Governments, WHO (urban, transport and education systems highly relevant)

Inclusion: access to the citys benefits (jobs, culture, education, etc.)

International agencies, policy makers, individuals, families andneighbourhoods

Improvement to public spaces, children Cities, neighbourhoods, people, especially children (nowhere to play), public health especially US)

Social justice -- human, social, economic, environmental rights

Women, disabled, elderly, children, full inclusion -- international agencies, policymakers, citizens.

Global warming/climate change, especially heat island, transport energy

International agencies, lead cities, environmental and other citizens groups

Peak oil Public policy makers, leading edge academics and thinkers (business, media)

Loss of biodiversity International agencies, environmental groups, biologists

Water quality International agencies, policy makers, lead cities, environmental and other citizens groups

Fundamental 3: Getting the most out of policy transplants

Leverage pointsWhere change happens

Level of action Formal relations Informal practices

Constitutional level (ground rules)

Legal systems Value orientations

Policy area level (relations between governmental bodies)

Formal regulations Informal codes

Operation level (daily activities)

Procedures

De Jong et al. The Theory and Practice of Institutional Transformation

Roles

Who does the leveraging? Our policy entrepreneurs (Kingdon), mavens, connectors (Gladwell and others), owners

Passive recipients vs...

Active policyentrepreneurs

A specific kind of communication needed

You have all these allies sitting out there on your buses, walking or riding alongside on their bikes, how to bring them on-board?

Communication

FORMAL SPACES

LARGE AND SMALL

LARGE FORMAL SPACES

SMALL GROUPS, FORMAL

AND INFORMAL SPACES

Communication-participation spectrum

4. Planning and implementation: starting with the right people (the choir director)

Bringing people together: deliberationSmall groups and large

Ongoing and one-off

Multiple feedback mechanisms

Genuine integration: of people into processes, of walking and cycling into public transport, of different transport layers within the city, with respect for public spaces.

Dont call a vet when you need a doctor...Not communications, marketing, sociology...

We need experts in URBAN SYSTEMS (the spatial dimension) and PEOPLE. INTERACTIONS and RELATIONSHIPS. DIVERSITY. INCLUSION. EMPOWERMENT.

Wholistic, bridge-builders, strong participatory skills. Most common in NGOs and CSOs (civil society organizations), adult education, some health, urban planners (north), anthropologists, human geographers, mediation (law, womens studies).

Civil society actors KEYExtensive networking, diverse relationships (internal, external), multiple skills.Horizontal relationships: governments set rules and give orders, the private sector sells, civil society educates and invites people to change.

Low-risk experimentation, small-scale to mid- to large.

CREDIBLE, autonomous, transparent, communicate

Outsiders, effective innovators (Jane Jacobs: innovation comes from outside the system).

All over the world...

Global CSOs sowing grassroots change: bottom up, but also middle out, and reaching through the top, down. Interface for Cycling Expertise, ITDP, Embarq...

5. Putting it together...by focusing on people

Remember that sustainable transportis the answer: what if the question is how to live happier, healthier, more socially inclusive lives?

WHO - Public health: new priorities everywhere

Social determinants of health

Obesity epidemic, under- and over-nutrition

Mainstreaming health into every policy areaWORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, HEALTH NGOS AND HEALTH AUTHORITIES, EG. KENYA, CHILE,

INDIA, US, CANADA.

Obesity epidemic, under-and over-nutritionThe main challenge in public health for the 21st century, in both developed and developing countries

Associated with high-calorie, low-nutrient foods

And car-based urban (not only transport) systems.

EG. THE ACTIVE LIVING CENTER, US, FINANCING CIVIL SOCIETY AND RESEARCH, PUBLISHING URBAN DESIGN

AND OTHER MANUALS TO FIGHT THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC.

ACTIVE LIVINGRESOURCE CENTER

OVERWEIGHT & OBESE ADULTS

HEALTHY ADULTS

62 %38%

ACTIVE LIVINGRESOURCE CENTER

OBESITY RATES IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1989

LESS THAN 10% OBESE

10-14% OBESE

15-20% OBESE

MORE THAN 20% OBESE

NO DATA

ACTIVE LIVINGRESOURCE CENTER

OBESITY R