M. te Brömmelstroet

Editorial: The role of transport-related models in urban planning practice

The ways of dealing with transport issues in daily urban planning practice are facing several transitions worldwide: (1) from classical ‘predict and provide’ and later ‘predict and prevent’ (Marvin and Guy, 1999; Owens, 1995) to a more balanced view on mobility and accessibility (Banister, 2008); (2) from focusing on transport as a single issue to a more holistic view of mobility in relation to a wide range of issues (Bertolini et al., 2008); (3) from searching for means for a given goal (e.g. solving congestion) to being one of the subjects in the goal-seeking process; and (4) from a relatively simple institutional context to a complex one with multiple participating stakeholders, holding multiple values and having multiple conflicting goals (Willson, 2001). All these transitions set new requirements on transport knowledge to support planning: different types of knowledge are needed (Handy, 2008; Healey, 2007, pp. 235–263), but just as importantly, new ways of generating and employing knowledge. In this respect, a particularly problematic, and yet crucial, transport knowledge domain is that represented by computer-based planning support systems (PSS).

Accessibility is gold, mobility is not: a proposal for the improvement of Dutch transport-related cost-benefit analysis

Cost—benefit analysis (CBA) has become a key instrument for the evaluation of transport planning policies and projects in the Netherlands. Currently, this instrument is also used to evaluate integrated land-use and transport strategies. In Dutch transport-related CBA the conceptualisation of benefits is directly related to a narrow understanding of mobility. In this paper we argue that this understanding introduces an undesirable bias in transport planning that favours mobility-enhancing projects. We argue that the benefit to society of contemporary transport planning practice is no longer the improvement of mobility, but the improvement of accessibility. Therefore, Dutch CBA should acknowledge this in its calculations and shift from a mobility focus towards an accessibility orientation. We use a hypothetical illustration to show what the added value of an accessibility orientation can be. It facilitates a mindset where new and more sustainable directions for improving the competitiveness of regions are easier to find.

Towards a more effective EIA in transport planning: a literature review to derive interventions and mechanisms to improve knowledge integration

A set of process-related barriers negatively determines the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in transport planning. Recent research highlights the unstructured stakeholder involvement and inefficient public participation in earlier phases of EIA as key bottlenecks. While the academic literature has produced promising theories for addressing these barriers, they have rarely been translated into solutions applicable and testable in practice. In order to bridge this theory–practice gap, we present a systematic literature review of interventions and mechanisms aimed at facilitating the integration of different sources and types of knowledge during the scoping phase of EIA. This review explores if and how interventions and mechanisms have been conducted in practice; if and why they worked or did not work and how relevant they are for EIA in transport planning. Based on this review, we distil a set of three specific interventions and trigger mechanisms applicable in the context of EIA in transport planning.

An assessment of interventions for improving communication and trust in cost benefit analysis processes

Evaluation literature suggests that assessments of integrated transport plans should be an inclusive dialogue, for which it is crucial that participants communicate with and trust each other. However, cost benefit analysis (CBA) of integrated transport plans is often characterized by communication deficits and distrust among plan owners and evaluators. A literature review suggested five communication and trust-building interventions and related mechanisms that might improve this. In this paper, we have tested the efficacy of these five communication and trust-building interventions by applying them in an experiential study with two sequential cases, representing ‘close to real’ situations. The research aimed to develop field-tested knowledge to address the aforementioned class of CBA process problems. The research demonstrated how the five interventions could facilitate an exchange of information, knowledge and experiences, which – according to the participants – will increase the effectiveness of the CBA. Furthermore, it illustrated that a communication and trust-building strategy such as the one tested might be a useful complement to CBA practices, if adapted to the characteristics of the specific assessment process and planning context.