Transport Planning and Governance in Times of Crisis

Kurzfassung

The COVID-19 pandemic has been both a challenge and an opportunity for urban mobility. It has posed questions about sustainable spatial development, mobility, and social participation in a new way and, by demanding quick solutions, has put the working capacity of the administration and its resilience to the test. Moreover, the crisis is perceived as an opportunity and a window of opportunity to experiment with new styles of transport planning as in the case of provisional infrastructures such as pop-up bicycle infrastructure and temporary pedestrian zones. Our study analyses under which conditions and to which degree administrative actions take place in times of the COVID-19 crisis and which challenges and requirements arise for urban and transport planning. The COVID-19 pandemic and the administrative processes of urban and transport planning that have changed, serve as a case study for crisis adaptation. In a mixed-method-study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 experts from urban and transport planning, political decision-makers, civil society, private and public mobility providers in four urban areas in Germany as well as supra-national experts. Based on this, a questionnaire survey among decision makers in German municipalities in all 16 federal states was conducted (n=370). First results show that in many cases the pop-up infrastructures were introduced only temporarily in the summer of 2020. In some cities, however, the temporary redesigns became permanent changes. In Berlin, for example, temporary play streets were transformed into a permanent pedestrian zone. This shows that the provisional tools are a fitting extension of classic urban planning instruments for the promotion of active mobility. At the same time, the study also makes clear that the spatial conditions of cities are very different and important prerequisites. Cities with limited public space also find it more difficult to redistribute traffic areas.