Effects of re-scaling for sustainable transformation. 10 years with regional transport authorities as strategic spatial planners.

In 2012, a radical reorganisation of the planning for public transport (PT) in Sweden took place, shifting the responsibility and some of the tasks associated with PT from the local level to 21 regional transport authorities (RKM), while other tasks remained a local priority.

This project investigates the effects of 10-years of this “re-scaling” of planning for PT for the strategic planning capacity of the public sector, and its effects for the transport system to contribute to a sustainable transformation.

The re-scaling of responsibilities created a need for collaboration between regional and local actors in the strategic public planning of PT.

Through a pilot study, we have identified two major challenges for the public sector to carry out this task: 1) a need for the RKM to develop efficient governance relations with other public actors for the purpose of PT, 2) developing strategies for the RKM to handle urban-rural dynamics in PT while striving towards sustainability goals.This project has a longitudinal research design, involving both qualitative and quantitate methods.

By studying 18 regions in Sweden, the project complements previous research on PT.

It contributes with new knowledge and solutions to support sustainable development involving geographies that has not been extensively studied previously.

The impact of the project is ensured through iterative interactions with stakeholders aiming to generate transformative knowledge for regional and local planners.