A new social order of parking – governance, conflict, and legitimacy in Swedish local policy

The overall aim of this research project is to study how parking policy and -management could be designed, in practice, to bridge the gap between efficiency and legitimacy.

Parking is an instrument with untapped potential in relation to urban sustainable development – but at the same time it is a controversial policy area.

Land intended for parking in Swedish municipalities occupy more space than housing, and today there are more parking spaces than there are residents in Sweden, with the number of parking spaces estimated to be three to five per car.

Parking clearly relates to issues of land use, where urban land constitutes a valuable and limited resource with several alternative uses, and the urban area occupied by parking could in many cases be used for cycle and pedestrian traffic, climate adaption, more housing, green areas, children´s play and contribute to a more attractive urban environment.

There is a consistent theme within several sectors of society that change is required to meet sustainability goals.

However, a prerequisite for such governance is the acceptance from the citizens – the basis for the legitimacy of governance.

Through both a quantitative and qualitative approach and theories about policy design, public support, and legitimacy, we study Swedish municipalities´ governance, conflicts over urban space and citizens´ views in relation to parking. It is a valuable contribution to a research field that for long has been of transport governance studies.