In this article, published in the Handbuch Verkehrspolitik (Handbook of Transport Policy), Tobias Escher, Laura Mark and Katharina Holec summarise the current state of research on the impact of local public participation on the transport transition.
Summary
Local authorities are increasingly turning to consultative forms of public participation when planning for the mobility transition. The aim is to increase public acceptance of these measures, which are often the subject of heated debate, and to improve planning through new ideas. However, as the article explains, there is as yet little empirical evidence to support this. Research to date shows that, whilst these hopes can at least be partially realised, this depends on an interplay of factors that is not yet fully understood.
Results
- Public institutions are increasingly relying on public participation in mobility planning. The public is invited to develop ideas or provide feedback on existing plans. Within these ‘invited spaces’, members of the public have an advisory role only and no decision-making power. These formats are being demanded by the public and are linked in particular to the hope that local expertise will help lead to better policy decisions and increase acceptance of transport transition measures, which are often the subject of critical debate. The article demonstrates that there is currently a lack of robust evidence to support this.
- Based on the research carried out as part of the CIMT project, it can be demonstrated that consultations do indeed influence citizens’ attitudes, although this influence is not always positive. In particular, those who actively participate in the consultation process are more likely to be dissatisfied with the measures adopted and the stakeholders responsible for them.
- Although satisfaction with local decision-makers is most closely linked to how people rate the measures that have been adopted, the importance of the consultation is particularly evident among those who do not succeed in having their interests (fully) represented. This is because they, too, rate local decision-makers more highly if they are satisfied with the participatory process. For these positive effects it is not necessary to have actively participated oneself.
- In terms of policy impact, it is clear that consultative participation can have a meaningful effect and be valuable for the mobility transition, but in many cases it is not sufficient on its own to bring about the necessary changes. Precisely because public institutions do not relinquish decision-making power within the framework of ‘Invited Spaces’, this approach can only go so far in breaking down the established car-centric planning system. Under the right circumstances, ‘Claimed Spaces’ are in a better position to exert pressure on decision-makers, as was the case, for example, with the ‘Radentscheid’ in Hamburg.
Publication
Escher, Tobias, Laura Mark, und Katharina Holec. 2026. „Bürger:innenbeteiligung an der Verkehrswende: Potentiale & Grenzen für Akzeptanz und Nachhaltigkeit“. In Handbuch Verkehrspolitik, Hrsg. Oliver Schwedes, Alexander Rammert, und Kerstin Stark. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, 1–19. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-04777-1_66-1.