PUBLIC POLICY AND EFFECTIVE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION 18 April 2013

Outlines Public, policy, and participation Transportation policy Public and participation Public participation in transportation

Public, Policy, and Participation Who is public? what is public? The public is a large body of individuals sharing or united in some broad common characteristics. Streets/roads are usually built on public expense, but most vehicles are privately owned. Many other public facilities benefit private interests.

Public, Policy, and Participation Public policy is developed as a part of movement towards improved planning, rationalization of government process, and greater accountability. Dimensions and differentiations within public policy include: The locus of policy making: local/regional, provincial/national/international Types of policy that include what government wants to do, how the government would achieve its goals, and promoting change Policy scope: narrow/far-reaching, long enduring/delimited timeframe.

Transportation Policy From mobility promotion to mobility management and sustainability Sustainable transportation policy involves the environment, the economy, the spatial form of cities, and personal behavior and values. Prior to 20th century, most transportation planning and policy-making was formulated in response to technological developments and innovations. These rarely link to a national plan and policy.

Transportation Policy Complexity of Transportation Issues Some of the most interesting ST initiatives occur at the local and regional levels. Complexity of transportation issues include: Whose trips are more valuable? Which trip purposes are most valuable and for whom? How can one manage the conflicts among these competing interests? Which services and investments should be supported from public funding?

Transportation Policy Transportation Policy in the 20th Century: A Global Perspective Great differences across the globe: Wealthy vs. impoverished Road + private vehicles vs. transit + NMT Trade facilitation vs. localization.

Transportation Policy Development Timeline After WWII: Large-scale development of transportation policy began to occur. 1945 – 1970: Reconstruction and expansion of American style and its discontents. Rebuilding and expanding transportation infrastructure. US policy and investment emphasized on highway expansion (45,000 miles interstate highway system). Japan planned on major rail improvement. Decolonization started trade liberalization, deregulation and privatization.

Transportation Policy Development Timeline 1970 – 1990: Rethinking cities and highways; beginning of global liberalization Public and political reactions against roadway expansion lead to improving the quality of urban life. Traffic calming started in 1970s Curitiba led the way in planning for future growth, followed by Bogota. Liberalization, deregulation and privatization continued to promote competitiveness. Privatization modernized public services.

Transportation Policy Development Timeline 1990s – present: Transportation policy moves in various directions at different levels Kyoto Climate Change Protocol spurred an interest in sustainable transportation. Pricing reforms, carbon taxes and other measures might lead to reduced transportation emission. National and international effort has gone into trade liberalization and facilitating globalization. However, more progress towards ST has been achieved at the level of cities and urban regions.

Transportation Policy Dimension Business as Usual (BAU) Sustainable Transport (ST) Process Predict (forecast) and provide Build scenarios, backcast, deliberate, decide Data Analysis Accepts current trends, forecast Uses analysis to interrupt harmful trends Funding-investing Supports current situation and trends Reflects and shapes desired outcomes Feedback-evaluation Not generally built into planning Ongoing feedback and evaluation Benchmarking Not always included or heeded Serious part of planning, feedback and evaluation Planning Usually in separated “silos” Maximizes integration of planning and policy

The Public and Participation Defining who the public is. what public participation is. what is successful. Top-down consultation carefully controlled informational meetings or public hearings. Bottom-up participation emerged in 1960s. Public should be involved early in decision-making process, “when options are still open”.

Public Participation in Transportation A multifaceted transportation public includes: Individuals directly affected by a project or proposal or new policy or plan. Users, customers, employees, providers and employers. Interested citizens (community members or taxpayers) Commercial interests, businesses, professionals Stakeholders and interest groups, professional/business/labor associations/lobbies/NGOs.

Public Participation in Transportation How the Transport Public Participates Media communication Town meetings Public consultations and public hearings Committees and commissions Study circles Social movements Politically oriented participation

Public Participation in Transportation Techniques and processes of participation for sustainable transport Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) Charrette Visualization and simulations Visioning Visual preference survey Scenarios and backcasting Hybrid and comprehensive approaches Citizen juries