In this report we have analysed institutional and planning conditions for public transport in the Scandinavian countries from a comparative perspective, looking at the county of Skåne (Sweden) and the municipalities of Aarhus (Denmark) and Trondheim (Norway). The report considers qualitative case-studies of public transport. Results show that, from an institutional perspective on roles and responsibilities, it is difficult to speak of a unified Scandinavian public transport model. However, there are common challenges in all the Scandinavian countries. There is a need for new forms of coordination between organizations and policy areas in a number of crucial areas. For example, municipal land use planning and regional public transport planning could be better coordinated. Public transport in Trondheim, Aarhus, and Skåne is consciously and strategically promoted as a driving force in sustainable cities and regional development. It is clear that public transport cannot be seen as an end in itself, or as merely a technical transport system. On a long-term planning level, public transport organizations in all countries, regardless of the regulatory and legal conditions, should try to reach agreement on the question of what they want to achieve with public transport. Such agreements are one prerequisite for the successful coordination of land use and transport planning in contexts where there are no formal coordination mechanisms between municipal land use planning and regional public transport planning. The long term development of public transport also depends on whether or not the land use and infrastructure planning measures that municipalities choose to use will actually improve conditions for public transport. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting