TRANSPORTATION AND THE POLITICAL CULTURE

IN CONTRAST TO EUROPEAN CITIES, THE AMERICAN URBAN POLITICAL CULTURE HAS 3 DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS. IT GIVES A HIGH VALUE TO LOCAL AUTONOMY, DIRECT PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING BY ELECTED POLITICAL LEADERS, AND SIMILAR DIRECT PARTICIPATION BY PRIVATE CIVIC LEADERSHIP. THE RELATIVE DEGREE OF DEVOTION GIVEN TO THESE THREE PRINCIPLES DEFINES THE DIFFERENCES AMONG CITIES. IT STRUCTURES THE CHARACTER (OR IN SOME CASES THE ABSENCE) OF THE CURRENT POLITICAL CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING TRANSPORTATION POLICY AND PROGRAMS AND THE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED TO RESOLVE THESE CONTROVERSIES. IN GENERAL, CURRENT TRANSPORTATION POLICY-MAKING PROCESSES TEND TO CONTRADICT THESE PRINCIPLES, AND IT IS THOSE PLACES WHERE THIS IS MOST EVIDENT THAT CONTROVERSY HAS BEEN MOST CHRONIC. THE IMPASSE CAUSED BY THESE CONTROVERSIES WILL NOT BE RESOLVED UNTIL THESE CONTRADICTIONS ARE OVERCOME. THE AUTHOR DRAWS ON HIS STUDY OF TRANSPORTATION POLICTICS IN SEVEN LARGE METROPOLITAN AREAS FOR EXAMPLES OF THE CONTRADICTIONS AND SOLUTIONS. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1971/356/356-005.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309019692
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored by Committee on Social, Economic, and Environmental Factors of Transportation and presented at the 50th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Colcord Jr, Frank C
• Publication Date: 1971

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 32-42
• Monograph Title: Social, Economic, and Environmental Factors of Transportation
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 356
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Decision making; Politics; Public opinion; Social values; Transportation; Transportation policy
• Old TRIS Terms: Community values
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Society; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00200501
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309019692
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 7 1972 12:00AM