Policy tools for sustainable transport in three cities of the Americas: Seattle, Montreal and Curitiba

Cities around the world are trying to implement transport policies to reduce the dramatic environmental impacts of motorized modes. There is no single method to determine the success of sustainable transport systems, but comparative studies can be illuminating despite inevitable data inconsistencies. This study brings to the forefront different styles of regulation and mix of policy tools used by cities that have been trying to implement sustainable transport systems. To this end, a classification scheme of policy instruments was developed based on asymmetries of information and legitimacy, generating four types of instruments: Self-regulative, Informative/Limited action, Proactive/Government and Interactive/Governance. Using 39 semi-structured interviews with key informants from different levels of government and stakeholders, this paper compares the instrument choice in terms of sustainable urban transport policy in Seattle, Montreal and Curitiba. The main conclusions drawn from the authors' interviews is that the distinction between government/proactive instruments and governance/interactive instruments does not appear as dichotomous and clear as expected and that each city deploys somewhat different patterns of instrument choice, in accordance with its political and institutional context.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2016.06.005
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X16303171
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/29485010
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Mercier, Jean
  • Carrier, Mario
  • Duarte, Fábio
  • Tremblay-Racicot, Fanny
• Publication Date: 2016-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 95-105
• Serial:
  • Transport Policy
  • Volume: 50
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0967-070X
  • Serial URL: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/issn/096707X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Environmental protection; Governance; Regulation; Sustainable transportation; Transportation policy
• Geographic Terms: Curitiba (Brazil); Montreal (Canada); Seattle (Washington)
• Subject Areas: Environment; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01609095
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 25 2016 10:20AM