A qualitative exploration of actors’ power resources and relations in Swiss transit station district planning

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2023

Subject Area

place - europe, place - urban, land use - planning, land use - transit oriented development, infrastructure - station, planning - integration

Keywords

Planning practice, power relations, power resources, transit-oriented development, transit station districts

Abstract

Cross-sectoral collaboration between actors is essential when planning station districts for transit-oriented development. However, power relations and the resulting dominance of selected actors complicate collaborative processes and the necessary integration between transportation and urban planning. Despite the previous problematization of power in planning, dedicated research is lacking on station districts. This article aims to tackle this literature gap through qualitative case studies of two station districts in Switzerland. The findings suggest that municipalities and public transport providers use power resources to assume institutional roles outside their traditional planning domains, partly as a tactical response to initiatives that they contest. For planning practice, the article proposes that process organizers grasp actors’ power potentials early and, if mobilized, integrate them in favor of broadly supported station district development.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Taylor&Francis, copyright remains with them.

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