The emerging science of planning for

cycle inclusion: Lessons for public

transport and BRT?Webinar

7 April 2015

Dr. Lake Sagaris Post-Doctoral Fellow and Adjunct Professor

Bus Rapid Transit Centre of Excellence

Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable

Facultad de Ingeniería - Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

http://www.brt.cl/

http://cedeus.cl/

1. Concepts and methods

from the social sciences

applied to transport

2. Cycleinclusion:

collaborative planning

processes for rapid

change

3. Lessons for BRT?

The “Sandwich” Tour,

Bicipaseos

patriomoniales, Feb

2015

1. Concepts and methods from the

social sciences applied to transport

Today, what little citizen participation there is

in bus system development usually occurs at

the project level, and is often too little, too late

We don’t pay enough attention to participation

at the planning level: the process to define the

consensuses necessary to get the most out of

public transport

Projects Processes

Focus on projects and implementation Seeks the optimum, the “best” solution

Seeks a known result, within a given

timeframeResults uncertain

Tries to control people Try to involve people

Inflexible, linear process Original concepts may change

Based on technical expertiseCircular (“iterative” process): ensures good

feedback and good knowledge base

Doesn’t produce greater learning, or

identify learning for the future

Flexible, participants learn/teach and build

new goals together

RISK: Obsolete by the time it’s

completed, doesn’t build support

completarse, no construye apoyo

cuidando

RISK: Endless conversation.

Source: Tom Godefrooij. Interface for Cycling Expertise, Santiago trainings, 2008.

Single cause/single effect

Single problem/single solution

In/out approachPlanning focused on

identifying and responding

to trends, often reinforcing

them, even the negative or

harmful ones.

Faces multiple causes (and interactions)/

unforeseen results, eg. “butterfly” effect

Multiple problems/Solutions for as many as

possible

Demands cyclical approach that generates

less waste/turns everything into resources for

different processes along a chain…

Requires a new kind of planning…

Complexity and Positionality

1994: A book that

“translates” new discoveries

from physics, meteorology

and biology for a general

audience.

Prigogine, Maturana &

Varela, Mandelbrot…

http://www.art-sciencefactory.com/complexity-map_feb09.html

Gundersen &

Holling

Bridge between

new discoveries in

ecology and the

social

Into the urban… growing interest and applications

Otto Scharmer

Perspective based in urban planning

…theory, discipline, and practice

Engineering

Sociology

Architecture &

design

Engineering

Sociolog

y

Architecture

& design

In a very complex —and

constantly changing—

world

Engineering

Sociology

Architecture & design

Planning

(urban)

Urban planning:

interdisciplinary, social

Applications in urban planning

Questioning positionality

• Desde afuera (tercera persona

tradicional)

• Desde adentro (primera

persona singular o plural)

• Posibilidades de investigar en

el laboratorio vivo de la

ciudad en diversos espacios y

escalas

• Con diversos actores

Outsiders'

perspective

Insider

perspecti

ve

Insider

perspective

Insider

perspective

Mid-person’s

perspective

perspective

Mid-person’s

perspective

Mid-person’s

perspective

perspective

Mid-person’s

perspective

Perspective

LAC

Perspective UE o

N. America

Perspective

India

Diverse methods• PAR - Participatory action

research

• Etnography from diverse

perspectives: participant

observers, and observing

participants

• Using both qualitative and

quantitative methods to better

understand complexity

• With researchers in diverse

positionalities to mobilize

different types of knowledge

Integrate this perspective…

Engineering

Sociology

Architecture & design

Planificación

(urbana)

…into other types of knowledge

Citizens’ experiential

knowledge

Political knowledge

(how to move power)

Engineering

Sociology

Architecture

& designPlanific

ación

(urban

a)

Theory & practice of

collaborative planning

Citizens’ experiential

knowledge

Political knowledge

(how to move power)

Engineering

Sociology

Architecture

& design

Planning

(urban)

Complexity

Multiscalar

Interdisciplinary

Rather than seeking

universal laws, gives

priority to identifying

“rules” and testing

them in local

(specific) contexts.

The importance

of the “meso”

The individual

The individual in a group

The groups in the wider

community

The community in the

world

The world in the

community

A FLOCK OF BIRDS

Separation: steer to avoid crowding

local flockmates

alignment diagram

Alignment: steer towards the

average heading of local flockmates

Cohesion: steer to move toward

the average position of local

flockmates

Open system: as subsystems

merge unpredictable new entities

and conditions appear

Central metaphor: an ecology

composed of diverse (living and

non-living) actors

Nested interconnected scales:

the meso becomes very

important

Closed system:

relatively predictable

Central metaphor: the

machine that

collapses if it is not

properly maintained

Separate

scales/linear

connection: micro,

macro

Table 2.3 Framing as Machine versus Complex Living Systems

Machine/industrial perspective City system example Planning system example

Industry seeks “single point” and “closed loop”

(pp.33-35, Merry 1995) repetitive processes that

constantly produce the same result, but in living

systems, repetition occurs but never produces

exactly the same result.

To (re)produce a rational city, planners apply

zoning by-laws, transport modelling, etc. modelled

on closed loop approaches, sometimes placing

human and non-human living systems at risk.

In its attempts to act as a predictable and closed

system, the planning system excludes many of

those affected.

When machines break

down they cease to

function; living systems,

however, tend to

reorganize and generate

new ways to function

Politicians, media and

others threaten “collapse”

if highways are not built,

but in fact, when they are

closed or eliminated, the

city adapts and moves on.

Rather than “wrench-in-

the-works” citizen

participation opens up

debate and new

possibilities

Focus on rules, repetition and conformity, rather

than recognizing the presence and value of self-

generating and self-managing systems.

Police repression of young people who use parks

for juggling, street theatre and barter on weekends

-- they don’t recognize the value of a self-

managing system applied in public space.

Self-generating, autonomous citizens’ movements

and institutions may be seen as problematic rather

than ideal partners in managing the complex city

system.

Source: Own elaboration, based on Merry (1995), De Roo and Silva (2010), Portugali (2011) and Innes and Booher (2010).

Collapse???

Reorganizati

on

2. Cycleinclusion: collaborative planning

for rapid change

Full integration of

cycle users into the planning,

organization and functioning

of the city and

complementary systems,

particularly education,

health, inclusion, and the

guarantee of social,

economic and cultural rights.

CONTEXT: Like watersheds, street

sheds communicate, connect, isolate

and separate the city. Enormous

power…

The fewer the cars on your street, the more people you will

meet, the more social relations, the more mental and

physical health…

Streets

% of urban territory

“Developed”

New York, 22%

London, 23%

Tokyo, 24%

Paris, 25%.

“Developing”

Shanghai, 7.5%

Bangkok, 11.4%

Delhi, 21%

Sao Paulo, 21%.

(Vasconcellos, 2001)

Green spaceOptimum:

40 m2/capita

International minimum

(WHO):

9m2/cap.

Berlin: 60.0 m2/cap.

Curitiba: 51.0 m2/cap.

Cordoba: 9.6 m2/cap.

Madrid:7.0 m2/cap.

Santiago: 3.2 m2/cap.

Sao Paulo: 2.7 m2/cap.

Festivals and

street fairs, in

Buenos Aires,

Santiago and

Sao Paulo

Japanese fair and

Metro station, Sao

Paulo

Nury Gatica, founder of

Living city (Ciudad Viva),

third generation flower

vendor; streets fairs (Sao

Paolo).

Arte Reciclaje Servicios

Santiago, The

community proposes

improving Barrio

Bellavista’s main

street, Santiago 2003.

Inaugurated 2008.

Delhi,

March 2012

…the full integration of cycling

considerations into the city and planning

systems, through diverse measures

developed over the past 40 years by

cyclists and planners, particularly in The

Netherlands

Santiago: BEFORE (1980s -

2007)

“Get yourself

a car, Buddy” pro-car advertising campaign that

marked more than a decade of

social thinking about cycling…

AFTER: CYCLE MASTER PLAN

PARTICIPATORY PROCESS =

PROGRESSUS$45 mn for cycling facilities

Master plan result of consensus-

building

Km of cycling facilities

quadrupled (2007-2012)

Cyclists on main routes up 20-

25% per year, 2007-2014.

3% modal share (2006) to 7%

(2012)

Women 1/3 cyclists

Presidential priority, beyond

elections

Ciudad Viva, I-CE, Metro

Santiago Regional Government

(GORE) & Ciclistas Unidos de

Chile (2007-2010)

“ECOLOGIES OF ACTORS”

(EVANS)

Aprovechar la

diversidad:

superar

divisiones,

construir

puentes

Dejar de disputar quién era “dueño” del tema: todos tienen un rol, un nicho.

Necesitamos

•muchas organizaciones y actores

•aliados entre técnicos y políticos

•otros grupos, especialmente caminantes, y los diferentemente capacitados

Bicicultura, CicloRecreovía, Ciclistas Universidad Central, Club Burunú (Gran Avenida), YMCA , Mujeres Arriba de la

CletaCiudad Viva

Partnership with Dutch experts, Interface for Cycling

Expertise, and global network

Dutch and global expertise, thanks to Interface for Cycling

Expertise, and its network (India, Africa, Europa, L.

America)

1. Working group: Adaptation of Dutch CROW design

manual to our reality

2. Newsletter Ciudad Sustentable

3. Santiago Green Map, with cycle routes (not infrastructure,

real routes, used by real cyclists)

4. Technical commission of all government departments,

with citizen representation

5. Citizen-Regional Government roundtable, with

municipalities, civil society groups, and ministerial

representatives (sports, culture, public works, transport)

Small working groups and Citizen-

Government roundtable, co-chaired by

citizen rep and Santiago governor

3. Lessons — for BRT?

Interactions that produce

systemic change

In the planning system

Citizens

with good

ideas

Technical

staff

Politicians

Change (laws,

regulations,

procedures,

policies, programs,

projects)

Technical

staff

Nacional

Regional

Local

Regional

variegated collection of organizations that constitute the state (Evans

2002)

Politica

lTechnical

Active

citizens

Private

interests

Active

citizens

Elite

Excluded

Politica

lTechnical

Private

interests

Active

citizens

Transparency

Democratization

Sustainability

Academic

knowledge

variegated collection of organizations that constitute the state (Evans

2002)

The importance of civil society

(organized citizens)

And the kind of “participation”Susskind et al. 1983.

Conflicto Paternalismo Coproducción

Delivers information

Controls

Imposes

Power

¡Yes!

Citizens

Individual and collective

learning and development

Capacity for change

Builds autonomous active

citizens

Power

¡No!Citizens

Coordinadora No a la Costanera Norte,

movimientos de Aisén, Freirina,

movimiento estudiantil, otros.

Two faces of the same

coin

Exclusion-Inclusion

Discrimination-Power

behind the scenes

Power

¡No!

¡Sí!

Citizens

More fruitful:

C

Power

Deliberation

Diversity

Interdependence (Booher &

Innes 2002)

I understand

Builds strategic conviction

Systemic change

Credibility and continuity

Mesa Ciudadanía - Gobierno para el Plan

de Ciclo Rutas del Bicentenario (2007-

2010), con asesoría holandesa.

Clientship Citizenship

Competes against rivals Autonomous political agency

Expects favours Demands political rights

Negotiates without challenging the

authoritarian frameworkExercises civil rights

Interactions framed as personal ties Interactions framed by social rights

Assumes inequality and does not

attempt to change it

Requires equality and struggles to establish it

where it does not exist

Source: Own elaboration using definitions by Lucy Taylor (2004).

Diverse

Interdependent

With different profiles,

leaderships, strategies

and organizations, and

some common objectives

Live and let live, collaborate where we agree

Matrix. Mapping the Complexity of Pro-Cycling Actors

Single issue Multi-issue

Single tactic

(1-3)

Movimiento de Furiosos

Ciclistas, CicloRecreovía

Bicipaseos Patrimoniales (heritage

+ cycling); Mujeres arriba de la

Cleta (Escuela BiciMujer),

women+cycling

Multi-tactic

(+3 tactics)

Bicicultura (festival,

mapeo, cultura, lobby,

estudios)

Ciudad Viva (heritage, public and

active transport, democratization

of urban planning, recycling)

No country has achieved steady

progress toward cycleinclusion

without a diverse, complex,

robust ecology of citizen

organizations

How robust is our ecology of citizens for BRT and public transport?

In the city system…

Urban measures

• US$48 million fund for cycling

infrastructure

• Training in traffic calming and

other diverse measures

• Training in quality infrastructure,

standards

• Vision beyond cycle paths

Cycling economy

• More bikes for women, cargo,

packaging, etc.

• Better trained consultants for

design and planning

• Studies tendered for bikeshare

Behavioural change

• Training in civil

society and

participatory

methods

• Design, testing and

ongoing realization

of women’s cycling

school

• More diverse media

presence

• Links with culture,

gender, recyclers,

and other

groups/issues

Urban measures

• US$48 million fund for cycling

infrastructure

• Training in traffic calming and

other diverse measures

• Training in quality infrastructure,

standards

• Vision beyond cycle pathsCycling economy

• More bikes for women, cargo,

packaging, etc.

• Better trained consultants for

design and planning

• Studies tendered for bikeshare

Behavioural change

• Training in civil society and participatory

methods

• Design, testing and ongoing realization of

women’s cycling school

• More diverse media presence

• Links with culture, gender, recyclers, and

other groups/issues

Urban measures

Cycling economy

Behavioural change

Urban measures

Cycling economy

Behavioural change

Could these “levers for change” be

relevant for other transport forms?

An industry and a financial

product

A culture and a way of life

A globalization based on

cheap energy and unbridled

consumption (by a tiny

minority at the expense of the

majority)

A potent symbol inciting

competition beyond ethical

and moral limits,

The result of 50 years of

intense propaganda (like the

cigarette), i.e. there is nothing

“natural” or “inevitable” about

it.

A century of

car-centred planning

Economy deeply linked with banks, tourism,

manufacturing, etc.

Billions in advertising and associated

behavioural modification efforts

All work together

very effectively

Urban measures: some

segregated busways, few

complete grids (none?)

Economy (new jobs, direct and

indirect) ???

Customer “information”, few

efforts to excite, seduce,

attract, win hearts

BRT

We need to partner with cyclists

and other sustainable transport

modes

We need to build powerful

alliances favouring sustainable

transport

We need to build robust civil

society ecologies to achieve our

goals

We need to know more about social sustainability,

especially the politics of sustainability and social

justice, as they relate to cities and “transport-sheds”

We should complement models using simple

causality models with complex causality

approaches

We need to take civil society organization and

participatory theory and practice much more

seriously.

Laboratory for Social ChangeA space for research in the community, with the

community, led by Transport Engineering (PUC) and

Living City, which brings together leaders and

partners working in the Living Laboratory of real

cities. With support from the Center for Sustainable Urban Development

(Cedeus) and the Across Latittudes and Cultures, Center for BRT Excellence

www.cambiarnos.cl

GraciasDr. Lake Sagaris

lsagaris@uc.cl