Hypocritical Transitions? The Challenge of Urban Sustainable Mobility Transition

Abstract

This paper addresses the issue of sustainable urban mobility and the still persisting problems of implementing this objective, illuminated by current planning practice in the municipality of Fredericia in the so-called Triangle Region of southern Denmark. The core questions are whether any imprints of a sustainable mobility discourse can be traced in the policy documents, how mobility is framed, and which arguments are used to legitimate or envision strategies and planning practices. Is Fredericia performing a transition towards low-carbon mobility? The paper will draw on concepts from transition theory in order to provide a framework to structure the analysis and to illuminate its contribution to explain possible path dependencies blocking more radical changes as well as identifying indicators for paths taken for the future development of the city. The paper aims to contribute to the discussions around urban complexity within transition processes. Transitions are always taking place, but the question is which direction they take and if these directions are in line with a planning approach for sustainable mobility.